Freuds Concept of the Uncanny When a person experiences chills or goose bumps as a reaction to something strange or unusual, they are being affected by a sense of uncanniness. The psychoanalystSigmund Freud endeavored to explain this feeling ofuncanniness in his essay entitled The Uncanny. Freudstheory focuses around two different causes for thisreaction. Freud attributes the feeling of uncanniness torepressed infantile complexes that have been revived by someimpression, or when primitive beliefs that have beensurmounted seem once more to be confirmed. The first point of his theory that Freud discusses inthe essay is the repression of infantile complexes thatcause an uncanny experience. Freud uses E.T.A. Hoffmansshort story, The Sandman, to explain the idea ofrepression of infantile complexes. The story centers aroundthe character of the Sandman, who steals the eyes ofchildren. Freud states that the fear that the characterNathaniel feels towards the Sandman has more to due with aninfantile castration complex than with the actual fear oflosing his eyes. In Freuds theory he states that the Studyof dreams, phantasies and myths has taught us that a morbidanxiety connected with the eyes and with going blind isoften enough a substitute for the dread of castration(Freud383). If Freuds belief is true, than it is Nathanielsfear of castration that causes him in the end to go mad andthrow himself from parapet. Nathaniels fear is embodied inthe character of the Sandman, whom Freud says representsNathaniels father, and thus is the cause of his fear ofcastration. The Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex would also beaffected by Freuds theory. When examining Oedipus actionof blinding himself once he hears the truth about hisparentage, it would have to be determined that he blindshimself as a symbolic castration. This statement issupported by the laws of ancient Greek society which wouldhave called for his castration due to the incest with hismot...
