The Id, the Ego, and the Superego in The Crucible
Sigmund Freud developed the theory that the human personality is divided into three parts. The id, the ego, and the superego. Although these are not physical parts of the human body, Freud believed each part to be relevant in each individual's life. He claimed that each role consciously works together to create a person's behavior. To begin, the id is considered to be the more selfish instinct that lies within us. Some might even refer to it as the more unholy side of our personalities. It is the part of us that says whatever we want should call for immediate satisfaction. The superego is on the opposite side of the spectrum. The superego is the more of the spiritual side of us, and it follows both the values and
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He knows that is all he needs. This sense of dealing with
Horner 5 reality is what makes John Proctor the prime example of the ego in The Crucible. “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him” (Miller 91).
In summation, The Crucible can directly relate to Sigmund Freud’s theory of the id, the ego, and the superego. Abigail can relate to the id, Elizabeth to the superego, and John to the ego. Although one character could have been used as an example, I thought it more sensible if three different characters who shared a strong bond with the personality roles were used instead.
Although it is a complex concept to grasp at first, all three of these components are in us. That is why it is so interesting to relate these emotional roles to characters that come from literature.
When you relate to fictional characters on a personal level, it submerges you into the story. That could be why The Crucible is so critically acclaimed. Not only because of how well it is written, but because the feelings and emotions are easy to relate to. Now all that is left to decide, is where you lie in the psychoanalytic world. Do you lean more towards the id, the ego, or the
The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a story riddled with Deception, greed, betrayal and manipulation, but it is the actions of main protagonist John Proctor that draws the most attention. The character of Proctor is one of integrity, anger and fallibility which leads to many readers being able to relate to John Proctor the most. Proctor sees the many faults in Salem and acts as the voice for those being wrongly accused of Witchcraft. Proctor is strong willed, honest and determined, which has given him a well respected reputation throughout the town. But there is one fatal flaw, his past relations with Abigail Williams.
In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, he develops his characters by putting them in situations that challenges their initial views. They all change in their own way throughout the play. Miller shows that when you put people in a certain situation they cannot be close-minded. They have to put aside their own morals and think of the other possibilities. An example of a character that really developed throughout the play was Reverend Hale.
Metamorphosis In prominent works of literature, there is always one character or a handful that cling to minds of readers. This could be due to the characters’ heroic deeds that are deeply admirable. On the other extreme, characters can encapsulate all we despise, making it a challenge to not link the story as a whole to the actions of one character in our minds. One such example of this extreme is Abigail Williams, easily the most despicable and vile character of The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller.
“A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall,”Aristotle. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, John Proctor, the main protagonist of the play faces several situations in which he struggles both internally and externally; all of the struggles that Proctor encounters throughout the story heavily affect those around him, but most importantly they impact the way that he perceives Salem and his own life. Truthfully, the troubles that Proctor experiences in life are the most impactful occurrences in The Crucible because they reflect the righteousness that is within him, even in times of corruption; it is ultimately Proctor’s ability to discover righteousness that allows him to be seen as an tragic hero. It can also be said
Any successful author understands that in order for their narratives to be read and liked by the general public, they must be able to connect to a reader’s emotions easily and powerfully. While the reader is reading the text, their mood might vary depending on what the author writes about, and how well they convey what they want their readers to feel. Writers often evoke many types of literary elements to achieve this, including imagery, diction, and their own tone. Take, for instance, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Her books are filled with fantastical aspects, and magical happenings, but this book series would most likely not be as popular if the reader could not connect with the character’s actions and emotions on a deeper level.
Abigail, Reverend Parris’s niece, is miserable because she can not control her love for John Proctor. Also, she can not control that John Proctor is already married and that Abigail can never have any importance in John’s life. When writing the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller, the author, could choose how he wanted the characters to be. He could choose each character’s background, beliefs, and their importance throughout the play. Arthur Miller wants for the audience to create their own opinion on the character Abigail.
Personalities Division Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible is used to render the 1878 Salem witch trial. Produced through a multitude of characters, the town of Salem is drug through a tidal wave of deceit and lies. During the trial period, the cast of the crucible breaks down to two main characters. Abigail Williams being the conniving ring leader of the trial, and Elizabeth Proctor, the honest and righteous wife. The characters of Abigail and Elizabeth differ in the value of the truth, over all demeanor, and what they do to save the ones they love.
According to the Freudian model of the psyche, psychoanalysis is a systematic structure of theories concerning the relation of the conscious mind and the unconscious mind by examining psychological process such as impulses, anxieties and internal conflicts. This model consists of three subcategories; the id, the ego, and the super-ego, all of which are evident in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. The id focuses on a person’s desires without any correlation to the conscience, much like that of Abigail William’s lust for John Proctor. The ego identifies the part of a person’s personality responsible for dealing with reality, such as John coming to the realization that he must remain an upright and honest man. The super-ego represents a repository of socially
The crucible consists as a disturbing drama that used to happen to a real event in the American history. Abigail, the main and an antagonist character of the crucible. Abigail grew up without father and mother, however she grew up to be an insecure person. This young woman is selfish, manipulating and extremely good at lying. She has an outrageous name in Salem, Abigail were known as a person who causes problems everywhere she goes.
In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the characters of Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams can be compared and contrasted through their personalities, motivations, and relationship. In view of, Abigail Williams personality, she is intimidating because she threatened the girls by saying she was going to make their lives miserable if they said another word about what they had done. Moreover,
The way someone sees another may reflect upon themself more than anything; showing the hidden through judgements of peers. One’s own dilemmas within their lives can be shadowed by misguided hatred for others, thus creating unwanted problems for all parties involved. This can be seen in real life as well as in novels, but specifically between Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor. In the play titled “The Crucible,” Abigail and Elizabeth illustrate that contrasting personalities can reveal who a person truly is; essentially removing the mask of perception.
Superego in Lord of the Flies Sigmund Freud, a very famous psychiatrist, created three different terms, id, ego and Super ego; super ego is the brain’s conscience. It also gives the brain the ability to do the right thing. Piggy, who is a character in Lord of the Flies constantly represents superego, always turning the other cheek and doing the right thing. Piggy is a perfect example of superego in Lord of the Flies written by William Golding. Superego is a part of the brain or conscience that recognizes inappropriate behavior and also wants you to choose right over wrong.
“Character Analysis over The Crucible” Arthur Miller is a commonly-known playwright, most famous for his 1953 play, The Crucible. The basis for The Crucible came from the witch trials which occurred in Salem, Massachusetts during the puritan era. Miller even uses some of the same characters in his dramatized play that were a part of the original witch trials in Salem. However, Miller made a few alterations to the historical members of the Salem society in order to suit his dramatic purpose in The Crucible, particularly Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Reverend Samuel Parris.
These do not stand for physical areas of the brain, but more of the mental functions. ID translates to instincts, Ego is reality and Superego is morality. These three central functioning's make up “… the personality—instinctual needs, rational thinking, and moral standards.” (Ronald J. Comer). Dwight Schrute has a very poor ego, which in turn off-sets his ID and Ego.
The Id, Ego and Superego make complete sense to any person who might be interests in learning about the Psyche. Freud’s use of the psychoanalytic theory is relevant when explaining my current behaviour in regards to my past experiences that have occurred throughout my lifetime. Freud’s theory does apply to my own life as he made his theory a way to help understand and focus on the behavioural problems of the human being, and to resolve them in a way that forces me to accept my own destructive