A Psychoanalytic-Feminist Reading of Martha’s “Battle” with Mrs. Quest in Doris Lessing’s Martha Quest
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18533/journal.v3i4.242Keywords:
individuation, Oedipus complex, motherhood, daughterhood, psychoanalysisAbstract
Sense of consternation and dismay always dominate the mother-daughter relationship in Doris Lessing’s novels. Over protective tendency and sense of self-righteousness of the mother act as a stumbling block in achieving daughter’s physical, psychological and sexual flourishment. The same we see in the case of Lessing’s adolescent heroine, Martha Quest in the first volume of The Children of Violence Series. Analyzing from the psychoanalytic point of view, this article sheds light on the entanglement in Martha’s familial relationship, specially with her mother. It also probes deep into the psyche of Martha and her mother as well as delineates how Martha’s individuation is hold back by her possessive mother throughout her journey to maturity.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
