The mythical journey from innocence to maturity in Eudora Welty's the robber bridegroom

الملخص EN

The present article aims at tracing the psychological journey that culminates in the coming of age in Eudora Welty's the robber bridegroom.

in doing so, it follows the protagonist Rosemond as she goes though ups and downs until she eventually develops from a naïve girl to a mature woman.

what triggers this change in the first place and how the protagonist responds along the way are other major concerns that are targeted.

additionally, some parallels to the mythical story of psyche and cupid, which Welty herself admitted to have used, are laid bare so as to scrutinize the extent to which these symbolize the psychological development of the protagonist and render her experiences as truly suggestive and as such valid for all humans.

this research aims at vindicating that by dint of myth and fairy tale, profound psychological truths can be subtly depicted in literary works.