Love Is A Thorn Bird

Based on Freud's tripartite model of the mind, this thesis analyzes the controversial protagonist—Ralph in The Thorn Birds in five parts. Chapter one mainly introduces the author, the novel, the theory of tripartite model of the mind, literature review and the legend about the thorn bird; Chapter two comments on Ralph's heavenly love, and presents Ralph's id; Chapter three illustrates Ralph's earthly love and also exhibits Ralph's id and ego; Chapter four talks about the inevitability of Ralph's choice of heavenly love and presents Ralph's ego and superego; Chapter five is about the reflections on Ralph's choice of heavenly love and the practical significance of The Thorn Birds. From this part, we also can see how Ralph's id, ego, and superego clash with each other.