Freud and Mary Shelleys Frankenstein - 2606 Words

Monsters embody brutality, twisted morality, and irrationality—the banes of human existence, yet the children of man’s inner demons. Monsters are, in short, projections of man’s wicked id. The term creature may suggest monstrosity, and Frankenstein’s creation in Mary Shelley’s novel may be perceived as a personification of the Freudian id. In this case, however, the creature also mediates between its neurotic creator and societal values, just as the Freudian ego, conditioned by the reality principle, mediates between external reality and inner turmoil through practicality. The ego is the psyche’s driving force and, arguably, the real protagonist of Frankenstein. But in the fierce tug-of-war within the ego between the id and its†¦show more content†¦In other words, the doctor’s preoccupation with creating life from the dead took precedence over his own well-being. And this neuroticism is present as a consequence of Frankenstein ’s own failed repression. Repression is a Freudian defense mechanism in which a thought permeates through the ego and into the id—the unconscious—where it is remains under lockdown until conscious effort draws it forth. In Frankenstein’s case, his sacred love for his mother and her unexpected death traumatizes him. Caroline Beaufort dies before he transfers his unconscious desire for her as a conscious desire for someone such as Elizabeth Lavanza, his adopted sister and companion. Further contributing to Frankenstein’s failed transference, Elizabeth is indirectly responsible for Caroline’s death. For Caroline â€Å"heard that her favorite was recovering† from scarlet fever, so she â€Å"entered [Elizabeth’s] chamber long before the danger of infection was past† (25). And Frankenstein recalls that â€Å"the consequences of this imprudence were fatal.† He tries too quickly—within weeks—to move on (26). Rather than properly mourning, he develops an alternate coping mechanism that buries his unconscious desire to bring her back—repression. Yet his wishes resurface upon the creation of his creature, and Frankenstein’s attempted solace fails: the creature, intended to be a distractionShow MoreRelatedSigmund Freud s Frankenstein 1299 Words   |  6 PagesSigmund Freud lays out an understanding instances of the definition of the uncanny. 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