The purpose of this research is to demonstrate a
connection between the character and fate of Emily in (Original
Sins( by Lisa Alther, and the theories of personality development
as expounded by Sigmund Freud and Erving Goffman. That the
character of Emily illustrates a working out in terms of the
Freudian structural hypothesis is apparent in the fact that
Emily's life is framed by a constant push pull of body, mind, and
action in the world. Chiefly, this inheres in the tension in
Emily's life between her internalization of societal norms, as
learned in her childhood in Newland, Tennessee and her impulse to
break away from a life lived according to norms, as against her
concomitant wish to benefit from the emotional safe haven for the
gratification of her id that living life by rules may supply.
The ego functions that come into play for Emily occur
from the time she leaves home for school. Confronted with new
stimuli in the form of education, she experiences what Freud
calls "cultural struggle" (Freud:70). This occurs in a complex
way. As she discovers through newly educated eyes the demands of
social justice in a repressive white society, she seeks to
address the repression directly. This explains her insistence on
apologizing to a perplexed Lou "for what my people have done to
yours," as well as her experience of guilt with regard to "all
these brave resourceful people facing insurmountable odds imposed
by her forbears" (Alther:246; 247). These responses develop a
pattern from stage to stage in Emily's life which determine the
course of action that she follows in the world. This explains her
almost compulsive drift into social activism, through which she
.he #.
seeks to redress the grievances of generations.
Repeatedly, Emily's forays into this kind of activity
...