Psychoanalytic and Psychological Analysis of Marsha Norman's 'Night, Mother' (1982)

Abstract

‘Night, Mother’, a play written by Marsha Norman in 1982, provides a deep exploration towards the inner psychoanalytic and psychological analysis. The research paper is an analysis of the character Jessie Cates and the dynamic mother-daughter complexities portrayed in the drama. Through the characters Jessie Cates and her mother Thelma, the paper aims at investigating the emotional, psychological and existential crisis faced within the ordinary household structure. The research intends to provide a detailed examination of character context by associating their behaviour with the psychological realism framework and Freudian Psychoanalytic theory. The paper aims to explore the concepts of repression, Thanatos (the death drive) and parental attachment and how they are represented in the play’s real-time structure through the lens of character creation. The paper also highlights how modern plays represent the failure of modern society in addressing mental disparities and demonstrate the significance of cementing the contemporary discourse on mental and domestic trauma, suicide and female autonomy.