Masochist and Sadist Individuals at the Socio-Cultural Crisis in The Banshees of Inisherin
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2024.604Keywords:
death drive, masochism, sadism, self-defense, self-destructionAbstract
This study aims to analyze the death drive in McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin while investigating the functions of self-defense, self-destruction, and self-abasement in the film. The proposed questions include: What is the function of death drive in the subjectivity of an individual destructing himself? What are the possible socio-cultural implications of death drive as suggested in the movie? To answer these questions, the study makes frequent use of key terms associated with self-defense mechanism, death drive in particular, as well as masochistic and sadistic elements to prove different features of self-destruction in various forms. The present research shows that death drive projects itself as masochistic self-defense reaction, which is more often than not characterized with resentment and antagonism.
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