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Spring 2010 Jesus Christ and Billy the Kid As Archetypes of the Self in Am

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Spring 2010 Jesus Christ and Billy the Kid As Archetypes of the Self in Am JesusChristandBillytheKidasArchetypesoftheSelfinAmericanCinema MichelangeloPaganopoulos GoldsmithsCollege UniversityofLondon Abstract Thispapercombinesculturalandanthropologicalperspectives,focusingontheaffinity betweentheconceptsof'collectiveconsciousness'(Durkheim)and'collective unconcsciousness'(Jung).Itarguesthatfilmsarethedreamsofcharismatic auteur directors, whoprojecttheirpropheticvisiontoawideraudience,intheCelluloidChurch.These mechanicallyreproducedvisionsarebasedoneternalmythsandarchetypes,which symbolicallyreflectuponthecontemporaryindustry/societythatproducesthem.Inthis context,thepaperfocusesonfilmdepictionsofBillytheKidasanarchetypeoftheSelf,with visualreferencestoJesus'CrucifixionandLamentation,inordertoillustratethe“spiritual” turninwardsChristianityasexpressedinthecollectiveconsciousnessofAmericanculture, fromtheanti-communist1950s,andthroughthespiritualityofthe1960sand1970stothe recentriseofEvangelicalChristianity. Introduction [1]Inrecentyears,therehasbeenanincreasing“revitalisedinterest”inJungian psychoanalyticalmethodbasedontheconceptofcinemaasacollectiveexperience, especiallyinthefieldsofliteratureandculturalstudies,suchas“post-Jungian”filmanalysis. 1 HaukeandAlisterarguethatwatchingafilminacinemaisanexperience“setapart”from dailylife,“inadarkplacededicatedtothispurpose…wherepsychecancomealive,be experiencedandbecommentedupon.” 2Theartofcinemahastechnologicallytransformed themysticalluminousexperienceofritualsintoluminousscreenimagesofarchetypalheroes andnarratives,investedwithsymbolsofmechanicallyreproduceddreams. 3Filmsarebased oncollectivemythsandlegends,narratedinaCelluloidChurch.Throughthismedium,the auteur directorcontrolstheaestheticalworldoftheaudience’s cosmos ,takingtheroleofthe charismaticprophetofawholegeneration.Throughhiseyes,thevisualmetaphorsofafilm cantransformeachviewerfrom within ,andatthesametime,establish,reproduce,and criticallyreflect upon thecollectiveconsciousnessoftheviewers’understandingof“society” asawhole,andmorespecifically,ofthefilmindustrythatproducesthem. [2]InhighlightingtheaffinitybetweenCarlGustavJung’sconceptof“collective unconsciousness”andEmileDurkheim’s“collectiveconsciousness,”Ilookintotheidealsof friendship,love,andsacrificeofthemostfamousoutcastofall,Jesus,asanarchetypeofthe ChristianmoralSelf.Inparticular,IfocusonthemythofBillytheKid,invisualcorrelations tothesymbolismofJesus’crucifixionandresurrectionintwofilms:ArthurPenn’s TheLeft- JournalofReligionandPopularCulture Volume22(1):Spring2010 HandedGun (1958),andSamPeckinpah’s PatGarrettandBillytheKid (1973),with comparativereferencestootherfilmsofthetime.ThecorrelationsIwillbedrawingofBilly astheSelf/ShadowarchetypeofJesus,criticallyreflectonthechangesinAmericanculture thattookplaceinthesecondhalfofthetwentiethcentury,startingfromtheanti-communist hysteriaofthe1950s,andthroughthespiritualityofthe1960s,totheriseofneo- fundamentalistChristianity. TheCelluloidChurch:JesusasaMoralArchetypeoftheSelf Jungwasimpressedbywhatcinemaofferedintermsoftheimagery, narrativesandthedynamicsoffilm—bothphotographicallyandinthehuman