Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

@article{195319,
        author = {MAHASWETHA K T and Dr. T.Ganga Parameswari},
        title = {Abandonment and Identity: A Jungian Exploration of the Orphan Archetype in Andrew Lang’s The Blue Fairy Book},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {11},
        pages = {367-372},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=195319},
        abstract = {Fairy Tales are written adaptations derived from folk tales that have created a great impact on the readers. Loss, Survival, and Belonging are some of the themes associated with the Orphan Archetype. The Orphan Archetype is a cognitive universal concept that is not confined to any particular culture. This paper emphasizes that Andrew Lang’s The Blue Fairy Book reinforces the archetypal orphan’s resonance of the 19th century anxieties about family and society while also emphasizing the anguish and restoration of identity caused by abandonment through Jungian archetypal framework. The Blue Fairy Book (1889) is the first volume in Andrew Lang’s series of twelve coloured fairy books. The recurring figure, orphan in many of the tales often appear as hero or heroines. Being deprived of parental care they often undergo transformation. Based on Carl Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious, the orphan archetype emerges as a universal psychological pattern that represents common human anxieties of loss, alienation, and quest for belonging. The Orphan figures not only face abandonment but also a fragmented identity that is eventually rebuilt through challenges, moral growth, and acknowledgement. The orphan’s transition from marginalization to recognition reflects both the struggle for survival and human longing for family and community bonds. Characters like Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Aladdin, Beauty and the Goose-girl represented how loss and pain become turning point for one’s personal development, moral evaluation and re-entry to societal life. Due to the loss of parental care, these characters are exposed to abandonment, abuse and coldness. They themselves evolve to bring about change and eventual acceptance within society or family. Through individuation, the characters transform their grief into triumph by establishing themselves and obtaining psychological wholeness and social equilibrium. Thus, identity in these stories is not inherited, but rather deliberately sought through perseverance, virtue, and reinvention. The orphan’s transformation shows that one’s true identity and belonging are not inherited but achieved through bravery, virtue and action.},
        keywords = {Abandonment, Fairy tales, Identity transformation, Jungian Archetype, Orphan archetype.},
        month = {April},
        }