Volume 29, Issue 2
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.353
ANXIETY AND PERPLEXITY OF CHOICE: A PSYCHOANALYTIC INTERPRETATION OF HENDERSON THE RAIN KING
Abstract
In the famous American novel Henderson the Rain King, the protagonist Henderson faces severe spiritual barrenness, despite his material richness. Drawing on the related literature, this paper conducts a systematic psychoanalysis of the choice anxiety and perplexity of the protagonist with Freudian psychoanalysis theory. The inner anxiety and perplexity of the protagonist in the rich society were expounded, the conflict between his Id and Ego and the struggles in his psychology were analysed, revealing his actual anxiety and perplexity in the shadow of death. In addition, the author also interpreted the conflict between the Ego and the reality, and explains his psychology of actively seeking a way out, the merge of the Ego and the Superego, and the ultimate epiphany and redemption. The research results provide a reference for psychoanalytic interpretation of the other classic works with mentally ill protagonists.
Keywords
Henderson the Rain King, Henderson, Psychoanalytical Interpretation, Freudian Psychoanalysis Theory, Anxiety and Perplexity.