The Villainous Parent - Psychoanalytic Criticism of Peter Pan, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and The Neverending Story - Master’s Thesis

Aug 27, 2026

This master’s thesis connects Peter Pan, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and The Neverending Story through recurring oedipal themes and links them via the concept of Bildungsroman, where protagonists develop through a journey. It examines “Fantasy” and children’s literature through Todorov and Nodelman, then relates these genres to psychoanalysis, centering Freud’s tripartite mental apparatus, Oedipus complex, instincts, uncanny, and dream theory. The study evaluates strengths and weaknesses of Freudian theory and frames an argument about how villains embody castration anxiety and penis envy and how identification resolves these complexes, fostering adulthood, morality, and reconciliation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages78

Reading Time3 h 17 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research Question

Reflection on Freud: Approaching Theory

Theory

The Fantastic

The Fantastic and Psychoanalysis

Children’s Literature

Children’s Literature and Psychoanalysis

Fantasy and Children’s Literature

Psychoanalytic Theory

Id, Ego and Superego

The Oedipus Complex

Life and Death instincts

The Uncanny

The Dream Theory

Analyses

Peter Pan

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Neverending Story

Conclusion

Works Cited

The Villainous Parent: Psychoanalytic Criticism of Peter Pan, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and The Neverending Story Christine Mette Keller Godman AAU Master’s Thesis, 10th semester Prof. Brian Russell Graham 14 June 2018 Abstract This thesis focuses on the three texts Peter Pan, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and The Neverending Story and claims that they are interconnected by the oedipal themes that resonate throughout all three texts. Furthermore, the term Bildungsroman, in which protagonists go on a journey in order to encourage a development, connects these three texts. The thesis attends to the genres “Fantasy” as presented by Tzvetan Todorov, and children’s literature as presented by Perry Nodelman. These genres are also placed in relation to psychoanalysis in order to form an idea of the manner in which these theories are compatible with psychoanalysis. Furthermore, psychological theories presented by Sigmund Freud are also of central importance to this paper. Psychoanalytical theories such as the tripartite mental apparatus; the Oedipus complex; the life and death instincts; the Uncanny; and the Dream theory are presented in this thesis as valuable tools to working with the oedipal themes in the three chosen texts. However, a section on the strengths and weaknesses of Freud shall highlight the skepticism and desire of working with Freudian theory. Furthermore, the strengths and weaknesses shall also underline a critical insight into Freudian theory. Various other academics and their scholarly contribution to the academic discussions concerning the three chosen texts will be highlighted in the introduction, and this thesis shall be inspired by some of the psychoanalytical interpretations ofthe chosen texts. The introduction ends with a research question that asks whether the villains ofthe chosen texts represent a conflict from an unresolved Oedipus complex in the protagonists and whether the resolution of the Oedipus complex signals a development in the protagonists. The analysis of Peter Pan examines the relationship between Wendy, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and Captain Hook in order to establish the fact that there is an unresolved female Oedipus complex at play in the novel. However, the analyses of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Neverending Story focus extensively on the male Oedipus complexes which haunt the male protagonists. The analysis of Lewis’ novel examines the relationship between Edmund, the White Witch and Aslan to underline the fact that Edmund suffers from an unresolved Oedipus complex; however, the identification with Aslan underlines the resolution of the Oedipus complex. The analysis of The Neverending Story argues that the relationship between Bastian, Atreyu, the Nothing and the Childlike Empress emphasise the presence of an unresolved Oedipus complex, but the identification with the father figure encourages the destruction of the Oedipus complex. This thesis argues that the villains pertaining to the male Oedipus complex, the White Witch, The Nothing and Bastian (in his darker moments), represent the castration anxiety, which the respective protagonists destroy through the process of identification with the father figure. This thesis also argues that the villain, Captain Hook, represents the penis envy from the female Oedipus complex, which Wendy destroys through the process of identification with the mother, who is presented as the crocodile in the novel. Conclusively, upon the destruction of the Oedipus complexes, both male and female, the protagonists’ development attend to notions of adulthood, morality and reconciliation. Keywords: Oedipus complex, castration anxiety, penis envy, Bildungsroman, fantasy, children’s literature, development, adulthood, morality, reconciliation, villains, dreams Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1 • Research Question 12 2. Reflection on Freud: Approaching Theory 14 3. Theory 19 • 3.1 The Fantastic 19 •

FAQs

What main theoretical framework does the thesis use to analyze the three novels?

The thesis uses psychoanalytic theory, especially Freud, to interpret recurring oedipal themes across the three texts, alongside genre concepts of “Fantasy” and children’s literature.

How does the thesis connect Bildungsroman to the chosen works?

It argues that the protagonists’ journeys in all three novels function as Bildungsroman development, showing how conflicts are confronted and resolved through identification processes.

What do the thesis identifies the villains as representing, and what role does identification play?

Male oedipal villains (such as the White Witch and The Nothing) are linked to castration anxiety, while Captain Hook is linked to penis envy from the female Oedipus complex. The protagonists’ identification with father or mother figures drives the destruction/resolution of these complexes.

Aug 27, 2026

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