Person Disorder in The Street Octavio Paz poem by Psychoanalysis Approach

Person Disorder in The Street Octavio Paz poem by Psychoanalysis Approach

Wilda Norma Yunita

sylluanawilda@gmail.com

Maulana Malik Ibrahim State Islamic University

Abstract

Psychoanalysis in literary works is useful to analyze in the author psychological in literary works. Psychoanalysis can also analyze literary works through the author's soul. Sigmund Freud also divided three human psyche, they are the conscious, pre-conscious and unconscious. Sometimes the author is unconsciously or consciously can enter the psychology theory adhered. The Street poem by Octavio Paz is an example of analysis in the author psychological in literary works by psychoanalysis approach. Focusing on the author psychological, the researcher tries to unfold the mystery of author psyche in the poem.

Keywords: psychoanalysis, unconscious.

Introduction

According to Endraswara (2003: 97) psychology literature is a study that looked at the literature as the activity of psychological abuse. In a broader sense that literary works do not escape from a life that illustrate the various series of the human personality. According to Albertine (2010: 11), psychoanalysis is a scientific discipline that started around the 1900s by Sigmund Freud.

While talking about psychology and literature, Rene Wellek and Austin Warren wrote that the term "psychology literature" have four possibilities of understanding. First, the study of the psychology of the author as a type or personal. Second, the study of the creative process. Third, study type and laws of Psychology applied to literary works. Fourth, the study of the impact of literature on the reader (psychology of readers).

Psychoanalysis in literary works is useful to analyze in the psychological characters in literary works. Sometimes the author is unconsciously or consciously can enter the psychology theory adhered. Psychoanalysis can also analyze literary works through the author's soul. Then psychoanalysis can also be used to analyze the effects of what caused of literary works towards the reader.

Poem is a part of literary work. Poem is as a tool of showing a thought and feelings or as a means of expression, (Taufik Ismail). Poem included one form of literary works. Literature is a form of communication between the poet with readers. What was written in the literary novelist is something like to be revealed at the reader. In the submission of the idea that a writer can not be separated from the background and the environment. Abrams (1976: 6) suggested in the communication between the writer and the reader will not be detached from literary situation, they are the literary work itself, the author, the universe, and the reader.

Thus, there are four approaches in the study of literary works, which are: Objective approach/criticism is the study of literature that operates on literary works, expressive approach/criticism is the study of literature that operates on the author, mimetic approach/criticism is the study of literature that operates against the universe/nature, and pragmatic approach/criticism is the study of literature that operates on the reader.

According to Juhl (in Ratna, 2013), relating to expressive approach that the position of the author of a literary work as a determining factor in the interpretation of literary works.  Expressive approach is the approach in the study of literature that operates on its expression of feelings or temperament author (Abrams, 1981: 189). Literary works will not be present when no one created it so that the creator of a literary work very important position (Junus, 1985: 2).

In expressive approach to psychology author became one of the quiz in a literary review. For in the creation of a literary work is need for nudges (Id),  life experience as well as thoughts objectively its author. Therefore, on a literary work, readers can know the psychological elements that were being experienced by the author in his writing. The Street by Octavio Paz is a part of poem that can be analyzed by psychoanalysis.

In relation to the concept of psychology literature, there are several prominent figures reveal psychology in psychological concepts of literature, one of which was Sigmund Freud. In contrast Freud concept in general psychology. He stated that in humans there are three parts: the id, ego and super-ego. If all three work in a reasonable and balanced then the man will show the character that a reasonable thing, but if these three elements do not work in a balanced manner, and one of them is more dominant, then it shall be war in the mind or the soul of man, the symptoms of restless, agitated, depressed and neurotic who want the distribution. In his description of the author and create literary works, Freud said that the author was attacked psychiatric illness called neurosis could even reach the stage of psychosis, such as nerve pain and mental that put him in a very depressed, groaning resulted in the emergence of ideas and concepts, which wants into the literature work. Later, Freud also divided three human psyche, they are the conscious, pre-conscious and unconscious.

Analysis

The focus of the analysis is a poem written by Octavio Paz entitled “The Street”. The poem has 17 lines with nine lines for the first stanza and eight lines for the second stanza.

The Street

By Octavio Paz

Here is a long and silent street.
I walk in blackness and I stumble and fall
and rise, and I walk blind, my feet
trampling the silent stones and the dry leaves.
Someone behind me also tramples, stones, leaves:
if I slow down, he slows;
if I run, he runs     
I turn :
nobody.

Everything dark and doorless,
only my steps aware of me,
I turning and turning among these corners
which lead forever to the street
where nobody waits for, nobody follows me,
where I pursue a man who stumbles
and rises and says when he sees me:
nobody.

