Pyschoanalytcal Analysis
IRLIANY
English Literature
Universitas Negeri Jakarta
Literary Criticism Course
Psychoanalytical Analysis of Leroy Moffitt in Shiloh
By Bobbie Ann Mason
The short story Shiloh by Bobbie Ann Mason in 1982 was written with various
unexpected symbolism and themes. To be more specific, end of the story is the
most challenging part. This storyline ends with an open descriptive sentence
and quite ambiguous which surely raises many questions afterwards for the readers.
Not only the final part, Mason can intelligently present plentiful complicated
themes along the storyline such as loss, bravery, determination, independence,
insecurity, and uncertainty conflicts between three family members. Since Shiloh is recounted in the third-person
limited point of view, then this story can be analyzed using psychoanalytical
theory by Sigmund Freud.
Leroy Moffitt is one of the central
characters as a husband that provides readers to see things based on his point
of view. This short story is full of his thoughts and perspectives in observing
other characters, Norma Jean as his wife and Mabel Beasley who plays a role as mother-in-law.
The narration based on Leroy's observations tends to confuse the readers,
because sometimes he likes to drift off everywhere. This is most likely due to
weed consumption in his supply-on constantly. Therefore, Freud’s theory about
psychoanalysis criticism can help revealing what are the true conflicts and
feelings at the story according to word by word from Leroy’s behavior which was
certainly caused by the interaction between conscious and unconsciousness mind.
Psychoanalysis theory is the most
appropriate analytical approach to interpret Shiloh story which is commonly used as a method to find out the
hidden meaning behind a literary text. According to Md. Mahroof Hossain in his
article “Psychoanalytic Theory used in
English Literature: A Descriptive Study” (2017), the authors and writers are influenced by the psychoanalytic concepts
which are reflected in the characters of their works and also in their mind.
Thus, this psychoanalytic literary criticism can focus on the theory as a tool
to analyze one of the character’s perspective, Leroy, in explaining the others characters’
behavior and motivations. Then, the concepts which were propounded by Sigmund
Freud can be applied to discover what the core issues behind Shiloh short story as written by Kathy
(2015) with identifying the primacy of the unconscious and the
iceberg theory of the psyche.
In Freudian psychoanalysis, the
human mind is divided into three levels which are conscious, preconscious, and
unconscious mind. All of this divisions are represented as an iceberg which
everything above the water represents conscious awareness and everything below
the water represents preconscious and conscious mind (McLeod, 2009). Out of the
three divisions, the primacy of the unconscious is the most important level to
this analysis in order to investigate Leroy Moffitt’s fears, guilty, desires
and unresolved feelings towards the other characters. This internal conflict is
clearly as what Freud said about structural model of the mind comprising the
entities id, ego, and superego (the psychic apparatus) that generates
self-defense mechanisms. In short, this analysis will specifically identify the
common 14 defenses, based on Berger (2004) writing, about everything that Leroy
keeps as his anxiety unconsciously in order to avoid knowing what he feels he
cannot handle and find out the core issues as the final result. Therefore, the
analysis begins sequentially according to the chronological plot of Shiloh short story.
The first self-defense mechanism can
be found in the beginning of the short story about how Mason as the author
describes Leroy Moffitt fear of driving a car after the accident which caused a
steel pin in his hip until now. In this text, Leroy is pictured as someone who
does not want to drive any more long hauls and highly frightened by the
accident even though his leg is almost healed. This depiction can be identified
as Avoidance self-defense mechanism,
because Leroy tries to stay away from a situation that is liable to make him
feel anxiety. It does not belong to a Repression
type, because Leroy is not repressing the memories of his accident driving a
car and forgetting all matters related to driving. He still drives a car in the
middle of the story, but Mason make it detail by describing how Leroy drives
carefully, slowly, and in mellow speed.