processesdepicted...cinemaoffersbothameansandaspacetowitnessthe psyche—almostliterallyinprojection.Cinemafieldsdeliveracontemporary experiencesetapartfrom“dailylife”—collectivelyexperiencedwithothersin adarkplacededicatedtothispurpose.Thisexperienceofpsyche-in- projectiontravelsfurtheranddifferentlyfromthatofferedbythetheatredue totheflexibilityinvolvedinthephotographicmedium...Cinemahasthe possibilityofbecominganimaginalspace—a temenos —andbyengagingwith filmsaversionofactiveimaginationisstimulatedwhichcanthenengagethe unconscious—potentiallyinassuccessfulafashionasourconsciousattention todreamimageryandotherfantasies...cinemarepresentsabirthofthe collective. 4 [3]Fromapost-Jungianperspective,cinemacanbeseenasamodernmetaphorof Durkheim’s“Church.”ForDurkheimtheconceptofthe”sacred”formedaunifyingsystem ofbelief,collectivelyexpressedinrituals,whichthrough“thingsapartandforbidden”formed themoralorderandstructuralhierarchyofatotemic“society”. 5ForbothJungandDurkheim religionwasamatterofpersonal experience ,awaytoconnecttheindividualtothewider collective,throughtheluminousexperientialconceptof“numinous”(RudolfOtto). 6Jung highlightstheSelfasthesourceofthiscollectiveandimpersonalforce,whichheassociates witharchaicelementsofthe“collectiveunconsciousness.”TheSelfis“areligious mythologem”existing“completelyoutsidethepersonalsphere.” 7InJung,this apriori force ismanifestedinluminouspersonalexperiences,inwhichtheEgo’sconflictwiththe Archetypesreachtheconsciousnessdialectically,stimulatingtheindividual’spsyche. [4]Bycontrast,Durkheim’ssociologicalmethodpointedtoSocietyas apriori ,theexternal forceexpressedin“collectiverepresentations”revealingthe“collectiveconsciousness”ofthe groupasawhole. 8The apriori conceptionsofSelfandSocietyrevealanaffinitybetween Jung’sinternalconceptof“collectiveunconsciousness”andDurkheim’sexternal“collective consciousness.”ButwhileDurkheim’sstartingpointis“society,”morallyacting upon each individual,Jung’sbeginswiththearchaicSelfthatsubconsciouslyfunctionsfrom within throughdreamsandmyths.Incollectiverepresentations,suchasritualsandfilms,the participantaudiencecreativelyrecognizestheexistenceandinteractionofbothinnerand outerworlds.Inthissense,forJungthelifeofJesus,symbolizedbytheChristianMass,is eternal,outoftime: JournalofReligionandPopularCulture Volume22(1):Spring2010 TheMassisanextramundaneandextratemporalactinwhichChristis sacrificedandthenresurrectedinthetransformedsubstances;andtheriteof hissacrificialdeathisnotarepetitionofthehistoricaleventbuttheoriginal, unique,andeternalact.TheexperienceoftheMassisthereforeaparticipation inthetranscendenceoflifewhichovercomesallboundsofspaceandtime.It isamomentofeternityintime. 9 [5]ForJung,suchactsofcollectivetranscendencerevealtheexistenceofadeeperarchaic “collectiveunconscious,”manifestedin“inherited”and“pre-existentarchetypes”: unconsciousprojectionsofcollectiverepresentationsofthehumanpsyche,which, independentlyfromtheindividual,cometothesurfacethroughdreams,visions,myths, fairytales,rituals,andinthearts,as“collectiverepresentations.” 10 Jungborrowedtheterm fromLevy-Bruhl, 11 referringtoadeeperesotericworldof“moral,aesthetic,andreligious values”of“universallyrecognizedidealsorfeelingtonedcollectiveideas.” 