Cindy Ghanie

Professor Von Uhl/Professor Yankwitt

FIQWS HA9

1 December 2021    

From Girlhood to Adulthood Under a Freudian Lens

Oftentimes in literature authors use their written works as critiques on certain problems within society. They can be dissected in more than one way to demonstrate the layers written into the story.  In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, Joyce Carol Oates portrays the struggle one undertakes when shifting from girlhood to adulthood, which can further be explored through a Freudian lens where concepts such as condensation and fantasies can be respectively related to Arnold Friend’s character and the duality of Connie’s appearance.

When dissected through a Freudian lens, the main character of the story, Connie, clearly engages in phantasies. The first couple paragraphs of the short story details Connie’s pretty appearance as well as her family dynamic, and how one can affect the other. Specifically, the introduction of the story makes it a point that Connie’s mother berates her for caring about her looks and constantly compares her to her older sister, June. When describing a particular experience at home, the story reveals that “Connie’s mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over” (Oates 1). The persistent comparison drives Connie to harbor dark feelings towards her mother. This leads Connie to develop a second version of herself, “one for home and one for anywhere that was not home” (Oates 2).[I really like the way you supported this idea]  Everything about the version of herself meant for outside her house was looser and what she wanted people to perceive her as. Along with this second version of herself, “her mind was filled with trashy daydreams” (Oates 1). Engaging with these daydreams as well as becoming someone else outside her house, {elaborate how she is someone else} suggests that her home-life leaves something to be desired and she seeks some kind of mental relief by partaking in these thoughts and activities. 

By relating the Freudian concept of phantasies to the duality of Connie’s behavior, it further supports the idea that Connie is unhappy with her reality and home life. By definition, a phantasy is made “to make up for the insufficiencies of reality by the production of wish-fulfillments” (Freud 2235). Connie’s unhappiness with her reality and her desire to escape from this struggle is perpetuated by her production of a phantastical second version of herself. She uses the outside version of herself to gain some freedom and escape the judgment of her (how does her outside version differ from her home) mother. Furthermore, Freud expresses that “the energetic and successful man is one who succeeds by his efforts in turning his wishful phantasies into reality” (Freud 2235). By becoming this second Connie who is more confident and outgoing, she is able to fulfill some of the desires that she is unable to fulfill at home. She can embrace her growing beauty and wear it more fully than she would be able to at home since her mother berates her for it. Through this Freudian lens, this part of Connie’s struggle becomes somewhat transparent. She battles with the idea of wanting people to see her as beautiful and to take her slightly more seriously, while being someone else in the safety of her own home, and she experiences constant judgment for it. Society has placed a large amount of importance on a woman’s appearance. The book “Body Work” concisely explains just how major this idea is by explaining that “Via popular women’s magazines, a discourse of body image problems is woven into the fabric of our everyday experience” (Blood, 1). This constant exposure has caused Connie to become aware of her looks and has increased her desire to take care of her appearance. In this part of the story, Oates illustrates Connie’s navigation of this societal concept and the unhappiness that springs from it, which can be further supported by the Freudian concept of phantasies. 

The character Arnold Friend can also be looked at under a Freudian lens, specifically under the psychoanalytic concept of condensation. Condensation is most commonly used when analyzing a person’s dream and “has shown us that the unconscious makes use of a particular symbolism, especially for representing sexual complexes” (Freud 2273). It is used when a concept or multiple concepts have condensed themselves into one symbol within someone’s dream and Arnold’s interaction with Connie is arguably the most dream-like in the story. When he arrives at her house, he is able to tell her at that exact moment what the rest of her family is doing, despite them being at a party somewhere else in town (Oates 9). His knowledge of events that are happening simultaneously to this interaction supports the conclusion that this is a dream-like interaction. Under condensation, Arnold most likely represents the inevitability of Connie’s growth into adulthood. At first he seems enticing,  and he comes off as a little flirty; Connie isn’t initially worried since she remembers him from the other night. Throughout their interaction he keeps pushing for the same thing, for her to get into the car. She gains more awareness of the situation, realizing how dangerous it actually is but in the end goes with him (Oates 14). Although she was extremely hesitant to go with him and resisted most of the time, she was locked in a difficult situation as he continued to threaten her with him coming into the house if she tried to call for help, and her deciding to go with him represents the inevitably of growing up and how it is not a smooth and easy process. In this way Arnold is a symbol of this strenuous process, as he is the one putting her through it. 

Furthermore, the symbolism of Arnold’s character becomes even more transparent when connected back to the author’s commentary on the struggles of shifting from girlhood to adulthood. Arnold is quite literally a symbol of the struggle of growing up in general. It is a scary process because it is an unknown experience for the person going through it. Having the situation posed as a kidnapping also implies a fear more related to women. The oppression of women dates back to centuries ago and is still relevant today. In a community based survey, it is said that “nearly half of the respondents reported experiencing some kind of sexual abuse before reaching 16 years of age” (Randall and Haskell 6). It is not uncommon that young girls learn of the sexual violence and injustice they may face just because of their gender. In Connie’s case, Arnold is a predator since he has come to take her from her house and is much older than he appears to be. The sum of the number on his car is 69 which has a sexual connotation, further suggesting his threatening and sinister nature. In this way, Arnold has an underlying layer that specifically targets an encounter that most women learn of when they are young. Oates’ inclusion of Arnold’s character not only highlights the struggles of growing up, but emphasizes a very critical experience that girls confront as they grow as well. 

