Myth and Mind: Exploring the Unconscious in Ben Okri’s the Famished Road Trilogy
R. Govindan, S. Selvalakshmi
Bodhi International Journal of Research in Humanities Arts and Science April 30, 2026 DOI: 10.64938/bijsi.v10i3.26.apr064 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Okri's trilogy can be read through Freudian and Jungian psychoanalysis, with Azaro the abiku spirit-child embodying trauma, repetition, and individuation, and that the novels extend psychoanalytic discourse beyond Western individuality by embedding it in communal African mythological frameworks. |
Abstract
This research paper examines the psychoanalytic aspects in Ben Okri’s the Famished Road Trilogy, which consist of The Famished Road (1991), Songs of Enchantment (1993), and Infinite Riches (1998). This study uses concepts of Freudian and Jungian to analyse and integrates individual psychology with group cultural consciousness. Azaro, is protagonist, he is an abiku (spirit-child), signifies a transitional reality that shows psychological trauma, turmoil, repetition, and individuality development. The trilogy is observed as a symbolic description of personal and postcolonial mental conflict, wherein nightmares, hunger, and cyclical life clarify the undercurrents of the unconscious. This study resists that Okri widens psychoanalytic discourse beyond Western individuality, integrating a communal and mythological frame works trended on African mythology.