THE FREUDIAN STRUCTURAL MODEL OF THE MIND IN “AN OCCURENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE"

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 13 Sayı: 25, 215 - 230, 20.03.2025

Dilara Kalkan , Mukadder Erkan

https://doi.org/10.20304/humanitas.1519026

Öz

This paper analyses the portrayal of a fragmented mind in the short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by the American writer Ambrose Bierce. In this context, this study focuses on the perceptual disorder and hallucinations caused by the character's inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality in the last moments of his life, as a result of being condemned to death during the Civil War. The delusions created by the unconscious also open a door for the character to distance himself from reality. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the protagonist's fragmented mind and the unconscious, this study employs the Freudian structural model of the mind under the headings of id, ego and superego. Thus, this study explains the delusions of the unconscious mind in a state of danger in terms of repressed idealised self-images and defence mechanisms based on the reality principle. Furthermore, it also deals with the relationship between the life and death instincts of the unconscious to maintain the survival of the self. Consequently, this research contributes to the analysis of the processes and phases that the unconscious follows in order to overcome a state of danger.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Ambrose Bierce, The unconscious, Fragmentation, Delusion, Freudian structural model

“AN OCCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE” HİKAYESİNDEKİ FREUDYEN YAPISAL ZİHİN MODELİ

Öz

Bu makale, Amerikalı yazar Ambrose Bierce'in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” adlı kısa öyküsündeki parçalanmış bir zihnin tasvirini incelemektedir. Bu bağlamda çalışma, İç Savaş sırasında ölüme mahkûm edilen karakterin hayatının son anlarında hayal ve gerçek ayırt edememesinin yol açtığı algı bozukluğu ve halüsinasyonlara odaklanır. Bilinçaltının ortaya çıkardığı bu sanrılar, aynı zamanda karakteri gerçeklikten uzaklaştıran bir kapı aralamaktadır. Dolayısıyla, kahramanın parçalanmış zihnini ve bilinçaltını daha iyi anlayabilmek için id, ego ve süperego başlıkları altında Freudyen yapısal zihin modeli kullanılmıştır. Böylece, bu çalışma, tehlike durumunda bilinçaltının ortaya çıkardığı sanrıların, bastırılmış ideal benlik imgeleri ve gerçeklik ilkesine dayalı savunma mekanizmalarıyla açıklar. Ayrıca, benliğin hayatta kalmasını sağlamak amacıyla bilinçaltının yaşam ve ölüm dürtüleri arasındaki ilişkiyi ele alır. Sonuç olarak, bu araştırma, bilincin tehlike anında kurtulmak için izlediği yol ve aşamaların analizine katkıda bulunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Ambrose Bierce, Bilinçaltı, Parçalanma, Sanrı, Freudyen yapısal model

Kaynakça

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