Topic > Individuation in James as Atonement with Father

Carl Jung was a well-known Swiss psychiatrist who proposed many ideas, one of which included the concept of individuation. Individuation is the process by which an individual becomes whole by integrating the disparate parts of the psychological being into the Self. Or as von Franz describes it, “the conscious confrontation with one's inner center (psychic core) or Self” (Jung 169). This means that a person should learn to overcome and, at the same time, accept all parts of their inner self, from the Shadow to the Anima/Animus. The process of individuation can be thought of as a heroic journey. Daisy Miller: A Study by James reshapes the image of the hero into a heroine through Daisy's hero's journey and discovery of the Self. On this trip he does so by taking her to the Colosseum where there is the danger of contracting malaria. Even though he was not a god or a divine being, Giovanelli was certain that he would not get sick. At one point he states that “as far as I'm concerned I'm not afraid” (James). But he's more than willing to play with Daisy's life. In this period Daisy has her apotheosis. We don't see it from his point of view, but from Winterbourne. He realizes that she "was a young lady whom a gentleman no longer need worry about respecting" (James). When Daisy sees him, she recognizes that Winterbourne has had an epiphany. He may have understood what the epiphany was and that understanding is the benefit he must bring, not to the world, but to Winterbourne. After receiving the boon, Daisy embarks on the final part of the hero's journey called The Return. As with other aspects of the hero's journey, the Return is also divided into different phases: the refusal to return, the magical flight, the rescue from the outside, the crossing of the threshold of return, the master of the two worlds and the freedom of live. . Daisy's refusal to return came after the Colosseum. She is said to have refused to take the pill that would have saved her life. “I don't care,” said Daisy a little strangely, “whether I have Roman fever or not!” (James). And so he caught the Roman fever. His mother, Mrs. Miller, attempted to do so. Since a renaissance normally signifies some sort of cultural renaissance, I assume that a Harlem Renaissance would mean a cultural renaissance for blacks of that era. McKay took part by creating poems that exemplified how his people lived and were denigrated. In the poem Africa, he talks about how it was once the cradle of life, but now "You are the prostitute, now your time is done" (13). And in “Harlem Shadows” we are introduced to “little dark girls” (5) who because of “poverty, dishonor, and disgrace” (14) were “in Harlem wandering from street to street” (18). In other words, McKay claimed that young girls were forced into prostitution. Then in “America” he stated that “Though he feeds me bitter bread /And sinks his tiger tooth into my throat” (1-2). The “she” in the first line refers to America and indicates that the speaker is not being treated kindly. Finally, in “If We Must Die” he asks his people to pull themselves together so that “If we must die, let it not be like the pigs / Hunted down and locked up in an inglorious place”.”