Answer

The Shadow Self

            The “shadow” is a concept that was first introduced by Carl Jung. It is used to describe the various aspects of human personality, which many tend to reject and supress. Each individual has a part of themselves that they do not like, or that they feel the society does not like. Hence, this part is often supressed back into the unconscious by not accepting it. That is what Jung refers to as the shadow self. Some people want to believe that they generally love who they are. However, there is always some sort of self-doubt which questions whether that statement is true or not. That is because there are those who are not aware of their shadow selves, which they reject. It is because such a person may not have experienced this unpleasant side. Jung’s theory indicates that people distance themselves psychologically from the behaviours, emotions, and thoughts that they think are dangerous.

The Role of the Shadow

            If the potential of the shadow is not owned, the personality of an individual will always be in its impoverished state. Hence, the individual will be deprived of the energy source and the connectedness that is needed with others (Mahoney 80). During the developmental stages, certain personality traits and impulses are condemned. Often, this is due to envy, fear, or even jealousy rather than genuinely caring for one’s safety. As a result, people grow up wanting to always conform to the social expectations, which leads to repressed talents and the presence of many innate abilities (Naifeh 9). If these were cultivated, individuals would have become more effective human beings in the society (Mahoney 82). A great example of such a situation is the diagnosis of completely self-reliant individuals as pathological. Since the society is increasingly collective and dependent, such independent people are perceived as a threat.

            Even when repressed, the shadow still drives behaviour unconsciously. That is because it is a part of the individual, and it cannot be kept hidden forever. That is why it reaches a point where one engages in behaviour that they end up regretting, or even questioning what they were thinking (Naifeh 10). Although many believe that the conscious ego is the one which is always in control, it is evident that this may not always be the case (Mahoney 83). Sometimes, it gets overrun by the shadow. Thus, it is important to be willing to learn more about the shadow self so that these characteristics may also be integrated into one self to enable functioning as a whole.

The Role of the Shadow in “The Lottery”

            The repression of the shadow can be witnessed in the story, “The Lottery.” Here, the villagers are gathering to draw the lottery, a tradition that they have held for a very long time. On this day, no healthy individual is supposed to miss, or be late. By analysing how the villagers hold closely to these traditions, the way the shadow is formed can be easily understood. First, the villagers are unwilling to change the box used for drawing the lottery since it would mean fooling around with tradition (Robinson 35). Second, they do not want to abolish the idea of the lottery, even though other villages had already done so as it was a form of pointless violence.

            The role of the shadow can be witnessed in the character of Tessie Hutchinson. She arrives late to the function, and even admits that she forgot that it was an important date. This shows that she is different, and a threat to the villagers who are all holding the same beliefs (Robinson 35). The crowd teases her, as she makes way to where her family stood. It is evident that her characteristic showcases some kind of shadow self, as she is not conforming to what the society wants (Naifeh 11). She does not seem to believe in the lottery, and does not adhere to the requirements of the day. However, she supresses this and still shows up to the function. The villagers clearly see her shadow, which is why she is teased.

            Her shadow self is the reason why she is the only villager to protest against the lottery. Although others seem to have accepted the nature of the process, Tessie argues that “It wasn’t fair!” (Robinson 35). However, even though she protests, she still continues to participate in the process. That is how she ended up drawing the marked paper that led to her being the one to be stoned to death. All along, she was still protesting the process but was silenced.

            The same happens in the human consciousness, where the shadow self wants to act in such a way, but is silenced since it may be an act that is incompatible with the norms of society (Naifeh 14). Hence, rather than consider the potential of the shadow, and use it to better the person as a whole, it is repressed into the unconscious by assuming that it does not exist.

The Role of the Shadow in “Good Country People”

            In this story, Hulda represses her shadow by believing that she has an ability to control her life totally, as well as the things which influence it. This is clearly not true as no one can have complete control over their lives (O’Connor 273). She is being blind to the reality of the world. However, when she meets Manley Pointer, this reality is made clear when he deceives her.

            All along, Hulda believed that she was the smart one who wanted to fool Pointer as she was fooled by his appearance and bible. She did not think that there was a person who could use her (O’Connor 289). This is a part of her shadow which she never wanted to embrace. Therefore, as she interacted with Pointer, she easily let her guard down, until he stole her wooden leg. Pointer made it clear to her that she was not as smart as she thought she was. On the contrary, there were people out there who could easily fool her too.

Conclusion

            The analysis conducted above are important today since they remind people of the importance of the shadow self. It helps in identifying critical situations which will need emergency action. If these were embraced and integrated in the conscious, the characters above would not have succumbed to their shadow selves. People in modern society are still concerned by how the unconscious impacts the conscious side. That is because the unconscious cannot be kept hidden for a long time. There always comes a time when it showcases itself in the form of negative and unexpected behaviour.