Psychoanalytic
Criticism of “Editha”
A
variety of psychological aspects present themselves throughout the story of
Editha. The young girl Edith is of id
psychological type (Frankland, 2000). She harbors a primitive impulse as seen
by her instant desire for gratification. She has an unrestrained love for war.
She keeps compelling her engaged boyfriend, George, to go for war as a sign of
patriotism for his country. She even writes a goodbye letter saying she is
ready to break her engagement with George if he can’t show his love for the
country by going to war. She presses on with her desire without consideration
of the reality that war is dangerous to human life as seen by George’s father
losing his arm in the war. Some actions lead us to conclude that she acts out
of unconscious mind. When George tells her that there is a war, she says, “how
glorious.” Her remarks are surprising as George perceives war as dangerous. The
story also portrays George to be in the pre-oedipal stage by his phantasy of
going to dangerous places such as war. The story also reveals the intrigues of family
life such as psychological conflicts.
The
writer also exposes the fragility of the search for sexual identity and love through
Editha and George. Editha believed that the only way that George could prove
his love for her was by loving his country the way she did (Howells &
Harper & Brothers, 1907). The society of the time expected men to be
stronger and more influential than women. George unconsciously decided to
enlist for war since he made the decision after taking several drinks, defying
the advice of his mother, Gearson, and father. This was in a bid to please
Editha and demonstrate his love for her. The story portrays a great sence of
psychological conflict between the desire of George and his parents to avoid
going to war and the desire of Editha that George goes to war. The story also
portrays a great sense of guilt on Editha when George goes to war and is
killed.
Another
psychological aspect is the realism that characterizes the short story
(Mijolla, A. & Thomson G. 2005).
George presents his true feelings about the war when he says he never
thought he could pleasure in killing a man, but at the time she signed to go
for war, she said she should not care. She said the smokeless powder allowed a
soldier to see the man he killed drop. This also helped to portray the American
values. Realism is portrayed throughout the short story when George resists enlisting
until mob-mentality persuades him after a drinking spree. In support of this,
George said that it was headed one way; he thought he could discourage
them. Though, he could not do it with a
group of friends that adored him. For that reason, he decided to volunteer on
the spot. He said that a worse reason looks well when one tries to express it
as better. George later confesses to Editha that he signed up because he was
drunk. Realism helps to explain how the society shapes the characters and
convey life’s evil and good aspects.
References
Howells,
W. D., & Harper & Brothers. (1907). Between the dark and the daylight:
Romances. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers.
Frankland,
G. (2000). Freud's literary culture. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Mijolla,
A. ., & Thomson Gale. (2005). International dictionary of psychoanalysis:
Dictionnaire international de la psychanalyse. Detroit, Mich: Macmillan
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