An anxiety state may have more than one source. It can be a blend of neurotic and objective anxiety, or of moral and objective anxiety, or of neurotic and
moral anxiety. It can also be a blend of all three p. 63.
Sophia has all the three types of anxiety analyzed as below.
3. Reality Anxiety
Reality anxiety can occur to a person. The characteristic of this anxiety is its external causal, that is the external world or environment. A person can feel fear
when she considers that a thing threatens her, for example, fear of darkness and thunder. This anxiety is usually transformed in the form of fear.
Reality anxiety is a painful emotional experience resulting from a perception of danger in the external world. A danger is any condition of the environment
which threatens to harm the person. The perception of danger and the arousal of anxiety maybe innate in the sense that one inherits a tendency to become
afraid in the presence of certain objects or environmental conditions, or it may be acquired during the persons lifetime Halls, 1954: 61.
In the novel, Sophia suffers from reality anxiety. Sophia faces reality anxiety at the moment when she encounters harmful circumstances and objects in the
external world. Sophia, especially, has her reality anxiety since she moves in France. The new external world is harmful for her. There are some cases that
show her reality anxiety in the following analysis. c.
Sophia‟s Anxiety toward the Circumstances In the story, Sophia experiences unpleasant feelings when she moves in Paris.
A conflict previously occurs between Sophia and Gerald. Sophia actually does not want to live in Paris, but Gerald insists to move out to Paris. The fact is she now
lives in Paris to follow Gerald. This situation affects her really well. The result for this conflict is that she suffers from unpleasant feelings to visit some places in
Paris.
While living in France, Sophia faces anxiety that she feels threatened to live among the people of France. This anxiety is influenced by her previous conflicts
with Gerald. Sophia actually does not want to live in Paris, but finally she moves to Paris. At the moment she arrives in Paris, her will to not move to Paris makes
sense. Sophia cannot live side by side with the circumstances there. It can be seen in the section when Gerald brings her to a shop where fascinating clothes are
there. She compares her dresses to the dresses of French people that are classy and expensive. Sophia even cannot classify her own dress as either French or British.
She finds out that her style is not good that she is ashamed of what she wears. Because of this, she feels that she is inferior among the people in Paris. This
inferiority develops Sophia‟s painful feeling in her days because of the threatening society. She begins to feel that living in Paris really harms her.
Sophia suffered a brief humiliation in the discovery that his private opinion of her dresses was that they were not dresses at all. She had been aware that they
were not Parisian, nor even of London p. 303.
Sophia also feels frightened when she visits an old town in France. In Paris, Gerald also takes Sophia to an old town where an execution is held. At first,
Sophia has conflict with herself to join Gerald going to that old town or not. But for some reasons, Sophia finally joins Gerald to go. Sophia is obliged to go
because she has conflict over this. As the result, her uncertain choice to go influences her to see Auxerre in a bad way. It affects her to view the town as a bad
town. At that town, Sophia meets new circumstances. Her senses can feel bad condition at Auxerre. She feels the hot air, hears noisy people, and sees darkness.
This bad point of view about Auxerre gives impact to Sophia as anxiety. She feels
frightened during her stay at the hotel. She feels that the hotel is dark and crowded. Inside the hotel, she senses all those negative conditions. This situation
shows Sophia‟s fear. The heavy crimson curtains had been drawn across the dirty lace curtains of
the windows, but the lights of the little square faintly penetrated through chinks into the room. The sounds of the square also penetrated,
extraordinarily loud and clear, for the unbated heat had compelled her to leave the window open p. 327.
Sophia does not find any peace during her stay at the hotel. The crowd is also described in the quotation below. She tries to sleep but instead she is interupted by
the crowd at the hotel. It was as if, beneath and within all the noises of the square, every movement
in the hotel reached her ears through cardboard walls: distant shoutings and laughter below; rattlings of crockery below; stampings up and down stairs;
brusque calls; fragments of songs, whisperings; long sighs sudden stifled; mysterious groans as of torture, broken by a giggle; quarrels and
brickerings
— she was spared nothing in the strangely resonant darkness p.
