Electra complex in “The House on Zapote Street”
Our parents are the best treasure that we could have in our life. They are the reason why we exist in this beautiful creation of God, our world. From the moment of our conception until our age of adolescence we are still under the supervision of our parents. But when the right time comes and that we are already in the right age, and we are ready to engage ourselves with relationships, we must be given the independency from them.
Electra complex termed by Carl Jung refers to a girl or woman who falls in love with her father and becomes jealous of her mother and or the girl daughter and the father has an intimate relationship towards each other. “House on Zapote Street”, a short story written by one of the famous Filipino writer Nick Joaquin emphasized this concept. This concept under psychological theory then took an immense role in the story wherein it serves as the main reason of all the unhappy moments of the major character.
The story revolves in the character of Dr. Leonardo Quitangon, Lydia Cabading and her father, Pablo Cabading. The role of Electra complex in the story is a contrast of the real concept since it is the father whom we can vividly seen the said fixation. Pablo Cabading being the father of Lydia suffers Electra complex in which he became very zealous over looking to her.
He even threatened to arrest young men who stared at her on the street, or pressed too close against her. The dictation he made towards Lydia had already trespass her personal life which negatively affects her. Thus, this story shows how Pablo Cabading had been affected Carl Jung’s concept of Electra complex and this is because of the closeness or intimate relationship he had with his daughter, Lydia.
