Gatsby

							PSYCHOANALYSIS IN
 THE GREAT GATSBY
PRESENTED TO YOU BY DR. WRIGHT!
            PSYCHOANALYSIS

• Also known as psychology
• The study of human psychological functioning and
  behavior
             SIGMUND FREUD

• The “Father of Psychology”
• The man credited with founding psychoanalysis
• Born in Moravia (historical Czech Republic) and
  trained in Vienna (Austria)
• Published a number of important works including
  "The Interpretation of Dreams" (1900).
• It was Freud's belief that much of human thinking
  occurs in the part of the mind he termed the
  "subconscious."
• Developed his Theory of Personality
       Theory of Personality
Personality, or psyche, composed of
three parts:
• ID
• EGO
• SUPEREGO
                        ID

• the one of the three divisions of the psyche in
  psychoanalytic theory that is completely
  unconscious and is the source of psychic energy
  derived from instinctual needs and drives
                        EGO

• the self especially as contrasted with another self or
  the world
• the one of the three divisions of the psyche in
  psychoanalytic theory that serves as the organized
  conscious mediator between the person and reality
  especially by functioning both in the perception of
  and adaptation to reality
                  SUPEREGO

• the one of the three divisions of the psyche in
  psychoanalytic theory that is only partly conscious,
  represents internalization of parental conscience
  and the rules of society, and functions to reward
  and punish through a system of moral attitudes,
  conscience, and a sense of guilt
              IN OTHER WORDS…

• Id: The seat of our impulses
Example: I haven’t eaten all day so I steal a Value Meal from
McDonalds.

• Superego: Keeps us on the straight and narrow (rules/morals of
  society)
Example: I wait in line and pay for my Value Meal.

• Ego: Negotiates with the id, pleases the superego
Example: I ask my friends if I can cut them in line at McDonalds
so I can pay for my meal and eat faster!
HOW DOES THIS HELP ME TO ANALYZE
          LITERATURE?
• Psychoanalysis is used by many people to look at
  literature! In literature, we call it Psychoanalytic
  Theory (There are many different literary theories—
  this is only one!)
• It simply gives us a focus for reading. In other words,
  we know what to look at when we are reading a
  specific novel!
• For Example—We look at the ID, Ego, and Superego
  of each character. We can decide—what part of
  their personality is controlling their decisions and
  actions?
    CHARACTERS IN GATSBY

   CHARACTER    CONTROLLED BY…
Gatsby        ?
Daisy
Nick
Tom
Jordan