The Dead Zone: Psychoanalysis in Myth, Archetype, and the Structure of Metaphor

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The Dead Zone Psychoanalysis in Myth, Archetype,
and the Structure of Metaphor
"a hero ventures forth from the world of the
common day into a region of supernatural wonder 
fabulous forces are there encountered and a
decisive victory is won  the hero comes back
from this mysterious adventure with the power to
bestow boons on his fellow man " (30). -Joseph
Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces  

• By Miriam D. Dufer

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Author/Text Relationship

• Author idea (hypothesis, poem, story or theory
• Idea Text (paper, computer, or internet)
• Output - reader response

Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
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Questions

• Does the text function alone without connection
  to the author once it is released as output?
• Is the link between author and text infinitely
  connected and mutually inclusive?
• Does the text belong to the reader or author?
• What are the implications of psychoanalytic
  criticism?

Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
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Background

• Barthes Author-centric
• Alcorn and Bracher traditional vs. recent views
• Freud Father of Psychoanalysis
• Franzosa Unimpeded flow of ideas from the
  unconscious
• Stone Freuds influence in Literature
• Brooks Anti-Psychoanalytic

Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
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Anthropological Importance
John Hinckley
Jared Leto as Mark David Chapman
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Stephen King Interview

• Mind of the author (Barthes)
• Unconscious/Manifest Content (Freud)
• Elitism of Intelligentsia (Freud)

Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
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Interconnected

• Jung
• Campbell
• Metaphor, Myth and Archetype are interconnected
• Metaphor

Myth
Archetype
Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
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Archetype, Myth, and Metaphor

• Archetype a typical or recurring image,
  character, narrative design, theme, or other
  literary phenomenon that has been in literature
  from the beginning and regularly reappears
• Myth an "old wives tale," a generally accepted
  belief unsubstantiated by fact
• Metaphor a figure of speech in which a word or
  phrase is applied to something to which it is not
  literally applicable

Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
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Cassandra of Troy

• Can see
• Issues warnings
• Not believed
• Skepticism

Cassandra by Evelyn De Morgan
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Campbells Monomyth

• Separation
• Initiation
• Return

Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
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Johnny Smith

• 6 years in coma
• Awakens
• Can see
• Issues Warnings
• Not Believed
• Skepticism

Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
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The Journey Cycle
Stages 1-6 Birth Call to Adventure Helper/Amulet C
rossing the Threshold Tests Helpers
Stages 7-11 Not seen in pilot episode but
foreshadowed
Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
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Dead Zone Definitions

• Cell Phone
• Water System
• Computer
• The Human Brain

Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
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Structure of Metaphor
Dimensions/Emotions
Vehicle
Tenor
playful, deceptive, disconnected, separated,
unreliable
tricks
mind
Un-accessed portion of the brain, sixth sense,
Dead Zone
Brain

• Tenor
• Vehicle
• Dimension

unique connection to a person, reserve the pet
name for those closest to us
sport
athletic game
fearful, anxious
pale
light color
black man, Shared culture makes for kin,
brother
male sibling
loan, short term interaction, non-human object
borrow
keep for a short time
brain is scrambled like eggs
Humpty Dumpty
Nursery Rhyme Character
change, metamorphosis
morph
change
someone asleep for a long time, awakening from a
long sleep
Rip Van Winkle
literary character
peaceful death, painless
slip away
die
Hardship is a precipitate (from above).
new powder
snow
try again, persevere
horse
car
 
 
Struture of Metaphor
aggression
forced the issue
confront
 
 
Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
Dimensions
Vehicle
Tenor
playful, deceptive, disconnected, separated,
unreliable
tricks
mind
unaccessed portion of the brain, sixth sense, 
Dead Zone
Brain 
unique connection to a person, reserve the pet
name for those closest to us
sport
athletic game
fearful, anxious
pale
light color
black man, Shared culture makes for kin, 
brother
male sibling
loan, short term interaction, non-human object
borrow
keep for a short time
brain is scrambled like eggs
Humpty Dumpty
Nursery Rhyme Character
change, metamorphosis
morph
change
someone asleep for a long time, awakening from a
long sleep
Rip VanWinkle
literary character
peaceful death, painless
slip away
die
Hardship is a precipitate (from above).
new powder
snow
try again, persevere
horse
car
 
