Andrew Marvell's life and literary works

Andrew Marvell

Conflict between the 'outer' and 'inner' selves: Analysis of "A dialogue between the soul and body" by Andrew Marvell

The introduction of new ideologies on the dawn of modern society in the 20th century, such as socialism and psychoanalysis, had influenced the social order of humanity. The prevalence and dominance of psychoanalytical thought in explaining the nature of human mind and behavior had been studied not only scientifically, but was also creatively interpreted in literature. Literary works, both in prose and poetry form, addressed the issue of the duality of the individual, that it possesses two selves: the conscious and unconscious selves. The conscious self was the part of the individual that experienced the real and physical, while the unconscious self was the 'inner self,' which pertains to the unconfronted self of the individual. As psychoanalysis posits, these two selves are always in conflict, primarily because each experiences different realities: the conscious self experiences life physically, while the unconscious one experiences life abstractly.

The conflict between the outer and inner selves was illustrated in the poem "A dialogue between the soul and body" by Andrew Marvell. In this poem, a dialogue between the soul and body" were illustrated, a conflict that highlighted the presence of the outer and inner selves within humans. In the analysis of Marvell's poem, this paper posits that "A dialogue between the soul and body" was an illustration of the conflict between the soul (inner self) and body (outer self), a contemplation of the human mind that reflects the contradiction between the concrete and abstract experiences of the individual. Marvell's poem extend the message that because of the conflicting natures and needs of the soul and body, a reconciliation between these two important elements is not possible; however, he proposes that both complement each other and are essential in keeping the humanity's individualities whole and complete.

The nature of the inner self or the Soul was depicted as having a great conflict with the Body, who seemed to contradict the nature of the Soul. Though initially the reader may literally interpret as a lamentation of the Soul's need to dissociate itself with the body, Marvell made it apparent that the Soul's need to become autonomous from the Body was rooted on its (Body) apparent neglect. The Soul argued against the Body, "A soul enslaved so many ways?...manacled in hands; Here blinded with an eye...Deaf with the drumming of an ear; a soul hung up...Tortured..." This passage revealed an important insight from the Soul: its antagonism emerged due to the apparent neglect and poor condition of the Soul's "host" or "temple."

Marvell put forth the message that the Soul's lamentation was the result of the individual's abuse of his/her Body, the host through which the Soul thrives and survives. Without a healthy 'outer self,' the inner self would be affected as well. The poem's focus was not so much about physical disease and affliction, but instead, social and moral disease, wherein blindness, deafness, and torture of the human soul (or inner self) were the consequences brought about by the individual's exposure to the social and moral decline of human society. Thus, the inner self suffered from the effects of being influenced by external factors, and the social and moral decline Marvell identified as the "disease" that plagued the body was synonymous with the immoral and socially regressive individual who was influenced by society's excesses and faults.

The Body's lamentation, meanwhile, was actually a series of complaints against the Soul's obvious reference to the individual's conscience and morality. While the Soul presented a good argument in accusing the Body of morally defiling the individual through afflictions that were social and moral in nature, the Body countered that the Soul's complaints were trivial compared to its worries. This was because the Body experiences difficulty in reconciling its physical needs with what the Soul desires -- it was trying to balance and address the needs of both the outer and inner selves. The Body countered, "O, who shall me deliver whole, From bonds of this tyrannic soul? Which, stretched upright, impales me so That mine own precipice I go... Has made me live to let me die a body that could never rest, Since this ill spirit it possessed..."