Exploring Characterization and Drafting a Thesis

Sample Solution

Character: Spider Woman, from Spider Woman's Daughter by Beatrice Roanhorse

Description

Spider Woman is a powerful and benevolent deity in Diné (Navajo) mythology. She is also a complex and multifaceted character in Roanhorse's story, embodying both the creative and destructive aspects of nature.

Past and present

Spider Woman is an ancient being, but she is also very much present in the story. She is called upon by the protagonist, Tee, to help her people in a time of need. Spider Woman is also a mother figure to Tee, and she helps her to come to terms with her own power and identity.

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Relationships

Spider Woman has a close relationship with Tee, but she is also connected to all of the people and creatures in the world. She is a force for balance and harmony in nature.

Environment

Spider Woman is associated with the natural world. She is often depicted as weaving a web of life that connects all living things.

Position in society

Spider Woman is a revered deity in Diné culture. She is seen as a creator, protector, and teacher.

Culture

Spider Woman is a central figure in Diné mythology and culture. She is a source of strength and inspiration for the Diné people.

Dreams and goals

Spider Woman's goal is to maintain balance and harmony in the world. She wants to protect all living things and help them to thrive.

Fears

Spider Woman fears the destruction of the natural world and the imbalance that it would bring. She also fears for the future of her people.

Drives

Spider Woman is driven by her desire to protect and nurture all living things. She is also driven by her love for her people and her desire to see them thrive.

Actions and motivations

Spider Woman answers Tee's call for help and gives her the power to defeat the monsters that are threatening her people. She also helps Tee to understand her own power and identity.

Speech

Spider Woman's speech is wise and compassionate. She often speaks in riddles and metaphors.

Silence

Spider Woman is sometimes silent, but her silence is often more meaningful than her words. She often allows Tee to find her own answers and to learn from her own experiences.

Conflicts

Spider Woman faces the conflict of wanting to protect her people while also allowing them to grow and learn on their own. She also faces the conflict of wanting to maintain balance and harmony in the world while also knowing that destruction is a necessary part of life.

How psychoanalytic criticism can enhance our analysis of the story

Psychoanalytic criticism can help us to understand Spider Woman's character on a deeper level. By examining her unconscious motivations and the roots of her desires, we can gain a better understanding of her actions and her role in the story.

For example, we can use psychoanalytic criticism to understand Spider Woman's relationship with Tee. On one level, Spider Woman is a mentor and teacher to Tee. She helps Tee to develop her own power and to understand her identity as a Diné woman. However, on a deeper level, Spider Woman can also be seen as a mother figure to Tee. Tee is searching for a mother figure after her own mother dies, and she finds that mother figure in Spider Woman.

We can also use psychoanalytic criticism to understand Spider Woman's conflict between wanting to protect her people and allowing them to grow and learn on their own. This conflict can be seen as a reflection of Spider Woman's own internal conflict between her protective and nurturing instincts and her desire to allow her people to be independent.

Overall, psychoanalytic criticism can help us to see Spider Woman as a complex and multifaceted character with her own unique desires, motivations, and conflicts.

Here is a specific example of how psychoanalytic criticism can be used to enhance our analysis of the story:

In the story, Spider Woman gives Tee the power to defeat the monsters that are threatening her people. However, she refuses to give Tee the power to destroy the monsters completely. Instead, she tells Tee that the monsters must be kept in balance. This suggests that Spider Woman understands that destruction is a necessary part of life, just as creation is.

From a psychoanalytic perspective, this can be seen as a reflection of Spider Woman's own internal conflict between her creative and destructive instincts. Spider Woman is a creator deity, but she is also associated with death and destruction. This conflict is reflected in her relationship with Tee. Spider Woman wants to protect Tee, but she also knows that Tee must learn to face her own fears and to embrace her own power.

By using psychoanalytic criticism, we can see Spider Woman as a more complex and nuanced character. She is not simply a benevolent deity who protects her people