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| Published: September 30, 2023
The Mental Gremlins of Inspector Javert: Can Psychoanalysis of a Fictional Character Throw Light on The Culprit Behind Harm OCD?
Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal (Formerly known as West Bengal University of Technology), India Google Scholar More about the auther
DIP: 18.01.415.20231103
DOI: 10.25215/1103.415
ABSTRACT
Though its significance has been questioned time and again, there can be no denying the fact that humanities serve as a torch-bearer to the multiple mysteries lying in the deepest fathoms of the human mind. In the words of Barack Obama, former President of the US, “Throughout history, the arts and humanities have helped men and women around the globe grapple with the most challenging questions and come to know the most basic truths.” It can even be said that part of the vast body of study on the formation of human character have been made possible via bildungsroman portrayals of characters found in the pages of literature. These portrayals help unravel the complexities of the human mind and thought. By doing so, it provides insight not just into maladaptation in the human psyche but also the factors responsible for causing them. Often christened a “tragic legalist” by critics, the character of Inspector Javert from Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables’ may be considered a maladaptive character—one obsessed with living in strict adherence with the codes of law. His obsession leads to compulsive behavior on his part where he appears obsessed with upholding law even at the expense of humanitarian consideration. This ultimately leads to his undoing as he is unable to adhere to the unrealistic moral standards which he sets for himself in the face of humanitarianism. Ever fearful of the imaginary outcome of being unable to meet his self-defined moral standards, Javert may be exhibiting characteristics of a sub-type of OCD called ‘Harm OCD’. This article, via a detailed psychoanalysis of the character of Inspector Javert tries to determine the causative factor behind Harm OCD.
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This is an Open Access Research distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any Medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
© 2023, Sengupta, S.
Received: August 14, 2023; Revision Received: September 27, 2023; Accepted: September 30, 2023
Article Overview
ISSN 2348-5396
ISSN 2349-3429
18.01.415.20231103
10.25215/1103.415
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Published in Volume 11, Issue 3, July-September, 2023