The Dream: (Disguised) Fulfillment of a (Repressed) Wish

The Disguised Fulfillment

Repressed Wish

Natsume Soseki's Kokoro and Freud

Kokoro was published in 1914, two years before Natsume Soseki's death. Japan up to 1868 had been on the extreme of feudal and isolationist. It was only when Mathew Perry's black ships invaded Japan in 1853 that the Meji period of industrialization was born. Throughout Soseki's writings the theme of Japans changing society is very prevalent. Soseki himself had been through major trauma in his childhood which coincides with Freud's findings of childhood trauma. Soseki was adapted by a childless couple and 9 years later when they divorced his parents begrudgingly took him back. This theme of family and the need to be accepted is one of driving concepts for Kokoro as exemplified by the young narrators need for sensei's approval.

The first quote in the book I would like to tackle is this "It's a step in the right direction of love. You had the impulse to find someone of the same sex as the first step toward embracing someone of the opposite sex." (27). This is a quote from Sensei and is the first time Sensei speaks deeply to our narrator about him. Freud describes love in many different ways but postulates that narcissism plays a key role. narcissism requires a large ego instinct as well as a love instinct. This fusion is what Freud describes as the libido in some sense. There is also two different types of love. there is the ego instinct which makes itself the love object, and object instinct, in which case you seek satisfaction from an object.
When Sensei says the first step to love is through him, it may not directly be implying homoerotic undertones. Instead it may be this young narrators first step in shedding his ego. I think what Sensei is implying, is that to love someone, a person needs to stop being so narcissistic. This can be shown in the way sensei toys with the narrators emotions: occasionally Sensei will give him his full attention and show him love only a father could. But, many times  the narrator is vastly disappointed with Sensei's responses to his accomplishments. For example, When the narrator graduates from university, he describes Sensei's congratulations as contrived and forced, thoroughly disappointing him.
The second subject is of course the Totem and Taboo father figure. Sensei seems to be a very suspicious man. Although the narrator clearly longs for him to be a new father figure. As his own father is a country bumpkin type in his eyes and is dying from kidney failure. But, sensei tries at all times not to get too close. He reasons that "The memory of having someone at your feel will later make you want to trample him underfoot."(30). This is a direct correlation to the original sin in totem and taboo. Where the sons of the patriarchal father kill him in order to gain power. But, in return the father becomes an almighty figure, gaining more power in death than in life.  Sensei has been betrayed by family as well after his fathers death, and his inheritance was on the line. Now Sensei is pushing the narrator away in order to preserve his own line and life.

Lastly the concept of repulsion is brought up: "rather than feeling attracted to her, I would be seized by a strange repulsion"(37) is what the narrator says when he compares his fantasies to real women. this could be a direct correlation to childhood trauma and the Oedipus complex. I insinuate this because the narrator does not feel this way when he is in contact with sensei's wife. If the narrator correlates Sensei as a father figure, than he must see his wife as a mother figure. Therefore it would not be unusual that he feel safe and in some way attracted to her.

"God is nothing other than an exalted father" (504)

"The psychoanalysis of individual human beings, however teaches us with quite special insistence that the god of each of them is formed in the likeness of his father, that his personal relation to God depends on his relation to his father in the flesh and oscillates and changes along with that relation, and that at bottom God is nothing other than an exalted father" (504).

Sort of an introduction to Almodóvar, I couldn't help but think of him and his films when I read this quote. There has always been a re-occuring theme in all his films where he deals with the absent father in relation with the "exalted father" Freud mentions. In one of his earlier films, Law of Desire, one of the characters has a relationship with her father and when he leaves her, she replaces him instead with the priest at her Catholic school. In another film, Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down, the whole beginning sequence starts with a beating heart as background music and there is a pull back shot that reveals a painting with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The whole film involves a man that goes in search of forming to create a family, even if it is through a forced kidnapping. And in the film we were supposed to watch, The Skin I Live in, there's the concept of a father as a creator, molding another in his likeness - the theme of Christianity. Almodóvar likes to play with the concept of family and fatherhood as it relates to the human experience. I find the quote by Freud interesting because he acknowledges religion is man made, and of course, we create our gods in our likeness, instead of the opposite way. I've related it with Almodóvar as an introduction to one of his recurring themes that may show up in Broken Embraces.

Media and fighting: highlighting the "divide"

What is our culture's obsession with fighting over men and women? 