By dissecting Joyce Carol Oates’ short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” under a Freudian lens, we can gain a better understanding of her critique on the struggles of shifting from girlhood to adulthood. The insight the secondary lens gives can add a layer of comprehension that we wouldn’t be able to grasp from the story alone. 

 

Works Cited

Blood, Sylvia K.. Body Work : The Social Construction of Women’s Body Image, Taylor & Francis Group, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ccny-ebooks/detail.action?docID=182293.

 

  RANDALL, MELANIE, and LORI HASKELL. “Sexual Violence in Women’s Lives: Findings from the Women’s Safety Project, a Community-Based Survey.” Violence Against Women, vol. 1, no. 1, Mar. 1995, pp. 6–31, doi:10.1177/1077801295001001002.

 

Freud, Sigmund. The Five Lectures On Psycho-Analysis. 1909, http://file:///C:/Users/Cindy/Downloads/Sigmund%20Freud%20[1909]%20Five%20Lectures%20on%20Psych-Aanalysis%20_James%20Strachey%20translation,%201955_.pdf. Accessed 13 Sept 2021.

 

Cindy Ghanie

Professor Von Uhl/ Professor Yankwitt

FIQWS HA9

28 October 2021

Freud’s Dream Work in “A Country Doctor”

In the third of Sigmund Freud’s five lectures, he discusses the psychoanalytic concepts about the layers dreams play in our minds. Certain experiences and texts validate Freud’s claims about the dreamwork. “A Country Doctor” by William Kafka displays several facets of the Freudian concept of dreamwork, including manifest content and latent content, which Kafka uses to express the desires of the protagonist.

The manifest content provides the imagery needed in order to decipher the deeper meaning of the story. Before leaving his own estate to visit a patient in need of his help, he is already faced with a difficult decision. Strapped for time caused by the death of his own horse, the doctor is forced to borrow a horse from someone who threatens the safety of his servant, Rose (Kafka 1). Placing the doctor in this situation demonstrates how he struggles with his feelings for Rose, since he does not wish to endanger her but also needs to get to the patient. Although he refuses to leave without knowing she is safe, the groom in charge of the horses gives them the signal to leave, and the horses take off with the doctor. This further emphasizes the doctor’s lack of control over protecting someone he cares for. Unable to save Rose, the doctor sets out to save the patient. After first glance he finds no issue, but upon closer inspection, finds a large infested wound (Kafka 3). Despite the doctor’s wishes, he is once again powerless, this time against the wound, and determines that the patient is beyond saving. Feeling downtrodden and guilty, the doctor takes his leave completely naked and departs at a much slower pace than his arrival (Kafka 4).  The manifest content of the story portrays the doctor’s desire as one of saving those who he cares about, both Rose and the patient. The manifest content is able to illustrate his failure in saving either person and his guilt after it is all over. 

Underneath the seemingly random and unusual events of “A Country Doctor” lies the true meaning of the manifest content. The latent content of this dream would be the doctor’s desire to help those close to him, specifically Rose, but his inability to do so due to his increasing age. The horses he was forced to borrow from the strange groom are representative of youth. His own horses have died the night before and this young man is able to produce two very strong and healthy horses (Kafka 1). This would be the first illustration of his helplessness, as he is unable to complete the task of going to his job without depending on the help of someone younger. Knowing the danger that the man poses to Rose, the doctor still leaves her with him. Upon arriving at the patient’s bedside, the doctor discovers a large wound in the patient’s side and describes it as “rose-red” and a “blossom in your side” with an infestation of worms as well (Kafka 3). Kafka’s decision to illustrate the wound with words reminiscent of flowers could be representative of the doctor’s servant, Rose. The groom who gave him the horses are displayed as the worms, and the wound entirely is a metaphor for the groom raping Rose. The doctor’s failure to protect Rose now expresses itself in a physical form on someone who, as a doctor, he should be able to save. But due to the wound’s relation to Rose’s safety and experience, the doctor was never going to be able to save the patient either. Unable to save both the patient and Rose, the doctor inevitably leaves the house, naked and feeling vulnerable, for he left Rose to the devices of this dangerous man and he is now forced to remedy his burdened mind. The latent content displays Rose with more significance than the patient, since the wound on the patient refers to Rose. The doctor’s idea of being able to save someone he cares for revolves almost entirely around Rose. The doctor’s failure to save Rose stems from his fear that his age will be the reason she does not accept his true romantic feelings for her. He is scared that at his age he will not be able to satisfy her, and this fear can be seen when he must depend on someone younger than he for help and when Rose is left alone with the groom. 

