Melola Discovery

← Melola Discovery

Open access Journal

Pearsonian archetypal analysis of Rin in R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War novel

Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies · Vol. 14 (2025) · pp. 224–231

DOI
10.15294/rainbow.v14i.29979
ISSN
2721-4540, 2252-6323
Published
2025-07-31
Publisher
Universitas Negeri Semarang
Language
eng
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Abstract

Archetypes reflect the deep psychological complexity of a person's life journey. The phenomena can be exemplified by Rin, the main character in R.F. Kuang's novel The Poppy War. While previous research has explored the themes of gender and history, her psychological evolution through archetype transformation remains unexamined. This research addresses this gap by analysing Rin's character through Carol Pearson's twelve archetypes, revealing how trauma and ambition shape her reactions to certain situations. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, this study examines Rin's dialogue, actions, and thoughts. Findings identified five dominant archetypes in Rin's development which illustrate her psychological development from vulnerability to destructive empowerment. Those archetypes are The Orphan, The Warrior, The Seeker, The Destroyer, and The Magician. This study contributes to literary scholarship by demonstrating how archetype theory explains character psychology, offering a deeper understanding of narrative-driven identity formation in fiction.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

23 authors · 49 co-authorship links

Hover or tap a name to highlight its co-authors. Double-click to open the author's page.

  • State University of Semarang
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Different organisations
  • Same organisation
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Thicker line = more joint articles · bigger circle = more articles
Show as table
Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Syahrul Syah SinagaAffiliation unknown2
Ibnu Amar MuchsinAffiliation unknown2
Ruly Indra DarmawanAffiliation unknown1
Sri SumaryaniAffiliation unknown1
Eka Titi AndaryaniState University of Semarang1
Natalie Anabella HarindaAffiliation unknown1
Marisya PratiwiAffiliation unknown1
Prayudias MargawatiAffiliation unknown1
Bambang PurwantoAffiliation unknown1
Aswin Rizal AssegafAffiliation unknown1
mohamad ikhwan rosyidiAffiliation unknown1
Nugraha Hery SetiawanAffiliation unknown1
Zuhrul AnamAffiliation unknown1
Agung Ginanjar AnjaniputraAffiliation unknown1
Henrikus Joko YuliantoAffiliation unknown1
Antonius Edi NugrohoAffiliation unknown1
Indrawan NurcahyonoAffiliation unknown1
Fajry Sub'haan Syah SinagaAffiliation unknown1
Hendi PratamaAffiliation unknown1
Widya AmaliaAffiliation unknown1
Fatma HetamiAffiliation unknown1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/rainbow/oai, first harvested 6 Nov 2026, last seen 8 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
<oai_dc:dc xmlns="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/  http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Pearsonian archetypal analysis of Rin in R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War novel</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Rahma, Fryda Aulia</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Widayanti , Maria Johana Ari</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">archetypes</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Carol Pearson</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">hero's journey stages</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">psychological transformation</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">The Poppy War</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">Archetypes reflect the deep psychological complexity of a person's life journey. The phenomena can be exemplified by Rin, the main character in R.F. Kuang's novel The Poppy War. While previous research has explored the themes of gender and history, her psychological evolution through archetype transformation remains unexamined. This research addresses this gap by analysing Rin's character through Carol Pearson's twelve archetypes, revealing how trauma and ambition shape her reactions to certain situations. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, this study examines Rin's dialogue, actions, and thoughts. Findings identified five dominant archetypes in Rin's development which illustrate her psychological development from vulnerability to destructive empowerment. Those archetypes are The Orphan, The Warrior, The Seeker, The Destroyer, and The Magician. This study contributes to literary scholarship by demonstrating how archetype theory explains character psychology, offering a deeper understanding of narrative-driven identity formation in fiction.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Universitas Negeri Semarang</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2025-07-31</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:type xml:lang="en">Peer-reviewed Article</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/rainbow/article/view/29979</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15294/rainbow.v14i.29979</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies; Vol. 14 (2025): Special Issue; 224-231</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2721-4540</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2252-6323</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.15294/rainbow.v14i</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/rainbow/article/view/29979/5581</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2025 Fryda Aulia Rahma, Maria Johana Ari Widayanti, S.S., M.Si. (Author)</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>