The Oedipal Complex in Fantasy Fiction - Case Study Example

The Oedipal Complex The Oedipal Complex, in Freuds psychoanalytic theory in the light of structure and workings of the mind, is an unconscious sexual attraction or appeal in the child, particularly male, but for the parent of the opposite sex. It is followed by the obsession of a boy on his mother and unconsciously starts competing with his father for his mothers attention. A child in this case fantasize about being with his mother all the time, thereby being envious of his father. Freud’s chronicles of the unacknowledged rage of a son against his father is seen in many fictional works, among which Harry Potter is among the one raised to critics. Oedipal complex is escorted by sexual awakening and jealousies, and follows a stage of transition, which according to Freud occurs between 3-5 years with a strong, but unconscious sense of hostility towards one parent, while experiencing attachment to another. This way Freud suggests that a child is going through a period of transition where he experiences chronicles of self-deception or we can say that a child misunderstand affects, because of lack of awareness, and do not constitute examples of unconscious affects. Oedipal complex is often depicted in fiction books and movies, that revolve around children, in which particularly a male child, creates a hallucinative world around himself, but since such psychological conditions depicted in literary works is never contemplated, therefore it is often misdiagnosed in the movies. Such diagnosis depicts the loopholes left in the work, where the reason is that although someone can often be mistaken about the true target or object of her feelings, and can even substitute one feeling for another, a child experiences his condition affectively. To understand Freud’s emphasis between what he calls as a positive (boys desire directed at his mother) or a negative function (boys desire with his father), the complex aims at sketching one of the mainsprings of classical Freudian theory where childs behavior has its origin which Freud names as a manifestation of a set of drives (Levine, 2000, p. 196). Nonetheless, we do not consider the post-Freudian perspective, which perceives such characteristics are embedded in all humans. However Freud suggests that a failure to resolve the oedipal issue, which is usually by the absence or weakness of the same-sex parent, escorts the child to homosexuality as soon as he reaches adulthood. How Oedipal Complex relates with Fiction? In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, it is evident that fiction is denoted by some super natural powers but which can only be useful if the unrestricted power is fantasized for the desire for mastery based on self-knowledge, otherwise the misuse or inefficient use of magical powers only results in destruction, which Voldemort misuses and gets aloof from his mother, for the reason she left him (Heilman, 2008, p. 71). This lack of knowledge makes him worse with a central object of destruction, therefore he emerges as a new identity, a new character for the leadership of the wizarding world, which according to the novel, depicts his inner Oedipal complex. On the other hand, Dudly Dursley comes close to Voldemort to fulfill his desire of ruling the world through mystical powers. Therefore both spread terror and violence, while exercising their powers through others, whom they perceive vulnerable, and both gets too further under their desire for acquiring power that they feel incapable of forming close relationships. Here Oedipal desire is seen when Dudley seeks way to overtake his fathers worldly possessions and gets jealous of his mothers love. The Oedipal desire is taken further by Voldemort who murders his father in order to take revenge for taking his mothers love from him. The Spiderwick Chronicles – is a collection of oedipal fantasies where the twins of the broken family get across some mystical happenings. In this film, the oedipal fantasy is demonstrated by two quest resolutions of nine-year Jared and his aunt Lucinda aged eighty at that time, she is passing through oedipal scene. Jared defends his family while saving his siblings and mother from his disguised dad while Lucinda, seeks a long way to wait for her fathers arrival, after which she joins her father in suspended time, and has regrets of her six-year old, but Lucinda fulfills her oedipal desire for the possession of her fathers affections. Freud perceives the oedipal feeling as an exhibit to a new and peculiar feature, where the more virtuous the individual, or the more he inhibits instinctual satisfaction, the guiltier he feels. Such exhibition in context with conscience is appeased by renunciation, but conscience batten on it because of the reason that, Freud speculation, has to do with the fact that what is renounced is not sexuality but aggression. Freud suggests that a child who possess oedipal fantasies must indeed inhibit his sexual desire for his mother, but it is the renunciation of aggression against the father, whose retaliation and punishment he fears, that brings the child to genuine guilt (Cavell, 1993, p. 215). One thing is common in both the literary works, that the main characters in both works are somewhat influenced by a broken or disrupted family. Harrys Phantasm Harrys love for his parents has escorted him to create fantasies around him and since he lost his parents while he was aged one, he is unable to remember them but what he can fantasize is the love of them. It is for this reason why Harrys unconscious and conscious desire to love and enjoy exclusive possession of his mother remains unfulfilled, which could be one of the reasons why the oedipal issues remains unresolved. Harry Potters fantasy about parental love is ideal which Hans is aware of and finds not the same criteria of absolute parental love for their child which Harry Potter experiences from his parents, in serving their lives to save his. Harrys father died to preserve the exclusive relationship of Harry and his mother whereas his mother gave her life to save her son. Oedipal concern arises because it is Harry’s mother whose love prevents and continues to prevent Harry from the harmful effect of Voldemort’ s persecutory attacks on Harry. Harry, being aware of