2.3 The Characteristics of Victorian Novel
Since the novel that will be analyzed is from Victorian era, it should be better if we know the characteristic of the Victorian era novel. There is a web site
addressed in ‘http:wiki.answers.comQWhat_are_the_main_characteristics_of_ the_ Victorian_period’ writes about the characteristic of Victorian novel by saying
that the literature of the Victorian age entered in a new period after the romantic revival. The literature of this era expressed the fusion of pure romance to gross
realism. Though, the Victorian Age produced two great poets Tennyson and Browning, the age is also remarkable for the excellence of its prose.
The discoveries of science have particular effects upon the literature of the age. If you study all the great writers of this period, you will mark four general
characteristics: 1.
Literature of this age tends to come closer to daily life which reflects its practical problems and interests. It becomes a powerful instrument for human
progress. 2.
Moral Purpose: The Victorian literature seems to deviate from art for arts sake and asserts its moral purpose. Tennyson, Browning, Carlyle, Ruskin -
all were the teachers of England with the faith in their moral message to instruct the world.
3. Idealism: It is often considered as an age of doubt and pessimism. The
influence of science is felt here. The whole age seems to be caught in the conception of man in relation to the universe with the idea of evolution.
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4. Though, the age is characterized as practical and materialistic, most of the
writers exalt a purely ideal life. It is an idealistic age where the great ideals like truth, justice, love, brotherhood are emphasized by poets, essayists and
novelists of the age.
2.4 Description of Sigmund Freud’s Theory Personality
The psychoanalytic to personality was created and articulated by Sigmund Freud 1856-1939 and elaborated by others. Freud’s was the first major theory of
psychological development; he attempted not only to account for the origins of traits and other behavior but also to provide a complete explanation of psychological
functioning. This approach actually had its beginnings as a theory of mental illness based on Freud’s analysis of his patient’s cases.
Freud conceptualized the mind or the psyche, as consisting of their levels of consciousness: the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious. The conscious
mind consists of what we are aware of any time. Consciousness however is only the tip of the iceberg to use Freud metaphor. Freud described cognitive functioning as
taking place beneath the surface of consciousness. The preconscious consist of the part of the mind which people are not aware but which can be brought to
consciousness without much effort-for example, if they are asked what they did to summers ago. The unconscious embodies the part of the mind that cannot be brought
directly to consciousness. Within the unconscious lie the basic instinct and drivers, particularly those that motivate aggression and sex. Freud conceptualized the psyche
as having a fixed amount of psychic energy, the dynamic source of all motivation, the sexual part of which is called libido. Freud divided the psyche into three parts:
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the id, the ego, and super ego. While the id is unconscious, the ego, and superego span all three levels of awareness.
The id : The original reservoir of psychic energy and is present from birth.
Aggressive, sexual, and other impulses from the id always demand immediate gratification. Thus, the id is said to operate on the pleasure principle, continually
pressing for the immediate discharge of any bodily tension. One want the id reduces tension is to created an image of what it wants. This image, which cannot be
distinguished from reality, is known as wish fulfillment, but wish fulfilling mental image themselves cannot reduce tension. After all, hungry people cannot eat images.
The failure of the id to deal with reality opens the way for the ego.
The ego: The ego comes into existence to deal with the objective, outside
world and to satisfy the id’s wishes and instinctive demands. For example, it seeks food when the id calls for appeasement of hunger drivers. The ego eventually
becomes capable of self-reflection and disserves the name Freud gave it: ego, or self. Until self-reflection occurs there is no “I” but only a mass of undifferentiated
strivings. The ego obeys the reality principle in contrast to the id’s pleasure principle. The reality principle, because it has to deal with the objective, “real” world, aims to
suspend the pleasure principle until satisfaction-food in this example is found. The ego is thus the executive personality. It controls actions and chooses outcomes. A
person with a week ago may be dominated by the wish fulfilling fantasies of the id and fail to deal effectively with objective reality, spending instead a disproportionate
amount of time in fantasy and daydreaming.
The super ego : The super ego is concerned with morality, with what is right
and what is wrong. It consist of two distinct parts: the ego-ideal and the conscience.
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The ego ideal’s primary interest pertains to what I sight and virtuous. It holds up an image of ideals behavior and perfection and says “yes” to morality dood thing.
Conscience, on the other hand, watches primarily over what is bad. It says “no” to wishes that are morally wrong. Indeed, it attempts to censor impulses from the id and
prevent them entering the consciousness of the ego. According to Freud, we are born with our id. The id is an important part of
our personality because as newborns, it allows us to get our basic needs met. Freud believed that the id is based on our pleasure principle. In other words, the id wants
whatever feels good at the time, with no consideration for the reality of the child cries. When the child needs to be changed, the id cries.
2.5 The Conflict between Ego and Id
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