After the explanation of Leroy
accident and its outcome, Mason goes to Leroy’s desire in building a full-scale
log house from a kit for Norma Jean. He told her about this plan based on the
budget that probably cheaper than building a regular house. This is the logic
excuse that Leroy gave to Norma. The truth is, he wanted to build a house
because he just realizes now how that it is
not even feel like a home anymore. So, this unconscious behavior can be
identified as Rationalization type of
self-defense mechanism due to the action of what Leroy truly wants is contrary
to the logic reason he told to Norma.
The argument of plan to build a new
house on both characters brings Mason to describe how this occasion becomes
Leroy’s desire until the end of the story. No matter how dire the situation, he
always brings up the conversation of his plan to build a log cabin for Norma
and even to her mom Mabel. There can be found seven occurrences of Leroy’s
effort to fight for his new house for Norma. One of the tense scene about the
fight between Norma and Mabel about baby that been chewed by a Datsun dog,
Leroy still has an assessment of his pretty-soon-going-to-be house when looks
out of the window at his rig. According to this finding, Leroy action refers to
Fixation type of self-defense
mechanism from the inside of his obsessive preoccupation or attachment to the house
plan constantly.
Back
to the chronology, their first conversation of house plan followed by an
introduction of Norma Jean’s job at the Rexall drugstore. And then, the scene
about Leroy and Norma sit together to listen on her skincare narrative comes up.
While she explains about three stages of complexion care, Leroy thinks about
his construction plan and its material needs instead. He thinks that this is a
connection between him and Norma Jean. He feels guilty over his long absences,
so it is okay to merely sit and listen to her ununderstandable talks. The behavior
when someone only hears and sees what others feel that he can handle, it
includes to the Selective Perception
type of self-defense mechanism as Leroy feels relieved towards his guilty.
After that, Mason wrote about what
Leroy feels to Norma. He is reasonably certain that Norma has been faithful to
him, because she has never complained over his travelling and leaves hurt
remarks. However, Leroy still hopes Norma would celebrate his permanent
homecoming more happily because she often startled to find Leroy at home even
though he seems a little disappointed about it. This thought belongs to Rationalization type, because he
actually feels sad based on Norma reactions to him. But then, he gives himself
a logical excuse that Norma Jean is fine, she is not hurt, she is okay, because
she never mad over his travelling and long absences.
The next scene is connected to their
memories of Randy, their baby who died caused of sudden infant death syndrome.
Mason pictured the awkward feeling between Leroy and Norma that have never
mentioned the child since years ago. In this part, Leroy feel sad because he
does not anyone’s memory about Randy is faded. But then, he suddenly wishes to
have a chance by waking up out of a dream together and start afresh upon their
marriage. Thus, thing that Leroy wishes to be real and forget all this awkward
feeling is identified as Selective Memory
type of self-defense mechanism. Why it is not belong to Suppression type? Both
of these are defined as similar types, because they purposefully put out of his
mind something that might painful. The difference is located in the process of
the removal memory. In this scene, Leroy tries keeping good memories by the
wish and forgets Randy unconsciously. Because, Selective Memory is a temporary removal,
because it’s done by the unconscious mind, the opposite side of Suppression,
Furthermore, Leroy also has others Selective Perception type of
self-defense mechanism. It all can be seen from his action to buy Norma Jean an
electric organ. He tends to suggest Norma for playing songs, even he told her
to play in order to make her feels better when passed through a stress
situation. Actually, it is not only profitable from her side. Leroy also feels
relieved and peace when hears Norma plays songs. As this scene shows, Mason
describes how Leroy likes to lie on the couch and smoke a joint when listening
to Norma Jean plays songs. He feels glad to be home with his beautiful and
flawless-skin wife after fifteen years on the road.
The next self-defense mechanism
comes to the storyline of how their baby died again. It all triggered Leroy
after met Stevie that reminds him of Randy who probably at his age right now. The
description represents how Leroy still can hardly remember the chronological
death of the child for the time, place, and all situations at that time. This
act can be identified as Repression
type, because he always tries repressing this disturbing memory which surely
can emerge anxiety. For the fact, he can’t. Leroy sometimes stucks at the moment
where he needs to sit by the window watching birds at the feeder together with
Norma in silence that seems full of mind about Randy.
