At one time in one's life, hasn't one ever wanted to get into another's head, to see what makes him or her tick? To see why a person acts the way he or she does? That's the goal of psychoanalysis--to understand the unresolved conflicts and unconscious drives that cause behavior.
Recently, I was confronted with an analysis of why males play female characters in MMORPGs. It had to do with submission, dominance, power, etc., and was fairly well written. There was only one problem, though:
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
I have often wondered how these psychologists dredge from the depths the insight about paintings, books, and other works. How can they tell that the painter was using X to symbolize Y? Well...they really can't.
Hoo-boy, a psychoanalyst would have a field day with this one. Let me see if I can 'pinpoint' the main areas upon which he or she would focus.
1. Conflict between the knight and his brother. Obvious, and probably from some past wound. Need more information to create a further analysis.
2. Black knight is representative of death. He wears black armor, kills innocents (presumably more than just the woman), and has spikes on his armor.
3. The knight has issues with power. He picks the girl up and throws her down to the ground, putting her into a position of submission (and she was in one before he dismounted). By lifting her, he shows that he has the power to make her stronger and destroy if he so desires; throwing her on the ground shows that she has no hope and is nothing in comparison to him.
4. The scars on his face show that he was once powerless, reinforcing his need for control.
5. The brother has blond hair. The father and his son, the knight, have brown hair. This probably means that the mother has blond hair. The sword, being a phallic symbol, represents an Oedipal complex. By pinning the woman to the ground, the knight once again reveals his desire for power and submissiveness, but it is also symbolic of a fantasy in which he has sex with--or perhaps he rapes--his mother.
Now, if I had changed the girl to having brown hair (and perhaps made her a male), the Oedipal complex would still stand, but this time the knight would want to murder his father so he could marry his mother.
And yet...
That's all BS. Complete and utter BS. All of it made off the top of my head; there was no prior knowledge of the characters or the plot. There was only that excerpt and I had 'insight' into the inner workings of the character's mind.
Just remember--cigars.
__________________ Ask me about my "obvious and unpleasant agenda of hatred."
Well...take it as a warning, I suppose, for people who think they can "analyze" information to get the deep, underlying secrets from it. Like the songs on Bush's iPod .
__________________ Ask me about my "obvious and unpleasant agenda of hatred."
Gender: Unspecified Location: With Cinderella and the 9 Dwarves
Hmm Fece.....I guess you have some problems with your brother or a close friend....can we somehow help you....and this well how should I say ...sexual tension you seem to have built up....I think you should see a doctor aboot your problems there seems to be something really wrong...but there are people that can help you
Gender: Unspecified Location: With Cinderella and the 9 Dwarves
No no no.....*someone please help me, the subject is armed and agressive*....no...I mean ah ....I mean no yopu don't need to see such a doctor...oh oh god what you are doing...where did you get this sword from...oh god almighty please someone help me ....PLEASEEEEE
Fece, I appreciate your warning, but I don't think anyone has posted in this thread because you brought a situation to the table and then presented both sides of the argument yourself. Both sides of an argument that no one will touch because I think everyone agrees that there are valid insights in the process of pyscology...but not all human beings can be easily categorized.
__________________ "If I were you"
"If you were me, you'd know the safest place to hide...is in sanity!
KMC Community Forums
May 4th, 2005 07:35 PM
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