O`Connor My Oedipal Complex

“My
Oedipal
Complex”
By Frank O’Connor
What
questions
remain?
Look through your
notes and let’s talk
about what
confused you.
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2
Do Now: Turn & Talk
● Turn & Talk to a partner about what leads to
Larry’s Oedipal Complex. (5 minutes)
● Who has shaped Larry’s identity so far in his
life?
● Cite specific lines from the piece where you
see Larry’s Oedipal Complex being
developed and identified,
● Highlight these lines with your partner.
Important Quotes
●“Father was in the army all thought the war-the
first war, so up to the age of five, I never saw much
of him, and what I saw did not worry me…Like
Santa Claus he came and went mysteriously.” (1)
●How does Larry view his father at the start of
the story?
●“The war was the most peaceful period of my life”
(1)
●How is this line ironic?
Important Quotes
●“Do you think if I prayed hard God would send
Daddy back to war?...I was disappointed about
that.” (2)
●Why does Larry say this to his mother?
●“Every time I had pointed out to her the waste of
making two beds when we could both sleep in one,
she had told me it was healthier like that, and now
there was this man, this stranger, sleeping with her
without the least regard for her health!” (4)
●How does O’Connor use authorial intent in this
line? What is he alluding to?
Important Quotes
● “Never ever had anyone spoken to me in that
tone before..I looked at him incredulously and
saw his face convulsed with rage. It was only
then that I fully realized how God had codded
(teased) me, listening to my prayers for the safe
return of this monster.” (5)
● Why does Larry describe his father in this
manner at this moment?
Important Quotes
● “’I’m going to marry you’ I said quietly…And mother,
in spite of everything, was pleased” (6)
● How does Larry’s mother’s reaction crucial to his
development and sense of identity in this line?
● “He was a difficult child – so far as I was concerned
he was always difficult – and demanded far too much
attention” (6)
● Why does Larry say this?
● “Father started being quite nice to me” (6)
● Why did this change in behavior occur?
Important Quotes
● “After a while it came to me what he was mad
about. It was his turn now. After turning me
out of the big bed, he had been turned out
himself…I had been through it all myself, and
even at that age I was magnanimous” (6)
● How does this line play a role in the
resolution of the story?
Freud’s Oedipus Complex
● Oedipus complex, in psychoanalytic theory, is a desire
for sexual involvement with the parent of the
opposite sex and a sense of rivalry with the parent of
the same sex.
● Developed by Sigmund Freud
● Freud attributed the Oedipal complex to children
about the ages of three to five.
● What similarities can you make between Frank
O’Connor’s piece and Oedipus the King?
Wrap Up: Turn & Talk
● What similarities can you make between
Frank O’Connor’s piece and Oedipus the
King?
Homework
● Find your own source where you see the Oedipal
Complex being depicted, and describe how your source
exemplifies this idea.
● On Monday and Tuesday you will be doing an In the Box/
Out of the Box
● These sources can be used in your presentation!
● You can use film, TV shows, novels, newspaper articles,
etc.
● Study your notes from today’s class for the quiz on Friday.
● Work on your Projects due next week!