329. d.
Sophia‟s Fear Toward the People Sophia has fear to meet with the French people. This fear is motivated by her
conflict with Gerald. There is contradictory decision that Sophia does not want to move out from England, but on the other hand, Gerald insists her to. This situation
affects her really well. The result for this conflict is that she suffers from unpleasant feelings to face people in Paris. Sophia meets two types of society in
France. There are classy and brutal people. They scare Sophia. Sophia feels frightened by the people in Paris. The first type of people is so
classy and rich. The second type is so brutal and cruel. This feeling of fear is due to her conflict to not move in Paris. The fact that she must move in Paris bothers
her as Gerald wins to ask her moving out. This fact intrudes to develop her anxiety while living in Paris. Her doubt to move in Paris affects her to always be
insecure to live in Paris. In this case, Sophia cannot get along with the people there because she has felt insecure because of the conflict and the fact since
beginning. She meets all people from different background but she cannot interact with them at all. Even at a store, Sophia is afraid to make contact with a
saleswoman. She does not want to interact with the saleswoman even though the saleswoman speaks in English. The primary conflict that Sophia passes is the
cause of this fear. The conflict that she does not plan to move in France influences her anxiety. Therefore, in Paris, she does not find any confidence to live at there.
From this hesitant feeling, she experiences fear to meet the people of Paris. Additional factor for her fear toward the saleswoman is she considers herself as
inferior because of the high price at the store. She recoiled before them and seemed to hide for refuge in Gerald, as it were
appealing to him instead of to the saleswoman when the saleswoman offered remarks in stiff English p. 303.
At Sylvain, Sophia also feels frightened because of the classy and rich people. The appearance of the people intimidates her. She is the only one who appears so
pure and innocent at Sylvain. It is clear that Sophia has not met such people before. She is not ready to move in Paris. She just jumps out from her conflict by
moving in Paris. Sophia does not prepare to face the new people. With this intention, Sophia becomes afraid to meet the new people in new environment.
Especially in Sylvain, she feels frightened by all the classy and arrogant people. Those people are strange for her. Sophia is afraid to face that kind of people. She
does not know how to face them. Therefore, it makes her frightened to face them. At the page 306, the story describes, “They seemed to say, „We are the renowned
Parisiennes.‟ They frightened her: they appeared to her so corrupt and so proud in their corruption.
” Another proof is
Sophia‟s fear toward the people of France. All levels of society in France scare Sophia. Another society of France is so loud and brutal.
She sees the people laughing hysterically, kissing with the lover, and roaring at the dinner. The people can interact with each other, while Sophia cannot do the
same thing since she cannot understand French. In the middle of the crowd, she feels small and different. It is she who only stays quiet in the middle of the crowd.
By those scenes, she feels that the people there are frightening. She remembered the dinner with horror. The long, crowded table, with
semicircular ends, in the oppressive and reeking dining-room lighted by oil- lamps There must have been at least forty people at that table. . . She was
afraid. The company shocked her by its gesture alone. . . That situation seemed to shelter her even from the conversation p. 327.
e. Threatening Price in Paris
Sophia ‟s anxiety is also influenced by her conflict in term of high prices for a
living in France. There are many expensive things bought in Paris. The earlier conflict between her and the environment supports this anxiety. She has her own
standard for a living, but in France, everything opposes her idea, especially, the high price to live in France. Because of this, her anxiety occurs. The shocking
price in Paris makes Sophia scare to even look at it. Sophia feels threatened about the shocking price in a store. At her homeland,
she used to live with common standard of life, but in Paris the price tags surprises
her. Sophia does not live the luxurious life like the French people do. It is just not for her. As the result, she acquired her anxiety as the high price intimidates her.
