Until death do us part

The Feather Pillow written by Horacio Quiroga narrates the story of a young marriage, Alicia and Jordan. The young couple had moved into an almost empty house, which had little services to offer his housebound wife. Day by day, with little to do at home to keep her occupied, Alicia would occupy her time by waiting for her husband's arrival every evening. Alicia starts getting sick and finally she died. At the beginning of the story Quiroga describes Alicia as a dreamer girl that was in love with Jordan whose dreams were not the same as hers; …her childhood fantasies of being a bride had been chilled by her husband's stern nature... (Quiroga, 1917). Alicia was always alone in the house even though Jordan loved her he didn´t spend time with her until she got sick.

Jordan appears like a worried husband but he was the one that killed Alicia. Jordan used to oppress his feelings; …He likewise was in love with her, but never made it known… (Quiroga, 1917). He oppresses love and hate. Jordan hate Alicia but he loved her at the same time. Love and hate are often described to be diametrically opposed; in this case, it is impossible to speak about hating the one we love without engaging in a logical contradiction. Love can become a ground for the emergence of hate. When the intensity and intimacy of love turns sour, hate may be generated. In these circumstances, hate serves as a channel of communication when other paths are blocked, and it functions to preserve the powerful closeness of the relationship, in which both connection and separation are impossible (Ben-Zeév, 2008).

Jordan desired the death of his wife but his desire came from the unconscious mind. The unconscious mind comprises mental processes that are inaccessible to consciousness but that influence judgements, feelings, or behavior (T.D., 2004). According to Freud the unconscious mind is the primary source of human behavior. Like an iceberg, the most important part of the mind is the part you cannot see (Sigmund, 1915). Your desires can forge your future. Paulo Coelho wrote; And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it (Coelho, 1988).

Even though Alicia´s death was the result of a bloodsucking parasite, Jordan’s unconscious desire was forging the death of his wife. At the end of the story, he got surprise because of the parasite but deep inside him he knew that was going to happen.

Bibliografía

Ben-Zeév, A. (11 de April de 2008). Psychology Today. Obtenido de Hating the One You Love—"I Hate You, but I Love You": https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-the-name-love/200804/hating-the-one-you-love-i-hate-you-i-love-you

Coelho, P. (1988). The Alchemist. Brazil: Planeta.

Quiroga, H. (1917). The feather pillow.

Sigmund, F. (1915). The unconscious.

T.D., W. (2004). Strangers to ourselves. Harvard University Press.