When the cat is away, the (m)other will play : regression and identity formation in Neil Gaiman's Coraline

Abstract:

This essay examines Neil Gaiman’s Coraline from a psychoanalytic perspective, with focus on the formation of the super ego. While the young girl’s identity formation has been examined before, the general focus is often oedipal. In this essay, I choose to step away from the oedipal and examine the psychosymbolism throughout the novella. The aim is to see how Coraline’s own psychic development manifests itself in the other world. The characters in the novella are looked upon as representations of different aspects of Coraline’s psyche. Her actions with them are considered to be representations of internal conflicts or resolutions.  

In short, this essay examines how the novella portrays the psychodevelopmental nature of the child's identity formation.