Unconscious Mental Processes and Psychoneuroses:A
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INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056 Unconscious Mental Processes and Psychoneuroses:A Psychoanalytical Study of IsaacAsimov’sThe Naked Sun Abstract This paper deals with the psychological aspects ofIsaacAsimov’s The Naked Sunprovide a suitable means of studying the genre of Science-Fiction in terms of its Psychoneuroses elements. In his novel, The Naked Sun, about robots,Asimov has made a consistent effort to transform the attitude of people by suggesting that robots too could be taken as human partners. Further, he has presented these robots as incorruptible, divine and a better breed. In this novel Asimov has tried to imaginatively depict changes in human behaviour in the days to come. Hence, he has projected thickly populated worlds against thinly populated worlds, and worlds with large number of robots against robots less societies to study the change in the attitude of the Homo sapiens in this novel. The future worlds are also characterised by great advancements in the fields of science and technology. The base so formed helps to study the socio-psychological adjustments of the people of the future. Keywords: Psychoneuroses, Science-Fiction, Psychological, Robots, Future Author: Girisha D, PhD Research Scholar, Department of English, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu. & Assistant Professor of English Government First Grade College of Arts Science and Commerce Jyothi Nagar, Sira. Karnataka state. PIN-572137 Volume 8 Issue 11 2019 22 http://infokara.com/ INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056 Co-author: Dr. C. Shanmugasundaram, Assistant Professor of English, Department of English, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu Unconscious Mental Processes and Psychoneuroses:A Psychoanalytical Study of IsaacAsimov’s The Naked Sun Isaac Asimov is extensively regarded a champion of the science fiction genre. The prolific writer is well-known for his fictional works of science fiction and for his many non-fictional books, including several genres, guides to the bible and science, mystery novels, commentaries on literature and history. The early twentieth-century dystopian science works were the cause for technophobia. But Asimov with his optimistic vision created utopian works for more than four decades and for five decades Isaac Asimov remained one of the central figures of science fiction. In his introduction to Hallucination Orbit: Psychology in Science Fiction Asimov asserts “psyche” originally in Greek stand for breathand later in English it comes to mean soul. Asimov clarifies psycheto mean “most apt to use not soul, but mind”(4). Sigmund Freud has conceivedanidea of clinical therapy to explore the functioning of the human mind; perhaps, the most important accentuation in his novels is on the concept thatmost human mental activity is unconscious, and that the elemental source ofpsyche, libido, is sexual. The remarkable amongFreud’s contributions is theconcept of Psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a systematic structure of ideasregarding the interrelation of unconscious and conscious psychological processes.It is a technical action for exploring unconscious mental processes andis also adopted for treating psychoneuroses.In “Jacques Lacan and the Adventure of Insight: Psychoanalysis in Contemporary Culture,” Shoshana Felmansays: Of all Freud’s followers, Lacan has, more than others picked up on the radicality of Freud’s pedagogical concern with didactic psychoanalysis, not only as a subsidiary technical, pragmatic question ... but as a major theoretical concern, as a major Volume 8 Issue 11 2019 23 http://infokara.com/ INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056 pedagogical investigation crucial to the very innovation of psychoanalytic insight. (89) Robotic works prior to Asimov have negated the use of robots inhuman society. They are presented as metallic non-talkative soulless creatures.Their presence creates a threat that they might steal the jobs of the workingclass. But Asimov’s robotistic works exhibit the merits of the plausible robothumancoexistence. A study of consumer psychology as depicted in Asimov’srobotics will be taken up in this section to bring out how his writing worked asan advertisement media to boost up the production and sale of robots. During the 1940s, the impact of the Second World War nullified theefforts of the science writers. They could no longer glorify the merits of themachine. It was a challenge for the writers to heal the ruptures. Asimov hasadvocated the positive aspects of science. Asimov gradually presents noble robots, which are fitted withthe three laws of robotics. He propagates through these works that robots aresafe, dutiful, and friendly. In his novels, Asimov has gone a step further