Archetypal Approach and Narrative Techniques in Hernan Diaz’s In the Distance Rashad Mohammed Moqbel Al Areqi English Department, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Al Mandaq, Al Baha University, Al Baha, KSA Abstract—This study addresses the journey of Håkan, a young Swedish man who does not speak English, and the obstacles he encounters during his quest to locate his brother, Linus, in Hernan Diaz’s In the Distance, (2017). Håkan becomes a legend in the eyes of the indigenous people and the immigrants who meet him in the landscape of the American West. However, he is lost in the wilderness of West America, unable to move forward to find his brother or travel back to his home. Through an archetypal approach, this study probes deeply into the impact of such archetypes as hero, journey, the American Dream, and others on Håkan’s life, a life which becomes boring, routine, and repetitious. The study also traces the narrative techniques used by Diaz to make the readers live the experiences of the protagonist, which are marked by perplexity, stagnancy, and repetition. The focus is on the techniques relevant to aspects like style, plot, setting, and character, and how such techniques integrate with the archetypes to assist the readers in clearly understanding the story. The study finds many archetypes used by the author to manifest Håkan as a myth, a giant, sometimes a killer, and a villain accused of murdering indigenous people, as they claim. The use of the narrative techniques of language, spaces, repetition, and backstory are intertwined with the archetypes to show the stages of loss and stagnancy in Håkan’s life during his quest for his brother in that large wilderness of West America. Index Terms—archetypal, distance, legend, narrative, wilderness I. INTRODUCTION This study attempts to trace Håkan’s journey traveling east to find his brother, one in which, instead, he finds himself drifting with immigrants to the west. He mistakenly takes a ship to San Francisco, his lack of English not allowing him to recognize the destination. Through an archetypal approach, selected archetypes used in the novel are studied, ones that expose Håkan’s journey and the hindrances he finds on his way to meet his brother. Other archetypes associated with the large landscape of West America are also investigated. This journey has taken Håkan’s prime youth, and he finds himself driven back again and again because of his inability to navigate the strange landscape. Håkan is not familiar with the geography of the wilderness or the roundness of the earth, and it is very easy for him to be influenced by the other immigrants, who sometimes force him to accompany them on their journey, disregarding his itinerary that will lead him to his brother, Linus. He becomes an easy victim to plunderers, criminals, Indians, religious fanatics, and desperadoes on his journey to meet his brother. The study also addresses the narrative techniques used in the novel that give more clarity to the plot. Diaz’s In the Distance gives much emphasis to the distance between Håkan and his destination, the distance between him and his American dream, but rather one which will begin once the brothers are reunited. It is this distance which exposes Håkan to the many experiences that make him a legend in the eyes of the indigenous people, particularly when he slays an entire gang of attackers, and it is from this event that the legend of the Hawk emerges. Diaz stresses the transformations in Håkan’s life that make his behavior sometimes more animalistic than human. That large landscape, the wilderness with its hard climate, different inhabitants, and immigrants who Håkan is required to deal with on this long, uninteresting journey, leaves him adrift and ungrounded. He remains circulating in a vacuum that leads him eventually to the same cities again and again, finding himself still in California. The study deals with such transformations and how such transformations have been revealed through different archetypes and varied narrative techniques that uncover the protagonist, Håkan, on what seems to be an impossible mission. Diaz has used narrative techniques that show the hero’s bewilderment and his drifting along with people who only care about their interests and go on to fulfill their planned goals. The novel covers many decades, taking Håkan from teenage years to the white hair of old age. II. HERNAN DIAZ’S DEBUT NOVEL Hernan Diaz has written two novels; his debut novel, In the Distance (2017), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Diaz’s In the Distance has gained a good reputation globally and has been translated into more than twenty languages. In addition, it has won many prizes and awards, including the New American Voices Award, the Cabell Award, the Saroyan International Prize, and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Diaz was born in Argentina, and he spent his childhood in Sweden, a fact which assisted him in twisting the narrative sometimes into the Swedish language. Living in America for a long time familiarized him with American history, allowing him to fictionalize its ISSN 1799-2591 Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 924-930, May 2022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1205.12 © 2022 ACADEMY PUBLICATION