The Struggle For Identity In Sigmund Freud's Flicka

How have humans used stories to express ideas and feelings though out the years? God stories were used to tell how the world was made and how it worked. Hero myths were used to show spiritual journeys and growth. These stories that have been found in every human culture (with some variations) express deeper meanings that reflect naturally occurring ideals. Even today’s stories have common narratives that reflect deeper, instinctual ideas, such as the much beloved girl-and-horse story. While many have speculated on where these ideas arise, Sigmund Freud believed that the narratives of our stories reflected the inner narratives and motivations of our minds. For Freud the human mind is in a constant fight between its wild, instinctual side and its more logical, civilized side. This battle causes humans to repress their more instinctual desires and anything that they perceive as traumatic, which leads to the desires of the …show more content…
At the beginning Katy shows the signs of beginning to grow away from the childish notion of being attracted to one’s parent (in this case her father). Flicka, representing a new and different sexual interest, comes into Katy’s life challenging this already faltering notion. The act of bonding and riding Flicka is sexual in nature: riding can be seen as an explicit symbol for sexual activity. While Katy explores a more “adult” and socially acceptable attraction, her father’s attempts to intervene can be read a symbol for Katy’s more instinctual desires fighting to leave the unconscious and enter the conscious thought. Katy’s ultimate climax is freeing Flicka from the rodeo and riding her away, showing how she has accepted Flicka (the new attraction). And finally, the couple being reunited at the end and being accepted by Katy’s father symbolizes the repulsion of the childish father-attraction and full awakening into an adult