Psychoanalytic Interpretations

Isadora: "Whenever I criticize you in any way, you throw another psychoanalytic interpretation at me. It's always my mother or father--not something between us. Can't we just keep it between us?"

Bennett: "I wish it worked that way. But it doesn't. You're always reliving your childhood whether you admit it or not--what the hell do you think you're doing with Adrian Goodlove? He looks exactly like your father--or maybe you hadn't noticed" (189).

First of all, close reading aside, I can't believe Isadora has the guts to accuse Bennett about what he's saying to her when clearly she's the one who has been cheating on him. That's just...wow.

The first thing that struck me about this passage was the irony in Isadora's statement, "Can't we just keep it between us?" This choice of wording illustrates just how confused she is about who she wants. She gave up the right to keep it just between them when she constantly brought her parents or Adrian into the situation. As the infidel, she cannot possibly expect any situation of theirs to remain between them ever again.

The use of dashes throughout the dialogue has the effect of hesitation, but adds to the argumentative nature of their exchange. Especially in the last sentence, Bennett's sarcasm is evident when he says "--or maybe you hadn't noticed." The syntax of their argument is not comprised of complicated sentences in heated tones; it is clear they are both calm, but the dashes mark a change in tone or rhythm in the argument.

Once again, the Oedipal complex remains potent in their arguments. Bennett points out that Adrian looks exactly like her father, addressing the common notion that girls look for their fathers in partners they choose. The tone seems to turn darker when Bennett refers to her "reliving her childhood" by being with Adrian. The slightly disturbing aspect of that comparison is the very sexual and crude physical nature of Isadora and Adrian's relationship. That is saying something about the Oedipal complex. The complicated relationships between Isadora and her mom, dad and Bennett affect the way she responds to Bennett's accusations. His psychoanalytic interpretations of her mindset seem to be evident through her behavior as well, not just through psychosis.