(Un)resolved Oedipus Complex: A Socio-Psycho Analysis of Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Abstract

Aim of the Study: This study aims to delve into the patriarchal implications of the (un)resolved Oedipus complex in the characters of Milan Kundera’s novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

Methodology: Using the theoretical lens of patriarchy and psychoanalysis, this study analyzes the selected text in an eclectic approach.

Findings: Textual analysis shows that having a (un)resolved Oedipus complex, the female characters of the novel are suppressed and the male characters exploit women sexually as well as psychologically.  Having the potential to control the psyche of the characters, (un)resolved Oedipus shapes the patriarchal behavior of males.

Conclusion: The interlacing of social and psychological forms of oppression makes men think of themselves as having masculine perfection and superiority and consider females as imperfect and inferior subjects.