The chief objective of this research paper is two-fold: One, to explore the effects of the unconscious motivations and conflicts on Jaya’s behaviour; two, to reinterpret some of the major events happening in the subconscious and the unconscious segments of her mind in psychoanalytic terms . An attempt,therefore, has been made in its main body to study, by applying the tools of psychoanalytic technique, the vital and multi-dimensional role performed by the submerged dark invisible forces of her ‘unconscious’ in the formation of the thoughts and feelings, images and visions, nightmares and obsessions that lie visibly afloat on the surface of her stream of consciousness.
Key Words : psychoanalysis, unconscious motivations, psychic conflict, neurotic reactions,…show more content… Taking a cue from the basic tenets of psychoanalysis, Shashi Deshpande has portrayed the inner and outer actions of her characters in their moments of intense psychic struggle. Gifted with a keen observation and a probing psychological insight coupled with subtle analytical powers, she is perfectly suited to undertake the tough task of illuminating the innermost dark recesses of the unconscious segments of the psyche of her female protagonists. It has been her utmost endeavour in her highly acclaimed novel That Long Silence, to bring into light those dark corners of its protagonist, Jaya’s mind that lie concealed beneath the vast abyss of her unconscious. Here the novelist has explored the innermost recesses of her (Jaya’s) psyche where most of her