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Psychoanalysis: A Freudian criticism of three works of literature. A Clockwork Orange. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Atlas Shrugged. A Clockwork Orange. Id, ego, and superego Dreams Father figures Oedipus complex. “What’s it going to be then, eh?”.
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Psychoanalysis: A Freudian criticism of three works of literature A Clockwork Orange The Picture of Dorian Gray Atlas Shrugged
A Clockwork Orange • Id, ego, and superego • Dreams • Father figures • Oedipus complex
“What’s it going to be then, eh?” • Alex freely acts out all desires, giving his id complete control. • His superego fails to punish him because he sees no wrong in what he is doing. • Music fuels violence and vice versa.
Dreams are the royal road to the unconscious • Dreams that he loses his power – wish fulfillment of keeping power. • Dream comes true when droogs turn on him. • In jail, he dreams of music and violence, his two passions that are now taken away. • In prison, he dreams of Ludwig van in form of castration complex.
Rehabilitation • Behavior modification program combines violent images with a physically sick feeling • Ego changes because his relationship to reality is driven by physical sickness in relation to violence • Superego still craves violence, but ego suppresses the urge to avoid feeling ill • Becomes a “Clockwork Orange”, alive on the outside, yet mechanical inside
Reintegration • Alex cannot defend himself because the thought of violence makes him ill. • Sees F. Alexander as father figure • Oedipus complex fulfilled– Alex raped and killed F. Alexander’s wife. • F. Alexander seeks revenge by using Alex then driving him to attempt suicide.
“I Was Cured All Right.” • Alex envisions his tainted ego leaving his body and new, fresh ego entering, freeing him to act out his id’s desires. • The ultimate wish fulfillment of regressing into his original state.
The Picture of Dorian Gray • The Uncanny • Id, Ego, Superego • Oedipus Complex
“If I would be always young, and the picture grow old…I would give my soul for that.” • The Faustian bargain transfers evidence of Dorian’s age and misdeeds to the portrait. • The picture becomes uncanny because it is essentially Dorian’s soul manifested in a physical painting.
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it…” • Acts out all the fantasies of his id • Superego dissolves because he has no conscious and his self-ideal resides in the picture • Ego is transferred to the portrait because anything that would normally bring him pain is evident in the painting
He has been twenty-one nearly half a century • He has no need for a superego . • Society continues to accept him despite his horrid acts because he remains young and beautiful. • The reader lives out the fantasy of being forever young.
A Schism of the Soul • Basil (father figure) is horrified at the portrait and Dorian, realizing he’s done something wrong, kills him. • Has no ego or superego so he destroys the painting. Because the portrait contains those essential parts, Dorian dies.
Atlas Shrugged • The perfect man? • Sex is not an animal instinct. • Does repression cause everything?
“Who is John Galt?”The archetypal man • Galt is in absolute control of himself, thus has successfully repressed all desires. • Characters view sex as a recognition and sharing of values.
"So you think that money is the root of all evil? Have you ever asked what is the root of money?" • Wealth and values versus living life through alms, altruism, and socialism. • Possible repressions results in overly passionate views.
Conclusion • All human motivations and behaviors can have psychoanalytical interpretations. • The explanations are not always correct, but can me made to fit most circumstances.
