Psychoanalytic Criticism In Invisible Man

Psychoanalytic Criticism In Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man thoroughly portrays the issues of the thirties still prevalent today. This was a time period characterized heavily
by the efforts of World War II, segregation, and strive towards advancements. People of color faced harsh treatment from whites who ruled
American society. They were and continue to be a big chunk of the gears that help the country advance and improve. Without their knowledge, skills,
and hard work the nation could not have been as well renowned as it is today. Ellison takes the reader on a journey through the thirties from the eyes
of a young man seeking his identity in the harsh world. We observe the many obstacles and difficult decisions he is forced to make. These matters are
analyzed through a variety of theories in chapters five through ten including psychoanalytic criticism, new historicism, and marxism. Psychoanalytic
criticism is derived from psychoanalysis; a theory founded by Sigmund Freud during the late eighteen hundreds. It is based off of the concept that all
forms of literary texts reveal hidden fears, concerns, and aspirations of the writer. This theory is the supporting base for literary analysis, allowing the
discovery of deeper meanings of the text. In the novel Invisible Man, the author Ralph Ellison expresses his conscious and unconscious anxiety in
regards to the difficult affairs still heavily prevalent today. These include the issues ofracism, ideology, and power and their impact on an
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Psychoanalysis In English Literature
Psychoanalysis applied to English Literature material
During this semester, we studied many English literature theories. We started with New Criticism and ended last week with cultural studies. By far, the
most interesting one for me was Psychoanalysis because it helped me understand the possible reasons behind actions and behaviors. Sometimes we read
literature without even thinking why things unfold the way they do but after reading the psychoanalysis theories by Sigmund Freud along with some
readings by Parker and Tyson I have found myself understanding texts differently. I am going to expose how psychoanalysis relates to the following
texts: A&P short story, Passing by Nella Larsen,The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald and the movie The Crying Game by Neil Jordan.
First, in the A&P story by John Updike we can see how Sammy experiences projection when he starts taking it on his boss. Apparently, he is
overwhelmed by his job but getting mad at him for treating three girls in a mean way is not the main reason why he chooses to quit, I believe his
real motive is the unhappiness of being a young adult who has not done much with his life. He is stuck at this store and wants to get out but might
not know how. I also think that Sammy does not have a clear idea of self because he is defined by what he does not want to be. For instance, he does not
want to be like his coworker Stokesie or his manger Lengel nor his parents who seem to be poor. The concept of self is clearly

Poe and Psychoanalytic Criticism Essay
The School of Psychoanalytic Criticism "The Cask of Amontillado" and its author Edgar Allan Poe are excellent references for applying
psychoanalytic interpretations to an author and his work. Psychoanalytic criticism uses a Freudian theory of a three level psyche, the ego, the
super–ego, and the id to gain a better understanding of the deeper or hidden meaning within literature and an understanding of the psychological
identity of the author, the characters or the reader. Freud theorized that our psyche has three levels. The ego is the rational part of our psyche known as
the consciousness. The super–ego is the part of our psyche that is dictated by the values of first our parents and then later society known as the
conscience. The...show more content...
Poe lost his mother at a young age and then was abandoned by his father. He then was adopted by a wealthy merchant with an iron fist. Taking this
into account critics might theorize that his inner competition to please his father but also be a writer was repressed and then manifested itself in
this short story, where his father is Fortunato, walled away leaving him free to pursue his literary career. This could also be a metaphor for when
he broke all ties to his adopted father. Freudian theory deals with the premise that some of our desires, wishes, fears and memories may be hard to
cope with and so we eliminate it from our conscious mind through repression. "But this doesn't make it go away: it remains alive in the unconscious,
like radioactive matter buried beneath the ocean" (Barry 96). Fortunato is buried alive deep in the catacombs beneath the river where poisonous nitre
grows. This is a clever use of symbolism and metaphors to demonstrate the burying of our darkest human motives, walling them up to hide from our
ego or conscious being, hence repression is born. "My heart grew sick–on account of the dampness of the catacombs. I hastened to make an end of my
labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I reerected the old ramport of bones. For half a century no
mortal has disturbed them" (Poe 62) Infantile sexuality is a Freudian concept