She considers it as harmful problem. Sophia keeps feeling threatened as the price tag does not fit with her standard of life. It contrasts from
Sophia‟s standard of life. She visits a clothes store in Paris with Gerald. She finds it hard to believe that
the simplest thing is worth for sixteen pounds. It is contrary with her standard for a living in Bursley. Gerald tells Sophia to not thinking about the price. Even so,
the price keeps bothering inside her mind. Sophia is too threatened seeing the price that she thinks about it over and over.
The simplest trifle here cost sixteen pounds ; and her mother‟s historic „silk‟, whose elaborateness had cost twelve pounds, was supposed to have
approached the inexpressible Gerald said that she was not to think about prices. She was, however, forced by some instinct to think about prices
— she
who at home had scorned the narrowness of life in the Square p. 303. Sophia‟s anxiety occurs in some events. The expensive price for one night in
a hotel is a proof to see Sophia‟s anxiety toward the high price. Gerald spends so much money. Sophia thinks that all of his spending are just waste. In just a day,
Gerald pays more than two pounds for the hotel. Gerald does not care about this spending at all. Nevertheless, Sophia worries about this rate.
It seemed impossible that twelve thousand pounds, while continually getting less, could ultimately quite disappear. The notion lived longer in the mind of
Gerald than in that of Sophia; for Gerald would never look at a disturbing fact, whereas Sophia‟s gaze was morbidly fascinated by such
phenomena…Gerald never paid less than two pounds a day in hotel bills alone p. 338-339.
She also visits clothes store in Paris with Gerald. She finds it hard to believe that the simplest thing is worth for sixteen pounds. It is contrary with her standard
for a living in Bursley. Moreover, Gerald‟s lifestyle shocks her. Sophia always
concerns about Gerald‟s spending. Her fear is to lose all the money. With extraordinary rapidity she had formed a habit of preaching moderation
to Gerald. She hated to „see money thrown away‟, and her notion of the boundary line between throwing money away and judiciously spending it was
still the notion of the Square p. 303.
One more proof is in the event when Sophia is really annoyed to lose hundred francs for a hotel. She cannot stop thinking about it. It is once again related to her
fear to suffer from poverty. She kept repeating to herself, in amazed resentment, „A hundred francs for
this room A hundred francs And he hadn‟t the pluck to tell me‟ She could not have expressed her contempt p. 338.
4.
Neurotic Anxiety
Neurotic anxiety is a struggle of a person who has discomfort feeling to do unwanted desire or wrong action. The characteristics of neurotic anxiety are thata
person does not realize about it and represses the id impulses. Halls explains: Neurotic anxiety is aroused by a perception of danger from the instincts. It is
a fear of what might happen should the anti-cathexes of the ego fail to prevent the instinctual object-cathexes from discharging themselves in some
impulsive action Halls, 1954: 64-65.
In The Old Wives’ Tale, the main character suffers from neurotic anxiety
which she does not realize about. Sophia suffers from neurotic anxiety when her unconscious impulses and repression try to break out to reality. There are many
cases when Sophia encounters situation that is harmful to her. This harmful situation occurs because of her unconscious desires trying to break her conscious
ego.
