Psychoanalysis on HC Andersen: What motivate H.C.
Andersen in writing his fairy tales?
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Aditya Hartono Wijaya
112014708
ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all writer would like to thanks the God for allowing writer to finish
the Thesis project. In this good opportunity writer also wants to express his
gratitude to everyone who supported him throughout the course of this
Thesis project. Writer wants to say many thanks to his beloved parents and
sister who always support him spiritually and financially and also never stop
to pray for his success day and night. Their sacrifices will never be equally
paid. The writer also wants to give his gratitude to Lany Kristono, M. Hum.
as his advisor for her time, guidance, patience, kindness, and contribution in
correcting and helping him in finishing this Thesis.
Last but not least, writer also would like to express his trustworthy gratitude
to these persons; writer friends Adi Pratama, Christian Ade Chandra,
Christiawan Adi Nugroho who has kindly lend writer sources and references
Thesis
Name: Aditya Hartono W
NIM: 112014708
Abstract
Andersen’s fairy tales are considered children’s literature although they contain an element that may not really fit to be presented as children’s literature. These tales also share some similarities or repeated parts. As literary works may depict human life, it is interesting to analyze how an individual life experience influences his/her work and vice versa, how a character represent the author’s behaviour. Therefore, this study would like to analyze and describe what motivate Hans Christian Andersen to write his tales, particularly the similar parts they share by applying Freud’s psychoanalysis theory. The analysis results in a finding that the author’s motivation and past experience is expressed through his works while his works itself reflects the repressed desire and motivation of the author’s unconscious feeling.
Introduction
Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) a.k.a H.C. Andersen was a
Danish author and poet who wrote plays, travelogues, novels, and poems
but is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen can be called the
pioneer of this sub genre as his fairy tales were originally written by ‘his
own hands’ and is a brand new story; while other fairy tales writers only
rewrote and retold old legends and existing fairy tales in their own style.
Furthermore, even after 100 years, Andersen’s fairy tales have been
translated into more than 125 languages and are one of the world’s best
sellers (Bin 104).
The fame of Andersen’s works is reflected in the worldwide-spread
of his fairy tales and their popularity among children as well as adults.
Regardless their popularity, there are a few interesting things about
Andersen’s works. First, although fairy tales are considered children’s
literature, some of Andersen’s stories seem to be more appropriate for
adults. For example, in “The Little Mermaid”, the main character suffers a
lot of hardships of life so that, at the end of the story Andersen ‘saved’ her
by turning her into foam. The story shows one reality of life to the readers;
i.e. life may not end happily. Such a sad reality of life should not be aimed
at children, but adults. Moreover Andersen’s works implicitly present
lessons of morality and endurance in facing the hardships of life which fit
adult readers. Take a close look at “Little Mermaid”, “Ugly Duckling”, and
struggle over it before they have a happy life. However since the stories are
regarded as fairy tales, they are considered children’s literature.
Despite the big number of literary works for children, Andersen’s
stories are different and unique, particularly because they share similar
characters who suffer great pain when they are still young. For example,
The Ugly Duckling has to spend a miserable winter outdoors alone, hiding
in a cave by a lake that partly freezes after suffering from verbal and
physical abuses from those it thought to be its family (Andersen
379-387).Or, Thumbelina who was forced to leave her happy childhood
(Andersen 141) Another interesting fact about Andersen’s works is that his
stories have not only been translated, but also adapted to have different
styles of narrating and happy ending. Since the adapted versions emphasize
on the stories’ happy ending, the original plots are often changed to soften
or eliminate the suffering their characters have to endure. Such an
adaptation causes some of Andersen’s stories be different from their original
versions, in which the characters suffer more than those in any other fairy
tale stories. Although Andersen’s protagonists suffer a lot in their early life,
some of them find happiness. Interestingly, Andersen mostly portrays the
happy life as life that starts with finding a soul mate and a wedding. These
have triggered the writer to analyze what motive the author has in writing
the similar elements of his works. Therefore, this research would like to
address the following questions; i.e. “What motivate H.C. Andersen in
examine the similar parts of some of Andersen’s fairy tales; particularly
those related to his characters and plots.
