In what ways might we see Lt. Gust as an exploration of
the psychological mechanism of repression? What sort of things does Gustl deny, disavow or
otherwise repress? Why is this significant?
The narrative style of Arthur Schnitzler’s Lieutenant Gustl puts the reader inside the mind of Lieutenant Gustl. The reader is able to read his thoughts as they come to him. From this style, we can see the sporadic thoughts of the narrator. It is clear that Gustl is unable to focus on one thing for more than a second. His mind is always racing, however Gustl can also be characterized as obsessive. He is obsessive of women, and mistakes, whether they are others’ or his own. He is consumed by his mistake, made in front of a superior officer. The inability to focus on a thought is a means to suppress thoughts leading back to his mistake, however, the reader can see that this tactic is ultimately of no use. While at first, the method of repression works relatively well, however, his obsession overcomes this tactic, as by the end of the story Lieutenant Gustl contemplates suicide – all because of a minor mistake. Examining the mind of Lieutenant Gustl proves the idea that everything eventually returns, and repression eventually will not work.
Lieutenant Gustl seems to repress a lot of things, but the one thing I found interesting is how he interacts with his thoughts about women. Clearly, he has had relations with many over the years, and every time he thinks about one, he stops himself and changes the subject in his head when he gets to deep into the memories. This seems to be a form of repression. I think that the fact that he mentions at one point that in the past, he had sworn off women completely is really interesting because that is an even stronger attempt at repression. It clearly isn't working however, because he is having an affair with a married woman and also can't keep his eyes or thoughts off of any women he passes on the street. Mentioning this comment just shows that Gustl's attempts to repress his sexual side haven't done him any good. I also think that the narrative form of this story makes it easier for the readers to see the repression happening. If this were told in the third person or even the first person, I feel like a lot of Gustl's sporadic thoughts would be cut out, and it would be hard for readers to get a sense of what was going on in his head. Stream of consciousness allows readers to have direct access to every single thing going on inside a person's head, and I think that that is very beneficial for this story.
As a character, Lieutenant Gustl, raises a lot of questions, the most prominent throughout being how exactly he views himself within society. Throughout the story, he seems to repress his true opinions of himself. Therefore, as he is writing this in a diary format, he has the ability to filter what he shares with his readers. Lieutenant Gust is constantly in combat with himself as he tries to repress his knowledge of his low existence within society. While he puts forward a conceited personality, he seems to be trying to forget how exactly he fits within society. Hence, with his consideration of committing suicide, he is attempting to repress the fact that he is not as noticed by saying that if he were to commit suicide, people around him would notice, and they would be hurt. By the end, however, after many instances of back-and-forth debating with himself about following through with his suicide, he uses the death of another well known man as his reasoning to not kill himself. Instead, however, I think in order to maintain his repression and not consider how infrequently people think of him, he decides to remain alive so that he can ensure that they are aware of his existence. Thus, throughout this story, what comes across as conceitedness is rather a repression of the fact that no one actually acknowledges his presence.
I think Lieutenant Gustl is a tale of repression though what exactly he is repressing seems to vary. What I see is a man trying to repress certain urges to uphold a masculine and acceptable appearance to the public.
For example, he admits to the reader on Pg. 8 that he is anti-semitic though he never expresses this feeling outwards. We see he is envious of the man whom Steffi is dating though he also keeps quiet on this feeling. He claims Steffi’s relationship “doesn’t mean a thing to” (29) to him but it is clear that he wants Steffi for himself. Gustl wants to be appear like a productive and accepted member of society. He is incredibly tempted to express these opinions and urges more but he refrains to avoid being ostracized.