"Sexual desires do not unite men but divide them." When I heard this quote, I immediately thought of how this concept is extremely common (and even celebrated) in our society today. With both men and women, fights over individuals they desire are commonplace - with some even being physical and violent. A Google search shows at least 5 news results in the last month regarding bodily fights over a member of the opposite sex. Freud, after this quote on 502, continues on saying that "...they [brothers] were all one another's rivals in regards to women. Each of them would have wished, like his father, to have the woman to himself." I think this really holds true today, especially in terms of physical violence against another person in order to get the one they want. 

People love the idea of "winning the girl" - innumerable movies are based off of this premise. Most notably, a movie called This Means War (made in 2012) is about two CIA agents to date the same woman. They spy on the girl and each other, eventually physically fighting each other in front of her. On a lesser scale, movies like Bridget Jones's Diary and the Twilight Saga highlight this concept of men fighting over women. The "winning the girl" concept is more commercialized, as I don't think I can recall one movie that shows two girls fighting over a guy. However, girls fighting over men does happen, and is encouraged in a "catty" sense. A YouTube search shows a video with over 500,000 views called "2 WOMEN FIGHT OVER A MAN".


Both of these concepts - the catty girls fighting over a guy and the noble men fighting over a girl - don't give either gender enough credit. Regardless, they come up again and again in our culture via the media.

The Death Totem

When I was 8-years-old, I met my best friend. We were going to the same summer camp and his mother and sister were in my cabin. Normally, boys were not allowed in girls' cabins, but they made an exception for him because his mom was the counselor for my cabin. One day, I was feeling a little sick, so I went back to the cabin early. Just as I was changing into my pajamas, this boy I've never met opens the door and sees me. We were both paralyzed, like a deer in the headlights. He quickly apologized and ran back outside. Later, his mother showed up and forced him to express his deepest remorse for not knocking before entering. 

African Tribes often have Diviners that
 practice soothsaying by blowing into
 the mouth of a snake

It was later that night, when we were roasting marshmallows, that he asked if he could sit next to me. I accepted his request and before we knew it, we had become best friends. He told me everything and I did the same. We relied on each other. He relied on me to listen, and I relied on him for friendship (I was home-schooled at the time so I didn't have many other friends). After camp ended, we went to church together and skipped the service to roll around in the dirt, dig up worms, and play "Tag". For the next three years, that's what we'd do. We would show up to Bible class dirty, and that was expected of us- we were never on time. 

His name was Trevor and my friendship with him still haunts me today. 

Trevor had other friends; he was a "popular" boy, but he hated his friends. He told me about all the awful pranks they'd pull on him, but never on each other. They called him names and bullied his younger sister. He once asked me if he could live with me. I thought he was just being silly. I later found strange bruises in odd places and his father always insisted that he fell. His mother rarely spoke.

When I was 10, I moved away to Texas. Before I left, Trevor looked sadder than I've ever seen him, almost as if he had given up. I gave him my new mailing address and he promised to send me a letter. I waited two years for that letter, but it never came.

I was in 7th grade, now in public school, when an old acquaintance from our Bible class in California sent me an email. After the casual small talk like, "Hey! How have you been?" she mentioned something strange. She said "Did you see pictures from Trevor's memorial service? It was beautiful". 

I sat straight up, staring at the computer screen for what seemed like hours. I hoped she had made a typo. I replied, "What do you mean"? All she could say was "You didn't know? He died about a month after you left".

A woman spreads ashes into the
 Ganges River in India

I didn't talk to anyone about it. I felt somehow betrayed by Trevor. How could he leave me before he sent me a letter? The thought of receiving his letters were all that gave me hope while I was being horrendously bullied at my new school. When people called me names, pushed me into my locker, or started rumors about me, I only thought about what his letter would say and that distracted me from my pains. I never got those letters, though. I never would speak with him again. 

A few years later, I asked that girl how he died. She answered "Suicide". I never talked to her again.

------

You may be wondering why I just told you this story, but any Freudian may already know the answer. Trevor is my Totem. Before I had learned of his death, the idea of finding a letter from him gave me hope. Now, everything I do is for Trevor because life was tough on him and he'll never be able to experience the things I'm experiencing now. I like to believe that he can now live through me and maybe, I can help someone else who feels like Trevor- someone who wants to end their own life. 

In Freud's essay "Totem and Taboo", he defines a "Totem" as something (most likely an animal, that represents a Deity and can bring good things to the tribe. This definition, in my opinion, is incomplete. 

A Totem doesn't have to bring joy or other good things to a group of people; it can bring anything to one person, or the whole world. A totem can be a living thing, it can be inanimate, it can be an idea, or it can be a dead person.

