How Does Chekhov Show The Unconscious Mind Of A Child

At some point in childhood, everyone has had to face punishment for wrong-doings. Whether stealing cookies when mom or dad were not looking, cutting ones hair because it seemed like a good idea at the time, or forgetting to take out the trash, everyone has done something wrong at some point in their life. What happens when you are caught in your wrong-doing? What do you do? Do you confess to your parents or do you deny the crime? Anton Chekhov addresses this common feeling of the internal conflict faced by children in his story of a boy who steals his father’s cigarettes, displaying the influence of the unconscious mind in the conflicted feeling of the child. When reading Home by Anton Chekhov through a psychoanalytic lens, it is apparent that
One main quote that displays the unconscious mind is when Chekhov writes, “Seryozha looked pensively at the lamp, touched the lamp shade with his finger, and heaved a sigh”(Chekhov, 4). In this quote, the father is trying to explain to Seryozha that smoking is bad but Seryozha dodges the conflict in front of him and instead thinks of other things, trying to focus on the lamp rather than what his father is saying. This happens again when his father tries reasoning with him another time, when he abruptly changes the topic, saying, “Papa, what is gum made of?” (Chekhov, 4). Through these examples, we see that the son continues to try to change the topic and his center of focus. This displays free association, which is linked to the unconscious mind, as he says and does what comes to his mind. In addition, it includes the id, because he is doing and saying what he feels rather than caring about the consequences of what he does on his father. Overall, Seryozha’s conflict is displayed through how he unconsciously avoids his father’s disapproval and instead tries to think of other things. The conflict is evident in the fact that although deep down Seryozha knows what he did is wrong, he does not want to admit it and is conflicted in what he should do; whether he should confess or just listen to his father, so instead he tries to change the
Much like the evidence of the unconscious mind and free association, Seryozha also displays his conflict through intellectualization. This is shown in when the author writes “He’s not listening to me. Obviously he does not regard either his misdoings or my arguments as serious” (4). As can be seen, the son is struggling with facing what he has done, so he tries to think about other things, using intellectualization. Instead of confessing to his wrong-doing or listening to what his father was saying, he kept trying to discuss other things or change the subject, avoiding accepting what he did. Seryozha’s struggle with accepting his wrong-doings are displayed throughout the story as it took him awhile to finally accept that smoking was