The Pursuit Of The Soul

Wuthering Heights and A Dream of Red Mansions are two serious realistic classic literary works of different countries and different times. One is written in19th century, and the other is written in mid-18th century. Both of them described the soul--stirring and moving love story and tragedy, reflecting the complex and contradictory inner world of the figures in the period of historical transition as well as the conflict between the emerging and old value, to describe the development of personality. The image of the character also glowed with the bright colors due to the contradiction of these two different values. Therefore, both of the works presented the author’s profound thought with regard to love, life and reality.This thesis tries to compare the novel’s two characters according to Freud’s development theory of personality structure. Through the analysis of conflicts and mutual transformation among id, ego and superego of the personality structure, to explore the primordial meaning and ultimate significance of the existence of life, and reveal people of different countries have the same spiritual pursuit in a different age.In Chapter One, the two authors and works as well as the main content and heroes’ character will be introduced briefly. This part also introduces the background, the research status and the research meaning of this thesis.In Chapter Two, the basic theory is to be considered--that is the personality structure of Freud’s psychological analysis, which is the influence and transformation of the three parts:id, ego and super-ego.The Chapter Three analyzes the similarities of the two heroes’id. Different origin results in different character, but both of them have the same id’s demand which origin in different social classes. The love demand that they obsessed with is the id of the personality structure.Chapter Four will compares the similarities and differents between the two characters’ ego. It is divided into two parts:One is the similarity of the ego--the contradictions with the old values results in the loss of their spiritual home and to be social outsiders. The other is the different ego--heathcliff revenges on his enemies, while Chia Pao-yu has compromise.The Chapter Five is about the humanity’s return--this is the sililarity of the two characters’superego. Heathcliff gives up the revenge and returns his humanity to get to be the union with Catherine in spirit through the death; Chia Pao-yu feels despaired and he finds a spirit home through to be a monk. Although they chose different way, they get the same pursuit--the same superego.The Chapter Six is the last chapter, and it summarizes the core content and the meaning of this thesis:Cultures are different between the two countries, but the pursuit of the human nature, the love nature, and the harmony and unity if id, ego and superego is same.