Most importantly, I think Gustl is trying uphold the appearance of his masculinity. Gustl seems to care a lot on how he looks to others. He considers himself a “generally polite” (36) man who “behave like an officer and a gentlemen” (27). The idea of “dishonorable discharge” (20) frightens him as his military position is a symbol his masculinity. I think the biggest piece of evidence is when he contemplates suicide to step out of his duel. It is a challenge towards his masculinity and seeing that he is actually not experienced in duelling, committing suicide could preserve his masculinity. We seem him go back and forth on the idea. He tries to repress the idea out of fear of what his peers would think and that he has to “experience” (46) fear this one time. Yet sometimes, he thinks he can pin his suicide on the his opponent or that people won’t have the “slightest idea why [he] did it.” (23). Had his opponent not died, Gustl probably would have actually killed himself because, though he knows it is cowardly, he would rather be remembered as a masculine person than a person who lost in a duel.
Lieutenant Gustl seems to epitomize the concept of repression. He does not acknowledge the fact that he is not a morally upright person, although he knows well that many of the things he does are wrong. He puts himself on a pedestal in order to make himself feel as though he is not as terrible as he knows he truly is. Gustl degrades women as well as Jewish people in a careless manner. He does this because he wants to see himself as the greatest man in the universe. In one more specific instance, Gustl demonstrates qualities that Golyadkin commonly displayed when he was suffering episodes of insanity. He forgets, entirely, why he started running or walking or doing something and comes back to himself periodically. on page 26 Gustl thinks to himself after ponder the encounter with the baker, "Already at the bridge?...How far am I running?"(26). Not only does Gustl repress thoughts that make him appear clearly to himself, but he also represses events that throw him into that clarity.
The psychological mechanism of repression is an unconscious coping mechanism, whose purpose is to keep disturbing, threatening, and other negative thoughts from coming into consciousness. Lt. Gustl can be seen as a representation or exploration of this mechanism throughout "Lieutenant Gustl", as he displays and uses it much of the time. Gustl uses this defense mechanism to repress all of the negative emotions that start to surface, which is happening often, since the whole story is essentially an inner monologue of Gustl's inner turmoil. He can't seem to handle or accept any sort of negative emotion that comes his way, such as humility, guilt, and shame. He puts so much importance on his own pride that having such weakening feelings are too much for him, and as we see he would literally rather die than feel these things. The incident with the baker occurs, and though seemingly trivial to us, Gustl sees it as the worst thing that could have happened to him in public, and the fear of others finding out what happened seems to be driving him mad. He even begins denying that the event ever actually occured; "If anyone heard it, I'd have to shoot myself on the spot...Perhaps it was only a dream"(Schnitzler, 18). Not only is he repressing the negative emotions that he feels, but once he has made the decision to kill himself, he is repressing aspects of this as well, such as the seriousness and sadness of it, as well as any consequences his actions may have. Any time he does begin having these thoughts, such as when he starts to consider how his mother will feel, he quickly suppresses it; "A great many people will weep...Good God, Mama! - No, no I can't think about it. Oh, no, I can't bear to...You're not to think about home at all, Gustl, you understand? Not - at - all"(Schnitzler, 29-30). To me this line is a perfect demonstration of how he uses the defense mechanism of repression, as he talks himself out of these unwanted feelings. He feels very calm and unfazed by this extreme decision, indicating that he is repressing all of his fear about it just to avoid having to deal with the incident in another, more rational way. Not only does he repress the negative feelings that come as a result of his actions, but he completely denies the fact that he himself is responsible for any of it. He blames every aspect of his life that displeases him on someone else, never himself. He was just standing there quietly, he says, when the baker started the quarrel, and he was not at fault for what happened. However we can clearly see when the even actually occurs that it is him impatience and arrogance that is really at fault. He therefore blames his suicide on the baker as well, and denies that he even has a choice in the matter. We as humans use this defense mechanism for the same reasons as Lt. Gustl - that is, to not allow unpleasant feelings to surface, since obviously it is difficult and undesirable to feel unpleasant. It is a way for us to deal with hard situations or occurrences so that they don't take us over and get to a point where we can't handle the stress or depression, etc. Gustl is doing this, but in a more extreme, almost irrational and foolish way. He uses the defense so often and so strongly that it is essentially all he thinks about, which proves more self-destructive than it otherwise would be if he just faced reality.