Psychoanalytic criticism is built upon Sigmund Freud's psychological theories of the unconscious, the desires, and the defenses. The father of
psychoanalysis began his work in the 1880's, treating the chaos of hysteria first, listening to his patients talk through their problems. From his studies,
he came to conclusion that a person's behavior is affected by their unconscious, "...the notion that human beings are motivated, even driven, by desires,
fears, needs, and conflicts of which they are unaware..." (Purdue University). Freud conserved that our desires and our unconscious conflicts induce our
three areas of the mind that grapple with our dominance as we grow from infancy, to childhood, to adulthood. The id being known as "...the house of
the drives", the ego, "...one of the major defenses against the power of the drives..." (Purdue University), and the superego, being the point of the
unconscious that houses judgment. Freud's psychoanalytic theory of human personality asserts that human behavior is the outcome of interactions
made among the three component parts of the mind: the id, ego, and superego. That being said, this "structural" theory of personality emphasizes great
importance on how conflicts among the parts of the mind shape behavior and personality, mainly being unconscious. An example ofpsychoanalysis is
going to the psychiatrist office for constantly getting into arguments with your husband. Through discussion the therapist analyzes the

Psychoanalytic Criticism In Shakespeare's Hamlet
The Psychoanalytic theory is enclosed by two opposed critical theories. The first view focuses on the text, with no outside influences. The second view
focuses on the author of the text. According to this theory, someone can understand the work by examining conflicts, and other literary devices.
However, with an outside perspective, one can further understand that outward behavior can conflict with inner desires acknowledged and not
acknowledged. Through William Shakespeare's play Hamlet there are many examples found to support this theory. When looking through the
Psychoanalytic lens, it reveals that Hamlet has fundamental urges that cannot be seen through the course of the play which shows the energy taken to
repress those urges.
There are three essential parts of the subconscious, which makes the largest part of the human personality. In this category, there is the Id, the
superego, and the ego. Primarily Id is the basic desire, where there is no sense of conscious. This is conveyed in Hamlet when he feels the urge to kill
other people as well as commit suicide "To be, or not to be" (I.ii.169). The superego is the establishment of all socially imposed behavior and sense of
guilt. In Hamlet his superego provides morals and principles which prevent him from committing immoral sins, "Thus conscience does make cowards
of us all, And thus the native hve of resolution". (I.ii.170) Lastly ego is reality, it struggles to achieve a balance between the other parts of the

This essay will analyze the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. The poem will be analyzed by the Psychoanalytic Criticism, mourning and
melancholia theory by Freud with the purpose to analize the persona and the symbols that the poem presents.
The Raven,by Edgar Allan Poe, is a gothic poem that shows the persona sorrow and grief for the lost lover Lenore. The persona in the poem almost
sleeping is reading a book to forget the death of Lenore, while this happens the persona hears someone trying to enter his chamber. It is possible that
the persona has dreamed all the things he describes in the poem. The first stanza shows a tired and weak persona that is almost napping so, it is not
certain that he is awake while this whole episode happpened....show more content...
"
But, in the fifth stanza there is something or someone that does not let him forget Lenore.
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?"
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!"– Merely this, and nothing more. "
The poem, The Raven, contains some symbols that must be discussed. This symbols have signifcant meaning to the poem and makes the reader
understand more about the personas sorrow and grief. According to Morris , In this essay, Freud lays down the basic perspective that classical
psychoanalysts after him have continued to take on literary work: a literary work satisfies unfulfilled,partially unacceptable and therefore unconscious
wishes in a disguised fashion. The literary work cantains symbols wich must be understood, and according to Freud, psychoanalysis is able to reveal the
meanings of theses

