Frank O'Conner: My Oedipus Complex
Frank O'Connor Everyone shows traces of the little green monster, known as jealousy, but some more than others. This specific trait has had a huge effect on the world over time, sometimes destroying, sometimes rebuilding trust, friendships, and even business opportunities. Jealousy is an extremely prominent element in most of Frank O'Connor's writings and is often shown through different literary concepts such as conflict, characterization, and obsessive love. In writing “My Oedipus Complex”, O'Connor investigates the issue of jealousy through the various actions of his characters and the conflicts they get themselves tangled in, more importantly the ones involving their childlike obsessive love. To fully understand O'Connor's stories, you first have to delve deep into his background. Frank O'Connor was born in Cork, Ireland, on September 17, 1903 to Michael and Minnie O'Donovan. He was born under the name of Michael O’Donovan, but later created the pseudonym “Frank O’Connor” that he would use for all of his writings (Gale). It was there in Cork that he experienced the horrors and distress of living in poverty. Even when the family had a small amount of money, O'Connor's father would regularly go out on drinking sprees and return home violent and cruel (Gale). O'Connor, being the only son, learned to help provide for his mother when his father's priorities fell short. O'Connor's education was minimal as he only attended formal school for a short period of time. Although, even after he couldn't afford it any longer, he continued to further his education by reading widely and often (Contemporary). Under the guidance and instruction of Daniel Corkey, O'Connor's biggest influence, he joined the Irish Republican Army. He fought against the British even after a treaty was signed ending the war in 1921 (Gale). O'Connor was then arrested and imprisoned for his involvement in abiding the fight (Gale). During his time in prison, O'Connor continued to