Casebook Home | Twelve Winters Miscellany
The Influence of the Author’s Writing Style
on His Psychologically Complex Narrative
Syeda Nazneen Gillani
Ted Morrissey is an American writer, teacher, and publisher known for his work in modern literature. His stories often look at themes like identity, history, and the complexities of human life. He explores the hidden feelings, desires, and fears of characters by focusing on both their conscious and unconscious thoughts. Morrissey has written several novels, novellas and short stories, such as Mrs Saville, Figures in Blue, and “Vox Humana,” which reflect his unique writing style and intellectual depth. “Vox Humana” tells the story of Harry Gale, a Korean War veteran, who returns to his small hometown and struggles with the effects of war and fitting back into society. The book deals with topics like trauma, loneliness, and the search for meaning and connection. Set in Post-war America, it examines the fragile connections between family, memory, and identity.
As we know, psychoanalytic criticism is a method of literary interpretation that analyzes the unconscious and repressed mind in a work of literature. Morrissey’s “Vox Humana” lends itself to psychoanalytic criticism due to its intricate portrayal of trauma, repression, and identity. This analysis explores the story through the lens of psychoanalytic theory, employing Freudian, Jungian, and Lacanian methodologies to dissect Harry Gale’s psychological state, the role of the chorus, and the relationships between characters.
Freudian psychoanalysis focuses on the influence of unconscious drives, the process of repression, and the manifestations of trauma in Harry’s behavior and thoughts.
Harry’s experiences during the Korean War are a textbook case of traumatic repression. His transcription work during the war, absorbing the stories of others, symbolizes the sublimation of his emotions into an external medium. This repression is evident when the narrative describes how Harry’s mind “selects” faces for the words he transcribes, displacing his sense of self into the lives of others. The horrors of war—“bodies torn asunder, friend and foe alike”—are deflected into the seemingly mechanical act of typing, a defense mechanism to avoid direct engagement with his own pain.
Sigmund Freud developed various models of the human psyche that provide the basis of psychoanalytic theory. Freud’s most famous model is the tripartite model or structural model, which divides the psyche into the id, the ego, and the superego. Harry’s psychological state can be analyzed through Freud’s concepts.
The “id” in Harry is seen in his irrational reactions, such as when he has a panic attack at the grocery store during the storm and lightning. His deep fears take over, ignoring any rational thought. The “ego” works as a mediator, trying to keep Harry calm. For example, when Harry reads Sandburg’s poetry, it gives him temporary relief, allowing him to rationalize and escape the intrusive thoughts. The “superego” appears in Harry’s feelings of guilt about staying with Annette and his hesitation to talk to her about her estranged husband, Tim. He feels an internal pressure to be a responsible brother, but his damaged mind struggles to meet these expectations.
This concept of the id, the ego , the superego can be further clarified by the understanding of following passage of text: “He sat for a long while writing the words, working them, before he accepted that he was making a poem. He wrought images into lines and lines into stanzas. Harry discovered that the chaos of his chorus had become a more tamable torrent, one that could be checked with dikes and causeways and dams, by controlling diction, syntax and punctuation—even blank spaces provided some buffer for the rising tide of words.”
In this passage, Harry’s act of writing represents the ego’s effort to control the chaos of his unconscious mind, symbolized by the “chorus,” using structure and order (through diction, syntax, and punctuation). The process of transforming his chaotic thoughts into a poem demonstrates the ego’s attempt to mediate between the primal, irrational urges of the id and the societal expectations imposed by the superego. The control over his words offers temporary relief, allowing Harry to manage his internal conflict.
The chorus represents a displacement of Harry’s repressed memories and guilt, which resurface in fragmented whispers. Similarly, his dreams feature Korean faces “murmuring in English,” symbolizing his unresolved connection to the war and its victims. Freud’s concept of condensation is clear in these moments: the faces, voices, and whispers combine Harry’s guilt, fear, and trauma into a single, haunting presence.
