Garb of Pretentious Identity: A Psychoanalytic Study of Mirror vs. Reality in The Madman by Kahlil Gibran

Author(s) : Saira Rashad, Sana Khalid & Abida Ayesha

Abstract:

This research delves into the captivating intersection of Literature and Psychoanalysis, examining Kahlil Gibran's masterpiece, The Madman, His Parables and Poems (1918), to unravel the fragmented nature of human identity. The book is a collection of 35 life-affirming moral stories, which begins with a description of a man's out-of-control mind and the idealized persona, he puts on to avoid encountering his actual self and the not-so appealing world. The research is anchored upon the Alan Sheridan translation (1977) of Lacan's seminal essay, "The Mirror Stage as Formative of the Function of the I as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience," originally published in 1949. Lacan proposes that when the child encounters his image in the mirror for the first time, he begins to think that the mirror self is the ideal-I and his own body/self is the fragmented version of the mirror image. A detailed textual analysis of the respective book has been done and the researcher has found that the Madman is compelled to wear masks because he has the fear of public opinion, societal expectations, and perceived inability to challenge deep-rooted worldly traditions. However, stripping off the masks exposes him to the risk of alienation, yet, by shedding the protective masks, the Madman opens himself up to authentic self-expression and the possibility of self-discovery. The significance of the study lies in the fact that it sheds light on the identity crisis faced by people, who avoid confronting the world and their actual selves, and thus opens up the possibility for further study.
Keywords: Psychoanalysis, Mask, Madman, Mirror.