My Oedipus Complex

The title “My Oedipus Complex” evokes the early 20th-century Freudian theory of psychosexual development and the ancient Greek play Oedipus Rex, after which the theory was named. Freud’s concept places a child (typically three to six years old) in competition with their parent of the same sex and sexually interested in their parent of the opposite sex. This historically refers to male children, with female children sometimes included under this umbrella and sometimes given an alternative title with slight variations. The explanation behind this complex lies in the sexual development of boys and the discovery of sexual desire, which is then aimed at their female caretaker. Given the sexual implications of this, this theory has a reputation for being taboo.

The ancient Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the source material for Freud’s theory, follows a hero determined to find out the cause of the city’s misfortune by hunting down the killer of the previous king. It is tragically revealed that Oedipus unknowingly is the person responsible and that his new wife is also the woman who gave birth to him. Oedipus is horrified and blinds himself when the truth is revealed, devastated to be involved in an incestuous relationship with his mother.

By invoking these ideas in the title, the reader is reminded of a child who dislikes their father and forms an obsession with their mother. While the narrator doesn’t murder their father or form a sexual relationship with their mother, the connection to Freudian theory is nevertheless present, creating a humorously extreme reference to the source material that sets the tone for the narration.