Psychological Study of the character of 'Lavinia' in 'Mourning becomes Electra'

Introduction:

‘One’s behavior represents one’s psyche.’ Psychology is the study of mind and behavior. It is an
academic discipline and an applied science which seeks to understand individuals and groups by
establishing general principles and researching specific case. (Wikipedia) Psychology studies
one’s behavior with the society, one’s emotions, feelings etc.

Brief about the author & play:

The play ‘Mourning becomes Electra’ is written by the American play writer Eugene O’Neill
published in 1931. He was born on 16th October 1888 and died on 27th November 1953. The
play is much inspired by the Greek ancient play ‘Oresteia’ by Aeschylus. Of course because here
it is modern play it has modernist features. In both the plays the characters are much similar. The
play ‘Mourning becomes Electra’ is divided into three parts: 1) Homecoming 2) The Hunted & 3)
The Haunted.

The play ‘Mourning becomes Electra’ tells the story of the Mannon family. All most all members
were having high position in the society. That is why they were the talk of the town. Many
people also tried come near to the Mannon family to know about them. The town was proud
upon Ezra Mannon, but not upon her wife Christine Mannon; because she was having foreign
look. Lavinia and Orin are the siblings. The other thing about this family was almost all the male
family members were having same kind of look.

This is the story of Lavinia Mannon. She loves her father so much and from the childhood she
thinks that her mother is her envy. Her father spends 10 years in army and stay away from the
house. During these 10 years her mother Christine falls in love with her husband’s stepbrother
Adam Brand. When Ezra comes back he feels gap between husband and wife. He behaves as if
during these ten he was here with his wife. He tells her wife to forget about these 10 years. It
was not so easy for her and she openly confesses her love with Adam Brand. She tells that when
she marries Ezra she was in love with him but after marriage she feels disgusting towards Ezra.
She needs a lover and that’s why she goes to New-york to meet Adam Brand. Hearing this truth
Ezra feels something in his left side may be heart-attack. And after taking the medicine he died.
Here ambiguity remains that whether it was his nature death or he died because of medicines
given by his wife Christine.

Here other notable thing is that Lavinia also wants to receive her father’s love. When her father
was away from her she all the time was thinking that when her father will be here she will
receive all his attention and love. Even when Peter proposes her she denies his proposal and says
that her relationship with him is like brother and sister and she can’t marry him because her
father needs her. Here we can see Lavinia’s too much love towards her father. Even when after
ten years her father comes at home he ordered her to go into bedroom which doesn.t like. Her
father wanted to spend some time with his wife, and that is why Lavinia thinks that her mother
is competitor. Here we can see the Electra complex in Lavinia’s character.

What is psychology? : Electra Complex

Psychological knowledge is often applied to the assessment and treatment of mental health
problems; it is also directed towards understanding and solving problems in several spheres of
human activity. The word psychology derives from Greek roots meaning study of the psyche.
(Wikipedia) Here Lavinia’s psychology is connected with Electra complex. This complex is the
other side of Oedipus complex. This complex is reversal complex of Oedipus complex. This
complex shows the sexual desire between the daughter and father or brother and sister. The
theory of the Electra complex was discovered by Freud from the mythological character Electra,
and the term was coined by Hung in 1913. In classical psychoanalytic theory, the child's
identification with the same-sex parent is the successful resolution of the Electra complex and of
the Oedipus complex; his and her key psychological experience to developing a mature identity.
Sigmund Freud instead proposed that girls and boys resolved their complexes differently.
(Wikipedia)

Psychological study of Lavinia:

As above said that this play is much inspired by the Greek ancient play, like in that character here
also Lavinia feels attraction towards her father.

“CHRISTINE: What are you moon gazing at? Puritan maidens shouldn't peer too inquisitively into
spring! Isn't beauty an abomination and love a vile thing? Why don't you marry Peter? You don't
want to be left an old maid, do you?
LAVINIA: You needn't hope to get rid of me that way. I'm not marrying anyone. I've got my duty
to Father. (Homecoming, Act 3)” - (Shmoop)

Here we can say a hint of Electra complex, excessive love towards father. Here other ambiguity
remains about the death of Ezra Mannon that was his death natural or naturalized? He soon
died after taking the medicine. Here a question arises in our mind that whether the medicines
were wrong given by his wife or it was already changed by Lavinia. Because when her father was
on death-bed she was the first to enter in the room and said that she saw a night-mare. At that
time her mother was hiding something may be the right medicine. And when Ezra was dying her
mother told her that he is taking rest. In reality she knew that he is on his death-bed. Nothing is
clear about Ezra Mannon’s death. But then in the very next chapter Eugene uses the word
murder for Ezra Mannon’s death. So he was murdered that is the truth.

We can say that may be this action was taken by Lavinia to take revenge. She was behaving with
her mother as if she is her rival. May be she killed her father thinking that he will think that his
wife has killed him. She wants to be the wife of his father. And she wants to marry her father.
Here are the some glimpse of the psychology of Lavinia and her mother Christine both.

“CHRISTINE: No. I loved him once--before I married him--incredible as that seems now! He was
handsome in his lieutenant's uniform! He was silent and mysterious and romantic! But marriage
soon turned his romance into--disgust!

LAVINIA: So I was born of your disgust! I've always guessed that, Mother--ever since I was little--
when I used to come to you--with love--but you would always push me away! I've felt it ever
since I can remember--your disgust! (Then with a flare-up of bitter hatred) Oh, I hate you! It's
only right I should hate you!

CHRISTINE: I tried to love you. I told myself it wasn't human not to love my own child, born of my
body. But I never could make myself feel you were born of anybody but his! You were always my
wedding night to me--and my honeymoon! (Homecoming, Act 2)” - (Shmoop)

After the death of her father Lavinia’s love converted towards her brother Orin, may be same
looks of the Mannon family. Orin was very much near to his mother but there was the absence
of oedipal complex, the way it is in Lavinia’s case. When he came to know about his mother’s
affair he kills Adam. Soon after this his mother also committed suicide. At that time Lavinia tells
him that though now their mother is not alive, but she is here with him. Here we can see the
attraction of Lavinia towards her brother. After the death of his mother he was not in a mood to
go out anywhere but Lavinia forces him to go on the tour of south sea and islands. Here we can
see the force of Lavinia upon his brother. Peter’s sister Hazel was in love with Orin. Christine
wanted that her son marry to Hazel, but after her death Hazel was not much liked by Lavinia. She
wanted all the control upon her brother.

Conclusion:

Orin also committed suicide at the end. At that time Lavinia speaks that ‘Forgive me Orin’. At that
time we can see a little change in her. May be she was realizing her mistakes. She interferes in
everybody’s life. At the end Peter again proposes her but again she denies. She said that now she
is the last Mannon member of the Mannon family. Now she will lock up herself in this Mannon
house and will not even allow the sun rays to come in. “The dead forget us, we forget the dead”.
This is the line spoken by her at the end of the play. And she shut the windows and also the
doors. She also said that “I will not commit suicide”. Symbolically she is dead now not physically
but mentally. She is now broken within. At the end she locks up herself in the Mannon house
with the same look like her mother.