An Analysis of Henchard in The Mayor of Casterbridge in the Light of Freud’s Tripartite Personality Theory

Abstract： Thomas Hardy is a famous Victorian novelist and poet in Britain. The novel， The Mayor of Casterbridge has attracted a lot of attention. The hero Michael Henchard is bigoted， rude， upright and decent， which make up his complex and changeable character. This thesis tries to analyze the hero Henchard in The Mayor of Casterbridge from the perspective of Freuds Tripartite Personality Theory， and enlightens readers to balance the personality in order to adapt to society.

Key words： Tripartite Personality Theory； Henchard； id； ego； super-ego

The Mayor of Casterbridge is regarded as a great tragic novel in the world literature. It is the story Michael Henchard who sells his wife and daughter to a passing sailor. Then he becomes a prosperous businessman and the mayor of Casterbridge. But he still lives in the shadow of his shameful past. His success is temporary and he still fights against his own weakness of character. Although he sometimes submit to own-impulsiveness and reality， finally， he realize super-ego morally.

Sigmund Freud introduced： id， ego and the superego. The id is a structure which is full of primitive and original impulses. Id， amoral and selfish， is guided by the pleasure principle. “Without any form， the id is dedicated to releasing instincts or impulses and satisfying wishes. It is irrational， inherent and the most primitive” （Su 132）.

The ego， which develops from the id and represents the preconscious， is the organized and realistic component in the personality structure. The ego compromises among the id， the superego and reality. Its task is to find a balance between primitive drives and reality while satisfying the id and superego.

The superego， which develops from the ego and represents the consciousness， is in direct opposition to the id， it aims for perfection. According to Freud， “The superego is sometimes represented by an angel sitting on someones shoulder， telling the ego to base behavior on how the action will influence society” （Freud）. Superego is composed of the conscience and the self-observation.

The story of The Mayor of Casterbridge happened in 1930s. Henchard entered the village with his wife Susan and his infant daughter Elizabeth-Jane. He could not stop drinking because of his instinct for pleasure. The id is responsible for his basic drives and basic impulses. Guided by id， Henchard still did what he wanted to do ignoring the feeling and existence of his wife and child. Finally， a sailor bade five guineas for Susan. His behavior breaks down the ethical and moral standards and laws. This proves that Henchard is in a certain condition of id.endprint

In Freuds theory， the ego is called the executive branch of personality because it uses reasoning to make decisions. The next day， he realized the mistake he made. He worried that he might have identified himself while drunk the night before， but is soon relieved to learn that no one knows him. He also knew the sense of shame. He is not the one who is not unpardonable. Henchard went unobserved to the village church and takes a solemn oath. He cannot forgive himself. For seeking them， he ran up all his money and sailors money. Those things show his sincere repentance. And readers can see his rational ego.

The ego behaves according to the reality principle. Henchard got in trouble because of his weakness in character. Henchard and Farfrae soon became the good friends in business and life. However， things did not go smoothly. He could have destroyed Farfrae with amoral way， but he did not. Just like when he read the letters， he did not tell the name of Lucetta. He is conflicted and struggled with id. However， he relies on reality principle， meets social needs and acts according to reason and logic. As a mayor of Casterbridge， he tries to save everything around him.

Because of feeling guilt， Henchard still had not married others again. He could have married Lucetta， but he did not. This fact shows the conflict of id and superego. In the end， morality defeats irresponsible id. It is the superego consciousness that influences his mind. Superego guides Henchard to act in a socially appropriate manner and make an atonement for his past.

The relationship of Henchard and Elizabeth-Jane was a developing course. When Newson came to inquire about his daughter， Henchard could have forbidden her girl to see Newson， but he did not. The spirit of superego filled up every corner of his heart. Finally， “he concluded his hesitancies by a sudden reckless determination to go to the wedding festivity” （278）. Elizabeth-Jane spurned him. Before he died， Henchard still loved Elizabeth-Jane deeply and could not forgive his coldness to Jane. It is love that awoke the superego consciousness of Henchard. Finally， Henchard finished the metamorphosis from id to superego.

By analyzing fierce between id and superego and the struggling of ego， the thesis shows the hard journey of Henchard from losing himself to returning to himself. The interplays of the three components give rise to a dynamic system of psychic energy - the personality. Only three components coordinated with each other can a person possess a healthy personality.

Works Cited：

[1]Freud， Sigmond. The Complete Introductory Lectures on Psychoanaltsis. New York： W·W·Norton，1966.

[2]Hardy， Thomas. The Mayor of Casterbridge. New York： Bantam Classic Edition， 1981.

[3]蘇隆.《弗洛伊德十講》. 北京： 中國言實出版，2004.

作者簡介：齊亞興，1992年1月6日出生，女，漢族，現(xiàn)就讀于西安外國語大學(xué)英文學(xué)院2016級英語語言文學(xué)專業(yè)。主要研究方向：英國文學(xué)。endprint