the fact that Voldemort is the murderer of his father, confronts him as an older figure of evil and he is as old as Harrys father would have been, if he had been alive. His fathers murdered, Voldemort, can be understood in terms of Freuds personal unconscious as the dark double of Harrys father, in light of both their old rivalry and their current significance for Harry. The struggle between Harry and Voldemort is that of virtuous versus evil and can be interpreted as Oedipal power (Anatol, 2003, p. 4). Oedipal Resolution Oedipal Complex draws a sharp line between what the child considers about good and bad. This is about self-regarding moral feeling that Freud suggests, is provided by the childs impuissance and his dependency on other people, which amounts to fear of the loss of their love. A common rule of thumb is that what is bad is whatever causes one to be threatened with loss of love and for fear of that loss, one avoids it at the utmost. In Freuds genealogical picture, guilt is at first nothing more than a fear of external punishment in the form of a loss of love or approval (ibid). Moreover it is the moral feeling that exhibits a new and peculiar feature which characterizes the child and the more virtuous the child or the more he inhibits instinctual satisfaction, the guiltier he feels. Now if we analyze the oedipal characters of the book and movie above, it is clear that one of either two situations are there, either the characters including the Dudley and the Voldemort are not virtuous or they simply does not resolve the Oedipal complex issue. Of course, they are not heroic or virtuous, therefore for Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone it is true that Oedipal complex remains unsolved. But for The Spiderwick Chronicles, Jared and Lucinda are portrayed virtuous characters, that in the end depict heroism. So, how can in the end such heroic characters, which presented as impeccable, are unable to resolve the Oedipal issues around them? The answer lies in considering the conscience which Freud speculates, has to do with the fact that what is renounced is not sexuality but aggression. The Oedipal child must indeed inhibit a natural desire for his mother; but it is the renunciation of aggression against the father, whose retaliation and punishment he fears, that brings the child to genuine guilt. As we can see no guilt is seen in the characters that depict oedipal sensations, the child accomplishes this renunciation by identifying with the authority, the loved and hated father, turning his aggression toward the father back against himself. What we call conscience, we see that it is absent in the heroic as well as non heroic characters, thus we agree with Freud in saying, that the characters are depicted as a failure to resolve the oedipal issue. Resolution occurs when oedipal children at some point feels to include the capacities to judge that an action is bad because it is potentially harmful to one of their parents, or they censor their thoughts or plans against their parent, inhibit impulses, and refrain from actions that are bad by this standard. An oedipal child is afraid for he feels pain when he violates it, even if one thinks he will not be caught out. This concept is totally absent in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and The Spiderwick Chronicles, therefore it is assumed that authors have left the oedipal issues unresolved. One of the main characteristics of the oedipal situation, which criticizes the literary work is that it analyses, the complex in context with a moral dilemma, rather than a clear choice (Britton et al, 1989, p. 104). The child finds himself as if he has been pulled in more than one direction, and have several options but each one involves a compromise, a compromise on moral ethics that require a blurring or avoidance of aspects of reality that arouse too much pain or guilt. In other words a virtuous character like Harry never compromise with his ethics to take an immoral decision, no matter, the choices that presented themselves to him seemed to be the best ones at the time, even though with the immoral characters, compromise is done, with difficulty, and at considerable cost. To Harry, being juxtaposed as a schoolboy with the battle against the darkness is a disturbing notion in itself, arguing an ambiguity that is rare in childrens fantasy. Many parents have criticized the novel for it is only in part the belonging of the hero to the world of magic that has upset those who find Harry a dangerous advertisement for tinkering with the occult. Conservative parents may also view with suspicion a fight against evil as if it is a fight against Oedipal situation, that employs humor as well as a few characters who are neither wholly bad nor wholly good and dont seem to know which side they are on. The oedipal complex as seen in the literary work depicts the stage to which it is created unconsciously within a child, as soon as he starts realizing relations surrounding him. The characters discussed above, have been subjected to this because they never lead a normal life, and remember nothing of their childhood, so they started building fantasies around them. This world of phantasm encouraged them to see their wishes fulfilled, as we read that in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone the Mirror of Erised shows to Harry a family he never knew. This illustrates his unfulfilled desire to be with his parents, particular mother, who saved Harry. Thus, Harry, through his motherly fantasies unconsciously wants to reunite with his mother, which is not possible. So, he creates a fictional world around him and since, the oedipal complex never comes out of Harry, it remained unfulfilled, unresolved! References Anatol Giselle Liza, (2003) Reading Harry Potter: Critical Essays: Praeger: Westport, CT. Britton Ronald, Feldman Michael, OShaughnessy & Steiner John, (1989) The Oedipus Complex Today: Clinical Implications: Karnac Books: London. Cavell Marcia, (1993) The Psychoanalytic Mind: From Freud to Philosophy: Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA. Heilman E. Elizabeth, (2008) Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter. Routledge. Levine P. Michael, (2000) The Analytic Freud: Philosophy and Psychoanalysis: Routledge: London. Read More