Twisted Love

Psychoanalytical and Archetypal Approach

The novel Twisted Love by Ana Huang, if you would read it with actual understanding, you will see that it's more than just a typical romance story. When I read it a couple of times, it showed how someone's past and hidden emotions can affect the way they love and deal with people around them, even with their loved ones. Using psychoanalytical and archetypal criticism was perfect for this story, we can see and understand how the characters--especially Alex Volkov-- are affected by their past, childhood experiences, and unconscious desires that was bound to happen. The story fits well with this type of criticisms because it also focuses on trauma other than love that becomes both painful and healing to the characters, especially the main characters.One of the main character, Alex Volkov looks like a person who has everything--smart, confident, and successful. It looks like he's living the dream of most people on earth, but in reality he's broken and emotionally closed off that's why in the story he acts like a "robot" as if he doesn't feel emotions nor have emotions. When he was a kid, he experience a traumatic event that caused him to lose his parents and sibling. That kind of trauma that you couldn't forget so easily especially because he has hyperthymesia, the condition that you can remember all of the things that happened in your life in extreme details, it's unusually strong autobiographical memory. In psychoanalytic terms, Alex is using repression, which means he's trying to push away all the painful memories so he won't feel them again. Because of this, he grew up without his parents and sibling only his uncle who's a brother of his late father adopt him. Helping him get his revenge on some mysterious person who made his family suffered. He also thinks that showing emotion is a weakness, one of the reason was because his uncle thought him that showing emotion will only make your enemies think that you're weak. He hides behind logic and control, pretending he doesn't need love or need anyone to depend on.Then there's Ava Chen who's also the main character, who's the complete opposite of him. Her personality is kind, caring, and soft-hearted. She's like a sunshine, that's why his nickname for her is "sunshine". Through a psychoanalytic lens, Ava can be seen as the person who triggers Alex's unconscious desire for love and comfort that he keeps saying to everyone and himself that he doesn't need nor want it. The reason why Alex is drawn to her isn't just because he likes her personality--it's because there's something in her that makes him feel the warmth and security he lost as a child. Ava becomes the symbol of healing and acceptance that Alex never had even if he had "everything". In psychology, this is called transference, where a person transfer their emotions for someone in their past (like a parent, siblings, or anyone) onto someone else in the present. That's why Alex becomes so protective and attached to Ava, even if he's confused and doesn't fully understand why he was becoming like that.As the story goes on, Alex shows more than defense mechanisms. He uses projection, which means he puts his own feelings onto others. For example, he believes that love is dangerous and that people always leave just like his love ones in the past, so he treats Ava in a way that pushes her away first--almost like he's preparing himself to be hurt before it happens. Given that he knew that he grown attached to Ava and she was different from the girls he met nor was she also his type. These actions show that his trauma still controls him from the inside, even if he acts strong on the outside.Alex’s personality also connects to Freud’s idea of the id, ego, and superego. His id represents his hidden desires, especially his deep attraction to Ava. His ego tries to stay logical and reasonable, reminding him that he shouldn’t fall for her because she’s his best friend’s sister and he kept reminding himself that he only sees Ava like a "little sister" but he knows more than anyone that it's more than that, he sees Ava as a woman. And his superego makes him feel guilt and conflict about his actions, especially towards Ava. This constant inner battle with his mind shows how complicated his emotions are. It’s not just a love story but it’s also about a man fighting between what he feels, what he thinks, and what he knows is right. The story also uses these symbols that connects with archetypal and psychoanalysis criticism.The “walls” Alex built around himself represent his defense against emotional pain. The “darkness” inside him is the part of his mind where he hides his trauma and guilt. On the other hand, Ava represents sunshine, light, warmth, and healing. She becomes the one who helps him open up and face the emotions he tried to bury for years. Their relationship shows that love can be a form of therapy--helping someone understand and heal their inner wounds. These just made the story and their love realistic and strong.Well in the end, Twisted Love is not merely a love story but also a story of healing from the past, the traumas they carry with them. From the psychoanalytical and archetypal perspective, we learn from the novel that love has value when we learn to reckon with the pain rather than hide. Alex’s journey indicates that childhood trauma is a lifetime timeframe affecting someone’s way of loving, and acceptance and understanding systems are the slow and painful systematic way that we break down the walls we create around our heart and in our mind. Through Ava’s love, Alex begins learns that to be vulnerable does not make him weak, but human.

Manalad, Gwyneth