Based on the problem stated above, this study is aimed at finding out
the reasons which motivate Andersen in writing the similar elements in his
characters and plots which characterize his fairy tales. The possible findings
of this study are expected to make readers more aware of the relationship
between author’s past experience and his works. The findings may also help
readers realize that what lie in the unconscious may go to the conscious as
well as to identify what may shape their ideas and thoughts so that they will
understand themselves better.
To dig out the answer to the research question, Psychoanalysis
would be used as a tool of analysis. Freud’s psychoanalysis was selected
since this study is concerned with finding out the reasons which motivate
Andersen in writing the similar elements in his characters and plots which
characterize his fairy tales.
Psychoanalysis is chosen since it can be used to assess literary works
as Psychology can explain creativity process, such as an author’s habit in
writing his/her works. Moreover it can be used to analyze characters in a
novel, story, drama or film psychologically as sometimes an author or writer
subconsciously inserts his/her adopted psychology belief in his/her works.
Furthermore, Psychoanalysis can also be used to analyze author’s mental
state through their works (Barry 71). Since this study would like to focus on
plots which characterize his fairy tales, Psychoanalysis is the right tool to be
used in this study, especially the part that discuses human character (Paris 3)
My search for previous studies brought me to the works of Knight
and Eggers. Both studies focus on a particular Andersen’s fairy tale. Knight
discussed that Disney’s Mermaid is against Native American’s belief. On
the other hand, Eggers examined the differences between Andersen’s
Mermaid and Disney’s version from female’s point of view. It is different
from Knight and Eggers’ works because this research emphasizes more on
the reason behind Andersen’s similar characters and plots; it is different
from Knight and Eggers’ works. In short, this study has never been done
Psychoanalysis
Coined by Freud, Psychoanalysis is a ‘tool’ or academically known
as systematic knowledge to make a better understanding on human
experience and behavior (Chaplin 394 & Tyson 11). To elaborate, it is
closely related to human subconscious realm/mind, part of a person's mind
that has ideas, feelings, etc., that the person is not aware of (Chaplin 349)
Freud, during his psychoanalytic therapy observation, deduces that
there are three mental activities; i.e. the Unconscious, Subconscious, and
Conscious. The unconscious is part of the mind beyond consciousness that
has a strong influence to human being’s actions (qtd. in Schustack and
Friedman, 10) , The Subconscious is a ‘box’ which contains memories of
experiences that our conscious realm do not even remember that they once
happened; while the Conscious is the ‘power holder’ upon what we are
doing at present. (qtd. in A. Freud 10). In short, Conscious acts as the
‘vehicle’ and Unconscious its ‘driver’
Freud’s experience in giving therapy to his patients convinced him
that the Unconscious is the deciding factor of individual’s important and
dynamic behavior. Freud explains that the unconscious is composed of
suppressed ideas, experiences, and repressed feelings of the conscious. In
other words, the unconscious accepts ‘the products’ of repression or refrain,
i.e. the process of suppressing unwanted or unpleasant experiences and
Freud also suggests the division of human mental’s area. He believes
that human personality is constituted of three components; which are id,
ego, and super ego (qtd. in Rennison 38). Id consists of motivation and
instinct or stimuli and is oriented upon the principle of pleasure or tension
reduction, which refers to immediate satisfaction attainment of biological
desires, such as eating and sleeping. Id attains pleasure through reflex and
primary process, that is by reducing tense by fantasizing (qtd. in Chaplin
236). Therefore, it is more fantasy or virtual-oriented. In seeking for
pleasure, Id excludes morality so that it cannot judge or distinguish good
from bad. In other words, Id is immoral primitive, chaos because it only
seeks for pleasure without even considering whether that is right or wrong.
