Story Analysis

Understanding "The Golden Touch" through Freud's Lens

In this blog post, we'll embark on the analysis of "The Golden Touch" by Nathaniel Hawthorne through the lens of psychoanalytic theory, as proposed by the renowned Sigmund Freud. In this timeless mythological story, desire, power, and consequence intertwine to reveal profound insights into the human psyche. Through Freud's "Tripartite Model" and the "Dynamic Model" we'll unravel the symbolism embedded within Hawthorne's narrative, shedding light on the complexities of human nature.

To put you in the story's mood, you can listen to this song: click here

To begin, we'll delve into "The Tripartite Model" and discuss its relevance to our analysis of "The Golden Touch": 

Id: At the beginning of the story “The Golden Touch”, King Midas’ irrational desires for wealth and power represent this part of the human psyche. He does not think of any possible negative consequences of the wish he asks for; he just wants immediate gratification. The part of the story that says “So he thought, and thought, and thought, and heaped up one golden mountain upon another, in his imagination, without being able to imagine them big enough” shows that at this point of the story, he is a covetous man (Hawthorne, n.d., p. 4). As well, the unintended consequences such as turning loved ones into gold, exemplifies the id's drive for immediate gratification without regard for long term consequences or moral considerations.

Ego: King Midas represents the ego in Freud’s theory which is the conscious part of the psyche. Midas shows ego behavior as he desires for wealth (id), but he also thinks about the consequences (super ego). This internal conflict between desire and morality reflects the ego's struggle to mediate between the id and superego. Initially, Midas's desire for gold symbolizes his pursuit of material wealth, which is a primal instinct. However, his decision to wish for the golden touch reflects his conscious consideration of his desire for wealth and its potential consequences, suggesting a balance between his desires and rational thinking. Here, Midas reflects his ego's ability to balance desires for wealth and power with a desire for contentment and peace. "These reflections so troubled wise King Midas, that he began to doubt whether, after all, riches are the one desirable thing in the world, or even the most desirable." (Hawthorne, p. 10)

Additionally, when Midas realizes the devastating effects of his wish, such as turning his daughter into gold, he experiences guilt and remorse, indicating his awareness of moral standards and societal norms.

Superego: The superego in the story “The Golden Touch” could be portrayed in Marygold’s loving and caring role, which is driven by the morality principle, and who reminds her dad of the beauty of simple things by evoking feelings of guilt and remorse in King Midas after listening to her daughter say,

it is not beautiful, but the ugliest flower that ever grew! As soon as I was dressed I ran into the garden to gather some roses for you; because I know you like them, and like them the better when gathered by your little daughter. But, oh dear, dear me! What do you think has happened? Such a misfortune! All the beautiful roses, that smelled so sweetly and had so many lovely blushes, are blighted and spoilt! They are grown quite yellow, as you see this one, and have no longer any fragrance! What can have been the matter with them? (p. 7-8)

 

In this segment of the blog, we will review the story focusing on Freud's "Dynamic Model":

The conscious part of mind is represented by King Midas’ desire for wealth and power whereas the unconscious part of the psyche is the lack of though he gave to the possible negative outcomes of the wish he asked for (Miranda, 2020). In the story, when king Midas says to the genie-like stranger “I wish everything that I touch to be changed into gold!” (Hawthorne, p. 4), it clearly demonstrates that Midas is governed by his desire to be powerful and wealthy. Thus, this exemplifies the conscious part of the mind. Contrastingly, when the stranger asks Midas “And will you never regret the possession of it?” (Hawthorne, p. 4) and Midas replies that he just wants to be perfectly happy, denotes that the king is not foreseeing the consequences of his wish, which is an example of the unconscious part of the mind.  

    The conscious part of Freud's dynamic model is the image that individuals present to the world, what an observer can see without delving into the depths of the human mind. King Midas loved gold but he was also fond of her daughter and was involved in her life. In his conscious mind he thought that he couldn't give his daughter a better legacy that as much gold as he could possibly get. (Hawthorne p.1).

Throughout the story, it can be seen how the desires of unconscious part of the king's mind started to occupy more of the conscious part as he started to minimize the bad effects of the golden touch: he transmuted the eyeglasses to gold but considered only a "small inconvenience". (Hawthorne p. 6).

 Fortunately, Midas acknowledged that his obsession with obtaining gold caused the impossibility to enjoy nourishment and the tragedy of losing his child, therefore he asked for possibility of to get rid of the thing that made him so happy: the golden touch. (Hawthorne p. 12).

After the experience, King Midas started to value consciously the presence of loved ones in his life much more than the precious metal, or that is what the narrator let us see in the final part of the story. (Hawthorne, p.14).

Before closing this blog, we have another song. Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic tale captivates with its narrative of King Midas and his insatiable desire for wealth, this modern interpretation takes you on a journey that intertwines myth and melody.

Finally, if you are interested in learning more about the Tripartite Model, you can watch the following video:

References:

Miranda, R. (2020). English Literary Criticism. Editorial Universidad Estatal a Distancia. 

Hawthorne, N. (n.d.). The Golden Touch.