“A Country Doctor” illustrates the layers of dreamwork needed to assess the protagonist’s desires. The manifest content and latent content not only help to move the story along but also display Freud’s psychoanalytic concepts. Freud’s observations and theories allow us to look at not only texts, but ourselves in a new light. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Kafka, Franz, et al. “A Country Doctor”. Selected Short Stories of Franz Kafka (Modern Library). Reissue, Modern Library, 1993, bbhosted.cuny.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/CTY01_FIQWS_10008_HA8_1219_1/A%20Country%20Doctor.pdf

Cindy D. Ghanie

Professor Von Uhl/ Professor Yankwitt

FIQWS HA9

21 September 2021

Freud’s Relevance in “The Yellow Wallpaper”

Throughout history, patients with hysteria have often been neglected and misunderstood. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” it illustrates how a hysterical patient slowly begins to suffer from a mental decline after receiving instructions from a doctor. Freud’s first lecture offers insight into how doctor’s usually treat hysterical patients and reinforces this representation as accurate within the “The Yellow Wallpaper” while providing Dr. Breuer’s alternative thinking to treat the patients.

In Lecture I, Freud assesses that most doctors do not think much of hysterical patients. After evaluating the condition of a hysterical patient and finding nothing physically wrong with them, most doctors would write off the patient and give them unrealistic solutions, such as bed rest. These solutions were generally ineffective and normally worsened the patient’s state of mind. Author Charlotte Gilman recalls how she was given similar instructions, and after a period of three months “came so near the borderline of utter mental ruin”(Gilman 1). These patients might have even complained of physical symptoms, but holistically their physical conditions were up to par. Since most doctors believed these patients to be unworthy of serious treatment, “he punishes them by withdrawing his interest in them”(Freud 2201). Most doctors did not understand that the mind plays an equal part in health as the body does, and due to this misunderstanding, many female patients were written off and shown no interest or concern.

Comparatively, Dr. Breuer displayed an uncommon interest in the research and treatment of hysteric patients. Within the same first lecture, Freud details one specific case of Breuer’s where a woman experienced several physical symptoms without a physical condition being the cause. Rather than provide her with the same response given to most patients with hysteria, Breuer took the initiative to treat her as an actual patient. Despite his lack of experience treating such patients, Breuer approached the subject with wary sympathy and attempted to help her . Through his efforts, he created a “talking cure”, where the patient would verbally recall the event that triggered their current distress. Recalling these experiences allowed the patient to work through her trauma and even cured her of being unable to drink water. Breuer’s persistence and desire to help these women provided them with a real opportunity to alleviate their conditions.

According to Freud’s criticism of how doctor’s treat hysterical patients, “The Yellow Wallpaper” provides an accurate depiction of that interaction. Within “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator is a woman who seems to suffer from some form of hysteria and who has been told by several doctors that her condition is temporary and not of much concern. Throughout the rest of the story, she is told to stay in the house and do nothing, which slowly contributes to her steady mental decline. The directions given to her by the doctor and her husband are in line with Freud’s criticism of how hysterical patients are treated. The narrator describes her husband telling their friends and family that she is not seriously ill, only suffering from a “temporary nervous depression – a slight hysterical tendency” (Gilman 648). This directly relates to Freud’s description of how doctors downplay hysterical patients after learning there is no overwhelming physical issue. The narrator’s husband continues to minimize her concerns throughout the story, practically telling her that her ailments are figments of her imagination.. This indicates that just like the doctors, her husband does not truly believe her concern regarding her own mental health. This lack of concern paired with the isolation she withstands ultimately drives her to mental ruin. Freud’s lecture provides somewhat of a warning to this possible outcome, stating that “you must not suppose that a patient’s prospects of medical assistance are improved… by the fact that a diagnosis of hysteria has been substituted for one of severe organic disease of the brain” (Freud 2201). Freud was aware of the consequences of how hysterical patients were treated, and “The Yellow Wallpaper” accurately displays Freud’s criticisms while depicting a realistic situation.

Freud and Breuer’s contributions helped to improve the mental care of people globally by changing the way doctor’s treated them. They pioneered psychological techniques that would benefit many patients and began to change the mindset about the importance of mental health. Gilman’s writing served as a cautionary tale to women across the nation and gave doctors a different perspective to the treatments they prescribed. Although there is still work to be done in the field of mental health, we can appreciate the progress we have made over the years. 

 

Works Cited

Gilman, Charlotte. The Yellow Wallpaper. New England Magazine, 1892, https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/theliteratureofprescription/exhibitionAssets/digitalDocs/The-Yellow-Wall-Paper.pdf. Accessed 13 Sept 2021.

Freud, Sigmund. The Five Lectures On Psycho-Analysis. 1909, http://file:///C:/Users/Cindy/Downloads/Sigmund%20Freud%20[1909]%20Five%20Lectures%20on%20Psych-Aanalysis%20_James%20Strachey%20translation,%201955_.pdf. Accessed 13 Sept 2021.

Gilman, Charlotte. Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper. The Forerunner, 1913, http://file:///C:/Users/Cindy/Downloads/Why_I_Wrote_The_Yellow_Wallpaper_with%20citation.pdf. Accessed 13 Sept 2021.