A Shrine for Dia de los Muertos

Using a dead person as a Totem may sound a bit Taboo, but I'm sure Freud would beg to differ. Every culture has a different way to grieve, and many cultures tend to hold on tightly to the dead and never let them go. We panic if an old artifact from our long-deceased grandmother is damaged, we hold on to every letter we've received from a late soldier who lost his life in a war, we have t-shirts with pictures of our late loved ones and wear them every year on their birthday and on the anniversary of their death. In Mexico, they celebrate a holiday called “Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead) which celebrates the lives of those they lost. It’s a very upbeat occasion where people dress up, make sugar skulls and delicious treats, and pray to the spirits of their ancestors. In some parts of Africa, they believe in a God and believe there is no heaven or hell. However, if the person is not properly buried, that person will be punished in the afterlife for however long the God believes is just. If a member of the tribe does horrible things in life, surviving members of the tribe will make it impossible to bury him correctly, such as burning the body, feeding him to animals, or chopping them up in many pieces. They believe that an improper burial will subject the spirit to roam the Earth forever as a ghost.

Many psychologists have found a system of grieving that goes across all cultures. They compiled their data and created the “Five Stages of Grieving”:

1) Denial: The griever refuses to believe their loved one is gone. They still believe, against all logic, that they will still be able to talk to them, touch them, and see them again.

2) Anger: They become angry at the world, at God, at who ever- or whatever- is responsible for this. Some may resort to self harm as they may be angry at themselves for their role in the person’s death.

3) Bargaining:  Many people wish they could have died in place of their loved one. “Why them? Why couldn't I go instead?” “I’d give all my worldly possessions just to see them again”

4) Depression: At this stage, people may begin drinking heavily, hurting themselves further, or contemplating suicide. They don’t think their life will ever be the same and they don’t want anybody else’s help. They may cry themselves to sleep every night. This is the most dangerous stage of grief.

5) Acceptance: They say you must “let them go” or “be free”, but that’s easier said than done. This last stage does not come at the same time for every person. Once the person is ready, they will let go, but never forget, that person. They will be able to move on with their life and return to their new normal. This part may take a few weeks, a few months, or many years. You cannot force this step. Once it happens, it happens.

Grief is different for every person. Some may go through stage two before they go through stage one, others may skip stages all together, and a few may become fixated on one stage. There are reports of grieving people breaking all sorts of laws because they’re still so angry. In this case, their totem is their broken grief- possibly caused by the lack of closure or a traumatic event. It makes them violent or stupid. Even if someone goes through each and every stage, they can still carry the memory of their deceased around with them wherever they go.       

Some psychologists call it "Freezing" when a person keeps their fallen loved one's bedroom exactly as they left it. They will go in there for a few minutes, smell his or her old blankets or clothing, then leave. Nothing in the room is washed, moved, or touched in any way. Some military mothers and wives will wear the dog tags of their late loved ones, thinking it will keep them close to their heart. For some, the dog tags ate their totem, for others it’s letters, or keeping the room exactly as the deceased left it.  

A Man at a Japanese Shrine.
These shrines allow people to pray to the
dead and ask for good fortune that year.

In our culture, it is very common to partake in these “strange” practices when someone you love passes away. For me, Trevor is my totem; he reminds me to be a better person, to do my best, and to find a reason to smile every day. I know I did everything I could to hold on to Trevor. I look at the one picture I have of him and I see the story of a boy who was never happy and never had an escape. Perhaps, if I knew all the signs of a suicidal individual back then, I might have seen something strange and told an adult about it. I wish I could have stopped him, but there was nothing I could do. Now, all I have are my memories of him, and for me, that's enough because nobody can tamper with them. 

"the simultaneous existence of love and hate.."

"I have sense of the term- that is, the simultaneous existence of love and hate towards the same object- lies at the root of many cultural institutions."

Freud attributed most of the origin of emotional ambivalence to our "father-complex". He believed that this phenomenon was a result of our emotional life or, more accurately, emotions towards our parents (mainly our fathers.) I feel that this is very prevalent today as the rate of single mother families has been steadily increasing since the 1940's. According to the US Census in 2009, "A majority of children living with unmarried parents are living only with their mothers and not their fathers (61 percent before age 1 and 80 percent among 12 to 17 year olds)." This statistic by it self does not directly correlate to the relationship a child has with his/her father although it shows that the percentages are much higher to not be living with ones father. Coming from a single mother household, I can attest to the emotional ambivalence towards my father personally. The overwhelming contradictions of love for my father and hatred for his actions is one that follows me daily. There is an innate love that very little can stifle completely.

