A Study on Psychological Aspects in Summer and Smoke

The purpose of this article is to analyze the psychological aspects of Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams, with reference to basic Freudian concepts. Freud divides the mind structure into three domains: Id, Ego, and Super-ego. The Id is explained by the pleasure principle, the Ego represents the reality principle, and the Super-ego represents the moral principle. This study, based on Freud’s psychoanalysis theory, shows how the psychological conflicts of the two main characters, Alma and John, in Williams’ play, are related to the three fundamental human minds. Alma, suffering from physical desire and spiritual conflict, achieves liberation by acknowledging the sexual desire embedded in her abandonment of puritan temperance and spiritual values. John, who does not forsake his inner values, finds his true self in Alma and embodies a true self represented by the principle of reality.