d. Sophia‟s Sinful Thoughts
In the story, Sophia successfully greets Gerald at the shop that lead her to some conflicts. She carelessly forgets about her duty to takes care of her
father.Sophia cannot stop thinking about Gerald. Even when her father dies, she still struggles with her thoughts of being happy to see Gerald Scales or
sympathetic for the death of her father. Sophia is frightened in the day her father died. This fear is born because of
her internal conflict to choose between her father and Gerald. When Sophia finds out that her father has died, she faces two contradictory minds. She faces that she
should choose her priority between her father and Gerald. While her priority is Gerald, her superego and ego tries to defend her from her pleasure to celebrate her
success in getting closer to Gerald. Her ego represses her joy to honor the death of her father. This repression finally arises Sophia‟s anxiety because the id impulse
tries to break through reality. Her anxiety in this case appears as fear. According to the conflict, Sophia feels frightened that she runs to her mother. Her fear is the
result of her joy in being closer to Gerald on the day of her father‟s death. She does not realize about her feeling of joy at all. In the story, Sophia‟s desire is
unconscious. Inside her mind, t here is whispering of Gerald‟s name. This
whispering is her unconscious joy for being able to have conversation with Gerald and know him even more. Her conscious ego represses this desire because it is
inappropriate for her to think about Gerald in a critical situation. Her joy over her
father‟s illness triggers her neurotic anxiety. The quote below explains how Sophia unconsciously more cares about Gerald than her father that her id impulse
tries to break out. „Galivanting with that young Scales‟ said Mr Critchlow, with devilish
ferocity. „Well, you‟ve killed yer father; that‟s all‟ ... „Is he dead?‟ she asked in a quite tone. Somewhere within a voice
waswhispering, „So his name is Scales‟ p.79.
The indication of her sense of guilt can be found when she gives a sob and hides herself in her mother.
Mrs Baines, driven from the banquet by her feelings, went into the drawing- room. Sophia was there, and Sophia, seeing tears in her mother‟s eyes, gave a
sob, and flung herself bodily against her mother, clutching her, and hiding her face in that broad crape, which abraded her soft skin p. 87.
e. Guilty Emotion for Watching an Execution
Sophia is threatened by seeing the execution that is related to her previous conflict. Sophia‟s conflict occurs when she joins to watch the execution with
Gerald. Sophia thinks that watching the execution is wrong for her. Watching the execution is cruel for her because it shows the death of a person. She persists that
it is a cruel event to watch. She never tells about this thought to Gerald. However, she has to quickly make a decision to go watching the execution with him,
because at Paris, Sophia follows Gerald wherever he goes. She does not know about Paris at all. This conflict contributes to the development of her anxious
feeling toward the execution. Why was she in this strange, incomprehensible town, foreign and inimical to
her, watching with agonised glance this cruel, obscene spectacle? Her sensibilities were all a bleeding mass of wounds. Why? Only yesterday, and
she had been an innocent, timid creature in Bursley, in Axe, a foolish creature who deemed the concealment of letters a supreme excitement ...
Sophia suffers from fear as the form of her anxiety since her id impulse tries to come out to reality. Her id impulse is to see the execution to be able being a
witness of phenomenal event. On the other hand, the ego tries to defend her pleasure because it is wrong for her to see someone being killed in front of her
eyes. This ego mechanism arises her anxiety. But her id impulse is too big that it breaks out to reality, but still in the abstract form because the ego has dressed her
id impulse. Her id comes out as anxiety which is in the form of fear. Why was she imprisoned alone in that odious, indescribable odious hotel, with no
one to soothe and comfort her, and carry her away? p. 335.
The quotation above is the indication of Sophia‟s anxiety. She thinks of
someone to be by her side at that moment, it proves that she really scares. Her unconscious desire is actually she is curious about the execution. She is curious to
see someone being sentenced to death to uphold justice. She struggles to see it or not. All the noises at the square influence her to watch the execution. It is easy for
her to see the execution because the hotel where she stays is right in front of the square.Her unconscious desire can be found when she walks closer to the window
to peek the execution at the square though she keeps saying to herself that she should not do that.
She said to herself that the idea was absurd, that she did not wish to go to the window. Nevertheless, while arguing with herself, she well knew that
resistance to the thought was useless and that ultimately her legs would obey its command p. 330.
While peeking the execution, her anxiety occurs. Sophia shrinks down to the floor and hides her face. Her fear to fulfil her desire is not controlled as she
peeking and examining the execution.
