Analyzing Anne In Anne Of Green Gables From The Perspective Of Freud’s Personality Theory

Lucy Maud Montgomery (1847-1942) is an outstanding Canadian writer. She also has an irreplaceable position in the literary world. She is famed especially because of her novel Anne of Green Gables. The novel narrates a story about Anne, a freckled and imaginative red-haired girl who is adopted by Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla who live in Green Gables of Prince Edward Island in Canada. The Cuthberts want to adopt a boy from the asylum, but by mistake Anne is sent to them. The central character Anne that Montgomery depicts is an optimistic girl and has a strong desire to change her fate by the persistent struggle. She is kind-hearted and full of imagination.Montgomery shapes the spiritual journey of Anne from the period of an orphan to the period of a mature lady by employing an exquisite writing style. Therefore, by using Freud’s personality theory, the thesis will provide a new view to the novel from the aspect of Anne’s spiritual journey in which readers can see the charming characteristics of the novel.Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis is worldwide famous, and it is also a very useful instrument to explore the insight into human beings’ inner world in the literary works. According to Freud, the personality theory consists of three interactive parts:the id, the ego and the superego. The id works under "the pleasure principle", and it is always eager to satisfy the inner desires and impulses. The superego represents the moral part of the mind and searches for perfection. The ego is the rational part of the mind, it operates under the "the reality principle".This thesis attempts to interpret Anne’s spiritual journey in Anne of Green Gables from the perspective of the personality theory of Freud. And it consists of three chapters.Chapter One mainly analyzes Anne"s id from the aspect of her pursuit for sense of belonging and rights. As an orphan girl, Anne is prejudiced in the society. Anne’s id is instinctive. The id works under "the pleasure principle", and it is always eager to satisfy the inner desires and impulses.Chapter Two is about Anne’s ego. Anne encounters some conflicts in the search of her ego. In the realistic society, Anne meets the conflict between her imagination and the social reality; the conflict between the adult world and the children world.Chapter Three focuses on the superego of Anne. It is associated with the self-adjustments and self-perfection. The superego is the higher lever of id and it is the ideal target. The conclusion part sums up the thesis in terms of the spiritual journey of Anne in the novel Anne of Green Gables. The heroine Anne experiences a process from her id to self-realization. It is hoped that the thesis can be helpful for readers and scholars to investigate and have a good understanding of the novel.