The narrative style of Arthur Schnitzler’s Lieutenant Gustl puts the reader inside the mind of Lieutenant Gustl. The reader is able to read his thoughts as they come to him. From this style, we can see the sporadic thoughts of the narrator. It is clear that Gustl is unable to focus on one thing for more than a second. His mind is always racing, however Gustl can also be characterized as obsessive. He is obsessive of women, and mistakes, whether they are others’ or his own. He is consumed by his mistake, made in front of a superior officer. The inability to focus on a thought is a means to suppress thoughts leading back to his mistake, however, the reader can see that this tactic is ultimately of no use. While at first, the method of repression works relatively well, however, his obsession overcomes this tactic, as by the end of the story Lieutenant Gustl contemplates suicide – all because of a minor mistake. Examining the mind of Lieutenant Gustl proves the idea that everything eventually returns, and repression eventually will not work.
ReplyDeleteLieutenant Gustl seems to repress a lot of things, but the one thing I found interesting is how he interacts with his thoughts about women. Clearly, he has had relations with many over the years, and every time he thinks about one, he stops himself and changes the subject in his head when he gets to deep into the memories. This seems to be a form of repression. I think that the fact that he mentions at one point that in the past, he had sworn off women completely is really interesting because that is an even stronger attempt at repression. It clearly isn't working however, because he is having an affair with a married woman and also can't keep his eyes or thoughts off of any women he passes on the street. Mentioning this comment just shows that Gustl's attempts to repress his sexual side haven't done him any good. I also think that the narrative form of this story makes it easier for the readers to see the repression happening. If this were told in the third person or even the first person, I feel like a lot of Gustl's sporadic thoughts would be cut out, and it would be hard for readers to get a sense of what was going on in his head. Stream of consciousness allows readers to have direct access to every single thing going on inside a person's head, and I think that that is very beneficial for this story.
ReplyDeleteAs a character, Lieutenant Gustl, raises a lot of questions, the most prominent throughout being how exactly he views himself within society. Throughout the story, he seems to repress his true opinions of himself. Therefore, as he is writing this in a diary format, he has the ability to filter what he shares with his readers. Lieutenant Gust is constantly in combat with himself as he tries to repress his knowledge of his low existence within society. While he puts forward a conceited personality, he seems to be trying to forget how exactly he fits within society. Hence, with his consideration of committing suicide, he is attempting to repress the fact that he is not as noticed by saying that if he were to commit suicide, people around him would notice, and they would be hurt. By the end, however, after many instances of back-and-forth debating with himself about following through with his suicide, he uses the death of another well known man as his reasoning to not kill himself. Instead, however, I think in order to maintain his repression and not consider how infrequently people think of him, he decides to remain alive so that he can ensure that they are aware of his existence. Thus, throughout this story, what comes across as conceitedness is rather a repression of the fact that no one actually acknowledges his presence.
ReplyDeleteI think Lieutenant Gustl is a tale of repression though what exactly he is repressing seems to vary. What I see is a man trying to repress certain urges to uphold a masculine and acceptable appearance to the public.
ReplyDeleteFor example, he admits to the reader on Pg. 8 that he is anti-semitic though he never expresses this feeling outwards. We see he is envious of the man whom Steffi is dating though he also keeps quiet on this feeling. He claims Steffi’s relationship “doesn’t mean a thing to” (29) to him but it is clear that he wants Steffi for himself. Gustl wants to be appear like a productive and accepted member of society. He is incredibly tempted to express these opinions and urges more but he refrains to avoid being ostracized.
