Psychoanalyzing Pynchon
For centuries, the Enlightenment concept of the human mind as a tabula rasa at birth dominates Western thought. The tabula rasa seems to perfectly intertwine Enlightenment secularism with social contract theory via its emphasis on the social nature of man. The intelligentsia appears satisfied with this explanation for human consciousness until Sigmund Freud casts doubt on this most basic assumption. Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, decides that it is his life’s calling to, “[…] Agitate the sleep of mankind” (Gay 1). According to Freud, the tabula rasa does not exist, because man arrives equipped with inherent, instinctual drives at birth. Freud’s conception of man sparks controversy from the time of its inception to that of the modern era. Yet, through the application of psychoanalytic theories, Freud and his contemporaries, such as Jacques Lacan, offer fresh insight into the human mind as well as the creative arts, namely literature. Indeed, complex novels such as Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 present an enigma for the reader to decode---a puzzle easier to comprehend through a psychoanalytic lens.
Pynchon’s penchant for irony and parody are particularly evident in the novel’s protagonist, Oedipa Maas. Her very name suggests a psychoanalytic connection as Freud and his adherents place emphasis on a psychological phenomenon known as the Oedipus complex. For Freudians, the Oedipus complex involves a male child’s mildly incestuous attraction to his mother, a taboo bond that is eventually broken by the father. The Oedipus complex and its ensuing resolution are seen as vital to the child’s healthy psychological maturity (Freud 438-439). At the same time, Freud distinguishes between the male child’s Oedipal complex and its female counterpart, commonly known as the Electra complex. But Pynchon’s protagonist’s name makes no reference to the inverted female version of the Oedipus complex, so Oedipa is a female character named after a distinctly male stage of psychosexual development. In fact, the irony of Oedipa’s name may serve as a constant reminder to the reader that Pynchon can never be taken at face value.
Additionally, Oedipa’s name likely represents the Lacanian Oedipal nature of the plot structure. In the beginning, the reader learns that, “[…] Oedipa had been named executor, or she supposed executrix, of the estate of one Pierce Inverarity, a California real estate mogul […]” (Pynchon 1). Later, the reader learns that Pierce Inverarity (another play on words) is Oedipa’s ex-boyfriend, the last man she dates before marrying her husband, Mucho Maas (Much Mass/Much More.) This triangular relationship between Oedipa, Pierce, and Mucho mirrors that of the Laconia conception of the Oedipus complex, but with a Pynchonian twist. In this instance, Oedipa (an adult) symbolizes a maladjusted individual still struggling to resolve the tension caused by her simultaneous attraction to the father figure (Pierce) and his replacement sexual object (Maas.)
Furthermore, by making Oedipa the executor of his will, Pierce’s character re-enforces his role as the paternal influence because, “It is in the name of the father that we must recognize support of the symbolic function which, from the dawn of history, has identified his person with the figure of the law”(Lacan 3). Essentially, Pierce forces Oedipa to finally assume her adult responsibilities and thus complete the process of social assimilation. Yet, in fulfilling her duties as executor, Oedipa repeatedly encounters male lawyers, which leads to several sexual encounters. Basically, Pierce’s plan backfires as Oedipa’s fractured psyche appears incapable of resolving her Oedipal conflict, which parallels the novel’s anti-climactic ending. Ultimately, Pynchon leaves both Oedipa and the reader in limbo, forever on the cusp of reaching a satisfying conclusion.
Works Cited
Freud, Sigmund. “Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego.” Literary Theory: An Anthology.Eds. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Blackwell Publishing, Maldon, Ma, 2004
Gay, Peter. “Sigmund Freud: A Brief Life.” Civilization and Its Discontents. Sigmund Freud. Trans. James Strachey. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, 1961.
Lacan, Jacques. “The Symbolic Order.” Literary Theory: An Anthology. Eds. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Blackwell Publishing, Maldon, Ma, 2004.
Pynchon, Thomas. The Crying of Lot 49. First Perennial Classics, New York, 1999.
No comments:
Post a Comment