The Divided Self: A Jungian Reading of the Unconscious in Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks

Research Abstract

This study applies Carl Jung’s analytical psychology to Suzan-Lori Parks’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Topdog/Underdog, concentrating on the personal and collective unconscious aspects of the two African Ameri- can siblings, Lincoln and Booth. The study also looks into how unconscious complexes and archetypal forces develop their psychological traits and per- sonal shortages and how they affect their conduct, decisions and ultimate outcomes. The analysis will follow each brother’s path through the persona, shadow, and anima/animus—the three fundamental divisions of the psy- che—using Jung’s concept of individuation. By highlighting the symbolic and archetypal representations in the relationships among the protagonists and their choices, the research will illuminate the internal psychological struggles that either facilitate or hinder self-realization; additionally, the re- search examines some of Jungian psychological complexes concepts as they apply to the brothers’ fight for recognition, identity and agency in a context that is racially and economically oppressive. Through examining their un- conscious factors, this research shows how the individuation process is es- sential and can result in either self-realization or a shattered, unrealized Self when the shadow and additional psychological contents are not confronted and integrated. Keywords: Jung, Parks, Complex, Individuation, Persona, Shadow, Ani- ma, Topdog/Underdog

Research Keywords

Keywords: Jung, Parks, Complex, Individuation, Persona, Shadow, Ani- ma, Topdog/Underdog