Journal of Studies in Language, Culture and Society (JSLCS)
Volume 8, Numéro 2, Pages 15-26
2025-06-30
Comparative Psychoanalytic Study Of Poe’s “the Oval Portrait” And Hawthorne’s “the Birthmark”
Authors : Hejazi Bayan .
Abstract
The present study discusses Psychological concepts such as id, Eros, obsession, narcissism, and aggression in Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” and Poe’s “The Oval Portrait”. These Dark Romanticism works focus on depicting the evilness of human beings as a reaction against the Puritan religious beliefs. Its main aim is to introduce the similar mentality of male characters in both stories and how their unconscious mind plays a huge role in shaping their reactions. It also aims to discuss ways in which they tried to reduce their stress by relying on artistic creations. Moreover, it emphasizes how they are controlled by their impulses which lead them to sacrifice their wives for achieving stability. Several Psychological concepts were discussed such as the pleasure principle and obsessive jealousy that reinforced male characters’s evilness and aggression. Thereafter, there was a discussion on how obsession and narcissism limited their understanding of the horrific situation and indulged them in a defence mechanism against threats. All male characters are found to be controlled by their desire for satisfaction and their denial of mortality. Thus, their obsession with art and science to preserve their wives and their poor decisions contributed to murdering their wives and possessing cannibalistic actions. Their lack of awareness and acting on their impulses lead them to realize their fallibility and imperfection.
Keywords
agression ; defence mechanism ; denial ; eros ; id ; obsession ; obsessive jealousy ; pleasure principle ; narcissism
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