This quote proves to be a cultural phenomenon today. It backs up a sort of state of emotional limbo. It points back to Freud's Oedipus Complex that is believed to be "the beginning of religion, morals, society and art." All of these categories showcase the emotional ambivalence.

"totemism... is alien to our present feelings; it has long been abandoned and replaced..."

I found this quote in the Preface of an online version of Freud’s Totem and Taboo. In the Author’s Preface Freud highlights that taboos, like incest, have stayed relevant in society today however, “totemism is a religio-social institution which is alien to our present feelings; it has long been abandoned and replaced by new forms.” Numerous religions that are vibrant in today’s society still uphold ancient patriarchal principles, like the Oedipus complex, that originated in totemism and its sacrificial ceremonies. This is illustrated by Christianity’s history and the Communion ceremony. Towards the end of Totem and Taboo Freud quotes Frazer in saying, “the Christian communion has absorbed within itself a sacrament which is doubtless far older than Christianity.” Here Freud is highlighting that “in the Christian myth the original sin was one against God the Father.” Freud continues by saying since Christ died for our sins, the sin might have been murder and to continue the murder of the father. The Christian communion is a ceremony devoted to remembering Christ and how he died for our sins and in that sense remembering the ancient ideals regarding the Oedipus complex. In our secularizing world and the decline in dogmatic adherence to a religion, how will the urge for a son to murder their father be represented in society? Since totemism both religious and social, can society and social practices find a new outlet for human instinct? If not, will society remain patriarchal without a representative Oedipus complex maintaining male superiority?

Symbolic satisfaction in his cultivation of Mother Earth

"The introduction of agriculture increased the sons importance in the patriarchal family. He ventured upon new demonstrations of his incestuous libido, which found symbolic satisfaction in his cultivation of Mother Earth" (507)

In Freud's essay "Totem and Taboo" he postulates that the sons need to be in the father-god position is what led to the increased stress on agriculture. This is a point that seems to ring true today. After agriculture was introduced live span increased, culture was formed etc. If one could control the land (as equitably as one controlled the mother) you could rule the world. Today companies such as Monsanto and Pitzer are trying to do just that.

Currently Monsanto owns 90% of the worlds GMO seeds. And as thousand of patent lawsuits are being turned down Monsanto not only is on its way to owning all gmo seed rights, but the rights of most heirloom seeds and land as well: "MoU’s or memorandum’s of understanding permit Monsanto to use publicly owned lands to create so called demonstration farms, which in India are subsidized by the government" Dr. Vandana Shiva has fought against this massive company to retain seed biodiversity throughout the years. Shiva states that: "“the MoU’s will in effect, facilitate bio-piracy of Rajasthan’s rich biodiversity of draught -resilient crops …. by failing to have any clauses that respect the Biodiversity Act and the Farmers’ Rights Act, the MoU’s promote bio-piracy and legalize the great seed robbery.”
Clearly the massive pull to monopolize the agriculture industry is for the economic gain, but physiologically it could lead back to the roots of domination over the mother. All vegetation is as well male and female. The female fruits and vegetables are the ones that produce fruit( although some are both male and female in one). The need to dominate production could also go back to a mans envy of the woman's capability to produce. By dominating the food industry this need could be cured.

"The Dominance of the two new Father-Surrogates..."

"...show the most energetic signs of the ambivalence that remains a characteristic of a religion." 

In Freud's essay Totem and Taboo, he writes about the "Father" religions and the uprising of the "Sons". This is eerily similar to Freud's theory of the Oedipus Complex. The story of Oedipus depicts a man who killed his father and married his mother, just as the prophecies said he would. In many religions today, we hear tales about how the father was overcome by his son, and thus the son became the new Deity. In Christianity, God was the Deity people prayed to and believed in. If a miracle was observed, people shouted praise to God. However, when God sent his son to Earth, Jesus began to provide miracles. People began praying to Jesus and worshiping him, instead of only God. Today, people think of Jesus as the miracle-worker, and not God. Jesus has, to some extent, overshadowed his Heavenly Father.

This story repeats itself in many other religions as well. In Islam, Muhammad overshadows Allah just as Jesus did. (Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm no expert on any religion). Even some Ancient Egyptian cultures talk of the son of one God beheading his father for more power. In Ancient Greece and Rome, other Gods were killed or weakened by their sons.

