Susan Sontag Interpretation Analysis

What does that thing mean? Why is it this thing so important? When looking at art or trying to find meaning within oneself one is often driven by, either a curiosity for understanding or by their desire to uncover a meaning, and to explore their own personal analyses and theories. Sigmund Freud 's theories often bank heavily upon the interpretation of dreams. What do they mean? What is their purpose? What do they say about us? Using his interpretation to pull psychoanalytical significance from their confusing narratives, he would examine the dream by isolating certain elements and trying to find meaning in each segmented part. In Freud 's work interpretation plays a key role in understanding meaning, however Susan Sontag in her essay Against Interpretation challenges this idea and argues, “ interpretation must itself be evaluated.” She believes that the process fractures the overall purpose and closes to many doors for later …show more content…
According to her the act of interpretation is barbaric in comparison to the educated act of letting something speak for itself. For the weak of mind, simply leaving something alone confuses those who feel the need to interpret. She says, “ Real art has the capacity to make us nervous. By reducing the work of art to its content and then interpreting that, one tames the work of art. Interpretation makes art manageable, comfortable.” Much like a child, those who interpret lack the restraint to not ask why, destroying what does not supply acceptable answers. Sontag believes by not organizing the possible meanings, the thought leaves a chaotic atmosphere inside the mind of the simpletons, one that those whom find the need to interpret are incapable of holey coping with. Perhaps this natural urge to organize a coherent thought speaks more again to the durability of interpretation. Freud does not take interpretation as such a simple