Psychoanalysis and The Wizard of Oz Essay

Analyzing The headliner of Oz Freuds psychosexual surmise and Theory of the Personality vs. Kleins Object Relations and Play proficiency Theory Psychoanalysis paved the focusing for infinite disc all overies of the human spirit. It has been attri only ifed as the psychic sciencea scientific modality of locating and interpreting the (un)natural behavior of a soul which greatly affects him or her. The psychoanalytical supposition has al focal conducts been truly contentious since it introduces very unconventional ways of treating the mind.Although at that place ar a passel of psychologists who keep up influenced the field of psychoanalysis, none rear end groundworkvas to the voices of Sigmund Freud and his contentious theories. Sigmund Freud is most known for his Theory of Personality that talks about the id, self-importance, and superego and the psychosexual translations that goes with it. A nonher valuable person to get down is Melanie Klein who hypothesize d her own theories that focus more than than(prenominal) on the noeticity and behavior of a tike and his or her relationship with the topics and throng close to him or her.According to Mitchel and Black (1995), Melanie Klein make such a tremendous tinge in the field of psychoanalysis that in that location is no an opposite person deflexion from Sigmund Freud himself who wad be comprehended for her contribution with date to the field of psychoanalysis. Although Klein was influenced by Freuds theories and patterned her theories after his, her own hypotheses argon very much distinct from Freuds. patch Freud reinforced the idea that personalities of soulfulnesss are more likely connected to real psychosexual gratifications (or dissatis itemion in umteen cases according to him), Klein more or less centered on the idea that individuals be dumbfound according to the experiences they had as a claw, the kind of institute take onacting they did, and the things that th ey played with. In fact, Klein foc utilise more on practice a baby by the art workings and play acting that he or she does.One thing that could be seen as similar in their works is the fact that twain consider inspirations as very important tools in reading a person and identifying his or her mental situation. Freud stipulated that trances are very important since they feign thoughts that are unconscious to the person. Moreover, these dreams can excessively be traced to certain experiences that the person had as a minor (Mitchel & adenine Black, 1995). Klein herself hoped in such theory, but Freud believed more in the psychosexual aspect of things concerning the human mind and the human behavior.In the setting of direct education, most especially with the area of pleader and counseling, these two personalities and their theories are greatly used in interpreting squirtrens discretion and their conduct. Counselors would use artworks as a way to delve deeply into what a ch ild is supposeing and what are the contends for his or her certain behavior. Images, colors, signs, and symbols whitethorn seem so simple when they are looked at their surface interpretations, but psychoanalysis provides latent meanings to what could have been show as mostthing so simple and mundane.In literature, there is such an approach called the mental Approach in which certain psychoanalytic theories are used to interpret a certain body of work. The intricate inside information are seen as symbols that contain very important meanings. Such posture can be used in arduous to analyze the ideas that Freud and Klein presented through their theories by analyse and contrasting certain elements of the 1939 movie translation of The mavin of Oz. The sense datum of Oz is a pure childrens literature that was written by L.Frank Baum in 1900 and has been hailed as a be fill ind masterpiece by many. The legitimate work of Baum is very much different from the movie, but it is t he movie which has been retained and appreciated by the general public. The characters, settings, certain elements, and perspectives are depicted as marvelous by manya fine physical exertion would be the appearance of the sanguine slippers of Dorothy (which is in fact colored as silverish in the original work as what was expressed by Tim Dirks in his follow of The whiz of Oz) that she can click in concert to transport her from one place to a nonher.The secret plan is very simple yet meaningful. Dorothy, a nine-year old girl from a trivial uprise in Kansas, goes on a longsighted journey with her leaper Toto, the tail man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow to arrest the sorcerer of Oz in the Emerald City and fulfill their individual wishes (Dorothy wants to go home to Kansas, the Lion wishes to have courage, the cannister man desires to have a heart, and the Scarecrow thinks he needs a brain). At the end of the journey, they all construe that the things they are look ing have everlastingly been with them and under their noses all along.As with many literary works, what makes a person think he or she has achieved the goal is not the resolution of the conclusion but the risky ventures that the long journey entails. In the end, Dorothy wakes up to find that it was actually safe a dream (more or less like when Alice in the Wonderland wakes up to find that all her adventures were precisely a dream), but the values that she has well-educated in the journey is very much kept close to her heart. In federation to the psychoanalytic theory, the dream itself may be interpreted already as a somewhat significant aspect of Dorothys consciousness.thither are many otherwise aspects and elements that can be interpreted as something else if the theories of Freud and Klein would be taken into account. For instance, Dorothy has a very obvious bout with the unsavory crone of the tungsten/ dribble Almira flume over the Ruby Slippers and Toto the dog. Duri ng the start of the film, Dorothy was in trouble oneself and in predicament over the hysteria of Miss Almira Gulch over Toto, her dog. Toto unexpectedly bit Miss Gulch on her leg which infuriated the woman.She was so enraged that she had the sheriff write a warrant that would cede her to take Toto off and lock him up. However, Toto has forever been the only companion of Dorothy and is the only reason out that she laughs. Their farm in Kansas has been characterized as venerable and dull and Dorothy has been deemed as the only person with such life and gladness. That reason for happiness is Toto, and Miss Gulchs mechanical press that the dog be put onward is baring Dorothy of her happiness.According to Klein, such play things of a child are important and mutually mean something more. Dorothys play thing may be a dog, but her obvious affection and love for the dog can be traced to the fact that she is yearning for another living thing that could be with her and provide he r attention. Her aunty Emily and Uncle henry pay more attention to the farm than to their adopted niece, which gives Dorothy the idea that she needs society and does not want to be alone.The graveness of her attachment to Toto is realized in the scene where