This paper takes a psychoanalytic approach to analyse the protagonist Scout Finch’s identity formation and her rebellion against social expectations of femininity. Her aggressiveness plays a central role in her character development, reflecting Maycomb’s societal struggle in dealing with discontent in its social, political, and economic situations. Understanding the dynamics behind her aggression and life choices is examined through Lacanian concepts of lack and desire in the context of the Imaginary and Symbolic Order. Her desires are substantiated explicitly and implicitly through her pursuit of emulating the father figure—the Symbolic Order, and the aggressiveness in her behaviour stems from the premature severance from the Imaginary Order, which parallels the defeat that Maycomb experienced in the American Civil War. As a result, Scout Finch’s identity is heavily influenced by the values and ideologies of the father figure, as well as the social conventions dictated by her society.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hig-44449 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Bantilan, Rona Grace |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för humaniora |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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