For interpretation of the poem, start from the first line which is “here is a long and silent street” it means that a long life lonely, “I walk in blackness and I stumble and fall” is continuing life without purposes/without knowing where to go, and I stumble and fall (stumble and fall, showing the obstacles he came across the way, “and rise, and I walk blind, my feet, trampling the silent stones and the dry leaves” is the obstacles aren’t stopping him from moving forward, cannot predict the future and doesn’t know what lies ahead, possibly doesn’t know what he wants out of life, so he just keeps going, “someone behind me also tramples, stones, leaves:” is referring to himself, repeating the same actions, keeps going through the same obstacles, “if I slow down, he slows; if I run, he runs, I turn : nobody” is continuing the same thing, you do not really have set goals; he looks at himself and he sees no body; people that are typically looked as a “somebody”, do thing differently to stand out; so, he continuous the same pattern, therefore known as a nobody, “Everything dark and doorless is there is no ‘right way’ to go; doesn’t know where to go, “I turning and turning among these corners which lead forever to the street” is trying to look for answer; try to do differently; each choice that makes though will always affect his life, “where nobody waits for, nobody follows me, where I pursue a man who stumbles, and rises and says when he sees me: nobody” is this is his life and he has to do by himself; hi is looking for a better life and he try to take a life differently.

This man (speaker) is taking life as it comes and it doesn’t know exactly what he want of his life. He goes through obstacles and keeps repeating the same actions as before. He looks at himself as a nobody, but he wants to be seen as more. Thus, he pursues a better person.

The basic assumption of psychological research literature among others influenced by the notion that the literary work is a product of an author's psyche and author’s thinking in the situation of unconscious, semiconscious, conscious. Then, the power of literary works can be seen from how deep the author can express the psychological expression into a literary work.

In the poem "The Street" of Octavio Paz, Paz can express hei mental expression of something that permeates in his imagination and thoughts about hir life and the solitude that make it will despair. Then, his experiences life become a creative products in the form of literary works in his poem entitled "The Streeet".

The author expresses his emotional about what he felt at what he saw. A ‘waiting’ and ‘self-reflection’ on what he saw of the events or happen in his life experiences. Like in the first line up to fourth line:

Here is a long and silent street.
I walk in blackness and I stumble and fall
and rise, and I walk blind, my feet
trampling the silent stones and the dry leaves.

The stanza tells the author’s life experience and his sadness feeling because he runs his life lonely. If there are some happens to himself (I stumble and fall), nobody helps him. Because the author runs his life lonely, as a result he continues his life without any purpose, without knowing where to go (it’s just go away).

Touches the emotions displayed character "I" in this poem is actually it shows the confusion, despair, and  the inner clarity pressure of the writer. It makes this poem is very beautiful and it makes the reader unconscious to read the poem. This confusion seen in its depiction of solitude to live a life. For his, life is something that is not exciting and scary. Something that ‘darkness’. Like in the 10^th line up to 11^th line:

Everything dark and doorless,
only my steps aware of me,

In this poem, the author poured all his anger over what he or she feels that he is not considered (essential) by anyone. This picture is described as the depiction of the author's sense of outrage on the assumption that he is as unimportant men. Nobodies (only him). Then, the picture is also displayed anger of the colorful expressions of anger at the words of the poem. The author also describes the anger as it did to himself. Then, in the sense of anger, the writer also tries to ask the readers "Who are you?" And he answered himself "Are you - Nobody - too?". In reply, the author seemed to snap the reader and express their outrage to the reader.

In the poem "I'm Nobody! Who are you? ", The author is able to express her mental expression of something that is pervasive in the imagination and thoughts on a ketidakterimaan anger at himself in this life. The experience then becomes imagination gave birth to creative products in the form of literary works in puisinnya entitled "I'm Nobody! Who are you? "Is.

The author expresses his emotional about what she felt at what he saw. The contemplation of himself to what he feels and reflection on who she be an experience that prompted him to do something.

Conclusion

The poem “The Street” by Octavio Paz, the author poured all his anger over what he or she feels that he is not considered (essential) by anyone. This picture is described as the depiction of the author's sense of outrage on the assumption that he is as unimportant men. Nobodies (only him).

References

Abrams, M.H. 1976. The Mirror and The Lamp. London: Oxford University Press

Endraswara, Suwardi. 2003. Metodologi Penelitian Sastra. Yogyakarta: Pustaka

Widyautama.

Minderop, Albertine. 2010. Psikologi Sastra. Jakarta: Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia.

Ratna, Nyoman Kutha. 2003. Paradigma Sosiologi Sastra. Yogyakarta: Pustaka

Pelajar Offset.

Wellek, Rene dan Austin Warren. 1998. Teori Kesusastraan. Jakarta: Gramedia.