Literary-Criticism

Mai1MaiJunhengProfessorGuanJianmingEnglish1306LiteraryCriticismMay26th,2015AnAnalysisoftheFalloftheHouseofUsherfromthePerspectiveofPsychoanalyticCriticismandFeminismAbstract:EdgarAllanPoeisanoutstandingAmericanwriterin19thcentury.HissignificantshortstorytheFalloftheHouseofUsherisatreasureforallthecriticstostudy.ThisessaywillanalyzeandcriticizethisshortstoryfromtheperspectiveofPsychoanalyticCriticism(RoderickUsher)andFeminism(Madeline).ⅠSexualmotivationsanddescriptionofsexIntheFalloftheHouseofUsher,sexualmotivationsandcrimeduetosexabnormalitycanbeseeneverywhere.“Freudbelievesthatpeoplearedrivenbylifedrive(survival,propagation,hunger,thirst,andsex),andlibidoisaformofmentalenergywithwhichprocesses,structuresandobject-representationsareinvested”(Rycroft95).Usherisalert,mental-disorderedandbadlyill,whichisaconsequenceofincest.Obviously,itisrelatedtosex.Madeline,whoisnotinitiativeinthisrelationship,atleast,isaparticipant.AllanPoediscoversthereproductiveweaknessofRoderickFamily,whichmaybetheinducementofRoderick’ssexabnormality.Roderickhasastrongdesiretosexandtakehissisterasanidealsexobject,however,hisfamilysuffersthecurseofincest.Asaresult,psychologically,hisfeargrows,whichintertwinesandcontradictswithhisstrongsexdesire,anditleadstohismentaldisorder.IfwenoticethepaintingsinRoderick’shouse,thereissuchadescription,“AsmallpicturepresentedtheinteriorofanimmenselylongandrectangularvaultorMai2tunnel”(AllanPoe40).Thelong,rectangulartunnelindicatesthebirthcanalofwomanthatinterestsRoderick.“…orotherartificialsourceoflightisdiscernible;yetafloodofintenseraysrolledthrough”(AllanPoe40),whichindicateshavingsexisarepresentationofEros.TheunconsciousnessofhavingsexwithMadelineisuncontrollable,anditisrevealedfrompictures,behaviors,thoughts,etc.TheintercoursebetweenRoderickandMadelinespeedsuptheirmutualdestruction.Freudinsiststhat“theliterarytextisreallyanartist’sdream,fantasyorlibido”(Charles94),andartists’desires,needs,spiritsareallrevealedintheirworksunconsciously.AllanPoesufferedpoor,lonelinessinhislife,so,hisworksarecatharsisofhisinnerthoughts,mostofwhicharerelatedtoEros.Inthisshortstory,manysettingsindicatelibidoandErosthataresignificantelementsforcreatingliteraturework.ⅡTheimbalanceofRoderick’sthéoriedelapersonnalité(threestructuresofpersonality)Rodericksuffersfrompsychopathandpersonalitydistortionsthatareinducedbytheimbalanceofthreestricturesofpersonality.“AccordingtoFreud,man’smindiscomposedofthreeparts,whichareid,egoandsuperego”(Charles89).Amancanleadanormallifeifthesepartsbalancewitheachother,however,iftheyareimbalanced,itleadstomental,characteristicdisorder,soisRoderick.Id,whichrepresentslibidoandEroscannotberestrained.Roderick,whocannotsatisfieshimselfthroughhavingsexdiscardsmoralandlosesself-control,what’sworse,hetrieseverymeanstohavesexwithMadelineandhisdesirestosexbecomesmoreandmoreintense.“Idisn’tconfinedbymoral,theonlycontentistoletoutthecatharsis”(Richard267).Roderick’sidistoopowerfulanditadherestotheprincipleofpursuinghappiness.Therationalegoandthemoralsuperegocan’tpreventitfromdoinganything.Theover-indulgedidurgesRodericktosatisfyhimselffirst,whichinducesincestwithhisownsister.However,thissatisfactionistemporarywhichwillfadeandwhatcomesnextispain,compunction,guilt,etc.Superego,whichisarepresentationofmoral,punishesegoseverelyandmakesegocondemnedaswellasMai3painful.Thepoorego,whoserves,reconcileswithegoandsuperego,suffersalot.Ego,impulsedandseducedbyid,forcesitselftocontentitsdesires.Duringtheprocessofreconciliation,idisstrongenoughtotakeadominantpositionoversuperego.Egosubmitstoidandshowsthesubmissionthroughincestwithhissister.Roderickisapsychopathsufferingfrommentaldisorder,andhisegoisalsoinfluencedbytheexteriorsurroundings.“……when,oneevening,havinginformedmeabruptlythattheladyMadelinewasnomore,hestatedhisintentionofpreservinghercorpseforafortnight……themainwallsofthebuilding”(AllanPoe44).Roderick’sidclearlyknowsheshouldtakecareofhissisterandassumetheresponsibilitiesofbeinganelderbrother.However,influencedbyexternalfactors,hisegofailstonegotiatebalancebetweeninandsuperego.Instead,herapesandentombshissister.Rodericklosetheabilitytomakemoraljudgments,andhisirrational,instinctualunknownidsuppressestherational,logicalego,leadinghisnotbeingabletoimplementwhathereallywantsto,whichisadistinctfeatureofpsychosis.Thesuperego,supervisingandinstructingego,givesseverepunishmentstoegoafterviolatingmoralrequirements.“Athirdpart,thesuperego,actslikeaninternalcensor,causingustomakemoraljudgmentsinthelightofsocialpressures”(Charles90).Superego,makingregulationsforordinarypeopleaccordingtouniversalvalues,definesthatsiblingsshouldneverfallinloveorhavesexwithother.Roderick,ignoringtheseprinciples,completelyoverthrowstheEthics,irritatinghissuperego.Asaresult,he(ego)isobsessedwithguilt,compunction,regret,pain,etc.“Thepallorofhiscountenancehadassumes,ifpossible,amoreghastlyhue-buttheluminousnessofhiseyeutterlygoneout”(AllanPoe46).AfterentombingMadeline,hesuffersasmuchasMadeline.Hehasnoappetite,thinksandconjecturesrandomly,wearsspecifi