Because of this, Id is considered the ‘beast within human being’. (qtd. in
Semiun 63).
Unlike Id, Ego seeks for ways to satisfy desires with minimum risks
(Freud qtd. In Semiun 64). As a mediator that connects Id to the
surrounding environment or outside world, Ego uses realistical and rational
methods to gain satisfaction. Ego is self control, rational or thinking as Ego
is an individual’s ‘I’ or ‘self’. As a personality’s executive, Ego has two
main jobs; i.e. choosing which stimulus to respond and which instinct to
satisfy according to the needs’ priority as well as deciding when and how
that need will be satisfied without ignoring possible risks and threatening
elements (qtd. in Rennison 40).
Freud defines Superego as part of personality’s moral and a section
than the reality realm. Seeking for perfection, Superego is a component of
personality that is closely related to the standard or the society’s norm
regarding what is good or bad, right and wrong (Semiun 67). However
Superego ignores ego and recklessly tries to satisfy its desire. Unlike Ego,
Superego not only holds the satiation of instinct, but also keeps trying to get
hold of it. In other words, Superego is a supreme ruler within individual’s
mind. (qtd.in Rennison 39)
In relation to personality structure, the study of psychoanalysis
comes to conclusion that personality developed and grows. The growth of
personality is a form of response toward the increasing conflicts, frustration,
and threats. Thus, individual instinctively learns how to restrain those
pressures in order to overcome an individual’s anxiety and prevent them
from getting ‘hurt’. (Schustack & Friedman 60). Freud suggests, among
others, identification and displacement as ways an individual learn to
overcome the threats around him/her. (Semiun 93) Identification is
employed when an individual takes over other’s characteristics and makes it
his/her own (Freud qtd. in Freud A. 40).
On the other hand, displacement, as its name implies, is an act where
an individual finds a substitute to satisfy his/her desire. (Tyson 15).
Psychoanalysis discusses two kinds of displacement; i.e. Sublimation and
Projection. If displacement simply redirects someone’s conflict, frustration,
and anger toward something or someone; then sublimation is on a higher
level since sublimation is a displacement that results in cultural achievement
threats but in exchange it also creates something which is valued culturally
or socially. According to Anna Freud, sublimation can simply understood as
the transformation of human’s emotion into something which can be valued
culturally or socially (42) For example, a man who loves to draw a picture
of girl may express the desire of him to have a girlfriend or his longing for a
girl to be by his side.
In contrast to sublimation, projection is blaming someone else as the
source of fright, problem, or desire (Semiun 100). For example, a girl may
interpret the act of older men as an attempt to seduce her. However, her
unconscious posses erotic desire to those men.
Psychoanalysis is indeed a helpful and useful ‘tool’ to assist the
study and/or analyzing on human’s character and behavior since it can also
used to analyze literary characters even though they are not a real human but
the fact that they represent the psychological experience of its creator.
Furthermore literary characters may represent behavior and real-life issues
Discussion
Andersen’s Characters
Characters in a story usually reflect the author’s true feeling and
attitude or point of view as author may subconsciously inputs his/her own
personal behavior into the story (Tyson 35). In addition, Psychoanalysis
believes that one’s behavior and attitude is motivated by their subconscious
mind (qtd. in Barry 70 & Schustack and Friedman 10 & Semiun 55). Since a
work represents its author’s attitude, it may reflect the author’s
subconscious mind. Therefore, reading an author’s works can be one way to
identify the writer’s subconscious mind.
Freud maintains that the subconscious consists of conscious
perception and unconsciousness which may go to the conscious at times (qtd
in Semiun 58). In other words, an author’s subconscious can be identified
by examining what are repeatedly expressed in their works. Reading H.C.