In “Vox Humana,” Freud’s concepts of the Oedipus and Electra complexes can be applied to Harry and Annette’s sibling relationship. Harry’s reliance on Annette for emotional care and support upon his return from the war hints at unconscious desires for nurturing that are reminiscent of the Oedipus complex. His guilt about staying with Annette and avoiding confronting her about her estranged husband, Tim, may reflect unresolved childhood dependencies. Meanwhile, Annette’s emotional struggle with independence after Tim’s departure can be seen through the lens of the Electra complex, where she unconsciously navigates her role as a caregiver while trying to assert her autonomy.
Psychoanalytic criticism is a method of literary interpretation that uses psychoanalytic concepts to analyze the unconscious and repressed mind in a work of literature also plays a role in Harry’s psychological state. His retreat into silence and emotional passivity suggests a fear of emasculation, as he struggles with fulfilling societal expectations of masculinity. His discomfort with asserting himself, especially in the context of his family dynamics, may symbolize a deeper fear of failure as a man, embodying the essence of castration anxiety. These Freudian concepts reveal how unresolved childhood conflicts and fears of inadequacy continue to shape Harry’s adult relationships and sense of self.
Autobiographical elements in the narrative
In “Vox Humana,” there are autobiographical elements that align with Ted Morrissey’s personal writing habits, particularly his reflection on using writing as an emotional release. Morrissey has stated that he enjoys sitting with coffee in the morning and writing as a way to process and release emotions, which echoes Harry Gale’s experience in the story. Harry, like Morrissey, seeks solace and a form of emotional catharsis through writing. One such moment is when Harry, feeling overwhelmed by the chaos of his thoughts, sits on the back porch with Carl Sandburg’s Chicago Poems and uses poetry to calm his mind. He says, “He sat for a long while with the poems and the thoughts they conjured.” This scene directly mirrors the author’s own ritual of using writing to channel his emotions.
Moreover, Harry’s act of writing poetry in the quiet moments of the morning, particularly his creation of the poem The Human Voice, mirrors Morrissey’s personal practice of using writing to manage complex feelings. Harry finds temporary relief when he writes: “He scribbled the line… then the next.” This scene showcases how writing, like Morrissey’s own habit, becomes a therapeutic outlet for Harry, allowing him to process his trauma and disjointed thoughts. The connection between Morrissey’s personal habits and Harry’s use of writing in the story provides a clear autobiographical link, demonstrating how writing serves as a mechanism for emotional release and self-expression.
Furthermore the text maintains “While she stirred the roiling potatoes she thought of all the times she wanted to talk with Tim— always in an attempt to make things better, it seemed in retrospect, either via a conversation that dealt with a problem or one that deflected from it—eventually, however, the futility of talk, of any kind, became clear, and it was simpler to keep within her own thoughts. Even though this felt different, Annette resolved that she wouldn’t let avoiding conversations with her brother become a pattern.”
From a psychoanalytic perspective, Annette’s internal reflection on avoiding conversation highlights her unconscious avoidance of emotional confrontation, particularly regarding her past with Tim. Her decision to not let this avoidance become a pattern suggests a desire to break free from repressive mechanisms and engage with her suppressed emotions. Freud’s concept of repression can be seen in Annette’s tendency to focus on mundane tasks instead of addressing deeper emotional issues with both her brother and her past.
Carl Gustav Jung, a student of Freud, was concerned with people’s response to myths due to deep unconscious understanding of them that is universal. Jungian psychoanalysis offers a way to understand the deeper symbolic elements in “Vox Humana,” especially the chorus, Harry’s relationship with Annette, and his connection to literature.
The chorus acts as Harry’s shadow, which is an archetype in Jungian theory representing the hidden and repressed parts of the self. The fragmented voices and whispers in the chorus reflect Harry’s suppressed fears, guilt, and identity struggles. Jung suggests that confronting the shadow is essential for individuation, or the process of bringing together the conscious and unconscious parts of the self. Harry’s attempt to write poetry is his effort to face and express his shadow, although he is not fully successful. Harry also embodies the archetype of the wanderer, much like Odysseus, whose journey represents a search for meaning and self-discovery. His aimless drifting after the war is part of this quest. The Korean story of the legless man, which Harry recognizes as similar to other ancient myths, shows that his journey is universal. However, his inability to find a sense of “home” in his hometown suggests that his individuation process is still incomplete.