Essay about Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism
I strongly believe that every person who reads a book, listens to the radio, or watches a
program on television will make their own assumptions. I know I do. Most of us will ask, "Why
did the main character make that decision?" Or "What were they thinking?" Could it be that the
author of the story is protruding their own subconscious thoughts and beliefs through their
characters? Absolutely, most critics have adapted psychoanalytic literary criticism theory based
upon the works of psychoanalysis by famous psychologists Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and
Jacques Lacan to literary works. 'Psychoanalytic literary criticism does not constitute a unified
field....However, all variants endorse, at least to a certain...show more content...
"To discover [the author's] intention . . . I must
first discover the meaning and content of what is represented in his work; I must, in other words,
be able to interpret it" (Freud 212). The analysis is of the author, characters, audience and text. "A Woman Like Me' written by Xi Xi from Hong
Kong, in 1982 is about a woman who lied to her boyfriend about her profession because she was afraid she would lose him. Her fear came about
when her aunt, the woman who taught her everything she knows about her profession explained her own past when the man she loved left her for
being a mortuary cosmetician. In "Swaddling Clothes" written by Mishima Yukio from Japan in 1966, a young woman is haunted by fresh memories
of her unwedded wet nurse who gives birth in her home.
The vision of the child who is wrapped in newspaper by the doctor drives her to obsess about the child's future. And lastly, "The Necklace" written by
Guy de Maupassant from France in

1884, pertains to a woman who is unhappy with her life. She and her husband gets to attend a high end social, in order to look her best she borrows
what she thinks is an expensive necklace.
Soon after leaving the ball she discovers she loses the necklace. Thus, begins a ten year struggle to replace the item.
In psychoanalyzing literary characters it's said that the characters are usually projections
of an author's own psyche. The theory is used to analyze the

Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Freud discovered that most of our actions are motivated by
psychological forces over which we have very limited control. One of Freud's most important contributions to the study of the psyche is his theory of
repression: the unconscious mind is a repository of repressed desires, feelings, memories, wishes and instinctual drives. A principal element in Freud's
theory is his assignment of the mental processes to three psychic zones: the id, the ego and the superego. Freud's theories have launched what is now
known as the psychoanalytic approach to literature. Looking at Heart of Darkness from this approach, Heart of Darkness explores something more
...show more content...
In the novel, Conrad draws an image of Africa as the "other world," the antithesis of a civilized Europe, a site where man's accumulated years of
education and sophistication are confronted by a striking savagery. The story opens on the River Thames, calm and peaceful. It then moves to the
very opposite of the Thames, and takes place on the River Congo. However, It's not the flagrant difference between the two that perplexes Conrad but
the underlying allusion of intimate relationship, of "common ancestry," since the Thames was itself a dark place, but one that has managed to civilize,
to enlighten itself and the world, and is now living in the light. The peaceful Thames, however, runs the terrible risk of being stirred by its encounter
with its "primordial relative, the Congo;" it would witness the reflection of its own forsaken darkness and would hear the sounds that echo its remote
gloomy history. The Thames would fall victim to the ghastly reminiscences of the irrational frenzy of the primitive times (Achebe 262–3). Marlow, a
man of discipline and justice, was expecting such values to exist elsewhere. They became a kind of psychological expectations. Marlow discovers that
not all men share his belief in an orderly, fundamentally good society. His journey is full of elements of absurdism, elements that hint at a world that is
suddenly irrational and out of focus. Marlow is fascinated by the

Heart of Darkness: Psychoanalytic Criticism
Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who pioneered the technique of psychoanalysis. Freud
developed a language that described, a model that explained, and a theory that encompassed human psychology. His theories are directly and indirectly
concerned with the nature of the unconscious mind. Through his multiple case studies, Freud managed to find convincing evidence that most of our
actions are motivated by psychological forces over which we have very limited control (Guerin 127). One of Freud's most important contributions to
the study of the psyche is his theory of repression: the unconscious mind is a repository of repressed desires,...show more content...
And though a large part of the ego is unconscious, it nevertheless includes what we think of as the conscious mind.
The superego is a projection of the ego. It is the moral censoring agency; the part that makes moral judgments and the repository of conscience and
pride. It brings reason, order and social acceptability to the otherwise uncontrolled and potentially harmful realm of biological impulses (Guerin
128–31).
Freud's theories have launched what is now known as the psychoanalytic approach to literature. Freud was interested in writers, especially those who
depended largely on symbols. Such writers tend to tinge their ideas and figures with mystery or ambiguity that only make sense once interpreted, just
as the analyst tries to figure out the dreams and bizarre actions that the unconscious mind of a neurotic releases out of repression. A work of literature
is thus treated as a fantasy or a dream that Freudian analysis comes to explain the nature of the mind that produced it. The purpose of a work of art is
what psychoanalysis has found to be the purpose of the dream: the secret gratification of an infantile and forbidden wish that has been repressed into the
unconscious (Wright 765).
The literal surface of a work of literature is sometimes called the "manifest content" and treated as "manifest dream" or "dream story." The
psychoanalytic literary critic tries to analyze the latent, underlying content of the work, or the "dream thought" hidden in

