A Freudian Analysis of the Absent Mother in Dicken's Oliver Twist.
In this essay I will look at the absence of the mother in the novel Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, using a Freudian analysis. The main focus of this paper will look at how Sigmund Freud uses his psychosexual theories, defense mechanisms, and his analysis of the psyche and apply them to the missing mother in the Dickens novel. With Freud's ideas I will try to explain how the main character Oliver Twist should have grown up in a different manner then what Dickens depicted in his book. In the end one will be able to see the psychological perspective of Freud and how the absence of a mother can effect the maturation of a child.Freud is one of the pioneers in his field of psychology and paved the way for future psychologists in many aspects. The most famous piece of work that Sigmund accomplished is his theories of psychosexual development of children. In the book, Insights Into Child Development, by Stanley K. Fitch, an author who received " Man of Achievement -1973 award from England, states that " Each child's personality could be explained according to this theory" (38). Freud states that each person goes through three levels of awareness, three functional divisions of the psyche, five stages of psychosexual development, and
"Crimson with fury, Oliver started up, overthrew the chair and table; seized Noah by the throat; shook him, in the violence of his rage, till his teeth chattered in his head" (Dickens 42-3). With this conflict in mind that has not been resolved, Freud believes that the reason it still exists is because there is a battle going on between two or more of the psyches ; "this conflict was the result of a struggle between the id and the superego " (Fitch 41). Of the five stages that Sigmund has developed one is of utmost concern with the development of the Oedipus complex . California, CAT, 1997: pp 38, 41, 296. The conflict that created this is mostly likely to be related to the poor psychosexual development during the early maturation of Oliver. The ones that most concern the topic of this paper are, one of the psychosexual stages, one of his defense mechanisms and some of his analysis of the psyche. " The child will grow up normal if caregivers strike a proper balance between the two opposing forces" (!Fitch 40). New York: Bantman Books, 1981: pp 4, 42, 43Fitch, Stanley. four different types of defense mechanisms (38). Fitch states " Freud invented the concepts of defense mechanisms, a series of mental devices, which protect and insulate the individual from psychic pain and control primitive impulses" (41). For example in Fitch's book, " Freud noticed many of his patients experienced considerable turmoil or conflict" (40). Of the three mechanisms one that is clearly demonstrated by Oliver in the book is that of rationalization, where " the individual may resort to giving "good" reasons for behavior that is unacceptable" (41). After looking at how Freud identifies the different stages and mechanisms that one goes through in life it's easy to see that the absence of Oliver's mother can be the cause of his rage.
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