My Oedipus Complex

by Frank O'Connor

A child's jealousy of his place in his mother's life erupts when his father comes home from the war, not to subside until a new baby arrives placing his father and him in the same position.

'My Oedipus Complex' first appeared in 'Today's Woman' magazine.

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Humor, British Literature, Ireland, Irish Literature

39 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Frank O’Connor (born Michael Francis O'Connor O'Donovan) was an Irish author of over 150 works, who was best known for his short stories and memoirs. Raised an only child in Cork, Ireland, to Minnie O'Connor and Michael O'Donovan, his early life was marked by his father's alcoholism, indebtness and ill-treatment of his mother.

He was perhaps Ireland's most complete man of letters, best known for his varied and comprehensive short stories but also for his work as a literary critic, essayist, travel writer, translator and biographer.[5] He was also a novelist, poet and dramatist.[6]

From the 1930s to the 1960s he was a prolific writer of short stories, poems, plays, and novellas. His work as an Irish teacher complemented his plethora of translations into English of Irish poetry, including his initially banned translation of Brian Merriman's Cúirt an Mheán Oíche ("The Midnight Court"). Many of O'Connor's writings were based on his own life experiences — his character Larry Delaney in particular. O'Connor's experiences in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War are reflected in The Big Fellow, his biography of Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins, published in 1937, and one of his best-known short stories, Guests of the Nation (1931), published in various forms during O'Connor's lifetime and included in Frank O'Connor — Collected Stories, published in 1981.

O'Connor's early years are recounted in An Only Child, a memoir published in 1961 but which has the immediacy of a precocious diary. U.S. President John F. Kennedy quoted from An Only Child in his remarks introducing the American commitment to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Kennedy described the long walks O'Connor would take with his friends and how, when they came to a wall that seemed too formidable to climb over, they would throw their caps over the wall so they would be forced to scale the wall after them. Kennedy concluded, "This nation has tossed its cap over the wall of space and we have no choice but to follow it."[7] O'Connor continued his autobiography through his time with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, which ended in 1939, in his book, My Father's Son, which was published in 1968, after O'Connor's death.

Reviews

[Peiman E iran · Rating 4 out of 5]

‎دوستانِ گرانقدر، این داستان همان داستانِ "عقدهٔ ادیپ من" است که با نظریاتِ زنده یاد فروید، همخوانی فراوانی دارد... داستان از زبانِ پسربچه ای تقریباً پنج ساله به نامِ «لری» به صورتِ خاطره بیان شده است... از آنجایی که پدر او ارتشی بوده و همیشه در جنگ شرکت داشته، بنابراین «لری» هیچگاه بودن در کنارِ پدر را به معنایِ واقعی درک نکرده است... او تمامِ روز با مادر است و حتی با او میخوابد و به نوعی عاشقِ مادرش شده است و به اندازه ای به او وابسته شده که دوست دارد تا در آینده با مادرش ازدواج کند!.. جنگ تمام شده و پدر به خانه باز میگردد... دیگر از محبت هایِ مادر خبری نیست و «لری» این را از چشمِ پدرش میبیند که او را غریبه ای میداند که واردِ حریم شخصی و قلمرو او شده و به نوعی پدر به رغیبی سخت برای او مبدل شده است... این پسر بچۀ شرین برای پس گرفتن جایگاهِ از دست رفته، آغاز به جنگ و مبارزه و ناسزگاری با پدر میکند... ولی چیزی تغییر نمیکند، تا آنکه برادرِ نوزادی به نامِ «سانی» به جمعِ خانوادگیِ آنها اضافه میشود... و درست زمانی که «لری» احساس میکرد که حالا دو رغیب برایش پیدا شده، در کمالِ ناباوری پدرش را در کنارش احساس میکند... عزیزانم، بهتر است خودتان این داستان را خوانده و از سرانجامِ آن آگاه شوید
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‎بخشی از کتاب: من نمی توانستم جلویِ این فکر را بگیرم که اگر خدا به این شکل دعاها را مستجاب می کند، پس معلوم است که خیلی با دقت به دعاها گوش نمی دهد
‎مامان به نظرِ تو اگه من حسابی دعا کنم، خدا بابا رو به جنگ بر میگردونه؟
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‎امیدوارم این ریویو در جهتِ آشنایی با این کتاب، کافی و مفید بوده باشه
‎«پیروز باشید و ایرانی»

[Fereshteh · Rating 5 out of 5]

عقده ادیپ یکی از داستان کوتاه هایی بود که تو کتاب کافه پاریس بهش برخوردم و بدجوری چشمم رو گرفت...حس کردم بد نیست توضیح جداگانه ای راجع بش بدم

داستان تماما از نگاه پسربچه ای روایت میشه که با تموم شدن جنگ بعد از پنج سال با بازگشت پدرش مواجه میشه و چیزی که می بینه "پدر" نیست بلکه "رقیب" محبت مادرشه. بازگشت و سیر عادی زندگی زناشویی که برای والدین امری عادی تلقی میشه دنیای پسربچه رو زیر و رو می کنه تا اون جا که به خصومت بین پدر و پسر منتهی میشه. ولی تولد فرزند دوم رابطه رو به سمت دوستی پیش می بره. انگار حالا فرزند دوم رقیبی برای هر دو اون هاست.

