My Oedipus Complex

1060 Words3 Pages

The story “My Oedipus Complex” by Frank O’Connor deals exclusively with a little boy named Larry and his feelings towards his father. When his father returns home from World War II, Larry is resentful and jealous of losing his mother’s undivided attention, and finds himself in a constant struggle to win back her affections.

I really enjoyed “My Oedipus Complex,” because it reminded me a great deal of my elementary school days. My brother Brian was born when I was five, and from that day on there was never a moment of peace in the house. He was constantly underfoot, and after he was old enough, spent all his time trying to sweet talk my mother into whatever it was he wanted at the moment. Kissing her hand and lavishing praise on her mothering skills was one of his favorites, and it was usually pretty effective, too. My mother was oblivious to the terror he had inflicted on the rest of the household - me, two dogs, and a school of goldfish - and saw only her sweet, perfect baby boy. For this reason, I saw Larry as a tamer but equally spoiled version of my brother, and his mother as remarkably similar to my own.

I have many memories of my brother’s most unforgettable acts, many of them occurring around the time my mother’s new boyfriend Rodney started showing up at the house. After his first introduction to my brother, it was was remarkable that he ever came back. “Just a moment ... Do be quiet ... Don’t interrupt again!” (97) These were common phrases in our house, as well, ...

Show More
Related

  • The Road Rhetorical Analysis

    2437 Words  | 5 Pages

    He has endured and overcame many fears and struggles, but during this section, we truly acquire an insight of what the little boy is actually like – his thoughts, his opinions, his personality. Contrary to his surroundings, the little boy is vibrant and almost the only lively thing around. I love him! He is awfully appalled by the “bad guys” and shockingly sympathetic toward dead people. For example, when the father raided a house and found food, the little boy suggested that they should thank them because even though they’re dead or gone, without them, the little boy and father would starve. My heart goes out to him because he is enduring things little boys should never go through, even if this novel is just a fictional

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Fairly Odd Parents And Timmy Turner

    894 Words  | 2 Pages

    His demonstrated the childhood of a kid who replicates similar characteristics as myself. We were both energetic creative adolescents; our minds would soar to heights beyond the average ten-year-old. With that being said, our childhoods did in fact contrast through what we each experienced. While I had an adamant parental involvement during my life, Timmy had little to none. I was giving the opportunity to stay home alone, Timmy was forced with an evil babysitter. Nonetheless, what I did find interesting was that having our childhood experiences be orchestrated differently, profoundly embellished our analogous personalities. It was Timmy's neglection from his parents that made him this vigorous imaginative kid. It was the affection from my parents that triggered this spirited visionary of a child I

    Read More

  • Father and Son in Death of a Salesman, and Fences

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    The role of a father could be a difficult task when raising a son. The ideal relationship between father and son perhaps may be; the father sets the rules and the son obeys them respectfully. However it is quite difficult to balance a healthy relationship between father and son, because of what a father expects from his son. For instance in the narratives, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences” both Willy and Troy are fathers who have a difficult time in earning respect from their sons, and being a role model for them. Between, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences,” both protagonists, Willy and Troy both depict the role of a father in distinctive ways; however, in their struggle, Willy is the more sympathetic of the two.

    Read More

  • Oedipus and his flaws

    474 Words  | 1 Pages

    tells the priest and the suffering people of Thebes. If Oedipus did not care for

    Read More

  • Stereotypes in media

    1257 Words  | 3 Pages

    To illustrate generational conflict, the scene when Peter confronts his daughter about her crazy night, best conveys the phenomena. In the scene Peter’s daughter sneaks out of the house late at night to attend an unsupervised party with some friends which involved drinking, smoking, and other activities that make up a parent’s worst nightmare. While at the party, the boy who accompanied her there begins to make sexual advances. Frightened and confused, Sarah calls Charlene who comes to pick her up, teach the boy a lesson, and bring her home safely. This is when Charlene tells Peter what just happened and tries to cool him down before he explodes with anger. By instinct, Peter plans to scold his daughter with an intimidating language, tone, and overall authoritarian speech. Before letting him conti...