Thereafter, there are two scenes
where Leroy shows his self-defense mechanism in Reaction Formation type to Norma Jean. The first one occurred when
Norma Jean told him angrily about her job list that need to be applied very
soon by Leroy. The problem is placed on the job that she offers that requires
employees to stand for hours. This is very offensive to Leroy. Moreover, she
acts such a person who has the strongest leg when respond to his incapability
to apply that job. He should be angry; he has rights to angry, because he knows
that Norma perfectly knew what is happened on his leg and the pin on his hip. But,
Leroy chooses to respond her in kindest way. “Don’t worry. I’ll do something”.
Second, Reaction Formation is also represented in the scene where Norma subtly
criticizing his English and shows that she is much better than Leroy. This is
too intimidating for him and he deserves to be angry. But, he only responds her
with “I never was any good in English”
The last self-defense mechanism that
can be found in this short story is Denial
type at the tense plot. The scene takes place when Leroy and Norma go to Shiloh
as Mabel suggestions. Something happens when they sit and silence at the
cemetery for the Union dead. Norma suddenly says “I want to leave you” without
looking at Leroy. In this case, he has already known that she will have her own
way. But, he cannot accept the reality so that force him to keep persuading
Norma to change her mind by saying that their marriage could be started all
over again.
After identifying the 14 common
self-defense mechanism types with chronological way, the next step is obtaining
core issues that certainly rooted in Leroy’s perspectives from this short story.
As stated by Kathy (2015) article, core issues function like a true color of
one’s personality. No matter what one does, or what one decides to do, it will
be heavily influenced by his or her core issues. There are five common major
core issues, but only one dominant show up on Shiloh short story that
represents Leroy’s anxiety which is Fear
of Abandonment. This core issues is clearly reflected on the self-defense
mechanisms that have been previously identified. It shows how Leroy Moffit fear
of being physical abandoned by his loved one, Norma Jean that can be proved by
the following evidences.
1)
The first
evidence can be seen from Rationalization
self-defense mechanisms by Leroy who always keep giving himself logical excuses
towards Norma’s actions. He only knows that she is fine outside, because there
are not any hurt remarks found over his long absences or anything else. But,
who knows inside?
2)
And then, the
second evidence shows in Fixation
type of self-defense mechanism. Leroy’s desire to build a log cabin could be
defined as his attempt to build the marriage and start all over again. Then,
the lost of his marriage can clearly seen from how many times Norma Jean also
refuses to build a new house.
3)
The third from Repression and Selective Memory about his baby. He tries so hard burying the
memory, but he is not capable enough to do that. Thus, the first lose of his
child could be the base reason why he fights for Norma Jean to stay so that
there would not be the second lose of the loved ones.
4)
Reaction of Formation is a proof how Leroy love her so much. He had many
chances to be angry, but he can’t. It all based on his fear being abandoned by
Norma if he outs of control.
5)
The last
evidence is Denial as final part of
his fear that reality made Norma Jean left for any reason that he could not
understand. But, he deny it. He did persuade her, but ends with big question of
hiw own of what Norma Jean does at the bluff and waves her arms.
REFERENCES
Berger, P. (2004). Psychoanalytic Criticism. London: Sage Publication.
Hossain, MM. (2017). Psychoanalytic Theory used in
English Literature: A Descriptive Study. Global Journal of Human-Social
Science: G Linguistics & Education. 17:1. ISSN: 2249-460X
Kathy, P. (2015). Psychoanalysis: The defenses,
anxiety and core issues. Educational
Website Content Management. Web. <www.11th-grade-ibenglish.granadahills.groupfusion.net/
/modules/locker/files/get_group_file.phtml?gid=3937650&fid=27609903>
McLeod,
S. (2009). Freud: Unconscious Mind.
Web. <https://www.simplypsychology.org
/unconscious-mind.html>
Nathania, FX. (2016). An Incomplete Psychological Novel: a Psychoanalytical Analysis of Hazel
Lancaster in John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. Vol.16:1
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