She shrank down to the floor in terror and loathing, and hid her face, and shuddered. Shriek after shriek, from various windows, rang on her ears in a
fusillade; and then the mad yell of the penned crowd, which, like herself, had not seen but had heard, extinguished all other noises. Justice was done
p.335.
f. Sophia‟s Emotions toward Gerald
Gerald and Sophia has conflict of trust. Sophia is always curious about Gerald‟s spending. But conversely, Gerald is being inclosed with Sophia about
his spending. And then her deep distrust of Gerald reawakened; in spite of his seriously
desperate air, which had a quality of sincerity quite new in her experience of him, she could not be entirely sure that, in asserting utterpenury, he was not
after all merely using a trick to get rid of her p. 346.
Sophia suffers from painful feeling toward her marriage with Gerald. It is the result of several conflicts that disappoint and make her angry. But Sophia has her
id impulses repressed really well since she has no remark over her big disappointment and emotions. In this case, her ego works too hard to block this id.
In this point, the ego that is getting weaker to block the unstoppable emotions converts her id into the feeling of discomfort which is anxiety. For all the time,
Sophia never blames Gerald. She keeps the painful feeling. Whenever Gerald does something wrong to her, she makes no remark. Her passive action does not
mean that she is fine with Gerald‟s fault. Instead, Sophia‟s anxiety occurs. She is uncomfortable with her marriage. She always keeps her emotion inside her mind.
The situation is painful for her. Sophia made no remark as to Gerald‟s lie to her. Indeed, Chirac had heard it.
She knew Gerald for a glib liar to others, but she was naively surprised when he practiced upon herself p. 336.
g. Disturbing Feeling to Reunite with Gerald
The anxiety is developed by the time Sophia passes through her conflict. Sophia promises to forget Gerald. Even so, in her early sixty, she meets an
occasion to break her promise. Sophia receives a letter that says Gerald is in Manchester and dying. Then, she is confused to visit him or not.
She had always refused to consider the effect of Gerald‟s reappearance. She had put the idea of it away from her, determined to convince herself that she
had done with him finally and for ever p. 561.
Sophia suffers from painful feeling as the form of her anxiety. Deep in her unconscious mind she has bad thoughts about Gerald, she thinks that Gerald was
nothing. It can be concluded that she previously represses all emotions and hatred toward Gerald. But when a letter says that Gerald is dying, she still visits him
right away. It cannot be separated from her hatred toward Gerald. Related to her visit for Gerald, she does not realize it that she unconsciously wants to see Gerald
to suffer from illness. This motive is unconscious. However, at the moment she arrives in Manchester, she finds it that Gerald has already died. For this, Sophia
cannot satisfied her id pleasure to see Gerald suffering because Gerald is already sleep in peace inside his coffin escaping from his illness. She fails to see him
being suffered. It then arises Sophia‟s anxiety into painful feeling.
Whatever feelings were in Sophia‟s heart, tenderness was not among them. As she collected her wits from the stroke, she was principally aware of the
sentiment of fear. She recoiled from the future p. 562.
At first, Sophia promises to not see Gerald any more, but her decision is to visit him. Her decision is actually based on her unconscious desire to see Gerald
being sick. She unconsciously loves to see Gerald dying. This primitive impulse occurs because of Gerald‟s bad treatment toward her. In her mind, Gerald is
nothing and a shame. She wishes him to suffer. The picture of her unconscious desire is clearly shown by the quotation below:
Sophia then experienced a pure and primitive emotion, uncoloured by any moral or religious quality. She was not sorry that Gerald had wasted his life,
nor that he was a shame to his years and to her. The manner of his life was of no importance p. 569.
Sophia cannot see Gerald struggling as he has already died. By that time, her anxiety occurs. Seeing him dead does not make her crying. She feels uneasy in
reacting to his death. Sophia feels painful emotion toward this. She was acquainted with affliction in that hour. All that she had previously
suffered sank into insignificance by the side of that suffering p. 570.
5. Moral Anxiety