Most importantly, I think Gustl is trying uphold the appearance of his masculinity. Gustl seems to care a lot on how he looks to others. He considers himself a “generally polite” (36) man who “behave like an officer and a gentlemen” (27). The idea of “dishonorable discharge” (20) frightens him as his military position is a symbol his masculinity. I think the biggest piece of evidence is when he contemplates suicide to step out of his duel. It is a challenge towards his masculinity and seeing that he is actually not experienced in duelling, committing suicide could preserve his masculinity. We seem him go back and forth on the idea. He tries to repress the idea out of fear of what his peers would think and that he has to “experience” (46) fear this one time. Yet sometimes, he thinks he can pin his suicide on the his opponent or that people won’t have the “slightest idea why [he] did it.” (23). Had his opponent not died, Gustl probably would have actually killed himself because, though he knows it is cowardly, he would rather be remembered as a masculine person than a person who lost in a duel.
Lieutenant Gustl seems to epitomize the concept of repression. He does not acknowledge the fact that he is not a morally upright person, although he knows well that many of the things he does are wrong. He puts himself on a pedestal in order to make himself feel as though he is not as terrible as he knows he truly is. Gustl degrades women as well as Jewish people in a careless manner. He does this because he wants to see himself as the greatest man in the universe.
ReplyDeleteIn one more specific instance, Gustl demonstrates qualities that Golyadkin commonly displayed when he was suffering episodes of insanity. He forgets, entirely, why he started running or walking or doing something and comes back to himself periodically. on page 26 Gustl thinks to himself after ponder the encounter with the baker, "Already at the bridge?...How far am I running?"(26).
Not only does Gustl repress thoughts that make him appear clearly to himself, but he also represses events that throw him into that clarity.
The psychological mechanism of repression is an unconscious coping mechanism, whose purpose is to keep disturbing, threatening, and other negative thoughts from coming into consciousness. Lt. Gustl can be seen as a representation or exploration of this mechanism throughout "Lieutenant Gustl", as he displays and uses it much of the time. Gustl uses this defense mechanism to repress all of the negative emotions that start to surface, which is happening often, since the whole story is essentially an inner monologue of Gustl's inner turmoil. He can't seem to handle or accept any sort of negative emotion that comes his way, such as humility, guilt, and shame. He puts so much importance on his own pride that having such weakening feelings are too much for him, and as we see he would literally rather die than feel these things. The incident with the baker occurs, and though seemingly trivial to us, Gustl sees it as the worst thing that could have happened to him in public, and the fear of others finding out what happened seems to be driving him mad. He even begins denying that the event ever actually occured; "If anyone heard it, I'd have to shoot myself on the spot...Perhaps it was only a dream"(Schnitzler, 18).
ReplyDeleteNot only is he repressing the negative emotions that he feels, but once he has made the decision to kill himself, he is repressing aspects of this as well, such as the seriousness and sadness of it, as well as any consequences his actions may have. Any time he does begin having these thoughts, such as when he starts to consider how his mother will feel, he quickly suppresses it; "A great many people will weep...Good God, Mama! - No, no I can't think about it. Oh, no, I can't bear to...You're not to think about home at all, Gustl, you understand? Not - at - all"(Schnitzler, 29-30). To me this line is a perfect demonstration of how he uses the defense mechanism of repression, as he talks himself out of these unwanted feelings. He feels very calm and unfazed by this extreme decision, indicating that he is repressing all of his fear about it just to avoid having to deal with the incident in another, more rational way.
Not only does he repress the negative feelings that come as a result of his actions, but he completely denies the fact that he himself is responsible for any of it. He blames every aspect of his life that displeases him on someone else, never himself. He was just standing there quietly, he says, when the baker started the quarrel, and he was not at fault for what happened. However we can clearly see when the even actually occurs that it is him impatience and arrogance that is really at fault. He therefore blames his suicide on the baker as well, and denies that he even has a choice in the matter.
We as humans use this defense mechanism for the same reasons as Lt. Gustl - that is, to not allow unpleasant feelings to surface, since obviously it is difficult and undesirable to feel unpleasant. It is a way for us to deal with hard situations or occurrences so that they don't take us over and get to a point where we can't handle the stress or depression, etc. Gustl is doing this, but in a more extreme, almost irrational and foolish way. He uses the defense so often and so strongly that it is essentially all he thinks about, which proves more self-destructive than it otherwise would be if he just faced reality.