Orbiting Mother Archetypal Motifs and Symbols of Modern Story in Gravity

Using the 2013 film Gravity, this paper examines archetypal structures as manifest within contemporary media. As one might approach the contents of the collective unconscious to determine the psychological cause and meaning of dreams, popular media is similarly evocative of the meanings that society struggles to assimilate and comprehend, such as this film's portrayal of women and the archetypal dichotomy of motherhood. Gravity presents many fantastical archetypes in a realistic setting to weave a vivid narrative about coping with tragedy and catastrophe.