Examples Of Superego In Victor Frankenstein

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Little is known about the human conscious and unconscious and what forces drive actions. Sigmund Freud clarified his opinions on how our thoughts/actions are influenced. He claims that through three subconscious psyches- the Id, Ego, and Superego-choices are directed into actions through a weighing of reason between the Id and the Superego. And when these psyches are in balance there is health: vice versa when the psyches are not in balance there is unhealthiness. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the battle between the Id and Superego can clearly be seen throughout the growth of knowledge and maturity in the main character Victor Frankenstein: and the negative effects of failing to balance them. Victor Frankenstein tries to support …show more content…

Some of these things that take Victor’s mind off all of his sorrows include taking drugs or wasting time in nature away from society. Victor does these things because of his past actions-or future actions-and the guilt he feels for them that he wants to escape. Responsibility is not one of his strong points and since his personality and actions are so influenced by his Id, he wanted no part in feeling the guilt that his Superego brings to him. As Victor’s guilt grew with each action his monster did, his sustainability and calmness constantly grew worse. His “agitation and anguish were extreme during the whole trial”(Shelley 69) of Justine’s because his guilt from his Superego increased with the death of his brother William. When any death occurred after that Victor proceeded to suppress his Superego to make himself feel better about all the wrongs he had committed through his rash-Id influenced actions. Victor tried “to forget the world, his fears, and more than all himself” (Shelley 79) altogether and move on from his past. Yet he could not forget the past as he had a shadow that would not let him move on to the future. Only a new action could fix the wrong actions he had made in the past, however, Victor does not want to take the steps to fix his wrong actions. His Superego would not let him go of his guilt, keeping him from making reasonable choices to fix the wrongs he had done. This constant guilt that he feels from his Superego is Victor’s demise as it brought him down to the fire of his sorrows to forge the rage that would be his last fall from health and

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