Sex: It’s a Big Deal What is the perfect relationship? The one filled with sexual interaction. The perfect relationship must include fulfilled desires, intense emotions, and sex - a lot of sex. In Leo Tolstoy’s The Kreutzer Sonata, Posdnicheff explores the misbalance of his id and super ego and the feelings of passion that the id provokes. Posdnicheff forges relationships based upon sensual desires stemming from his id. These instinctive actions caused a misbalance between his super ego and id, which led to conflict in his relationship. Through past experiences, Posdnicheff recognizes how the id can overpower one’s life and the lives of his family. The id causes corruption and jealousy through the emotions of love and hate, which led…show more content… However, there is evidence of Posdnicheff’s super ego through the expression of morals and ideals. Although Posdnicheff is not completely consumed by his id, there is a misbalance between his id and super ego. When addressing his relationship with his wife, Posdnicheff explains how “we were living immorally” (ch. 17). There is proof of the super ego when Posdnicheff talks about his desired woman, and how he “looked for virgins, whose purity was worthy of me” (ch. 6). Although Posdnicheff does show arrogance, he also is showing clear proof of morals. He believed that his morals are so high that the purity of virgins is all he deserves. Although there is proof of the super ego, there is little balance between id and super ego, with much larger expression of his id and less of his…show more content… Posdnicheff’s relationship with his wife is maintained upon these two passionate emotions, but they also bring the downfall of their marriage. Love and conflict were feelings induced by the id and was the glue to this disintegrating relationship. Posdnicheff explains how “a period of intense love was followed by a long period of anger; a period of mild love induced mild irritation” (ch. 17). The relationship between Posdnicheff and his wife is always on the verge of complete separation, but the sexual desire fulfilled by the “period[s] of intense love” is what held it together. Before Posdnicheff attacked is wife, he felt “toward her a terrible hatred,” continuing on, saying, “She must suffer, she must understand at least that I have suffered” (ch. 25). The sexual desire that held Posdnicheff’s marriage together has changed into an intense hate, based upon ideas of revenge. This desire for sex evolved into a desire to kill, showing that the passionate feelings of love and hate in the id can keep a relationship strong and bring it to its demise. Jealousy is a key component of this demise. The hatred that Posdnicheff felt towards his wife stemmed from jealousy, which comes from the id. When Posdnicheff heard that Troukhatchevsky was interacting with his wife after his departure, he explained how his “heart swelled, and the mad beast of jealousy began to roar in his lair, and seemed to