The Motive of the Antagonist's Behavioral Changes in Kate Chopin's “Desiree's Baby”: a Psychoanalysis Perspective

Abstract

One thing that anybody cannot avoid is problem(s). Problems may change one's attitude or behavior. The change becomes another problem if it makes other people around that particular person uncomfortable. Since literary works depict human life, including its problems and the behavioral changes of the characters, this study aimed to investigate the hidden causes of the antagonist's behavioral changes in “Desiree's Baby” using psychoanalytic criticism as the framework. Freud's psychoanalysis theory is the most appropriate theory to understand behavior patterns for it focuses on conscious and unconscious influences in one's behavior. The analysis results in a finding that the antagonist's motivation and behavior patterns are governed by his repressed feelings of disappointment about his true identity in the unconscious mind. Examining a character in a story using psychoanalysis view can also help us to understand life, behavior, and people around us better. Hence, the findings of this study improve our understanding of human behavior.