Psychological criticism is known as the type of criticism that analyses the writer's work within the realms of Freud's psychological theories. Such
approach can be used when trying to reconstruct an author's position throughout their literary writings, as well as understanding whom the author was
and how their mind created such works. When considering the work of Emily Dickinson, psychoanalytic criticism comes into play with the role of
explaining the many meanings behind her poetry, as to make the reader relate to such poetry on a deeper level or not to who she was as a human
being. Many critics believe that using a psychological criticism approach to understand an author's literary work leaves common sense behind. For
them, such analysis...show more content...
However, because the reader has not spent time with Emily Dickinson for the obvious reason that she is no longer alive, there is no concrete way to
prove their newfound theory. And by not being able to prove it, the reader is left with a half–truth of his proposal that ultimately is not strong enough.
Analyzing an author's work, such as Emily Dickinson's for example, from the positions of the critics cited above, the reader is compelled to believe
that even though her poetry can help create an image of whom she was, it cannot be used as the sole source of argument to establish why she wrote
her poems. When considering a poem like "There's a certain slant of light," the reader may use approaches such as biographical and historical criticism
to find a meaning to the poem, resulting that if psychoanalytic criticism is applied, many of the meanings can be left to the unconscious. For example,
when Dickinson exemplifies "Heavenly Hurt, it gives us– We can find no scar," (554) the reader has no grounds over what to base their interpretation,
given Dickinson could be referring to how her religious beliefs brought her piece, as well as representing a struggle with her own faith. Besides all

Psychoanalytic Criticism In Frankenstein
Many people have the fear of becoming too emotionally close with someone. This fear, for most, can be defined in a paper about psychoanalytic
criticism written by Louis Tyson. Psychoanalytic criticism is a method of reading that uses ideas of psychology from Sigmund Freud. The book by
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, resembles many messages from different points of view, which in this case is analyzed with a psychoanalytic lens. Using
the psychoanalytic notion of projection, the monster in Shelley's book can be understood as a representation of human anxieties in regards to the
tendencies of science, and the fears that Victor Frankenstein has of himself. Different characteristics of the creature can be represented by Victor's
own fears. This is defined as a doppelganger, which is a look–alike of a person, which normally is represented as evil or ghostly, and although Victor
and the creature don't look alike, they do in a mental sense. Significantly, the creature's characteristics are directly influenced by the unconscious fears
of Victor.
Victor's fear of intimacy causes his creature to be lonely. His negativity towards the creature is a manifestation of his fear of intimacy. Victor's
perception of the creature changed after its birth causing him to run away. Victor is so lonely and pathetic that the only way to make a friend is by
sewing body parts together and bringing it to life. The relationship Victor wanted was to be friends with the monster. As opposed to a beautiful man

My Psychoanalytic Views of Two Short Stories
Psychoanalysis In order to understand the true meaning of some stories we must understand the what psychoanalysis is. Psychoanalysis was thought
up by a man know as Sigmund Freud also know as the Founding Father of Psychoanalysis. Being a major cocaine addict, his theories were often
ridiculed and were thought to be perceived as hallucinations as a result of the cocaine use. Freud's theories however sparked an all new era of
Psychology. Although Freud's theories seemed very radical, when put into life situations they actually make perfect sense. Psychoanalytic Literary
Criticism refers to literary criticism or literary theory which, in method, concept, or form, is influenced by the tradition of psychoanalysis begun by
Sigmund Freud....show more content...
Using the staff to show this works symbolically, but it does not address the sexual aspect of Freud's theory. Young Goodman Brown uses the staff as a
phallic symbol to symbolize the sexual urges Brown experiences in his fight to remain faithful. In his defeat, the staff exposes the conflict underneath
of good and evil as another fight altogether. This battle actually compliments the struggle between God and Satan. It is the fight of purity and holiness
of the spirit in conflict against the lustful wants and corruptive thoughts of the mind and body. In Freudian terms, it is the struggle for supremacy
between the id and superego. Ultimately, Goodman Brown allows his id to dominate the ego, which also allows the forces of evil to win. Young
Goodman Brown uses the text to expose human corruptibility and moral impurity. Without these faults, however, there could be no humanity, and
without the guiding light of God, humanity would have nothing for which to hope and pray.
The Red Death, a disease that has plagued the country where the The Masque of The Red Death takes place. It causes its victims to die quickly and
gruesomely. Although the disease is running rampant throughout the land, Prince Prospero feels happy and hopeful. He decides to lock him and his
friends in the castle to ward off the disease, ignoring the rest of the population. After several months have passed,