12 Hehighlighted fiveelementary“archetypes”witha“preconsciouspsychicdisposition”thatcaninitiatethe creativeordestructiveforceswithinus:theSelf,itsShadow,theSoul,theDivineCouple, andtheChild.Thesearchetypeshavethreeimportantcharacteristics:firsttheyare apriori , meaningthattheyareanaturalpartofhumannature,pre-existinginthepsychicofeach individualbybirth;second,theyareelementalinthecreationofsociallife,a“collective unconsciousness,”expressedincosmology,arts,andreligion;andthird,becausearchetypes areesoteric,theyarealsothoughttobeuniversal. 13 [6]Jung’spsychoanalyticalmethodisgenerallybasedontheresolutionoftheconflict betweenwhowebelieveweare,andhowwethinkweareperceivedbyothers—our projectionofaSelf.HedefinedtheSelfasaunitary“whole,”aself-projectionofaluminous “God-image”( ImagoDei ). 14 ItscounterpartistheShadow,thethingsweperceivetobe foreign,outsideourSelf,butwhichinfactstillspringoutfrominsideourselves,butwe convenientlyprojectontoothers.Conversely,theShadowhas“anemotionalnature,akindof autonomy,andaccordinglyanobsessiveor,better,possessivequality” 15 .InJung,religion playedavitalroleinexpressingtheseeternalforcesthroughcosmologicalsymbolism.He illustratedthesetwocontrastingperceptionsofwhowethinkweshouldbe,andwhowedeny wearenot,intheimagesoftheChristandtheAntichrist,theformeras“thearchetypeofthe self,”whichis“asgoodasperfect…theperfectmanwhoiscrucified” 16 ,andSatanasthe antithesis,Hismoraldarkcounterpart. [7]ThesymbolismofJesusasanarchetypeoftheSelfstemsfromHisambiguous,legendary, marginallife,andunknownorigin.Hismiraculouslifewasmarkedbypersecution,self- sacrifice,resurrection,andascensiontoHeaven.However,Jesusisonlyanaspectofthe archaicSelfof“Christ”,whichispresentineverybody apriori ,meaningthatitpre-existsthe historicalfigureofJesus,whilefindingexpressionthroughthesymboliclifeofJesus. ThelifeofChristisunderstoodbytheChurch,ontheonehand,asan historical,andontheotherhand,asaneternallyexisting,mystery.Thisis especiallyevidentinthesacrificeoftheMass…Christlivedaconcrete, personal,anduniquelifewhich,inallessentialfeatures,hadatthesametime JournalofReligionandPopularCulture Volume22(1):Spring2010 anarchetypalcharacter.Thischaractercanberecognizedfromthenumerous connectionsofthebiographicaldetailswithworld-widemyth-motifs.These undeniableconnectionsarethemainreasonwhyitissodifficultfor researchersintothelifeofJesustoconstructfromthegospelreportsan individuallifedivestedofmyth.Inthegospel,themselvesfactualreports, legends,andmythsarewovenintoawhole. 17 [8]Jungwasthuscarefultodistinguishbetween“naturalsymbol”ofChrist,andthehistorical figureassociatedwiththeinstitutionalised“dogma”oftheChurch. 18 Inasimilarmanner,the “dogmaticfigureofJesus”excludeshisdarkearthside,thehumanone,becomingamoral idealforimitation.Inthiscontext,“God’simageschangebutnotGod.”Byseparatingthe two,andbyhighlightingtheexclusionoftheShadowfromtheimageofChrist,Jungargued, “therealityofevilwasdeniedbytheChurchFathers,” 19 makingthus,theimportant distinctionbetweenJesusthehistoricalpersonfrom“Jesus”thesymbolicarchetypeofthe “Christwithin.”Jesusasa“naturalarchetypalcharacter”isoneoftheendlessmanifestations ofthearchetypeoftheSelf,whichinChristianityisdefinedinthemoraltermsofsacrifice, humility,senseofjustice,andtranscendentalself-liberationfromthematerialbody.
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