Andersen’s fairy tales, one may find some similarities related to his
characters and plots. Most Andersen’s characters are described as cheerful
or very curious individuals. Some have friends, brothers and sisters who
love them so much and are always by their side. Ariel, the main character of
“Little Mermaid” is described as a girl who has a big interest in the outside
world. As Andersen writes, “The little mermaid has a big curiosity to the
outside world. She always asks her Grand Mother to tell her about the upper
world” (Andersen 60). Elisa, the protagonist of “Wild Swans” has “personal
than her brothers. Because of this, Elisa never feels lonely except one time
when she leaves the castle as she misses her brothers (Andersen 166).This
implies that Eliza always feels happy and is never lonely when her brothers
are around her. Even, the characters of “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”, have 24
“siblings” because Andersen writes that “There were once five-and-twenty
tin soldiers. They were all brothers, born of the same old tin spoon.” (113).
In contrast to his characters, Andersen has a lonely life because he
was the only child in his family and had only few friends. Yung Bin
explains that “Andersen loves to play alone and none of his neighbours want
to play together with him” (12).This description can be ambiguous.
Andersen may love to play alone, and because of that his peers do not want
to play with him. Or, because no one wants to play with him, Andersen
develops a habit of playing alone. Although there are no sources which
state that Andersen was unhappy to be alone, individuals do need to mingle
with others because they are social beings. I may say that socializing is one
need of human beings, and Andersen does have this need. However,
because he does not have friends, he seems to fulfill his need to socialize by
fantasizing. As Yung Bin describes, “Little Andersen likes to play in his
backyard and there he drown into his own imagination” (8). What Andersen
did matches Freud’s argument that:
Desire and fantasy it seems are closely related. Desire has its
origin in the experience of satisfaction. As Freud analyzed, if desire
between the subject, and their wishes, and the negation of acting on
their desires, in reality. (qtd. in Brenner 1)
Andersen seems to have used fantasy to mediate himself, his wishes
for friends, siblings and social interaction and the reality that he does not
mingle with his peers. Later, he turns his fantasies into fairy tales, which are
art work. According to Freud, this is a defense mechanism which comes up
in the form of “socially acceptable source of entertainment and pleasure for
the public” (qtd. in Drobot 1). Besides, psychoanalysis believes that the
unconscious plays a major role in the process of creativity (Freud qtd. in
Drobot 1). Therefore, it is very possible that Andersen’s characters represent
his repressed unfulfilled need for friends and socialization (Freud qtd. in
Semiun 57).
Andersen’s Plot
Another characteristic of Andersen’s works lies in the plot, in which
the main characters experience an unpleasant change in their life when they
are still very young, face the difficult period in their life without complaints,
and “live happily ever after”. Even if the main character has to die, such as
the protagonist of “The Match Girl”, s/he is freed from physical sufferings
and enters a happily ever-after life (Andersen 12).
The change most Andersen’s protagonists experience is unpleasant
because they initially enjoy a very happy life. In “Wild Swan”, Elisa, the
sister, Elisa, sat on a little footstool of flawless glass. She had a picture book
that had cost half a kingdom” (163). In “Thumbelina”, Andersen writes:
“A nicely polished walnut shell served as her cradle. Her mattress
was made of the blue petals of violets, and a rose petal was pulled up
to cover her. That was how she slept at night. In the daytime she
played on a table where the woman put a plate surrounded with a
wreath of flowers. Thumbelina used the petal as a boat, and with a
pair of white horsehairs for oars she could row clear across the
plate-a chplate-arming sight.” (142).
Both descriptions illustrate how happy some of Andersen’s protagonists
early years are.
