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A Feminist Critique of Annette Wilson
Shabana Sajjad
Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis brings into light the “unconscious” of people, which he believed is majorly responsible for their actions. He argued that the unconscious mind stores repressed thoughts and feelings, particularly those related to early childhood experiences and sexual development, which influence behavior in ways individuals are unaware of. His theories have been interpreted by feminist scholars as offering a framework for understanding how patriarchy influences both individual psychology and broader societal structures. However, according to the feminist theorist Juliet Mitchel “psychoanalysis is not a recommendation for a patriarchal society, but an analysis of one.”
In “Vox Humana,” readers get to see the female characters from a male perspective, reflecting the complexities of their identities, desires, and roles within the narrative. Through the conjunction of psychoanalytic criticism and feminism we observe how the female characters, their desires, and subjectivities are portrayed in the story.
A very important character that Morrissey portrays in the story is of Annette Wilson. Annette is unlike the typically subjugated female protagonist commonly found in American fiction. A dynamic and complex character, she plays the role of a dutiful sister throughout the story while simultaneously dealing with the dissolution of her marriage.
She is shown as a passionate reader, and Annette’s shift from Lewis Carroll’s fun and imaginative stories to the deeper emotional and social themes in Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters may suggest she is becoming more aware of the conflict between personal wants and society’s expectations, especially regarding gender and social class.
“Annette wondered if he was upset to be in the passenger seat. Maybe he’d become one of those men who felt it was a fact of biology that the male of the species should always take the wheel.”
In the beginning, when she picks up Harry at a bus terminal, Annette wonders if he is upset, and if it is because she is driving the car instead of him. She understands that many men want to be in control of women and consider it an assault on their ego to be controlled by a woman.
The fact that Annette, as a soon-to-be divorced woman, is in the driver’s seat (both literally and metaphorically) in this scenario, marks a subtle shift in power dynamics. She is no longer constrained by the role of a wife or the passive, dependent figure that may have been expected of her in her marriage. According to Freudian psychoanalytic perspective, as a liberated woman, she can now begin to more fully integrate her Id’s desires—her unconscious need for autonomy, independence, and personal agency—into her conscious identity. By sitting in the driver’s seat, Annette is now the one in control.
Throughout a marriage, women are often expected to take on the majority of emotional labor. Feminists highlight how the emotional labor expected from women often goes unrecognized, and the end of a marriage can leave women with the psychological toll of maintaining emotional stability for themselves. Apparently she seems fine. However, there is a sense of regret deeply embedded in Annette’s unconsciousness related to her marriage with Tim. She is finding reasons to justify why her husband left her when she thinks that it may have been her inadequate dinners that made Tim unhappy. The narrator portrays a realistic picture of distorted gender roles where the wife is supposed to keep the husband happy by feeding and obeying him. Other women in the town, or more specifically referred to as other “wives,” had a specialty dish associated with them. They only stand as valuable because they know how to cook these dishes, referring to the traditional roles assigned to the female gender. The wives took pride in their ability to cook since it was the only thing that they could do to keep their husbands happy.
This reflects their Social castration (a psychoanalytic concept used in feminist criticism to describe the lack of social power and representation for women), where Annette, and the other wives, may fear that their power and value are entirely dependent on their ability to satisfy their husbands’ needs.
Like most newly single women, Annette is overwhelmed by the complex emotions that take over her, leading her to search for excuses, look for her mistakes. However, along with all these emotions she also feels relief and contentment. This is where her individuality as a woman comes into the foreground, breaking the stereotypical barriers for divorced women . She herself feels confused when she does not feel lonely without her husband after her six-year marriage ended, or when she is not desperate to fill a void, even when her rational mind urges her to do so, since it is a societal and cultural norm associated with such women.
Annette’s condition can be best explained through Lacanian psychoanalysis. According to Lacan, in the imaginary order from birth until around six months of age a child primarily perceives the world through the lens of his/her mother. Therefore in Annette’s case her unconscious was typically shaped by her mother’s behaviour, or the cultural, societal or gender norms. Hence, Annette’s ideal ego aligns with the ideal version of a woman in a patriarchal society.
This can further be explained from Freud’s Electra complex. According to Freud’s Electra complex girls identify with their mothers and internalize their values, attitudes, and behaviors, leading to the development of feminine gender identity. In Annette’s case, her mother was more inclined towards her husband than her children and after his death she seemed eager to die too, so that she could be reunited with her husband. “her mother seemed morbidly intent on joining her spouse in death. Rita showed the preoccupation of a commuter who’d missed her train but was determined to catch the next.”
This subtly reinforces the gendered idea that women are supposed to be the emotional caretakers, while men remain emotionally detached or domineering. Annette has unconsciously internalized these gender norms as she navigates her emotional world, impacting her future relationships with her husband.
On the other hand, when a child enters the second developmental phase, the symbolic order, they learns language which shapes their identity as separate beings and molds his/her psyche. In the story, it can be the literature Annette consumes (works of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters) that might have majorly contributed to her development of values, beliefs and ideals very different from her mother.
Sigmund Freud believed that adult development was largely defined by the relationships that children share with their parents. The story shows little of the complex relationship Annette and Harry had with their parents. They have been described as “dutiful but not doting”, therefore there has been a constant void for love in Annette’s life that has never been fulfilled. In other words, her parents were almost always emotionally unavailable for her. For Annette, her father was “affectionate in a British sort of way” referring to a repressive or emotionally distant father figure, which might have shaped Annette’s own emotional development and her attitudes toward emotional expression in both herself and others.
“Now her life could have meaning which she herself ascribed to it.”
In many marriages, women’s identities are often subsumed under the identity of the wife and mother. Feminist theory emphasizes that women should not be confined to these roles. This is evident in Annette’s case because now that she is no longer bound to her husband, she feels a sense of liberation and freedom. This liberation indicates that her marriage has been a site of patriarchal control, gender inequality, and social expectations.
“It’s a well-established fact that a woman needs a man.”
From a psychoanalytic perspective, this statement could be seen as representing the superego—the part of the psyche that internalizes societal rules and expectations. The belief that a woman “needs” a man is not necessarily an objective truth but a cultural construct that shapes how individuals perceive gender roles. Harry’s acknowledgment that this is a “well-established fact” shows how societal norms have been ingrained in his unconscious understanding of the world
Ted Morrissey deconstructs the traditional notion of “a damsel in distress” through Harry’s character. Harry acknowledges that his sister has undergone a lot and describes her state as “thoughtful, but not unhappy”. He doesn’t see her as someone who is weighed down by the absence of a man in her life; rather, he notes that she appears content or at peace with her situation. By saying Annette is not “unhappy,” Harry is also subtly contrasting her with the expectation that women must depend on men for their happiness or fulfillment. In his view, Annette doesn’t fit into the typical mold of women who are presumed to “need” a man.
In “Vox Humana,” Morrissey presents a complex portrayal of Annette, a divorced woman whose internal struggles, shaped by repressed emotions and gendered expectations, highlight the psychological toll of emotional labor in marriage and the limitations of traditional female roles. Through Annette’s journey, Morrissey challenges the cultural norms that restrict women, presenting a nuanced depiction of a woman pursuing personal growth, freedom, and rejecting the notion that her happiness relies on a man.
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Shabana Sajjad is a Kashmiri student currently enrolled in the BS English program at the National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad. Passionate about painting, reading, and writing creative works, she channels her artistic talents to explore the beauty of the human experience. Guided by the philosophy that the world needs more kindness, Shabana strives to make a positive impact through her creativity and actions.
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