Psychoanalytic Criticism Of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe work can be related to allot of literature criticisms, but it is most familiarized with psychoanalytic criticism and New Historicism
because the stories he wrote had allot to do with the mind and how people would behave also he wrote stories based off old history and beliefs.
Psychoanalytic criticism deals with the mind of the characters. Poe's work relates most to psychoanalytic criticism because he wrote allot of short
stories that dealt with the mind of killers and how certain situations would affect a person's behavior and the influence it had on them which lead to
horrible murders and disasters. His work can also relate to New Historicism as he implanted historical events that caused death amongst individuals
and made stories based off it. Poe often wrote things that no one else had the courage to do because back then they would be considered insane and
deviant. Stories like the "black cat", "The tell– tale heart", "The masque of the red death", and "Morella" all deal with horror, murder, and sudden
death. The short story, 'The black cat' gives the audience a story line visual of the mind of an alcoholic and the way his behavior changes over
time, in different scenarios the character starts to turn abusive to the animals that he once loved. The man then starts to isolate himself from the
black cat which was his favorite animal until one day he snaps and kills the black cat by hanging it to a tree with a rope. Days later a cat comes
back around him that shows almost the same identity of the black cat, but the only difference is the white patch which is the bottom part of the cat
body. the man then starts to grow jealous as his wife shows attention to the new cat which then leads him to murder his wife and stuffing her dead
body in a wall, he later confesses to the crime and spends life in prison. This story is very dark and gives a clear identification of the mind of a
troubled individual who then takes out his anger by being abusive to the animals in his environment and later his wife. Different aspects in Poe's
stories look deep into the mind of a person and the reasons that leads to murder and death. Furthermore, Poe used words and had a story line that would
automatically give an

Psychoanalytical Criticism
Psychoanalytical criticism is a form of literary critique, which uses some of the techniques of psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature. Lacanian
critics examine psychoanalytic phases such as the Symbolic and apply this phase while interpreting literary texts. Lacanian critics also associate the
literary work's content to broader Lacanian concepts, such as the Phallic and the Other. The focus of this essay is to apply these psychoanalytical
techniques while interpreting Lady Macbeth's character in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. However, before I begin my argument, I feel that
Lacan's concepts of psychoanalytical theory need some introduction.
One of the more prevalent psychoanalytical theorists since Freud was Jacques...show more content...
When William Shakespeare's dark tragedy Macbeth was written in London in the beginning of the seventeenth century, noble masculine traits included
valor, authority, and undaunted aggression. On the other hand, noble feminine ideals was related to virtue, temperance, and obeying her husband's
desires–the phrase: "yes, my lord" was extremely common in Shakespeare's time while wives spoke with their husbands regarding his desires. In this
sense, men were awarded for their violent actions, as witnessed by Macbeth's reward of the Thane of Cawdor for his bloody actions on the battlefield,
while a woman's behavior must adhere to the strict code of feminine compliance.
However, in Macbeth the cultural standards of appropriate femininity are in complete and utter disarray because of Shakespeare's controversial
character, Lady Macbeth. Scholars have traditionally read Lady Macbeth's "evil" temperament as a form of confirmation of her attempt to seize power
to further her husband's and her political goals. However, I argue that gender roles play a significant role determining Lady Macbeth's dialogue and
actions. I contend that Shakespeare' s Macbeth exposes the intricate dynamics of gender and power through the representation of a merciless Lady
Macbeth who imitates the violent practices of a masculine culture through her rejection of her own desires in favor of the desires of the Other. Alfar
elaborates on the concept of gender roles and performance. She claims:

Sons And Lovers : Psychoanalytic Criticism Essay
Sons and Lovers: Psychoanalytic Criticism
David Herbert Lawrence was born September 11, 1885 in a small coal mining village in Nottingham, England. He was the fourth child of Arthur and
Lydia Lawrence. Arthur was a coal miner who worked in the mine from age ten until he was sixty–six. Lydia the more educated out of the two was
born into a lower–middle class family; this changed when her father suffered a financial disaster. She passed down to her sons the profound desire to
move out of the working class by expressing her dissatisfaction with her husband's dead job combined and his drinking habits.
Sons and Lovers is an eye opening, semi–biographical novel written by D.H Lawrence, an English writer from the United Kingdom. The novel was
D.H Lawrence's third book published in 1913 by Gerald Duckworth and Company in London, England. Sons and Lovers is about a young boy
named Paul (based off of D.H Lawrence), who grows up to become a man who is plagued by his emotional connection to his mother, which impacts
his ability to form lasting relationships with other women. The book can be best understood using the psychoanalytic lens because many events and
characters in the book are based on people in Lawrence's life.
Psychoanalytic criticism is a method of interpreting text that developed by Sigmund Freud that tells the reader about how literacy text is formed and the
meaning of the formation. This criticism claims that literature is ambiguous, having a conscious (surface

Psychoanalysis And Psychoanalysis
On Humanism and Psychoanalysis
The following essay is an interpretive analysis of Psychoanalysis and Humanism as two influential schools of thought in Psychology. In this essay, the
main assumptions of each school of thought will be highlighted, starting with Psychoanalysis followed by Humanism. Furthermore there will be a
comparative analysis of both schools of thoughts based on both their strength and weaknesses, in attempt to find where the two complement each other
and more over to see where the two schools of thought come into dispute with one another particularly on the basis of Humanism being reaction to
psychoanalysis
The Psychoanalytic approach to human behaviour was founded by Sigmund Freud – neurologists who believed that the key...show more content...
As an antithesis to psychoanalysis, Humanism also purports that humans are free agents that are capable of self actualizing. However, psychoanalysis
provides an interesting basis to understanding how humans interact with the reality around them especially in attaching symbols to dreams, ignoring
the fact of sexual urges. The problem is that Freud presents humans as incapable of being autonomous or interacting with the environment in order to
have certain metal illnesses – Freud trivializes anxiety. The negative aspect of humanism, which can be linked to psychoanalysis, is that the focus is
primarily on the individual and not the community that filters in more factors that contribute to the personality, illness or well being of the individual.
The main focus of psychoanalysis is viewing the development and behaviour of a human being as processes that are guided by unconscious conflict
that threatens to come to the surface manifest a sexual desires, it does however negate the fact that humans are capable of agency. Humanism on the
other hand emphasizes self–actualization, and views humans as inherently good, individual agents who are responsible for their own well being.
Humanism is however, highly individualistic. Both schools of thought, despite their shortfalls have contributed significantly to the science and practice
of

Throughout history, the release of literary pieces have contributed drastic changes to humans and storytelling. While dissecting a literary piece, finding
a familiar face, line, or plot isn't uncommon. As people are easily influenced, so are the creation of stories. The novel Frankenstein written by Mary
Shelley as a whole, observed carefully, presents an intriguing analysis, rooting from stories such as Genesis and Prometheus; revolving around themes
of love, knowledge, and. Additionally, when the text is taken into consideration concerning Psychoanalytic criticism,Frankenstein's creation reveals a
deeper source of purpose on his actions, even tracing back to the days his existence began.
To begin, certain aspects of Psychoanalytic criticism presents itself throughout the entire story, allowing the reader to analyze the causation of the
actions Frankenstein's creation executes. The monster's actions are caused by the lack of experience of the imaginary order, a process those with
parents experience and eventually slip out of as time passes. "Lacanian theory holds that we all suffer from "lack" because nothing can ever satisfy
the desire one holds to return to what he terms "the imaginary order" represented by the mother" (Brackett). In Frankenstein's situation he is denied
this order due to the lack of companionship and love. His first moments of life distanced immensely from perfection as the creation states, " I was
poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept" (Shelley 91).
The first moments of the creatures life encompassed fear, abandonment, and a deficiency of a sense of togetherness. When the creation exists in
absence of this experience, "s[he] is doubly cursed with the inability to return to an order s[he] never experienced", leading him to recognize how
utterly abandoned and alone he was (Brackett). Frankenstein emphasizes this isolation to Victor when he states, "Satan had his companions, fellow
devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and abhorred" (Shelley 118). This imaginary order which remains as an unexposed factor in
Frankenstein's creations' life begets the creature to metamorphose from