Just like some of his protagonists, Andersen also had a happy
childhood although he was born in a poor family. As written in his
biography,”even though the husband works very hard it cannot change their
poverty life” (Yung Bin 4) Andersen’s happiness during his childhood is
reflected in how he recalled his childhood “I was the only child, and was
extremely spoiled, but I continually heard from my mother how very much
happier I was than she had been, and that I was brought up like a nobleman's
child.” (Andersen 2). This implies that despite the family’s financial
difficulty, Andersen’s parents seem to give priority to giving their son a
comfortable life by “extremely” spoiling him and raising him like “a
nobleman’s child; i.e. by introducing him to literature which was a
Even though it is not clearly or explicitly stated if Andersen missed
his early childhood so much but how Andersen longs for or treasures the
happiness of his early childhood is implied in how he describes the early life
of his protagonists in “Thumbelina” and “Wild Swan” (163&142). Because
the portrayal of the protagonist’s happy early years is repeated, this may
reflect that Andersen’s inner part wish for happiness; yet he no longer
possesses the ability to recreate his own happiness. Thus, he may try to
embody his interpretation of happiness in his own works. Andersen does
miss his early childhood so much that he may not realize if he vents his
happy early life through the portrayal of his characters’ comfortable life.
This is simply understood as the manifestation of what is so called desire
(Freud qtd. in Semiun 69).
Another repeated event in Andersen’s plots happens when his
protagonist has to experience an unpleasant change in their happy early
years. He writes in “Wild Swan”. “… Oh, the children had a very fine time,
but it did not last forever.” (163). In “Thumbelina”, he describes, the
protagonist as one who was “forced” to leave her little yet comfortable
house. Similarly, Andersen’s happy childhood did not last long. His father
passed away as soon as he came back from war. Andersen was only eleven
years old at that time. That is only the beginning of Andersen’s difficult life
(Hans Christian Andersen 24). Two years after his father’s death,
Andersen’s mother married another shoe maker, who did not care for him
During the time when Andersen lived without his father, he often
came to a late pastor’s home his school. The late pastor, Fencailo, was a
well-known poet during his life. There in the pastor’s house Andersen spent
his time reading books and stage play scenarios to forget his grief (Yung
Bin 26). Thus, Andersen spends most of his unpleasant time by reading the
pastor’s collection.
Reading the pastor’s collection must have helped Andersen face the
difficult period in his life. Interestingly, he portrays that some of his
protagonists are comforted by living beings in their unhappy times. Elisa,
the Wild Swan protagonist, still enjoys the protection and care of her
brothers which makes her still able to smile even during the unpleasant time
(172). While Thumbelina is able to endure the hard time thanks to the birds’
chirping that makes her heart happy (148). Andersen’s life experience and
his imaginative characters have different helps in facing the hard time in
their lives. Andersen read books so that he uses his fantasy and background
knowledge more. In other words, he communicates with his own
imagination. On the other hand, his characters interact with other living
being and things; i.e. brothers and birds. Yung Bin shares that Andersen has
a lonely childhood (12). His father’s death and uncaring stepfather must
have made Andersen feel lonelier. Therefore, Andersen’s description of his
characters in their difficult time may reflect his unfulfilled desire to have
friends of living things to interact with. In the language of psychoanalysis it
is considered as displacement, an act where an individual finds a substitute
The last repeated element in Andersen’s fairy tales is the ending in
which in the end, the protagonist live a happy life i.e. Thumbelina is married
to a prince and live their happy life. As Andersen writes,
“So he took off his golden crown and put it on her head. He asked
if he might know her name, and he asked her to be his wife, which
would make her queen over all the flowers. Everyone rejoiced, as the
swallow perched above them in his nest and sang his very best songs
for them.” (Andersen 155)
Meanwhile Elisa meets with her beloved family again and married the
prince
“The scent of a million roses filled the air, for every piece of
wood that they had piled up to burn her had taken root and grown
branches. There stood a great high hedge, covered with red and
fragrant roses. At the very top a single pure white flower shone like
a star. The King plucked it and put it on Elisa's breast. And she
awoke, with peace and happiness in her heart. Back to the palace
went a bridal procession such as no King had ever enjoyed before”
(Andersen 184).
