Bully (Coward)

The archetype of the Bully manifests the core truth that the spirit is always stronger than the body. Symbolically, our physical
bodies can "bully" our spirits with any number of reasons why we should back down from our challenges, which appear to
overwhelm us by their size and shape. Your relationship to this archetype should be evaluated within a framework far more
expansive than evaluating whether you "bully" people. Consider whether on your life path you confront one experience and
relationship after another that appears to have more power than you and ultimately leads you to ask, "Will I stand up to this
challenge?" People are often called to take on bullies for the sake of others, as David did Goliath, and this is another criterion of
your connection to this archetype.

Conventional wisdom holds that underneath a bully is a coward trying to keep others from discovering his true identity.
Symbolically, the Coward within must stand up to being bullied by his own inner fears, which is the path to empowerment through
these two archetypes.

Films: Matt Dillon in My Bodyguard; Jack Palance in Shane; Mel Gibson in Braveheart; James Cagney in The Fighting 69th; Bert
Lahr in The Wizard of Oz.; Jack Nicholson in As Good as It Gets.

Fiction: The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Vincent Benet.

Fairy Tales: Jack and the Beanstalk; Jack the Giant Killer