Throughout this story, Katherine is caught in a struggle between her Id, Ego, and Superego. Her husband has supposedly killed a woman that was his mistress, but he was never convicted. This affair and murder charge were a complete surprise to Katherine, and it turned her world upside down. Katherine’s Ego still feels that deep love and connection to her husband, but both her Id and Superego are working against her throughout the story.
Katherine’s ego chooses to deal with the struggle between her Id and Superego over her husband’s supposed murder of his mistress by using several defense mechanisms. The first was her use of Intellectualization at the beginning of the story, Katherine has just carried out an affair and is getting dressed, and instead of having thoughts about her husband or new lover, as would be expected, she instead directs her attention to her hair, and then her mothers and grandmothers hair, and how she doesn’t want to get old.
Another defense mechanism she uses is Denial. Katherine seems to know deep down in her mind that her husband is guilty, but on the surface during the story, she is constantly acting like she is oblivious to it. This subconscious knowledge, whether it is true or not, has changed her whole perception of Phair, and is in constant struggle throughout the story with the deep feelings of love and intimacy she has for him.
These conflicts cause Katherine to withdraw from her husband, as facing him would force her to resolve them. She does this by barely interacting with him, and just continuing on her daily routine as if that was all that mattered. This withdrawal seemed to work manageably until Katherine lost her job, and no longer had a daily routine to hide behind. Instead of dealing with her feelings, she instead chose to escape to a new daily routine, which happened to be sleeping with a man going through his own marriage problems.
The messy, disorganized room that Katherine happens to be meeting this man in is more than just a room, it becomes a symbol of her life. Through Introjection, she uses the state of the room to become symbolic of her emotional state towards Phair. And as the room becomes more and more bare, her feelings toward Phair become less and less intense, until finally there is nothing left. That is the point where Katherine finally resolves her struggles.
-Wesley Marin
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