forced the issue
confront
  On page 27, Dr. Trans states that the mind
plays tricks and that the dead zone is
suddenly very much alive. Culturally, Americans
will understand these metaphors but non-Americans
may not get the connection. On page 31, Walt says
to JJ, Lets go, sport, referring to his son,
J. J., we know that the boy is clearly not a
sport but understand the metaphor. In the
description of Sarah at the bottom of page 31,
she goes pale, a metaphor for the distress she
feels in anticipation of seeing Johnny. On page
35, Bruce describes Tiger Woods as a brother, a
metaphor for a black male. On page 36, Allison
states the we need to borrow Mr. Smith, a
metaphor that means they need some time with him
but we know that one doesnt borrow a person like
a library book. Also on page 36, Reverend Purdy
talks about how Johnnys brains were all over
the side of the road, a metaphor about his sever
brain injury as a result of the car accident.
Johnnys brain was not literally all over the
side of the road. On page 40, Reverend Purdy uses
the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme as a metaphor for
Johnnys delicate condition. On page 42 in the
direction for Mother Tran, she morphs as she
limps, a metaphor for change or metamorphosis.
Again on page 42, Bruce refers to Johnny as
Mister Rip Van Winkle, a conceptual metaphor
for someone sleeping for a long time. On page 47,
Sarah tells Johnny that the doctors told her that
he would just slip away, meaning that he would
die peacefully in his coma. Again on page 47,
Bannerman describes snow as six inches of new
powder. On page 53, Johnny says that hes got
to get back on the horse, a metaphor for trying
something hard although youve run into
difficulties in reference to driving a car.
Lastly, on page 56, the direction shows that
Sarah has forced the issue, a metaphor for
making something priority or introducing an issue
aggressively. This episode of The Dead Zone is
full of conceptual and specific metaphors. As we
see with Cassandra and the Hero Archetype,
Johnnys story is not new but is familiar because
of the past experience we have with Greek
Mythology and Campbell. Works
Cited/Consulted Breen, Myles, and Farrel
Corcoran. "The Myth in the Discourse." Annual
Meeting of the Central States Speech Association.
Milwaukee, April 15-17, 1982. Burke, Ken.
"Mythical Structures in Community Vision." Annual
Meeting of the Central States Communication
Association. Cleveland, April 9-12,
1992. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With a Thousand
Faces. Princeton, N.J. Princeton University
Press, 1949. Campbell, Joseph, and Bill Moyers.
The Power of Myth. New York Doubleday,
1988. Davies, Robert, James Farrell, and Steven
Matthews. "The Dream World of Film A Jungian
Perspective on Cinematic Communication." The
Western Journal of Speech Communication. 46
(1982) 326-343. Gordon, Walter. Literature in
Critical Perspectives New York Meredith Corp.,
1968. Klein, Melanie. Envy and Gratitude. New
York Doubleday, 1977. Lafia, John. Lieberman,
Robert. Anthony Michael Hall, Nicole Deboer,
Chris Bruno, John L. Adams, David Ogden Stiers,
Dominic Louis, Anna Hagen, Rick Tae, Donald Fong,
Emily Holmes, Michael St. John Smith, Gina
Chiarelli. The Dead Zone WHeel of
Fortune(1001), Lionsgate and CBS Paramount
International Television in association with
Piller/Segan, June 16, 2002. Levi-Strauss,
Claude. The Structural Study of Myth. The Journal
of American Folklore, Vol 68, No. 270, Myth A
Symposium. (Oct., -Dec., 1955), pp.
428-444. Prentice, Penelope. "Tell Me a Story
I'll Never Forget or Deconstructing Traditional
Narrative Plot/Myths to Challenge the Ethics of
Conflict." Annual Meeting of the College English
Association. 23rd Annual Meeting. Pittsburgh,
27-29 Mar. 1992. Rudicell, Robin R. Using
Metonymy and Myth to Teach Film. The English
Journal, Vol. 81, No.7. (Nov1992), pp
78-81. Valesio, Paolo. "The Beautiful Lie Heroic
Individuality and Fascism." Reconstructing
Individualism Autonomy, Individuality, and the
Self in Western Thought. Ed. Thomas Heller,
Morton Sosna, and David E. Wellbery. Stanford,
California Stanford UP, 1986. 163-183. Wilkerson,
Norma. "Archetype in Fiction and Film." College
Board Vertical Teams AP English Conference. Hotel
Sofitell, Houston. 15 Nov. 1997.
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Conclusion

• Psychoanalysis in Literature
• Author-text-reader foci
• Anthropological importance
• Myth, Metaphor, Archetype

Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008
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Questions
Miriam D. Dufer ENGL 810 Spring 2008