The Airport, the Pizzeria, the Motel, the Rented Car, and the Mysteries of Life – Freudian

     In the abbreviated Mysteries of Life, there are no common gaps or silences, that are directed toward the audience. There is one instance, where the main male character ‘milled around’ and repeated ‘ahem’, appearing to be avoiding what he actually wants to say to his ex-wife. There aren’t any themes or thoughts the author avoids in the text, aside from not mentioning or introducing how or why this ex-couple is back together again.

     There are no dreams for either of the main characters within the text. There are no hallucinations or dream sequences, or even day dreams. Both characters, from what the reader can tell, are both fully present in the moment throughout the story.

     Both of the couple are parents to the same daughter, but the father is not around; he ‘hasn’t seen her since birth’. Therefore, there is no strong, or any, bond between father and daughter.     The author doesn’t allude to whether or not there is a close mother-daughter bond or not, but the reader can hazard a guess that there is, as generally there would be if it was just the mother and child living and surviving together on their own. The text also doesn’t allude to whether or not the child has another father figure in their life. The Mysteries of Life doesn’t fit into, or abide by Freudian theory.

The Courts of the Lord - Marxist

     Poverty isn’t a particularly applicable aspect to this story, as the characters are not in poverty, as far as the reader can tell. The two main character’s marriage is only together by value of material objects and financial stability. The character’s are not capable of achieving happiness because material possessions are in the way to them being able to break away from each other and the parts of their lives that are dragging them down.

     The wife, who remains unnamed, is suggested to have always had wealth, ‘she, who one had a home’. The husband, who is also unnamed, states that he ‘has had to build [home] from scratch’, suggesting that he did have to work for what he has in the way of material possessions. Other than those two quotes, the text doesn’t particularly indicate whether or not they were born

     The husband is shown to regret that he and his wife have drifted apart, and that their relationship has crumbled. As she begins to cry, ‘his heart contracts but he moves further away’, showing that he still cares for her, and ‘the spectacle of this self-help saddens and irritates him’. ‘He has wanted to touch her for years, but they have been to formal with each other’, is told from what the reader can guess is the husband’s point of view, and the tone of the thought is a sad, longing tone, again demonstrating that he cares more about his relationship with his wife than the material possessions he is surrounded with. The text doesn’t provide an idea of whether the wife cares more for material possessions or her relationships with other, but more he self-love.

     Neither characters must compromise their ethical values to achieve a comfortable standard of living. They do, however, must compromise some of their values of self-worth and self-preservation to both remain married and suffer through a divorce.

     The Courts of the Lord doesn’t have characters affected by poverty, but is does demonstrate how wealth can have an effect of the strength and bond within a marriage.

Ismini - Freudian

     Ismini, the main protagonist is the story named after he character, has no gaps or silences, or topics she avoid talking about. She doesn’t avoid thoughts or ideas, and her parents do not have and particular gaps or silences. There are no aspects of the story that suggest the author is avoiding topics or themes, either.

     There are no significant dreams or dream sequences. There are parts where Ismini reflects on memories that show the problematic relationship her parents had. Ismini even suggests that he father raped her mother, but she doesn’t dwell of the topic.

     Ismini does have a strong bond with her father, but she is not blind to his problematic tendencies. Ismini becomes upset when her father does not come home for his birthday dinner, when she prepared a special dinner. This could suggest that she is feeling deprived of his affection and presence. Again, Freud would probably read too much into the sentences her father says to her, ‘you’re so beautiful’. It doesn’t align directly with the Electra complex, as the father initiates the more intimate moments between the two, but Ismini appears to respond in a non-negative way. The way he would ‘bend to heap hot kisses on her hands’, and claims she is ‘too innocent’, which suggests that he wants her to remain that way.

     Particularly, when Ismini reflects on the memory mentioned previously, her father says ‘don’t tempt me!’ in response to her saying she it ‘so tired of innocence’, and he proceeds to be ‘overcome by a wave of passion, crushing her fiercely in his arms he would carry her limp and golden to her bed’, definitely suggests the Electra complex has made an appearance, to a degree. Although it appears that her father is initiating the potentially sexual situations, Ismini is the narrator, and could be projecting.