The Essay "Sketch"
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 sketches of hypothetical essays. These will get you on the road to actually applying the theories, without demanding full-blown papers. The "sketch" is just a word I'm using for a summary of a possible essay; a boiled-down, miniature version of an essay you could conceivably write. In these sketches, I'll expect you to make clear 1) what youe essay's thesis would likely be; 2) the claims you'd make in support of that thesis; 3) the textual evidence you'd provide in support of those claims; and 4) probably 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. Length of the sketch would depend on how long the actual essay were going to be (if you were actually going to write it!). For our purposes, one and a half double-spaced, typed pages (or one single-spaced, typed page) is about right.
Psychoanalyzing Claire in White Oleander: An Essay Sketch
One of the several psychologically interesting characters in White Oleander is Claire, Astrid’s second foster mother. If I were to do a psychoanalytic essay on this film, I would develop the following central claim: “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.”
Before going into my main analysis, I would first probably review for my reader a little background on Freudian thinking. “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. My essay would conclude by reaffirming and amplifying my thesis. I would also discuss Claire’s contribution to the film’s overall story and to our understanding of Astrid, its main character.
|