So basically, many religions are based on the same story: the father has a son, the son kills or weakens the father, and the son gains more power.

(Sorry if I offended anyone. I was just pointing out a pattern I've noticed. Don't kill me, okay?)

Murderous Impulse and Social Media

“No neurotic harbors thoughts of suicide which are not murderous impulses against others redirected upon himself.”

This quotation, to me, speaks to the current state of social construction and representation.  Taken out of its literal context, the implications surrounding human interaction sheds a new light on social media.  Since the start of social media, we have introduced a new form of self-representation never seen previously. In place of the black top or common watering hole, we have a virtual stream of information constantly updated us with information of our followers, friends, and so on. Now, more than ever, social media enables and fosters constant comparison and competitiveness based on the virtual representation of the self. With this in mind, Freud comes into play when we think about the insecurity driven jealousy and disdain that these profiles can harness. To make things worse, the criticism and condemning of a undesirable among the social scene is a public display on social media sites—putting victims at even more of an uncomfortable position.

Recently, a young, twelve year old girl took her own life and was being “maliciously harassed” by two older girls. The older girls are being charged with aggravated stalking and have harassed the young girl via social media sites since 2012. When the bully heard of the news, she updated her Facebook status as: “Yes I bullied Rebecca and she killed herself, but I don’t give a f***.”

How do we as a generation that in large part depends on technology, value ourselves in the face of others?

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/15/20975526-she-should-be-here-two-girls-charged-in-case-of-bullied-florida-girl-who-committed-suicide?lite

SO so sorry this is late everyone!!

"If our father had treated us in the way the totem does..."

In Totem and Taboo, Freud explains totemism as an attempt by the guilty sons of the primal horde to reconcile with their murdered father, using the totem as a surrogate. While the sentiment of a covenant of respect for one's father is meaningful in itself, Freud also says that "totemism, moreover, contained an attempt at self-justification: 'If our father had treated us in the way the totem does, we should never have felt tempted to kill him.' In this fashion, totemism helped to smooth things over and make it possible to forget the event to which it owed its origin." Even though the "tyrannical father" of Freud's totem origin myth supposedly did much to earn the hatred of his sons, I can't help but think of the modern and historical issue of victim-blaming when I read that particular quote.

Victim blaming is defined as the act of holding the victim of a crime or any wrongful act entirely or partially responsible for the transgressions committed against them. Victim blaming has occurred throughout history in the aftermath of crimes of racism, rape, and, of course, murder. An example: on February 26th, 2012, 28 year-old George Zimmerman shot and killed 17 year-old Trayvon Martin. The investigation of the incident, Zimmerman's subsequent trial, and the controversy surrounding the entire crime quickly became racially charged due to the fact that Martin was African-American and Zimmerman appeared to be white (though it was later revealed that he identifies as Hispanic). Initially, the fact that Zimmerman followed Martin in the hours leading up to his death because he "looked suspicious" was used as evidence to indicate that it was a racially-based crime. But eventually, more evidence was brought to light which led to the understanding that it was Martin who first attacked Zimmerman, who then in turn killed Martin in self-defense. Zimmerman was subsequently acquitted of all charges.

Now, whether or not you believe that George Zimmerman was rightfully acquitted of the charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter, it remains a fact that victim blaming took place throughout the case. Trayvon Martin was repeatedly blamed for his own death or attacked with accusations in which his race played a large part. While talking about the case, talk show host Geraldo Rivera stated that “I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies. I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was,”  and that "he wore an outfit that allowed someone to respond in this irrational, overzealous way and if he had been dressed more appropriately..." Later, Officer Jason Giroir of the New Orleans Police Department made the internet post "Act like a Thug Die like one," in reference to Trayvon Martin. Both of these statements indicate the racial profiling involved in the case, and there are numerous other, less well-known examples of similar sentiments within the media and among news readers. But regardless of Martin's part in the incident, blaming him for his choice of clothing and his overall appearance effectively because he was not white shows how powerful victim-blaming can be in changing popular perceptions.

While the sentiment of blaming Trayvon Martin for his own death because of "acting like a thug" may not be quite the same as the sons of the primal horde justifying killing their father because he was "tyrannical" and would not share his women, the end result is the same. Those who committed the murder are able to assuage their guilt by rationalizing their actions, and in doing so they perpetuate the system that allows such actions to take place. To twist the quote from "Totem and Taboo": if Trayvon Martin had dressed appropriately as good teenagers do, Zimmerman should never have felt threatened enough to kill him.