A Psychoanalysis Of Sybylla's Inferiority Complex In My Brilliant Career

MyBrilliant Career is an autobiographical novel written by Australian female writer Miles Franklin.It is known as the first Australian novel and Australia's first feminist work.It is regarded as a landmark in the Australian literature history.The protagonist of the book is Sybylla,a girl growing up in the rural area of Australia.The harsh environment and social injustice make her life pretty difficult,yet she does not give up,and holds on her dreams in a tenacious way.Sybylla is uninhibitedand talented.Her unique charm brings her many pursuers.However,she is too diffident about herself and refuses to accept the proposal of others.The common appearance,family misfortune,and economic distress make her to feel deeply insufficient,and the discrimination suffered by women in the 19th century deteriorates her inferiority complex.In such a psychological state,Sybyllacloses her heart and rejects love.Besides,out of the psychological compensation 'mechanism for insufficiency,she refuses to submit to anyone,and chooses to be arrogant in the love relationship.These two attitudes are intertwined,making Sybylla a special girl of distinctive personality.This thesis takes a method of psychoanalysis to analyze Sybylla's unique outlook on life and love from the aspects of four causes of the her inferiority complex.This thesis states that Sybylla's different life trajectories and love choice are owing to her deep sense of inferiority,and the compensation mechanism along with it.This sense originates from her disadvantages of mediocre appearance,miserable family,unfavorable economic conditions,as well as the oppression of women in Australia at the time.