Psychoanalytic Criticism Of Catch 22
Reading a narrative from a psychoanalytic perspective can prove to be a sometimes frustrating experience. Psychoanalysis often disregards the actual
texts and verbal context of a piece of literature in favor of the Freudian and Lacanian ideas, which seek to find encrypted motifs in the depths of every
creation in order to reveal the author's unconscious mind. Nevertheless, the critiques of psychoanalytic interpretation of literature claim that such
interpretations focus on the content of the text at the expense of the literary form and temporal dimension, which can reduce the literary plots to
lifeless machinations. Furthermore, psychoanalytic interpretation of a text may tell us less about the author's unconscious mind and more about the
...show more content...
It's a gambit even Yossarian might hesitate on. Yossarian's sinthome, which prevents him from losing his mind completely, can be numerous
things. It could be Yossarian 's insistence to survive the war in spite of the constant attempts of nearly everyone around him to kill him. It could be
his fight for human decency in the face of the horror of war. Or, quite possibly, it could be his struggle to prove to the big Other that he will
surmount the catch 22. The war affected Heller more than he was willing to admit at the beginning of his career; however, the more he wrote, the
more he was able to deal with his demons. As such, the real story of his war trauma slowly unfolded. The war experience left Heller as a "tortured,
funny, deeply peculiar human being" (Blake, 2011). Heller's sinthome during the war, it seems, was his writing. His writing is his relief as well. It 's
his unraveling agent, and in that manner, it 's therapeutic. One of his roommates had brought with him a typewriter, giving a means for Heller 's
burning desires to relieve stress through his writing. His distinguished career in writing may very well have stopped him losing his mind in the
harrowing nature of war (Blake, 2011). The best approach to succeed is to mortify, rule, and put down others, an approach wonderfully exemplified in
Captain Black 's never–ending attempts to inspire individuals to expend themselves with envy or, as he puts it, "eat your

Essay Psychoanalytic Criticism
Psychoanalytic Criticism
Introduction
The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud spent much of his life exploring the workings of the unconscious. Freud's work has influenced society in ways
which we take for granted. When we speak of Freudian slips or look for hidden causes behind irrational behavior, we are using aspects of Freudian
analysis. Many literary critics have also adopted Freud's various theories and methods. In order to define Freudian literary criticism, we will examine
how various critics approach Freud's work. We will pay special attention to issues of creativity , author psychology , and psycho–biography .
Creativity and neurosis
Many of us may be familiar with the notion that creativity is intertwined with...show more content...
Elaborating on this opinion, some critics have wondered to what extent the creative process springs only from those thoughts in the unconscious which
result from neurosis. The critic Edmund Wilson has addressed this question in his book The Wound and the Bow. Wilson discusses creativity and
neurosis in terms of the playwright Sophocles, and the writers Andr Gide and John Jay Chapman, and the attention paid by all three to the tale of the
Greek warrior Philoctetes. The tale is about the nobility of those who suffer on the outskirts of society, and about a society which at the same time
needs and rejects these outcasts. Wilson proposes "the idea that genius and disease, like strength and mutilation, may be inextricably bound up together"
(289). Wilson notes that these three writers who have shown interest in the noble and suffering Philoctetes themselves all suffered from a type of
neurosis (289, 293).
Author psychology
As Wilson's comments suggest, the question of creativity can lead us to focus on the psychology of the author. Such a focus might suggest that a text
helps to explain the life and concerns of an author and vice versa. For example, Edmund Wilson argues that Sophocles wrote the play Philoctetes
because he identified with the character. Both Sophocles and Philoctetes experienced madness, Wilson

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Psychoanalytic Criticism In Invisible Man