In 1873, the Sigmund Freud many know today did not scrutinize over psychoanalysis, nor did he study the connection between mythology and the human mind. Rather, a young 17-year-old Sigmund Freud lived in Vienna, Austria, working under Ernst Wilhelm von Brücke while researching the effects of cocaine on the human brain (Hutchinson Encyclopedia). Although his early research may appear insignificant compared to his other discoveries, it accords with many theories that materialize as his research of man continued. Sigmund Freud’s studies in the field of psychoanalysis resulted from his previous studies of the chaotic human mind, as he developed radical theories that were both denounced and praised. A Freudian analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter yields new insight to Reverend
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His manifestation of the unconscious is seen when he encounters an esteemed colleague in an unconscious vision, as he struggles to “refrain from uttering certain blasphemous suggestions that rose into his mind” (213-214). Here, Dimmesdale’s unconscious mind urges him to speak against his deacon and former beliefs, and he must restrain his own senseless mind in order to remain reserved in the presence of another minister. Because his intuition to speak forces him to utilize his conscious mind to suppress it, he conforms to one of Freud’s basic beliefs regarding the human mind: man’s duality is in a constant conflict, preventing either one from taking complete control of the mind (Magill 's Medical Guide). The conflict between his conscious and unconscious minds is also seen through his guilt in regards to the adultery that he committed with Hester, and unknowingly longs to become pure again. After Dimmesdale’s death, there remains a overwhelming amount of evidence that “Mr. Dimmesdale…had begun a course of penance…by inflicting a hideous torture on himself”, attempting to explain the reason behind the letter “A” imprinted in his flesh (253). Because the
His manifestation of the unconscious is seen when he encounters an esteemed colleague in an unconscious vision, as he struggles to “refrain from uttering certain blasphemous suggestions that rose into his mind” (213-214). Here, Dimmesdale’s unconscious mind urges him to speak against his deacon and former beliefs, and he must restrain his own senseless mind in order to remain reserved in the presence of another minister. Because his intuition to speak forces him to utilize his conscious mind to suppress it, he conforms to one of Freud’s basic beliefs regarding the human mind: man’s duality is in a constant conflict, preventing either one from taking complete control of the mind (Magill 's Medical Guide). The conflict between his conscious and unconscious minds is also seen through his guilt in regards to the adultery that he committed with Hester, and unknowingly longs to become pure again. After Dimmesdale’s death, there remains a overwhelming amount of evidence that “Mr. Dimmesdale…had begun a course of penance…by inflicting a hideous torture on himself”, attempting to explain the reason behind the letter “A” imprinted in his flesh (253). Because the