Through the archetypes in the short story Catch the Moon, Judith Ortiz Cofer teaches the reader that love heals all. One archetype in Catch the Moon is The Crossroads, which is a place or time of decision where a real realization is made and change or penance results. The Crossroads is a symbolic archetype for the life-changing decision that Luis makes that night because of the love he remembers from his mother. An example of this archetype is “Then Luis got an idea. He signed to her that he’d be back, and drove to the junkyard. Luis climbed upon his mountain of hubcaps….This was a treasure hunt. And he knew what he was looking for” (Cofer 9). After Luis drives to Naomi’s house and she shows him a drawing of him sitting on the silver hubcaps through her window, Luis decides to pick up the pieces of his life and to do something “good” (Cofer 10) for someone. Luis makes this decision because Naomi reminds him of his mother and her love for him. Ever since the death of his mom, Luis dropped out of high school and became involved in gang crimes. His delinquent behavior is a result of the emotions that bottled up inside him for the last 3 years, and the day Naomi came to his father’s Auto Parts shop his memories of his mother resurfaced, which opened his eyes to make the life-changing decision.
Another archetype in Catch the Moon is The Mentor, a character archetype. Luis’s father, Mr. Cintron serves as a mentor to Luis, specifically as Luis’s conscience. Mr. Cintron uses his time off work intricately polishing the silverware chosen by his late wife and taking correspondence classes in etiquette, literacy, etc. An example of the character archetype is, “His father was a problem too. He objected to the T-shirt logo, calling it disgusting and vulgar. Mr. Cintron prided himself on his own, elegant style of dressing after work, and on his manners and large vocabulary, which he picked up by taking correspondence courses…” (Cofer 5). In this quote, Luis describes how his father disapproves of his gang lifestyle at his high school, which tells the reader that he thinks of his father as one who only does the right thing and doesn’t engage in threatening activities. Luis’s dad is an important mentor because he’s the only parent he has left, and his dad serves as an emotional support rock during this sensitive time. Catch the Moon is a story surrounding a tragic loss of a mother, and how love and its healing capabilities can have life-long changes on people.
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Essay on ‘Catch the Moon’ Short Story.
(2024, February 28). Edubirdie. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/essay-on-catch-the-moon-short-story/
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