A Freudian Interpretation Of The Personality Of Yasha In The Magician Of Lublin

Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991), as the most famous and distinguished contemporary Jewish Yiddish writers in America, got the Nobel Prize in Literature in1978because of "his passionate narrative art, which not only roots in the cultural traditions of the Polish Jews, but reflects the universal human living situations". In the course of creation, he respects the tradition as well as absorbs the nutrition in Yiddish literature to create his own unique style. His stories are vividly narrative and written humorously. His works are mostly based on the life of the Polish Jew and Jewish folklore, the most famous of which is The Magician of Lublin, and it is regarded as the best novel by the Western commentators.This paper discusses Isaac Bashevis Singer’s The Magician of Lublin which is written in1960. The novel is about the mind exploration of people, in which Isaac Bashevis Singer dedicates to depicting of the repeated intense ideological struggles of protagonist Yasha’s wandering in good and evil, reason and passion, science and religion. His works are different from any of those written by the artists in the nineteenth century. His works are all based on unique themes and environments, which reflect the universal destiny of the Jews entangled in the whirlpool of love and religious beliefs in that era.This thesis is based on Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, interpreted in the theory of personality structure, which analyses the protagonist’s personality structure in depth, as well as the struggle process of his understanding of the id, ego and superego. The reconstruction of his id, ego and superego which helps him reach the balance of the personality ultimately, and reveals the nature of his self-perplexity in the spiritual world and the exploring of himself.The thesis contains three parts:introduction, main body and conclusion. Its main content is as follows:Introduction briefly describes the main information and background of Isaac Bashevis Singer, the general introduction to the novel The Magician of Lublin, the relevant comments of the critics, research status at home and abroad and the main theories applied in this thesis. Chapter One analyzes Yasha Mazur’s personality structure, especially the internal struggles among the id, ego and superego and the influence of the external environment to the development of his personality structure. These two points play a decisive role for the development and balance of Yasha’s personality structure.Chapter Two discusses Yasha Mazur’s anxiety. This chapter analyzes from the three aspects of Yasha’s anxiety:realistic anxiety, neurotic anxiety and moral anxiety. The three anxieties put Yasha in extreme fear and worry, which also contributes to the re-shaping of his personality.Chapter Three emphasizes on Yasha Mazur’s repression and regression through the interpretation of the Self-defense Mechanisms. Through these analyses, readers can have a deeper understanding of Yasha’s personality, and the analyses also reveal the possibility of his final returning to the family.Through the application of Freud’s personality structure theory, it can be seen the author doesn’t describe Yasha as a heinous villain, while regards him as a wretch who can’t help doing something stupid, suffers from racial discrimination and is at the mercy of desires. The author also shows his sympathy to him in the novel. Through the description of Yasha, Singer depicts Yasha" s complex characters from various aspects, which shows the complexity of human nature. These are the author’s rethinking after years of exploration in the realization of self-worth and personality development, pointing a clear direction for the self-realization, self-awareness and personality balance of modern people. And therefore it has a profound social and practical significance to the modern society.