Roderick's Oedipus Relationship With His Mother in The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen

“I see how you feel; I am very, very sorry I’m not like your brothers, Mother, but there it is, I’ll really try and exert ifyou’d rather, but I don ’t think the Army’s quite what it was in your day-everything now depends on so much else I must say, I should like to be known as ‘the captain’ when I settle at Mount Morris; but I suppose quite a lot ofwater will have to flow under the bridges before then ” I wonder about your commissioni I was saying to Robert-“ “Oh he’s, how is Robert? I hope well?” “Very.

This week-end—he’s at his mother ‘s. " “Like I am," said Roderick genially However, the idea ofthe elder man made him look anxiously down the length of his own person in Robert’s dressing-gown”. The dialogue between Stella and Roderick is beyond the normal boundaries of a mother and a son, Rather, their conversation characterizes the relationship of a mother and a child, who according to Freud is undergoing the Oedipus crisis.

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The Oedipus complex is where kids are in competition with their same sex parent, due to their sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex. This phenomenon is strange all on its own, but more strange is Elizabeth Bowen‘s novel, The Heat of the Day, portrayal of Roderick in an Oedipus relationship with his mother, Roderick‘s unconscious motives are clearly seen when he puts himself in competition with any male figure associated with Stella and through his attempts at trying to establish a sense of authority.

  When Roderick apologizes to Stella, it is not an apology for disappointing his mom, but rather, an apology for not being man enough for heri Roderick starts his apology by saying, “I am very, very sorry I’m not like your brothers.

Mother, but there it is, I‘ll really try and exert if you’d rather, Roderick’s apology is more of a comparison to his closest male competitors. His reference towards Stella’s brothers proves she admires her sibling’s bravery, something Roderick lacks, and as a result, apologizes for it. However, one should call into question why Roderick enlisted in the military Joining the military is Roderick’s way of appealing to Stellar It is obvious bravery is something she values, so it’s logical Roderick joined the army to model her brother’s bravery in order to gain her attention. Bravery as it turned out, is not Roderick’s strong suit. Since Roderick is not capable of showing authority in the battlefield, he states his sphere of influence by responding with, “I must say, I should like to be known as ‘the captain’ when I settle at Mount Morris". He is unable to compete with his uncles in the sense of courage, but he does outcompete them on the basis of inherited land.

Wealth seems to play a more important role than one’s merit, in the sense of courting one’s potential mater As Roderick points out, he cannot get the position of captain based on bravery, but he can sure buy it, His emphasis on being called The Captain, as a military authority, serves as a strategic way to appeal to Stella; by showing he has more authority compared to her brothers. Roderick’s sexual attraction towards his mother becomes clear from his reaction towards Robert, a capable adversary When Stella started talking about Robert, Roderick quickly interrupted her and brought the conversation to his control, The obvious disliked is seen after the interruption when he asks, “ ‘How is Robert? I hope well?”l. The way Bowen italicized “is" shows a change in tone inRoderick’s voice This change of tone explains his sarcasm in asking if Robert is well.

On the contrary, Roderick hopes Robert is not well More disturbing, Roderick’s sexual desire towards Stella is obvious from his response when Stella tells him Robert is also spending the weekend his mom, “ ‘Like I am,‘ said Roderick genially”. The description of his response as, genially, should itself raise some red flags. One is free to interpret it on one‘s own terms, but given the context, it is obvious that Roderick responding warmly to Robert staying with his mother is rather twistedt More shockingly, as Roderick plays dress up with Robert’s robe, he reacts by “ the idea of [an] elder man [making] him anxiously look down the length of his own person”. As he looks down, he anxiously compares himself to Robert, and realizes that he can’t beat Robert based on the size of his genitalia. This lack of growth according to Roderick will require a “lot of water [M] to flow under the bridges before” he can be called The Captain.

Roderick refers to water passing as an instrument of time. As Roderick ages, he will gradually mature into a bigger authority figure capable of competing against Robert. As for now, Roderick is merely an inexperienced child compared to an elder man. Stella and Roderick’s conversation describes Sigmund Freud‘s notion of the Oedipus complex, At first sight, the relationship between Stella and Roderick is not consciously noticeable, but when closely analyzed, their Oedipus relationship is clearly seen. Roderick’s anxiety filled reactions and strive to model Stella’s competitors stand as proof of Roderick’s sexual motive toward his mother.