In “Ugly Duckling”, the protagonist is finally turned into a beautiful being
and feels its first happiness
“He felt so very happy, but he wasn't at all proud, for a good heart
never grows proud. He thought about how he had been persecuted
of all beautiful birds. He rustled his feathers and held his slender
neck high, as he cried out with full heart: "I never dreamed there
could be so much happiness, when I was the ugly duckling”
(Andersen 93)
Andersen’s happiest time in life is when he recalls the memories of
his beloved family and persons who has passed away (Hans Christian
Adersen100). Andersen longs for and treasures the happiness of his life and
family is implied in how he describes the happy end of his protagonists.
Perspective of Psychology believes that unconscious is composed of
suppressed ideas, experiences, and repressed feelings of the conscious (qtd.
in Barry 70 & Schustack and Friedman 10 & Semiun 55). Thus may lead to
opinion that Andersen wish for an eternal happiness through his fairy tale
characters’ happy ending. The happy end also may represent Andersen’s
wish to have a happy life – possibly a happily – ever – after.
In most of Andersen’s fairy tales, the happy ending is also affected
by marriage. Most of the female protagonists “are found” by their soul
mates, who are mostly a prince. This can be seen in the story of Wild Swan
“All the church bells began to ring of their own accord and the air was filled
with birds. Back to the palace went a bridal procession such as no King had
ever enjoyed before.” (Andersen 184) As for Thumbelina, she finally finds
her life mate and lives happily ever after. Andersen writes, “So he took off
his golden crown and put it on her head. He asked if he might know her
name, and he asked her to be his wife, which would make her queen over all
In contrast, due to some unknown reasons, Andersen never got
married. Yung Bin mentions that “Andersen is not married and has no
offspring, he spends his life being single” (100) As human being generally
have desire and will to build a relationship with opposite sex and have a
family it is very possible that Andersen’s characters reflect his repressed
unfulfilled need for marriage. Furthermore, psychologically Andersen’s act
to make his fairy characters married to their beloved people is describes as
Sublimation, the transformation of human’s emotion into something which
can be valued culturally or socially (Anna Freud 42)
The similarities in Andersen’s fairy tales is not merely a
coincidence. They may be a reflection of the author’s “…subconscious
realm/mind, part of a person's mind that has ideas, feelings, etc., that the
person is not aware of ( Chaplin 394). In other words, Andersen does have
unfulfilled or repressed wishes, desire, and dreams which, without his
Conclusion
Based on Freud’s psychoanalytic theory to relate Andersen’s works
and past life, the analysis has revealed what motivate H.C. Andersen in
writing similar characters and plots. It is revealed that actually the very
reason is more on unconscious matter and the suppressed feeling of the
author’s due to his past experience and motivation.
Andersen’s cheerful characters who are surrounded by loyal, caring
siblings or true friends may be a reflection of his unfulfilled desire as an
only child who has no friends to play with. The sufferings that his characters
have to endure in their early years and the encouragement and consolation
they get from their siblings or other living creatures may represent
Andersen’s wishes to have someone he can rely on during the difficult
period in his life, especially because he lost his father and his stepfather is
not a caring one. Andersen’s description of the happy-ever-after life of
many of his characters, which begins when they meet their soul mate is
contrast to the reality that Andersen never marry nor have a serious
relationship with a woman. Therefore, it may mirror his repressed longing
for a partner of life.
In short, Andersen actually lives a solitary, if not lonely, life since he
was a child, which is contrast to the lives of many of his characters. As he
spent his solitary life reading and fantasizing, his characters and plots very
possibly express his unconscious mind, which longs warm human
The finding of this study is expected to help readers understand
psychoanalysis better, particularly that an individual’s works can be a mirror
of the creator’s unconscious mind. Furthermore readers are expected to be
able to learn more about H.C. Andersen, his works and his way of
projecting his repressed feelings and desires to culturally more acceptable
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