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Fragmented Self and the Attempt at Reclamation:
A Feminist Analysis
M. Hashaam Ali
“Vox Humana” is a short story that is a rich study for implementing feminist psychoanalysis. Throughout the story, readers observe intricate dynamics of the conscious and subconscious mind, which are reflected through the psychology of different characters. One such character is of Annette, who reflects loss, dependency, and repressed desires when analyzed at a psychological level.
Annette, at first glance, appears like an ordinary woman. Her character seems subtle, composed, and almost invisible in her surroundings. Her outward appearance does not scream for attention in any way. It, instead, whispers of a restrained life that is marked by silence and endurance. She moves quietly in the space she inhabits and successfully blends herself into the background of the domestic world that she has to manage. There is a certain grace in the way she carries the weight of others’ expectations without a visible strain. Her efforts to create normalcy, such as organizing Harry’s welcome-home party and deciding the banner’s text, are as invisible as her role in the household, where she fulfills the duties of a caretaker and nurturer without asking for acknowledgment.
Her appearance is a reflection of a certain distance from her inner self. It makes the readers feel as if she is constantly trying to protect her true emotions and thoughts from being fully revealed and comprehended. This subtlety can be interpreted as a form of repression. It can further be interpreted as a defense mechanism of her unconscious (that she has adopted), against the discomfort of confronting painful realities about herself. Through this lens, Annette’s character can be seen as partly fractured. She is torn between societal roles and the self that she seeks to understand. The only strangeness here is that she holds a deep awareness of her fractured identity that is shaped by the dual pressures of a patriarchal world and her internalized desires to break free. Freud’s notion of repression can be applied here, as Annette buries her true feelings and desires beneath the expectations of being a perfect wife and sister (the societal roles that she is bound to follow). The repression is not just emotional but also social. It reflects that her desires to reclaim agency are hidden under layers of what society expects from her. This achieves more clarity when she suppresses the overwhelming emotions about Tim’s departure. Her internal dialogue questions if she should be devastated by his abandonment and forcefully face the pressure of conforming to a specific emotional response dictated by others. Thus, the mystery at the start of the story serves as a facade. It even serves as her escape mechanism from the emotional turmoil that she experiences. The moment, when readers start to feel that Annette should have been devastated over Tim’s departure, itself illustrates how Annette’s emotional state has been repressed. The society, as a whole, is trying hard to make her conform to the idealized, feminine model of heartbreak and dependence.
Annette’s journey can also be explored through Lacan’s mirror stage where she sees herself reflected in the societal mirrors. This interprets her as a woman who has been molded by the burden of expectations placed upon her shoulders. Her identity is crafted through the gaze of others that has always surrounded her. In her quiet existence, she struggles with a lack of reflection from the outside world. It is only through these moments of subtle rebellion, such as her reflection on aging or her choice to teach literature that critiques gender roles, that Annette starts to perceive herself as a different and separate individual. Her comparison of herself to Beth Ann shows an internalized anxiety about aging, beauty, and femininity. This marks a crucial moment where Annette’s image of self, shaped by societal standards, begins to crack, as she starts questioning the version of self that is dictated by others. She looks for something more, something that could define her own identity beyond the role she plays.
There is a certain tension between Annette’s id, ego, and superego, which is at the heart of her internal conflict. Her id, the part of her psyche that seeks unfiltered pleasure, has been suppressed by the ego which negotiates her actions with societal norms. Her superego, that is her internalized moral code and societal expectations, constantly pushes her to conform to the ideals of femininity and emotional dependence. However, there are certain moments when her superego falters and her distorted id finds a voice. Her independence starts to surface up, especially, when she manages to borrow a car and take responsibility for picking up Harry. It is also a reflection of her ego negotiating between what she wants—freedom—and the necessity of fulfilling her familial duties. Her thoughtfulness further reveals an ego that is slowly beginning to detach from the expectations placed upon her. It marks a shift towards a more independent sense of self.
The manifestation of the Real (that lies beyond the symbolic and imaginary realms) is an important part of Annette’s journey. In the Real, there is no place for the idealized image of womanhood. Instead, it is through the fragmented spaces of her identity that she begins to understand who she truly is. She begins to get a hold of her fragmented self, as a whole. She starts to see herself as an individual who is free from the layers of repression and societal constructs. Her agency, that is symbolized by the banner she decides upon for Harry’s party, marks a moment where her voice, though quiet, gets heard. Her actions start to assert her presence. They show that she is not merely a passive participant in her life but also an individual who is slowly reclaiming control over her own narrative.
Annette’s journey is that of a woman coming to terms with her fragmented self. She is a woman who is broken by societal expectations, repression, and patriarchal structures. Yet, in this very fragmentation, there is a quiet strength. Her emotional labor, her caregiving, her subtle rebellions, and her reflection on aging and beauty are all pieces of a larger puzzle that she has yet to fully solve. But as she moves towards this understanding, she is slowly becoming whole, piecing together the fragments that once defined her as “other” and instead defining herself on her own terms. Her silent endurance, that she wouldn’t let avoiding conversations with her brother become a pattern, reveals her growing sense of self-awareness. It is a subtle assertion of agency even in the most ordinary of interactions.
By the end of the story, Annette’s transformation echoes the sentiments captured in Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s Urdu verse:
کب تک دل کی خیر منائیں کب تک رہ دکھلاؤ گے
کب تک چین کی مہلت دو گے کب تک یاد نہ آؤ گے
(How long does my heart get to be still? How long do you make me wait? How long will you keep it tranquil? Before crashing through my mind’s floodgates.)
Annette’s heart, once still and repressed, is on the verge of breaking free. The waiting is coming to an end, and with it, the quiet rebellion of her mind and heart. The floodgates are about to open, not in chaos, but in a quiet, steadfast reclaiming of herself. A self that has been fractured but is now on the path to becoming whole.
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M. Hashaam Ali is a final-year BS English student at NUML. His academic focus includes feminism, Derridean deconstruction, psychoanalysis, and queer theory, while also bridging Eastern (Pakistani) and Western literature. His analysis, “Fragmented Self and the Attempt at Reclamation,” employs psychoanalysis to examine identity and fragmentation from a feminist perspective. Beyond academia, he is a multidisciplinary artist who brings an innovative perspective to literature and the arts.
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