OEDIPUS COMPLEX

in sons and lovers

A presentation for: Asst. Prof. Yassir Mutlib

By: Abo-Baker Jalal

WHAT IS OEDIPUS COMPLEX?

● The term Oedipus has been derived from the name of the King Oedipus of Thebes, who,
though in ignorance, married his own mother and had children by her. And killed his own
father.
● The story of Oedipus Rex talks about Laius who learns from an oracle that he is doomed
to die on the hands of his own son, he binds tightly the feet of the infant Oedipus and
orders Jocasta to kill the infant. Hesitant do so, she demands a servant to commit the act
for her. Instead, the servant abandons the baby in the fields, leaving the baby’s fate to the
gods. A shepherd rescues the infant and names him Oedipus (swollen feet).
● Then Oedipus fulfills the oracle’s prophecy and kills his father and marries his own
mother.
 The influence on Freud
● The Oedipus complex is a Freudian term that was named after a man that unknowingly killed his
father and slept with his mother. Freud said that a boy develops an unconscious infatuation towards
his mother, and simultaneously fears his father to be a rival. This happens at an unconscious level.
● He used this term to explain the manifestation of infantile sexuality in the relation of the child to its
parents. The Oedipus complex “is a state which a person shows excessive affection for the parent
opposite in sex to him or herself, and a corresponding distaste for his or her other parent.”
● Girls experience a similar conflict called the Electra complex. A result of an unresolved Electra
complex, may be that a woman would seek out a man who treats her similar to their father.

The psychology of human

● Freud maintained that our desires and our unconscious

conflicts give rise to three areas of the mind that
wrestle for dominance as we grow. from infancy, to
childhood, to adulthood.
● id - "...the location of the drives" or libido (Repressed
desires)
● ego - "...one of the major defenses against the power of
the drives..."
● superego - the area of the unconscious that houses
Judgment (of self and others) and "...which begins to
form during childhood as a result of (the Oedipus
complex)
 THE OEDIPUS COMPLEX IN “SONS AND LOVERS”

● Graham Hough in his discussions of Sons and Lovers in The Dark Sun says
that “the whole situation in the novel presents the Freudian Oedipus imbroglio
in classic completeness.” Disillusioned with her husband Walter Morel, Mrs
Morel gradually casts him off and takes her two sons William and Paul as
husband substitutes one after the other, thus wrecking their emotional life.

The first Victim, william

● William is the oldest son and the mother’s favorite. He

does everything he can to please her. Sibling rivalry
exists between William and Paul as they compete for
their mother’s affection. Mrs. Morel becomes jealous of
William’s female companions and he eventually moves
to London. William’s moving to London was his
unconscious way of trying to break free from the
oedipal attachment to his mother.
● Although he seems to have escaped from his mother
and found a girl in London, he still have an attachment
to his mother. When he feels that this girl is totally
different from his idealistic image of a woman
represented by his mother, he falls ill and dies.
 The second victim, paul

● Paul is a man dominated by his mother. Paul Morel is the central character and the recipient of Mrs. Morel's
overflowing love. After his brother William's death. He becomes his mom favorite child.
● She dominates and controls her son’s life and they become just like lovers.
● Paul grows older and tries to find a balance between his love life and his family life, which is not easy with a mom like
his.
● Paul is interested in two vastly different woman: a deeply religious and sexually inexperienced Miriam and her
complete opposite, Clara. However, his relationship with both is deeply influenced by his mother. How could he even
think of having a stable relationship without betraying his beloved mother.
● Paul’s mother becomes ill. Since she is bedridden and in pain, Paul gives her morphine. However, he administers an
overdose of morphine to her, which leads to her death. While this might be seen as mercy killing, it seems equally likely
that killing his mother was Paul’s unconscious way of releasing himself from the Oedipus complex once and for all.

The second victim, paul cont.

● Her death leaves Paul devastated and alone. It is

clear that even after his mother’s death, he is still
not free from his attachment to her because he
chooses to remain alone. The dysfunctional
relationship with his mother is still present in
Paul’s life and it seems that the Oedipus complex
is still intact.