Lonely Perdition—An Analysis of Michael Corleone in The Godfather: Part 2 from the Perspective of Freud's Theory of Personality Structure_英语论文

摘要

《教父2》是由弗朗西斯·福特·科波拉执导的经典黑帮电影《教父》系列的第二部，影片聚焦于第二代教父迈克尔·柯里昂在接管家族事业后的心路历程，深入地刻画了迈克尔从善良正直的好公民到心狠手辣的冷血教父的角色转变。本文以弗洛伊德的人格结构理论为理论框架，从本我，自我和超我的角度对影片中迈克尔的行为进行分析，通过剖析迈克尔在暗流涌动的美国社会中被异化、在完成身份转变的同时坠入痛苦深渊的过程，深化人们对影片以及迈克尔这一人物形象的理解。迈克尔的个人命运映射出资本原始积累过程中的血腥与残暴，他人性的堕落是资本主义社会隐藏黑暗面的深刻表现。

关键词：人格结构理论  自我本我超我模型  《教父》  人物形象分析

Abstract

The Godfather: Part 2 is the second movie in the classic gangster movie series The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It focuses on Michael Corleone’s story after he became the new head leader of the crime empire. It portrays Michael’s transformation from a lawful citizen to a brutal criminal. This thesis will analyse the process of Micheal’s change from the perspective of Freud’s theory of Personality Structure, which claims human’s psyche can be divided into three levels: the id, the ego and the superego. By analysing how Michael is alienated by the American society and fell into perdition while finishing the transition of identity, we are able to have a clearer cognition on the character and the movie. Michael’s personal fate reflects the brutalness of primitive accumulation of capital. The fall of his humanity is the solid presence of the hidden darkness of capitalist society.

Key words: Freud’s theory of personality structure  the Id-ego-superego model The Godfather  character analysis

Contents

Chapter One  Introduction 1

1.1  A Brief Introduction to The Godfather 1

1.2  Purpose of the Thesis 2

Chapter Two  Literature Review 3

2.1  Previous Studies on The Godfather 3

2.1.1 Previous Studies on The Godfather Abroad 3

2.1.2 Previous Studies on The Godfather at Home 4

2.2  Summary 5

Chapter Three  Theoretical Framework 6

3.1  Definition of Freud’s Theory of Personality Structure 6

3.1.1 The definition of the Id 6

3.1.2 The definition of the Ego 7

3.1.3 The definition of the Superego 7

3.2  Summary 8

Chapter Four  Scenario Analysis in The Godfather Part 2 9

4.1  Introduction of The Godfather: Part 2 9

4.2  Three Stages of Michael’s Perdition 11

Chapter Five  Conclusion 16

Bibliography

Acknowledgements