Defence Mechanisms in Hermann Ungar's !e Maimed: A Psychoanalytical Interpretation of the Novel

Abstract

This paper applies psychoanalytic object relations theories to examine the three protagonists of Ungar's novel, focusing on their relationships to other characters and to each other. All three are seen as demonstrations of different defense mechanisms, whose goal is to ensure the preservation of one's own identity in a world perceived as hostile and threatening.

This core theme is made clear by their mutual mirroring and based on existing interpretations of the novel. Finally, drawing on the analysis, a reinterpretation of the novel's ending is attempted.

Keywords

• Hermann Ungar
• defence mechanism
• object relations theory
• schizoid
• order