31493540

Download This Paper

According to Freud, there are three different types of mental processes that bring about three varieties of personalities. These are generally Id, Ego and Superego. These 3 parts in Freud’s model of the mind help clarify mental maturity and advancement.

In Emily Bronte’s book Wuthering Height, Catherine is a symbol of the impressionable ego and was drawn between Heathcliff, which symbolizes the id, and Edgar, which symbolizes superego. Her struggle among these two rival forces and inability to choose between them is exactly what ultimately lead her into delirium.

The id in Freud’s type of the mind is related to the man’s in-born attitude and desires. In respect to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, persons seek to satisfy their physiological and basic safety needs just before moving on to fulfill their desire to have love and belonging. As a child, Heathcliff was far more busy with looking to survive around the streets of Liverpool than emotional development. After staying taken in simply by Mr. Earnshaw, and thus free of these more basic wishes, Heathcliff was allowed cultivate these emotions of love and belonging in Catherine.

Alternatively, because of Hindley’s abusiveness, especially in the wake from the death of their father, Catherine had to consider Heathcliff to satisfy her desire for love and belonging. Perpetually, Heathcliff started to be representative of the fulfillment of the desires to Catherine. On the other hand, the superego is definitely representative of society and concentrates on balance, appropriate behavior, and goodness. Naturally, Edgar is the archetypal sort of this idea. As the Linton littermates were born into privilege, both Edgar and Isabella had all their physiological and safety needs fulfilled incredibly early on.

We were holding raised to become sophisticated, 3rd party, and created members of society. During her stay at Thrushcross Grange, Catherine recognized these more created traits in Edgar, and instinctively attempted to gravitate to developing her own superego in his presence. This was shown in Catherine’s desire to become more womanlike and cultured and her subsequent transformation at her returning five weeks later coming from her stay at Thrushcross. Thus, while the result of her development of her id with Heathcliff and uperego with Edgar, Catherine is intensely entwined in her human relationships between both of these characters. The ego of Freud’s style aims to continue to keep a balance simply by negotiating with the id and pleasing the superego, and Catherine is the prime sort of this as she tried to balance her life between Heathcliff and Edgar. Even though Catherine without effort gravitated to Edgar as a result of his more advanced psyche, your woman couldn’t endure to leave Heathcliff, who she is convinced is more representative of herself.

Actually both Heathcliff and Catherine grew to be therefore emotionally connected that Catherine professed to Nelly, “I am Heathcliff,  demonstrating that she place much more loyalty and significance in her relationship with Heathcliff above Edgar. Consequently , this pull in her psyche between what she should be drawn to and what she actually wants is what ultimately makes Catherine spiral down into madness. Though there were elements to take into consideration that may lead to Catherine’s ancestry into insanity, ultimately it is her fencesitting between her id (Heathcliff) and superego (Edgar) that pulls her into two.

Need writing help?

We can write an essay on your own custom topics!