Research Article

A Psychoanalytic Comparison of Character Development in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon and Thomas Wolfe’s Narratives: A Quest for Self-Discovery

Number: 70 December 21, 2025
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A Psychoanalytic Comparison of Character Development in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon and Thomas Wolfe’s Narratives: A Quest for Self-Discovery

Abstract

Artists produce works that are interpreted as manifestations of their subconscious, often based on experiences and fictional elements that stimulate readers’ cognitive processes, broaden their perspectives, and encourage critical thinking. Critics and readers analyze the artist’s subconscious creations objectively, attempting to uncover the underlying reality behind the apparent truth by examining the impetus that drives the artist’s creative process. In doing so, they frequently analyze the work, characters, and artists and events depicted within it. Discerning readers, who may be considered researchers, occasionally compare two distinct sources from specific perspectives, elucidating the similarities and differences between the compared works. Literary works have been examined from various perspectives throughout the centuries, and based on the analysis of these works, it has been possible to obtain comprehensive information about artists’ personalities, the historical context in which they lived, circumstances of the people during that period. Moreover, there have been studies that facilitate the analysis of historical periods or simply provide entertainment value. In this study, I will examine the self-exploration of the lost characters, which were brought to life in the works of two renowned American authors, one Caucasian and the other African American, through the lens of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory.

Keywords

References

  1. Akar, M. (2019). Thomas Wolfe’un otobiyografik anlatılarında nevrotik kişiliğin gelişimi ve sağaltımı: Freudcu bir yaklaşım (Doktora Tezi). Atatürk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Erzurum.
  2. Bryant, C. G. (1999). “Every Goodbye Ain’t Gone”: The Semiotics of Death, Mourning, and Closural Practice in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. MELUS, 24(3), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.2307/468041
  3. Burgum, E. B. (1953). The Enigma of Thomas Wolfe. R. Walser (Ed.), Wolfe’s discovery of America, (p. 179-194). Harvard University Press.
  4. Donald, D. H. (1987). Look homeward: a life of Thomas Wolfe. New York: Fawcett Columbine.
  5. Eagleton, T. (2014). Edebiyat kuramı. (T. Birkan, Çev.) İstanbul: Ayrıntı Yayınları.
  6. Falls, S. (2011). Thomas Wolfe as public intellectual. Thomas Wolfe Review, 35, 65+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A290112831/AONE?u=anon~3961055b&sid=googleScholar&xid=da24402f
  7. Freud, S. (1923). A seventeenth-century demonological neurosis. (J. Strachey, Trans.) London: The Hogarth Press.
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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture, World Languages, Literature and Culture (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

December 21, 2025

Submission Date

February 16, 2025

Acceptance Date

November 4, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Number: 70

APA
Akar, M. (2025). A Psychoanalytic Comparison of Character Development in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Thomas Wolfe’s Narratives: A Quest for Self-Discovery. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 70, 44-53. https://doi.org/10.53568/yyusbed.1640797
AMA
1.Akar M. A Psychoanalytic Comparison of Character Development in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Thomas Wolfe’s Narratives: A Quest for Self-Discovery. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi. 2025;(70):44-53. doi:10.53568/yyusbed.1640797
Chicago
Akar, Mahmut. 2025. “A Psychoanalytic Comparison of Character Development in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Thomas Wolfe’s Narratives: A Quest for Self-Discovery”. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, nos. 70: 44-53. https://doi.org/10.53568/yyusbed.1640797.
EndNote
Akar M (December 1, 2025) A Psychoanalytic Comparison of Character Development in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Thomas Wolfe’s Narratives: A Quest for Self-Discovery. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi 70 44–53.
IEEE
[1]M. Akar, “A Psychoanalytic Comparison of Character Development in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Thomas Wolfe’s Narratives: A Quest for Self-Discovery”, Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, no. 70, pp. 44–53, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.53568/yyusbed.1640797.
ISNAD
Akar, Mahmut. “A Psychoanalytic Comparison of Character Development in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Thomas Wolfe’s Narratives: A Quest for Self-Discovery”. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi. 70 (December 1, 2025): 44-53. https://doi.org/10.53568/yyusbed.1640797.
JAMA
1.Akar M. A Psychoanalytic Comparison of Character Development in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Thomas Wolfe’s Narratives: A Quest for Self-Discovery. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi. 2025;:44–53.
MLA
Akar, Mahmut. “A Psychoanalytic Comparison of Character Development in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Thomas Wolfe’s Narratives: A Quest for Self-Discovery”. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, no. 70, Dec. 2025, pp. 44-53, doi:10.53568/yyusbed.1640797.
Vancouver
1.Mahmut Akar. A Psychoanalytic Comparison of Character Development in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Thomas Wolfe’s Narratives: A Quest for Self-Discovery. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi. 2025 Dec. 1;(70):44-53. doi:10.53568/yyusbed.1640797

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