Self Signifies the Coherent Whole- Jungian Interpretation of Patrick White’s The Tree of Man

Abstract

The ‘Self’ for Jung is not just ‘me’ but ‘god’. It is the coherent whole which connects with the universe. It is the whole which connects both consciousness and unconsciousness. Self is a process of individuation where all aspects are brought together as one. Thus ‘re-birth’ is returning to the Wholeness of birth before we split ourselves into many parts. The same principle can be traced in ‘nirvana’ and ecstatic harmony. It is also identical with the concept of ‘Over-Soul’ given by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Carl Jung discovered the concept of collective unconscious as the universal basis of the experience of our soul because every soul has an urge to live life creatively. He also brought the concept of the archetype into scientific discourse.  The Tree in the novel is a symbol of inexhaustible growth of spirituality. The tree is connected to man’s desire of oneness with nature which is undying, perennial, ceaseless and everlasting. Stan Parker has the longing for spirituality which is in constant clash of Amy Parker’s longing for materialism. Rose-bushes of Amy Parker get overshadowed by the giantess and largeness of the tree.