    Read More

  • Life and Contributions of Sigmund Freud

    1972 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sigmund Freud was born in Freiberg, Moravia (which is now Czech Republic) on May 6, 1856. He was born to a Jewish Galician parents and he was the first born child in a family of eight. He is well known as the Austrian neurologist and due to his studies he is infamously known as the father of psychoanalysis. He received his medical degree in 1881 where he was qualified as a doctor of medicine at Vienna University. This is where he began his studies on cerebral palsy, aphasia, and other neuroanatomy topics. Around 1886 Freud set up his own private practice in the treatment of psychological disorders. Freud then married Martha Bernay in 1886. In 1908 Freud’s became

    Read More

  • An Intellectual and Emotional Response to Oedipus the King

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    While reading the play Oedipus the King, my response to the work became more and more clear as the play continued. When I finished the play, my reaction to the work and to two particular characters was startling and very different from my response while I was still reading. My initial response was to the text, and it was mostly an intellectual one. I felt cheated by the play because the challenge of solving the mystery of the plot was spoiled for me by the obvious clues laid out in the work. My second response was not as intellectual; instead, it came more from a feeling that the play evoked in me. I felt a strong disappointment in the drastic actions that Oedipus and Jocasta took at the end of the play. My two different responses to Oedipus the King, one intellectual and one not, now seem to feed off and to amplify each other as if they were one collective response.

    Read More

  • Powder by Tobias Wolff

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nonetheless, this really is a tale of compelling love between the boy and his father. The actions of the boy throughout the story indicate that he really does love his father and seems very torn between his mother expectations and his father’s light heartedness. Many adults and children know this family circumstance so well that one can easily see the characters’ identities without the author even giving the boy and his father a name. Even without other surrounding verification of their lives, the plot, characters, and narrative have meshed together quite well.

    Read More

  • Tragic Oedipus

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tragic heroes cause intense empathetic reaction, developing an inevitable story of anguish and triumph. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus is such a hero. He has many good, even heroic qualities; however, his deep flaws ultimately cause his undoing and terrible punishment. Although he comes across as a royal being who is basically good, he has flaws that ultimately cannot be controlled and devastate his life. As the readers watch his development and the development of the interwoven themes in the play, we ourselves suffer upon seeing and hearing the ironies of his relationships and motivations. Tragic heroes are relatable and saddening, and the pure idea of their being can draw deep emotion that lasts through civilizations and generations. Oedipus Rex is an iconic example of a tragic story with a tragic main character.

    Read More

  • Oedipus: A Victim of Fate

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus was a victime of fate, his futur was foretold by an Oracle, he had no way of knowing that his wife was his mother nor that the stranger he killed was his father. Oedipus could not prevent his own downfall. Oedipus was the king of Thebes, he became king when he cured the city of a deadly plague. He cured the plague by solving the riddle of the mythical creature, the Sphinkx. Now the city is suffering from another plague and as king Oedipus must solve the riddle of this one.

    Read More

  • Oedipus

    831 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus, the ruler of Thebes, approaches a group of unhappy citizens, represented by a priest, and asks them what is wrong. They answer that the city is dying and that they are sick and poor. Oedipus sympathizes and tells them that, as their ruler, he is also troubled by the sickness of the city, and has already taken steps to see that something be done about it. The first step he has taken was to send Creon to Apollo's shrine to see what the god recommends they do. As Creon appears, he tells them that the god, Apollo, said that there is bad blood in Thebes, and that until this blood is expelled Thebes will be a sick city.

    Read More

  • The Real Identity of Oedipus

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prompt: How does Oedipus see himself? How do others perceive him? Explain how the author uses this juxtaposition to communicate theme?

    Read More

  • Pride, the Tragic Flaw of Oedipus the King

    513 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Aristotle, the protagonist in a tragedy must have a tragic flaw that ultimately becomes the cause of his ruin. Oedipus in Oedipus the King by Sophocles tragic flaw that caused his downfall was his pride. Three examples of when Oedipus’ pride got the better of him were: when he left his adopted parents in Cornith, the second is when he goes against Creon, and the third is when Oedipus is demanding that the messenger tell him all he knows about who his real parents are.

    Read More

  • The Complexity Of The Oedipus Complex By Sigmund Freud

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    The transitory of the Oedipus complex can be attained if the child develops the "castration anxiety" obviously by seeing the sexual organ of the opposite sex. In a boy's mind, the genitals of girls' have been almost castrated. He is anxious of having the same chance. Owning to the castration concern, both his sexual yearning towards his mother and aggression towards his father will be damaged or depressed. Finally, the Oedipus complex will slowly pass off. This is the most significant and critical factor affecting the transient of the Oedipus

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Oedipus the King

    465 Words  | 1 Pages

    Here is a story where Oedipus the King, who has accomplished great things in his life, discovers that the gods were only playing with him. He has everything a man of that time could want; he is king of Thebes, he has a wonderful wife and children, and great fame through out the lands. He has lived a good life, but in the end everything is taken from him.

    Read More

More about My Oedipus Complex

Open Document