The Micro Essay
A great way to learn the different theories we've been studying is to actually apply them; that is, to actually write critical essays yourself using the various critical lenses: psychoanalytic, Marxist, feminist, culturalist, deconstructionist, postcolonial, etc.
Unfortunately, we just don't have time to produce these essays. Learning about these theories is hard enough; learning to apply them takes years of practice. That’s why, later in the term, you’ll only write one fully developed essay, using you own choice of lens and literary work.
We do, of course, have time for an assortment of short exercises, outlines, and very short essay "snapshots" or micro essays.
These will get you on the road to actually applying the theories, without demanding full-blown papers.
The "micro essay" is just a term I'm using for a boiled-down, miniature version of an essay. In these sketches or "thumbnail" essays, I'll still expect you to have a clear thesis, clear claims in support of that thesis, and textual evidence in support of your claims. It's good as well to include some thinking about the significance of your ideas or the work in question.
In most cases, too, you will want to provide a very brief background section—most likely following the introduction—which reviews any key terms or ideas you think a reader could use about the theory you're applying.
For our purposes, one and a half double-spaced, typed pages (or one single-spaced, typed page) is about right for one of these micro writings.
Here's a sample:
Psychoanalyzing Claire in White Oleander: A Thumbnail Essay
One of the several psychologically interesting characters in White Oleander is Claire, Astrid’s second foster mother. Looking at this film through a Freudian lens, I conclude that Claire is a kind-hearted person who ultimately fails as a foster mother and even takes her own life because she possibly suffers from at least two unresolved core issues: fear of abandonment and unstable sense of self.
It's probably a good idea here to review briefly a common Freudian term. “Core issues,” according to classic psychoanalysis, are “wounds, fears, and guilty desires” probably acquired during some phase in our psychosexual development (Tyson 34). Because we’re not able to consciously recognize and face those issues, we repress them in unhealthy and sometimes even lifelong ways. Until we make this unconscious material conscious, until we face our fears and wounds, they will actually control us by making us “play them out” over and over again, without our even knowing it. That is, they will keep us trapped in patterns of destructive behavior, especially in regards to our interpersonal relationships.
Looking at Claire’s interpersonal relationships, we see pretty clearly that she is rather insecure. She seems excessively thrilled when Mark comes home; she needs a foster child for companionship (treating her more like a foster sister than a foster daughter); and we see that she is easily manipulated by Ingrid.
Given her neediness and insecurity, one would think she’d make life choices which help her to feel cared for. However, she appears to put herself repeatedly into life situations which will only damage her. This pattern of destructive behavior indicates that she may be repressing former hurts—emotional wounds incurred during some phase of her childhood—which are therefore controlling her behavior without her consciously knowing it.
Her marriage is a key indicator. Despite her desire for companionship, she has chosen a mate whose work causes him to be away a good deal. I.e., she has unconsciously set herself up to be hurt by a man who will neglect and possibly abandon her (or at least make her feel abandoned). Similarly, she has chosen a profession, acting, which is highly competitive and virtually always involves some amount of rejection. Again, unconsciously, she has put herself in a position to be damaged. Though these two examples—her marriage and her career—are likely not enough for a complete psychoanalytic analysis, they do at least suggest that Claire may be playing out a hidden wound, most likely that of abandonment.
In conclusion, it is quite clear that Claire, as seen through a psychoanalytic lens, is suffering some from some unacknowledged wounds. Understanding her character with Freud's help thus illuminates her character for the viewer, and enriches our understanding of the movie overall.
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