The Explorer archetype seeks the answers to the questions: Who am I? Why am I here? The Explorer is driven by curiosity to discover new places and new things about themself. The archetype craves novelty and adventure, and is motivated by self-improvement, but has a tendency toward restlessness.
The Explorer’s purpose in literature is to push the boundaries of the status quo and explore the unknown. The archetype is at the heart of every coming of age story.
Examples in Literature
Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum
Edna Pontellier in The Awakening, Kate Chopin
Sherlock Holmes in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Richard in The Beach, Alex Garland
Alma Whittaker in The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert
Leo Vincey in She, H Rider Haggard
Odysseus in The Odyssey, Homer
Leopold Bloom in Ulysses, James Joyce
Sal Paradise in On the Road, Jack Kerouak
Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger
Tom in Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
Huckleberry Finn in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
