Unconscious Conflicts and the Weight of Existence: A Psychodynamic Analysis of the Movie 'The Hours'

The Hours depicts the lives of three women across different time periods -- Virginia Woolf in 1920s England, Laura Brown in 1950s suburban America, and Clarissa Vaughan in 1990s New York -- all connected by Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway. The film delves into themes of the complexities of these women’s lives under societal pressures, such as gender roles, existential despair, mental illness, and the search for identity in the family and the world, as each character grapples with the weight of societal expectations, personal freedom, and the haunting specter of suicidal ideation, raising questions about women's autonomy and the choices they make. Through their struggles, the film explores the ways in which each individual copes with their trauma and pain. Interestingly, what stood out to me the most was the interconnectedness of women’s experiences across time and space, suggesting that while societal contexts change, certain struggles, such as feelings of entrapment, societal expectations, and the desire for personal fulfillment, remain constant.

Through a psychodynamic lens, I will examine the deeper unconscious motivations and unresolved conflicts in the three women characters: Virginia Woolf, Laura Brown, and Clarissa Vaughan. Specifically, I will focus on the following psychodynamic underpinnings: firstly, unconscious conflicts such as repressed desires or traumas that manifest as psychological symptoms; secondly, defense mechanisms that are repeatedly showcased in the movie, for example, repression or denial employed to avoid emotional pain symptoms; thirdly, the projection of past relational dynamics onto present relationship which is known as transference symptoms; fourthly, attachment theory that emphasizes childhood interactions with caregivers that influence adult attachment styles and self-concept symptoms (McWilliams, 2004); last but not least, self-psychology which highlights the importance of the self and its need for mirroring, idealization, and twinship in developing a cohesive sense of identity (Afek, 2019).

Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf in the movie is depicted as a celebrated writer in 1920s England with severe mental illness, likely depression, and an excruciating sense of existential despair. Her internal struggle is marked by a conflict between her creative genius and the oppressive societal expectations of her time. Her desire for artistic freedom clashes with the constraints of her domestic life and her husband Leonard’s overprotectiveness, which she perceives as both caring and suffocating. In the movie, they moved to a remote rural area for her debilitating mental condition, however, her conditions seem to have worsened due to her desperation to escape the suffocating life in Richmond and her yearning to go back to London as she remarks: “But if it is a choice between Richmond and death, I choose death.” This conflict also manifests in her suicidal ideation, as she feels trapped between her need for autonomy and her fear of losing control over her mind.

Virginia also employs numerous defense mechanisms to cope with her emotional ache. For example, she makes use of intellectualization by channeling her turmoil into her writing, specifically in Mrs. Dalloway, wherein she explores themes of mental illness and struggles. In the movie, she also remarks, “Books are the mirrors of the soul.” It is rather interesting that she is determined to feature the theme of death in her writing, further illustrating her depressive symptoms and conflict between life and death. She also exhibits denial, as seen in her attempts to downplay the severity of her condition to Leonard and her sister, insisting that she is “merely tired.” It is also interesting that her quote “You cannot find peace by avoiding life” exudes a sense of acceptance and resilience in the face of life’s struggles, and yet she still commits suicide at the very end. This statement can also be seen as an example of reaction formation, a defense mechanism where one expresses the opposite of their true feelings to manage anxiety. By proclaiming the importance of facing life, she might attempt to convince herself and others of her resilience, even though she feels overwhelmed by her desire of escapism. From the Freudian concept of death, Thanatos is an unconscious drive toward self-destruction, rooted in the desire to return to a state of non-existence, a release from tension, pain, and the burdens of life (Ackerman et al., 2023). This drive exists in constant tension with Eros, the life intuition that propels individuals in the direction of growth, connection, and survival (Ackerman et al., 2023). In Woolf’s case, her conscious efforts to cope through writing, social relationships, and her belief in facing reality can be seen as expressions of Eros. However, her excessive melancholy, internalized trauma, and psychic pain continuously reinforce Thanatos, gradually overriding her efforts to sustain these life-affirming efforts.

Virginia’s childhood experiences, including the early death of her mother, likely contributed to her fragile experience of self. This loss may have left her with unresolved grief and a fragmented identity, which she attempts to stabilize through her writing and her relationship with Leonard. However, Leonard’s role as both the caregiver and the protective husband exacerbates her feelings of dependency and resentment.

From a self-psychology perspective, Virginia’s need for mirroring, the validation of her creative self, is unmet. While Leonard admires her talents and skills, his overbearing concern for her mental health stifles her sense of agency. Her suicide at the end of the film can be seen as an attempt to reclaim the control over her fragmented self, as she writes in her final note: “I don’t think two people could have been happier than we have been”. One scene that took me by surprise in the movie was the seemingly incestuous kiss with Vanessa, which may symbolize Virginia’s yearning for emotional closeness and validation that she feels she cannot completely attain from her husband or from her writing. On the other hand, it might reflect her repressed sexual and emotional desires that she cannot fully express in her constrained societal and marital context. This brief, unguarded moment reveals her genuine self, starkly contrasts a life otherwise shaped by societal pressures and internal constraints.

Laura Brown

Another interesting character, Laura Brown, symbolizes the constricting conformity experienced by the majority of post-war suburban American housewives. Laura’s inner turmoil is likely a result of her inability to reconcile her roles as a mother and homemaker with her overwhelming sense of discontent and desire for something beyond the mundane life. Her repressed desires for freedom and autonomy conflict with her guilt over being unable to fulfill the idealized notion of the “perfect” homemaker. This conflict is symbolized by her failed attempt to bake a cake for her husband’s birthday, which becomes a metaphor for her crumbling sense of self.

