Literature and film psychology

¶ … Film Psych

Analyzing the Sopranos through the eyes of Carl Jung

Unconscious Eyes

The award-winning HBO television series, The Sopranos, is one that can be analyzed by people everywhere. Each time a new episode airs, it has more symbolism than the last. The various storylines, plots, and characters are divulged in a way that creates a certain tension among the audience; and week after week, people feel compelled to come back for more.

So why is it that people feel bound to their television sets each fall when a new season of The Sopranos commences? Most people in America will answer this way: "It's great drama." But there must be a driving force behind the drama, a technique that the writers, directors, and producers use to hold America's interest. Carl G. Jung, author of Man and His Symbols, might have a few ideas regarding this.

In Man and His Symbols, Jung goes into great detail about various archetypes; one in particular is the power of one's dreams. Jung believes that "dreams may sometimes announce certain situations long before they actually happen" (51). This does not necessarily mean that one has psychic powers, Jung says; on the contrary, one dreams of images that are part of an unconscious history, which cannot be processed in the conscious state. Thus, Jung thinks "what we consciously fail to see is frequently perceived by our unconscious, which can pass the information on through the dreams" (51).

A perfect example of this is shown in the second season finale of the Sopranos. Tony Soprano, the head of the mafia family, is having doubts about Sal "Big *****" Bonpensiero. Tony is concerned that ***** is talking to the Feds; however, ***** is like a big brother to Tony, and Tony does not want to believe this could possibly be true. Thus, he does not pursue it in his conscious state of mind, because he can not process such a thought. However, Tony has a dream in which ***** is an actual fish on ice (another form of symbolism). In the dream, ***** tells Tony that he's been working for the Feds and that Tony's known all along. According to Jung's theory, Tony's unconscious state passed the information on through the dream. Even though Tony has known all along, his mind wouldn't go there.

Now, however, Tony does know, and when he wakes up, he's determined to find out the truth. Sure enough, when he searches *****'s house, he finds a wire and some tapes meant for the FBI. For Tony, this means he has to do something he never wanted to even think about: kill one of his closest friends.

Another important character in The Sopranos, Adriana La Cerva, fits a wild woman archetype described by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. In Estes' book, Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, she discusses the story of Bluebeard. Bluebeard is a symbol of a predator to women. In this story, the youngest of three sisters marries Bluebeard, even though her sisters' warn her otherwise. The youngest sister is drawn to Bluebeard because he is rich, lives in a beautiful castle, and he "wined and dined her" in the woods.

Adriana is drawn to her fiance, Christopher Moltisanti, in a similar way. While she does truly love him, she is drawn to him by his money, his power, and of course, because he is a "made man." Adriana grew up in "the family," and she knows what goes on; however, she is far too dazzled by Christopher to think logically. Estes says:

In hindsight, almost all of us have, at least once, experienced a compelling idea or semi-dazzling person crawling through our psychic windows at night and catching us off guard. Even though they're wearing a ski mask, have a knife between their teeth, and a sack of money slung over their shoulder, we believe them when they tell us they're in the banking business (47).

Adriana knows her fiance is a "made man." She's even proud of this fact. However, she will justify this as though he is a legitimate businessman.

Estes believes that some women are taught not to see, but rather to "make pretty" things that are grotesque. Similarly as the youngest sister in Bluebeard rationalizes that his beard "isn't really that blue," Adriana rationalizes that Christopher's job isn't really that bad (even though it involves murder, drugs, etc.). Estes says, "This early training to 'be nice' causes women to override their intuitions. In that sense, they are actually purposefully taught to submit to the predator" (48-49).

Adriana thinks that enough of her love and support will "cure" Christopher of his drug habit and his abusive nature. She plays right into the role Estes describes: "Many women...marry while they are yet naive about predators, and they choose someone who is destructive to their lives...They are in some way 'playing house'" (50).

Jung and Estes both make points about similar things, but they do so in different ways. Jung believes that when one's conscious state of mind cannot process a thought or idea because it is too painful, one's unconscious will process it instead. Although Tony's suspicions are right there in front of him, he cannot believe that his dear friend ***** would betray him in the worst way. However, his dream tells him the truth, and this is the only sign strong enough to cause Tony to take action. Similarly, although Adriana sees Christopher right in front of her, she chooses to look at something different. As Estes says, she is able to rationalize the "good" things about Christopher (i.e., money and power), while the audience sees an abusive, murderous monster.