An Archetypal Examination on the work of “The Wall” by Marlen Haushofer

It is an indisputable fact that literature is in interaction with other branches of science, and that this interdisciplinary interaction greatly enriches literary works. Because of this rich blend, literature is tightly bound to many disciplines. This study focuses on a concept that corresponds both to literature and to psychology. The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, who is the prominent figure of analytical psychology, puts forward the concept of archetype, which can also be defined as the “first example.” Jung defines the collective unconscious through the concept of archetype. The archetype exists in the range of collective unconscious and corresponds to a cultural heritage coded within the individual. This study examines the concept of archetype using Marlen Haushofer’s novel Die Wand (The Wall) as a point of reference. With the aid of the psychology, which can function as a tool for decoding literary texts, and the hidden messages placed into the text by the author will be attempted to be revealed with the use of archetypal analysis