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Psychological Concealment and Identity Formation in Michaelides’ The Silent Patient and Lehane’s Shutter Island
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Literary Psychology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719855
Abstract
Modern psychological fiction tends to dig into how hidden experiences shape who people become. This study looks at how psychological concealment and identity play out in Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient and Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island, using Freudian psychoanalysis as a lens. The focus is on how repressed memories and inner conflicts drive characters’ understanding of themselves and the worlds they live in. Through close reading, the study explores how these novels tackle repression, defence mechanisms, and unconscious struggles. What stands out is that concealment isn’t just about keeping secrets but it’s about rebuilding identity from the inside out. Alicia Berenson’s silence and Andrew Laeddis’ split identity show two ways people deal with experiences they can’t face. Both stories illustrate how the unconscious mind can twist self-perception and reality. By looking at these two thrillers side by side, the study shows that both authors treat identity as something fragile and shaped by what’s buried inside. Overall, this research adds to literary studies by showing that psychoanalytic criticism still matters when we’re trying to understand modern stories about memory, identity, and psychological survival.
Keywords
Psychological Fiction, Psychoanalysis, Identity, Repression, Memory, Unconscious
How to cite this paper
@article{1719855,
author = {Marappan A, Dr. A S Mohanagiri},
title = {Psychological Concealment and Identity Formation in Michaelides’ The Silent Patient and Lehane’s Shutter Island},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {1},
pages = {1887-1891},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1719855.pdf},
abstract = {Modern psychological fiction tends to dig into how hidden experiences shape who people become. This study looks at how psychological concealment and identity play out in Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient and Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island, using Freudian psychoanalysis as a lens. The focus is on how repressed memories and inner conflicts drive characters’ understanding of themselves and the worlds they live in. Through close reading, the study explores how these novels tackle repression, defence mechanisms, and unconscious struggles. What stands out is that concealment isn’t just about keeping secrets but it’s about rebuilding identity from the inside out. Alicia Berenson’s silence and Andrew Laeddis’ split identity show two ways people deal with experiences they can’t face. Both stories illustrate how the unconscious mind can twist self-perception and reality. By looking at these two thrillers side by side, the study shows that both authors treat identity as something fragile and shaped by what’s buried inside. Overall, this research adds to literary studies by showing that psychoanalytic criticism still matters when we’re trying to understand modern stories about memory, identity, and psychological survival.},
keywords = {Psychological Fiction, Psychoanalysis, Identity, Repression, Memory, Unconscious},
month = {July},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719855}
}