Psychic Fragmentation and Racial Identity in Andrea Levy’s Fruit of the Lemon: A Psychoanalytic Study

Abstract

This paper explores the theme of psychic fragmentation and the intricate formation of racial identity in Andrea Levy’s Fruit of the Lemon through a psychoanalytic lens. Using key psychoanalytic concepts such as repression, the unconscious, and identity formation, the study examines how the protagonist, Faith Jackson, experiences an internal divide between her Jamaican heritage and her British upbringing. Faith’s divided self-identity stems from inherited silences within her family and history, embodying the enduring mental and emotional imprint of colonialism and displacement. This research specifically draws on Freudian ideas of repression and the unconscious, Lacanian theories of the Mirror Stage and the Other, and Jungian notions of individuation to analyze Faith’s psychological journey. The paper discusses how racial identity, shaped by unconscious desires and internalized societal perceptions, becomes central to Faith’s search for self-understanding. Additionally, it investigates how the absence of a cohesive cultural narrative within Faith’s family leads to an ongoing struggle with her identity, ultimately reflected in her emotional and psychological fragmentation. Faith’s journey to Jamaica serves as both a literal and symbolic process of reconciliation, where the protagonist confronts the fragmented parts of her psyche and reclaims her cultural heritage. Using a psychoanalytic framework, this study highlights how identity, trauma, and healing intertwine in postcolonial settings, underscoring how buried family histories and unconscious processes influence racial and cultural attachment.