Laura relies most heavily on repression to keep her discontent at bay and to sustain the illusion of a devoted wife and mother. However, her repressed emotions surface in moments of dissociation, such as when she contemplates suicide in a hotel room. She also uses projection, attributing her own feelings of being trapped to her son, Richard, whom she fears will inherit her despair.

Laura exhibits signs of an insecure attachment style, likely a reflection of her childhood experiences. While the film does not detail her upbringing, her emotional detachment from her husband, Dan, and her son, Richard, suggests a history of unmet emotional needs. Such detachment takes the form of an avoidant attachment style where Laura is unable to form intense emotional bonds and withdraws into herself. Her inability to fully engage with her family reflects a fear of intimacy and a lack of trust in others to meet her emotional needs. This is also evident in her relationship with Dan, where she assumes the role of an obedient wife but is not emotionally present. Her attachment style is also seen in her relationship with Richard, whom she loves deeply but is unable to care for completely, leaving him with his own attachment wounds that subsequently cause his struggles with relationship problems, sexual identity, AIDS, and his abandonment feelings.

Laura’s need for idealization, a sense of purpose or meaning, is unmet in her role as a housewife. Her brief escape to the hotel room represents a desperate attempt to reclaim her sense of identity, but her inability to follow through with suicide reflects her internalized guilt and fear of societal judgment. Ultimately, she abandons her family, a decision that haunts her constantly but also allows her to pursue a life that feels more authentic to her, as she later admits: “What does it mean to regret when you have no choice? It's what you can bear. And there it is... It was death. I chose life.” Laura’s attraction to her friend can also be understood as an expression of her repressed sexual and emotional desires. Under the conservative climate of the 1950s, same-sex desire was heavily stigmatized, likely forcing Laura to suppress her feelings. This repression contributes to her overall sense of dissatisfaction and alienation, as she cannot authentically express her true self.

Her gesture of intimacy with her friend is a temporary escape from the constraints of her life. It is a moment of authenticity and vulnerability, where Laura allows herself to connect with her desires. However, this moment is also tinged with guilt and fear, as Laura is acutely aware of the societal consequences of acting on her feelings.

Clarissa Vaughan

Clarissa Vaughan is a contemporary editor living in 1990s New York and draws a comparison with Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. Clarissa’s inner conflict lies in her struggle to reconcile her role as a caregiver to her former lover, Richard, who also happens to be Laura Brown’s son. She devotes her life to nursing Richard, tantamount to a mother figure. Richard is dying of AIDS, and the duty somehow becomes a source of her personal achievement and also a way of evading the confrontation with her own feelings of inadequacy and the triviality of her life. Her dilemma can be epitomized into the question: “What does it mean to be happy?”

Clarissa employs displacement and sublimation to redirect her emotional pain into organizing a party for Richard. However, this also serves as a form of avoidance, enabling her to distract herself from her own existential despair. She also demonstrates reaction formation, presenting a pleasant facade in front of her friends and her daughter while concealing her inner turmoil. Her statement of “I remember one morning getting up at dawn, there was such a sense of possibility,” also embodies regression, in which she retreats to a period that elicits a sense of security and nostalgic feelings. This regression allows her to momentarily escape the agony of her reality, in which she feels trapped in a full routine of duty and despair with Richard. However, it also prevents her from fully engaging with the present and finding meaning in her current circumstances.

Clarissa exhibits characteristics of the anxious attachment style, which is characterized by a strong yearning for connection and validation accompanied by an underlying fear of abandonment. Such dynamics can be seen specifically in interactions with Richard. Clarissa’s entire life seems to revolve around caring for Richard. Her attachment to him is intense and all-consuming, reflecting her need for reliance and seeking out emotional closeness. Her anxious attachment likely stems from early relational experiences where her emotional needs were inconsistently met, thus leading to a constant fear of abandonment. This fear drives her to overinvest in her relationships, particularly with Richard, as a way of solidifying her sense of self and avoiding feelings of emptiness. Her caretaking role can be seen as an attempt to repair early relational wounds, both for Richard and herself. However, her inability to save him mirrors her own feelings of powerlessness in finding meaning in her life.

Clarissa’s need for twinship, a sense of connection and shared identity (Afek, 2019), is partially met in her relationship with Richard, leaving her feeling unmoored. Her final conversation with Laura Brown, who abandoned Richard as a child, provides a moment of reckoning and prompts her to decide to live despite her grief, marking a tentative step in reconstructing her broken self and finding meaning beyond her role as a caregiver.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the three women embody their own specific struggles that are inherent in their periods and employ different coping mechanisms -- some are non-committal to their difficulties in reality, while some experience a segment of denials and escapism but eventually choose to face life and the reality at the face. While being fearful of confrontation of difficulties is the natural human instinct, perhaps the essence of living is to ultimately accept that life brims with difficulties, and as Virginia wrote to her husband Leonard, “Dear Leonard. To look life in the face. Always to look life in the face and to know it for what it is. At last to know it. To love it for what it is, and then, to put it away.”

References

Ackerman, S., Zeavin, L., Hook, D., Lichtenstein, D., & Goldblatt, M. (2023). Thanatos: is freud’s concept still relevant? Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 71(4), 669-702. https://doi.org/10.1177/00030651231199227 (Original work published 2023)

Afek, O. (2019). Reflections on Kohut’s Theory of Self Psychology and Pathological Narcissism-Limitations and Concerns. Psychoanalytic Psychology 36, 166-172.

McWilliams, N. (2004). Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A Practitioners Guide. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.