topresent robots as detective partners. Ultimately he brings home the point thatrobots will decide the destiny of the human race. Asimov has tried to bridgethe gap between the producer and the consumer. Asimov is the first Science-Fiction writer who has humanised the machines throughhis writings. Further, the principalindicationneeded to fix the murder mystery of thejuvenile experiences of Asimov at candy-stores of his father might have madeample force to him to deal with consumerpsychology in his robotisticnovels also. In his introductions to therobotic novels, he has echoed the reality that prior writers haveenvisionedrobots as demons and the rival of human beings. He has also said thatformerfictional works on robotics haveportrayed a general theme of robots beingconceived and then in turn killing their creators. Robots are created andcustomarily destroyed. Allegorically, the robots in Asimov’s novels moderately and sympathetically portray the working-class. Volume 8 Issue 11 2019 24 http://infokara.com/ INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056 Asimov affirms that roboticists hold the Three Laws of Roboticsearnestly as an optimal for safety while making robots. Consumer-psychology gets stressed in Asimov’s novels. In Gold:The Final Science Fiction Collection, Asimov asserts that his novelshave persuaded the robot makers who have regarded the positivefacets of his vision in making robots in factories. Asimov’s novel, The Naked Sun, deals with the problems of colonisation, detective elements, andpsychology.Solaria have always maintained a constant ratio of one human being totwenty thousand robots. In this regard Solaria is the inverted image of Earth.Hence, The Naked Sun is not constructed on a monolithic structural base. Thetheme centres on finding a solution to the murder of Dr.RikaineDelmarreafefologist in Solaria. The same detectives namely, Elijah and Daneel teamtogether for investigation in this novel also. They watch a suicide and see amurder over a trimensional device. In addition Elijah is asked to report toEarth about the conspiracy that the Outer Worlds have hatched to destroyEarth. Gladia Solaria wife of Dr.RikaineDelmarre the prime suspect makesher debut in this novel. In addition the novel introduces Attlebish- the ActingHead of Security; Leebig a roboticist; Quemot a sociologist; KlorissaCantorothe assistant of Dr.Rikaine; Dr.Thool, a physician and the Head of SecurityGruer.It seems that Asimovian acrophobic and agoraphobic tendencies aretransferred to the protagonist Elijah. In this regard, Elijah also dislikes travelling by air. Like Asimov, often Elijah is interested in watching the sky. The Solarians never attempt to see one another personallybecause, ‘seeing’ is a taboo for them. Instead they meet over a trimensionaldevice sitting miles apart. This system is called ‘viewing.’ On Solaria Elijah is forced to carry out the investigation by viewingonly. To begin his investigation, Elijah views Gruer. The latter is as bad asthe naked sun.Gruer explains to Elijah how the fetologistDr.Rikaine met hisdeath. The crux of the problem has intensified, as the weapon of destructionhas not been discovered. Similarly, the motive for the murder is also unknown.Due to circumstantial evidence, it appears as though Gladia has murdered herhusband. While they are Volume 8 Issue 11 2019 25 http://infokara.com/ INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056 discussing the murder by using a viewing device,Gruer is also murdered through poisoning. Later, Elijah narrowly escapes froma poisoned arrow shot by a boy Bik when Elijah is interrogating KlorissaCantaro the assistant fetologist of the victim. During his interrogation, Elijah comes to know that Gladia was theonly human present during the time of her husband’s death. Dr.Thool hadattended on her afterwards. Elijah feels that unless he comes out of theenclosure of his claustrophobic tendencies, he will not be able to solve theproblem. He speculates that the solution is available only outside the walls. Hedecides to expose himself to the ‘Naked Sun’ in order to accustom himself toits luminosity. Elijah concludes that he cannot overcome his phobia as long asDaneel is with him: Daneel’s possession of the laws of robotics is a hindrancefor Elijah’s free movement. Therefore, Elijah stymies Daneel. Thus, The Naked Sun is dominated by the character of Elijaharound who centres plot, characterisation, motive, and the action of thenovel. Meanwhile, Elijah finds out the clue to the murder mysteryaccidentally. Daneel could comprehend only the literally meaning of thecommand, ‘give me a hand.’ It seems that Asimov has elaborately developedthe entire novel based on this point: Daneel’s confusion provides a clue toElijah to solve the murder mystery of Dr.Rikaine. Therefore, Elijah holds aconference comprising Gladia, Attlebish, Leebig, Quemot, Klorissa, andDr.Thool