Annette, his sister, symbolizes the anima, the feminine archetype in Harry’s mind. Her caring nature offers stability, but her unresolved problems with Tim reflect Harry’s own struggle to deal with his past trauma. Annette’s independence and strength provide Harry with an example of self-reliance, yet his sudden departure shows that he is not yet able to integrate these qualities into his own identity. Morrissey maintains that women are more strong and active than men in the society as here Annette is thoughtful but not unhappy and is presented as stronger character than Harry.
Jacques Lacan believed that unconscious greatly affects our conscious behavior. Lacan asserts that the unconscious is structured, much like the structure of a language. Lacanian psychoanalysis in “Vox Humana” focuses on how language, identity, and desire shape Harry’s fragmented self. The chorus represents a broken mirror of Harry’s identity. In Lacanian theory, the mirror stage is when a person forms their “I” through seeing a complete self-image. For Harry, the chorus disrupts this, always reminding him of his fragmented nature. It prevents him from fully connecting with the “Symbolic” world, which is about language and societal rules.
Harry’s focus on transcribing and writing poetry shows his struggle with the Symbolic order. He seeks meaning through words, but the chorus, symbolizing the “Real,” interrupts, showing that language can’t fully express trauma. His poem, “The Human Voice,” is one of the few times he channels his inner chaos into something structured.
Harry’s relationships with Annette and Beth Ann reveal his deep, unconscious desires. Lacan’s idea of desire being linked to a basic “lack” is clear in Harry’s inability to find peace or settle. His departure from Crawford represents his search for an unattainable “home,” and leaving only deepens his sense of alienation.
Overall, in “Vox Humana,” several psychoanalytic concepts are explored through Harry’s internal struggles. His typewriting during the war acts as a form of sublimation, allowing him to redirect his emotions into a mechanical task, while the “chorus” represents the repressed trauma he cannot fully confront. The chorus, along with Harry’s intrusive thoughts, illustrates the fragmentation of his psyche, aligning with Lacan’s idea of a fractured “I” that cannot integrate its unconscious elements. Harry also engages in projection, shifting his guilt and fear onto the faces in his dreams, attributing them to others instead of himself. In Jungian terms, Harry embodies the wanderer archetype, while Annette represents the anima, serving as emotional support yet also reflecting unresolved psychological conflicts. Lastly, the tension between the Real (the chaos and trauma of Harry’s mind) and the Symbolic (the structured, rational world) highlights Harry’s struggle to reconcile these conflicting parts of his identity.
“Vox Humana” by Ted Morrissey offers a profound exploration of the complexities of human psychology, particularly through the lens of psychoanalytic theory. By exploring Freudian, Jungian, and Lacanian frameworks, we gain deeper insights into the protagonist Harry Gale’s inner turmoil, emotional repression, and quest for identity. Freud’s tripartite model of the psyche highlights Harry’s internal conflicts between his primal instincts, societal expectations, and efforts at self-regulation. Jung’s archetypes, such as the shadow and the wanderer, shed light on Harry’s journey of self-discovery and the struggle to integrate his unconscious experiences into a coherent identity. Lacan’s theories of the Mirror Stage, Symbolic, and Real further emphasize Harry’s fractured sense of self and his struggle to reconcile his traumatic past with the structured world around him. Ultimately, Vox Humana serves as a powerful narrative that illustrates the universal challenges of trauma, identity formation, and the constant negotiation between the conscious and unconscious forces that shape human behavior. Through psychoanalytic criticism, we can appreciate the depth of Morrissey’s portrayal of the complexities of the human mind and the ongoing process of healing and self-understanding.
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Syeda Nazneen Gillani is a final-year BS English student at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad. She has actively participated in numerous national and international webinars, conferences, and literary forums, demonstrating a strong commitment to intellectual and scholarly discourse. With a deep passion for literature, her academic interests encompass prose, poetry, and fiction, with a particular focus on critical analysis and literary research. She has exhibited research excellence through her engagement with contemporary and classical literary studies, contributing insightful perspectives to academic discussions. Known for her strong leadership qualities, analytical acumen, and dedication to literary scholarship, she continues to excel in both academic and extracurricular endeavors.
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