Miss Gulch arrives and plans on fetching Toto aside. Dorothy begs for Miss Gulch to reconsider her last and even states with such self-sacrificial courage that she would convert Toto and be taken away. Miss Gulch is besides so insistent that Toto be taken away and she does the task, symbolically stripping Dorothy of her happiness and causes great dissatisfaction on her part. In Freuds object choice theory, the child readily associates things or people that he or she is surrounded with.The people that the child finds are considered as his or her associates (people that are close to the child or in some cases, the things that matters to him or her) that he or she wants to have affection with and instinct tells him or her t hat there needs to be a established relationship with that person (or people or things). Dorothy considers her Aunt Emily and Uncle Henry as people that she should connect with and feel some sort of affection, but the two characters do not reciprocate the feelings instead, Dorothy finds herself drawn to Toto, her dog.Since the dog is her maternal substitute, Dorothy is drawn to relieve oneself and implausibly daydream which is the whole percentage point of the bosh of The Wizard of OzDorothys dream. Dorothy retreated to her human being bringing Toto and play acting, but since the awful truth of veracity plays such a big part in her life, the usual tally away with Toto does not resolve anymore, and a deeper form of running away takes place and makes her fully leave the manhood of the farm in Kansas.Dreams as what Freud and Klein believe are very important tools since Dorothy dreamt that she was in the World of Oz and having such wonderful adventures, she strayed away from r eality and got lost in the make-believe world that she has unconsciously created. Another of Freuds theory comes into place with the mention of the unconscious. The famous iceberg imagery or simile of his theory of personality and the id, ego, and superego play a part in Dorothys dreaming.The ego is what people perceive as reality and manifests in the physical world the id is the unconscious which greatly affects and controls our behavior and way of intellection in reality and is considered as ill-judged since it involves the hidden urges and desires we have that we are not fully aware of and lastly, the superego is the conscience and is considered as the ethical voice that controls our behavior subconsciously. Dorothys dreams may be her way of running away from reality (as what is supposed with inclination to Kleins theory), but it may also be the manifestation of her id (as what is supposed with regard to Freuds theory).The low gear of the film appears as Dorothy not being we lcomed by her Aunt Emily and Uncle Henry she then resorts to the fantastical public opinion of the dreamthe dream consists of her adventure with the Tin man, Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion. Dorothys participation may be that of a selfish reason (because she wants to go to Emerald City and find the Wizard of Oz so she can go rearwards to Kansas). But the first part of the adventure (and the beginning of the movie) may be a manifestation of her id, as her wants and demands should be followed.However, as the adventure progresses, she soon realizes the selfishness of her desires and focuses on component her friends find their own desires. Even if the dream is a manifestation of her id, the ego and superego come on over the id. Another thing to point out is the second object of conflict amid Dorothy and the Wicked trance of the westside which is the ruby slippers of Dorothy. Firstly, however, it is important to note the worldly concern of the ruby slippers itself. Again, accord ing to Tim Dirks review of The Wizard of Oz, the ruby slippers are the beginning of Dorothys entrance into female adolescence.Red has incessantly been the archetypal color for passion and blood, and the symbolization behind such color could just mean that Freuds psychosexual theory can be justified. Going back off to the Wicked beldame of the western United Statess desire to have the ruby slippers, it can mean that the beldam wants to rid Dorothy once again of the happiness (as the same character who pictured Miss Gulch is the Wicked Witch too) that she wants to have because the slippers are her means of returning back to Kansas. From a different perspective however, it could mean the Wicked Witch of the West wants to err Dorothys puberty and youth.There has been many literary works wherein offensive witches are in desire of boyish girls youth, vitality, and virginity (as Snow Whites stepmother wants her nonviable because of her beauty or when Lamia lures Yvaine to steal her youth in the novel Stardust). It can be thinkd that the situation may be the typical good versus horror scenario, but if the Witch so bad wants to have power and let brutal reign in the Emerald City, why not go after the Wizard of Oz himself (even if he is a fraud)?If Freud was at the actual scene, he may have interpreted the ruby slippers as a symbol of the beginning of Dorothys menstruation. If Klein was there, she would have just say that the ruby slippers are another of Dorothys play things. The next thing to point out is the extreme conflict amidst Dorothy and Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West. In Kleins theory of Depressive Position, when a child hates his or her mother, he or she in effect hates him- herself.It cannot rattling be said that Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West can be likened to Dorothys mother, but the enmity between them is so great that the Witch uses such horrifying threats to Dorothy and Toto. Even if the Witch really wants certain valuable th ings from Dorothy, the vehemence that the Witch feels for Dorothy is so great that it is certain that an rudimentary symbolism may be present. In Mitchel and Blacks book, a credit by Herman Hesse was introduced to Kleins chapter If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself.What isnt part of ourselves doesnt disturb us. This quotation, in all its simplicity, already justifies the claim that Dorothy and Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West hate each other because there is a big part of themselves that they likely see in each other and in turn hates it since they see the reflect of themselves. Both Freud and Klein have a lot of similarities and differences in both their theories and in this paper, both theories have been voiced with the certain elements that were picked in the story.Although there is no claim in which theory is better or which interpretation provides more depth and breadth, it is safe to conclude that each theory is unique and helps in m aking getting a larger and better viewpoint of The Wizard of Oz, most especially when used and analyzed together. References Mitchel, S. & Black, M. (1995). Freud And Beyond A History Of raw Psychoanalytic Thought. New York Basic Books Dirks, T. (2009). The Wizard of Oz (1939) Review by Tim Dirks (Review of the movie The Wizard of Oz. Filmsite. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from http//www. filmsite. org/wiza3. html.