Sock On The Floor

999 Words4 Pages
The story of Francie is engaging for a psychoanalytic reader because of the various examples of repression, displacement, and the “uncanny”. These are common features that influence and attract psychoanalysis to any story, and this is one where each factor plays an important role in the telling of such a tale. Francie’s memories surfaced as her story continued, and the audience is able to uncover several interesting leads that replay throughout the text as well. Psychoanalysis began with Sigmund Freud, and much of what people infer from his initial theories are relevant with how many think and behave today. Using this approach to analyze The Girl Who Left Her Sock on the Floor sends the reader into a deep understanding of character, and yet at the same time results in confusion as well. Sexual inclinations are common interests for psychoanalysis, and as readers we can find an example from Francie’s room mate, Jessica, who warns Francie that she should, “Stop calling Mr. Klemper ‘Sex Machine’”. This played out the fact that Francie most likely had a crush on this teacher, and this could easily lead to unhealthy relations and suggestive comments and behaviors. Being that she was already worried about being kicked out of her school, having someone find out about such thoughts could surface more problems for her. Later on in the story, teacher-student relationship issues were mentioned once more when Francie was on the bus in New York City. The lady sitting next to her provided the young girl with her manuscript, depicting her experience with her professor, and portraying her dire need to find him once again. At the termination of her paper, Iris Ackerman announced that perhaps psychological help with be her solution. It was years before and she was still tormented by the memories of this man she named, “Dr. N”. It was this man and her sexual encounters with

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