Page:The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis II 1921 2.djvu/27

 THE CASTRATION COMPLEX ^ 183

perversion of sucking at the penis has a very Innocent and infant- ile prototype— the sucking at the breast. There exists behind the preconscious phantasy of sucking at the penis the unconscious one of sucking at the mother's breast, an unchanged infantile reminiscence the pleasurable sensation of which demands endless

repetition.

As far as I know it hzis not been pointed out how these conditions throw light on the castration complex. In our dreamer the same dream symbols represent both urine drinking and drink- ing from the breast. The unconscious picture of the nipple corresponds to the preconscious picture of the penis. The anam- nesis gave sufficient proof of an oral-erotic-mammary ambivalent attitude behind the dream.

A symbolic representation of castration occurred in a second dream. This symbolic castration was carried out upon a Mrs. X. who was a cover-figure for the dreamer's mother. The castration was a revenge for lack of motherliness. The punishment is con- summated "on the member, on the member with which you have most sinned". The castration (in the dream another symbolic act, representing the removal of the breasts) was a talion punishment for her being deprived of her mother's breasts through weaning.

I can give fuller details of a third dream because I was the dreamer.

Introduction: In May 1917 my beloved brother died. The dream occurred at a period when the pain of his loss had been softened by time, and had left a feeling of longing and yeammg. During the day previous to the dream these latter feelings had prevailed without my having consciously thought much about him.

Dream: I was somewhere by the sea. A pair of storks were flying about and then flew ofif to the left; a smaUer one was flying after them. I had a feeling of intense joy because a beautiful opportunity to observe birds of passage here presented itself. This joy increased when the small bird after flying back- wards and forwards several times settled near me. I then saw it was an avocet (recurvirostra avocetta, Dutch = kluit); it was beautifully coloured though somewhat more pink than is usually the case. It came at my call and took food from my hand or my mouth. Then I held it under my left arm and took it with me, feeling exceedingly happy with the magnificent bird. Then I was at the entrance of a cheese-store, and to my great disappointment became aware that the bird had disappeared, and that in its place