The Choice Of Ego: Analyzing Whisky Priest In The Power And The Glory From The Perspective Of Freud's Tripartite Model Of Mind

Graham Greene is one of the most outstanding British writers in the 20th century. He wasnominated by the Noble Prize for literature for twenty-one times. His works are well receivedall over the world. His writing career lasts for more than sixty years, and he experimentsdifferent genres to write. His productions include serious novels, entertainments, short stories,plays, children's books, travel books,film scripts, essays, biographies and criticism. As apopular author, Greene is best known for his novels, especially for his religious novels. ThePower and the Glory belongs to this group. The novel was first published in 1940. It wasconsidered as one of his Catholic tetralogy. And this paper aims at analyzing the whisky priestin The Power and the Glory in details from the perspective of Freud's tripartite model of themind.This paper can be divided into six parts. Part one introduces Graham Greene and thenovel The Power and the Glory, as well as the critical reviews on Graham Greene abroad andat home.Part two introduces the theory of Freud's tripartite model of the mind. In his late workThe Ego and the Id (1923), Freud suggests that human's psyche could be divided into threeparts: id, ego and super-ego. Id is the instinctual drive that operates on the"pleasureprinciple", which is always repressed by super-ego. Super-ego which obeys the"moralityprinciple"mainly is received from bringing up and education. Ego is often in the hardestsituation. It is responsible for satisfying id, super-ego and the realities and makes them incoordination.Part three recounts that the whisky priest who is under the drive of id drinks a lot and hasan illegitimate daughter. After the authority of Mexico announces that Catholic belief is illegal,he tries to escape from the police's chasing because of the instinctual drive of id.Part Four elaborates the whisky priest confesses his sins to God and his daughter underthe restriction and perfection of super-ego. He realizes that as a priest he is, his sin of drinking,adultery and fear of martyring. And as a birth father, he's irresponsible to his daughter. He isaware of his sins and begins to repent.Part Five discusses that the whisky priest voluntarily chooses to martyr by fulfilling hisduty to people after his long journey of escape. Ego is the servant of three masters: id,super-ego and the external realities. Chased by the police, damned in the moral sense, thewhisky priest finally chooses his way to salvation.Part six is the conclusion, in which the view of this paper is to be presented briefly again.