دید پسربچه زبان طنز دوست داشتنی رو هم به اثر القا می کنه

ویکیپدیا در تعریف عقده ادیپ گفته :عقده اُدیپ در نظریه روان‌کاوی به تمایل کودکان برای ارتباط جنسی با والد جنس مخالف گفته می‌شود که حسی از رقابت با والد جنس موافق را پدید می‌آورد. این مفهوم نخستین بار توسط زیگموند فروید در کتاب تفسیر خواب‌ها (سال ۱۸۹۹ میلادی) توضیح داده شد.انتخاب این اصطلاح بر مبنای سرگذشت شخصیت اسطوره‌ای ادیپ بود که براساس آنچه در تقدیر او و پدرش پیش‌بینی شده بود، پدرش را کُشت و با مادرش ازدواج کرد

[Hamideh · Rating 5 out of 5]

من یه تک داستان عقده ادیپ من که نشر کوله پشتی منتشر کرده رو خوندم و باقی داستانهای کتاب رو نخوندم... اما همین یکی خیلی عالی بوداحساس رقابت یه پسر
بچه با پدرش و در نهایت اتحادشون به خاطر وارد شدن نفر سوم... جالب بود واقعا
این کتاب رو نشر کوله پشتی به همراه چند کتاب دیگه طی طرحی در اینستاگرام به من داد. باشد که در خاطرم بماند

[Rushain Sovis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Oedipus complex is a Freudian theory applied for boys which explains the normal emotional desire of a child for the parent of the opposite sex. As same time child repel the parent of the same sex. This occurs during the age 3 to 6. To understand this particular theory I suggest this small story of Frank O’Connor is the convenient way in.

Here author brings his memories of very childhood and he reminds us the competition between him and his father had over his mother to win her which was a competition between conscious and unconscious desires. And eventually he shows us how he resolved the rivalry with his father and how it came to an end.

This stage is necessarily required for every child and as well as the fixation is important too. Otherwise unhealthy fixation can be remain. So throw Freud’s bulky books and at least try this one if you’re going to have children. I hope it’ll help you in a certain way for better understanding.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about a boy's perspective of dad's hold on mom....very humorously told by evocative short story writer, Frank O'Connor.

[I.Shayan · Rating 4 out of 5]

واقعا خوب بود، بخاطر کلاس ادبیات کودک و نوجوان خوندمش و با توجه به آشنایی که با موضوع و نظریات نیچه داشتم کاملا متوجه قضیه شدم ولی حتی از منظر داستانی و جدا از نظریات نیچه همچنان داستان جالب و گاهی بامزه ای میشه حسابش کرد

[Maryam Samiei · Rating 2 out of 5]

نثر داستان از نظرم ضعیف بود

[Ania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second story by Frank O'Connor that I have read, and I'm starting to believe that it is quite possible that the man might have been some sort of a genius! :) Mind you, one can't really tell after 2 short stories only, but I have to say that I am very very impressed with the ability of Frank O'Connor to capture childhood in all of it's anguish and hilarity. Problems and anxieties that an adult would think of as non-issues, to a child are simply earth-shattering events, as in this story, where the issue is a father returning from war after about 5 years. It isn't an issue for the father and the mother, but for the child, his entire world is thrown upside down and he's standing on non-solid ground with this stranger whom he now has to call "Daddy".

I guess what I'm trying to mumble out is that Frank O'Connor, despite being so removed from me and my childhood by nationality, gender, decade of birth (nearly a century!) and language.... can nonetheless bring me back to being a child and make me realise how I've truly forgotten to be 5 or 6 or 7 years old, and just for a moment, as I'm reading his stories, it helps me regain this innocence....

And I think that's the think I love best about him. :)

[Konstantin R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and well told from a boy's point of view. Jealous when father is near he actually likes the dad when he was off in the war. The story ends on a hopeful note but still unease stays within the home.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

a cute little short story. boys are so funny!

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story -- I loved it and laughed. (Goodreads: It's a story, not a book.)

[Jamal0]

i want to read it

[Bill S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything was perfectly executed. A young boy remembers that while his father was away in the army he had a perfect life with his mom. "The war was the most peaceful period of my life." It appears to have been so because everything revolved around him with the exception of praying for his father's safe return. Then, comes jealousy as he competes for his mother's attention. At this point, he says "I couldn't help feeling that if this was how God answered prayers he couldn't listen to them very attentively." He resolves that he can't live with this "impossible man." He asks his mother "do you think if I prayed hard God would send Daddy back to the war?" When she replies that "It's not God who makes wars, but bad people" he "began to think God wasn't quite what he was cracked up to be." A sharp exchange with his father leads to him to realize that "God had codded me, listening to my prayers for the safe return of this monster." Eventually, the boy announces that he is going to marry and have babies with his mother. She does indeed get pregnant and the resulting baby takes the mother's attention from everyone else. The story closes with the father and son in bed together. Drawn together by the common jealousy of the new child.

It is funny and the ending is perfect. A master work from a master of the short story.

[Aida ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Oedipus Complex is a heartwarming and beautifully written story that captures the world through the eyes of a child. O’Connor does an incredible job of portraying Larry’s innocent yet intense emotions, making his perspective feel authentic and relatable. His struggles with his father’s return show us how war can affect children left behind, who may see their fathers as strangers rather than parental figures. I was particularly moved by how naturally the story illustrates the difficulties of adjusting to change, especially for a child who has grown used to the consequences of war. The way Larry tries to feel in charge of his new shifting reality felt both humorous and touching, making the story engaging.

At first, the title made me a bit hesitant, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the story was actually very sweet. What I enjoyed the most was the way it depicted family relationships, especially the tension between Larry and his father. The way their rivalry slowly turns into an understanding, especially with the arrival of the new baby, made for a wholesome and satisfying ending. It was touching to see how, in the end, both Larry and his father had to learn to share affection and adapt to new roles within the family. This balance of humor, genuine feelings and heartfelt moments has made this read a very enjoyable experience.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a clinical psychologist I have certainly been taught Freudian theory in great abundance. Because this story was written in 1952, Freud was still dominant in psychological thinking. He had died in England in 1939 after the intervention of family and friends to free him from the Nazis in Austria. I am a fan of the book: If You Meet the Buddha in the Road, Kill Him. The thesis of this book is that if anyone tells you they have the one and only answer to the vagaries of life - RUN. Many things that Freud added to the world of psychology are still valuable today. I do not think anyone would deny the existence of the unconscious and the role it can play in human behavior. A reader does not need to know anything about Freud to predict the "conflict" in this story for the love and attention of the mother. The father has been away fighting in WWI which for the British stretched from 1914 to 1918. Larry is 5 when his father returns from the war and has no conscious memory of sharing mother with someone else. No one needs to add an Oedipal interpretation to that fact that the boy does not want to share his mother. I hope today that parental roles are changing and the child care is shared. I am not certain whether O'Connor wrote this story "tongue-in-cheek" or if he was a Freudian. Predictable storyline. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

i feel like most people know about the freudian theory of the oedipus complex, where children have sexual feelings towards the opposite-sex parent. this short story was a funny read on a young boy battling his soldier of a father for his mother’s attention, and losing.

“from that morning out my life was a hell. father and i were enemies, open and avowed. we conducted a series of skirmishes against one another, he trying to steal my time with mother and i his.”

i found this story to be compellingly written, balancing humor with a serious concept. the father was absent, so once the father returned from war the son was being treated indignantly in his own home. it not only shows the oedipus complex, but also the dynamics of a household with a previously absent father and what that means for a young son.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I'm not sure what to rate this. I read it for English class this past school year and did a whole in-depth analysis project on it, so by the end I was pretty bored with the story. However, I did choose the story at the beginning (with my group) because it was interesting and enjoyable, so I guess then that it was good.

[TheBookNovice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally don't like story's that are read for school but I can relate to this one and it was amazing

[Sophie Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Very cute story.

[Juergen John Roscher · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story about family relationships when a father returns from war and a new child is born into the family. Fine short-story.

[aleksandra 🍂 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Actually kind of interesting concept. I don't usually read short stories but you know, college. And i liked this one enough

[Eva (hordekitten) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weird

[Kelly Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stars: 3
Rating: 84%

[Lucía Cherri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this short story perfectly represents how an Oedipus complex works, I am not quite sure I enjoyed it. I am rating it with 2 starts because I think it was OK.

[Sofiana Skinas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable short story that does an amazing job looking through the perspective of a child. Very amusing and worth the read!

[JOY · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if this story was supposed to be a humor or not, but the part near the end was amusing for me.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really nice. Love how it portraits innocence and love

[ARDEN · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was mind boggling but i wanted to read this short story to relate freud’s theory

[kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5
doesnt really say much does it

[Taygus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was suggested to read this for college to have a better understanding of Freud's explanation for the phallic stage and Oedipus Complex.

4 stars, because it does that well. But as a story, for me, it was simply "ok".

There's some humour, but I wouldn't have found it particularly funny or that it captured the essence of being a child. (although, perhaps, that's simply because I can't relate to Larry. And his parents seem lacking.)