EXPLORING DARK DESIRES IN AVENGED SEVENFOLD’S A LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN: A PSYCHOANALYTIC AND PHILOSOPHICAL READING

Falah Muzaqqi Aljazera, Masnia Rahayu


Abstract


Research on dark themes in literature and music often focuses on narrative or aesthetic form, leaving a gap in understanding how psychological and philosophical dimensions shape artistic expression. This study aims to explore how dark desires are represented in Avenged Sevenfold’s A Little Piece of Heaven through psychological, sociological, and philosophical perspectives. Employing a qualitative descriptive method with thematic analysis, the research identifies symbolic patterns of unconscious drives, moral conflict, and emotional duality within the song’s narrative. The analysis applies Freud’s concepts of the id, ego, and superego alongside Jung’s theory of the shadow self to uncover repressed impulses, while Nietzsche’s philosophy is used to interpret how destructive instincts are transformed into creativity and moral reflection. The findings reveal that A Little Piece of Heaven embodies the duality of affection and violence, suggesting that dark desires function as both destructive and creative forces within human consciousness. This study contributes to literary and cultural studies by demonstrating how psychological repression and moral conflict in heavy metal music can be interpreted as a creative articulation of human emotion, offering insight for both literary analysis and cultural pedagogy.

Keywords


Dark desires; Avenged Sevenfold; A Little Piece of Heaven; Freud; id ego superego; psychoanalysis; Nietzsche; Foucault; literary psychology; human nature; gothic expression; moral conflict

Full Text:

PDF

References


Andini, R. (2022). Self-destructive desire in Billie Eilish's Bury a Friend. Journal of Modern Humanities, 11(2), 102–115.

Aristotle. (1996). Poetics (M. Heath, Trans.). London, England: Penguin Books. (Original work published 335 BCE)

Arnett, J. J. (1996). Metalheads: Heavy metal music and adolescent alienation. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Bataille, G. (1962). Erotism: Death and sensuality (M. Dalwood, Trans.). San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books.

Botting, F. (1996). Gothic. London, England: Routledge.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Day, W. P. (1985). In the circles of fear and desire: A study of Gothic fantasy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Durkheim, É. (1897). Le suicide: Étude de sociologie. Paris, France: Alcan.

Evelyn, M., Rahmawati, N., & Putra, D. (2024). Symbolism and emotional transgression in heavy metal music: A psychoanalytic perspective. Journal of Modern Humanities, 12(2), 45–58.

Foucault, M. (1978). The history of sexuality, Volume 1: An introduction (R. Hurley, Trans.). New York, NY: Pantheon Books.

Freud, S. (1908). Creative writers and day-dreaming. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 9, pp. 141–153). London, England: Hogarth Press.

Freud, A. (1936). The ego and the mechanisms of defense. New York, NY: International Universities Press.

Freud, S. (1955). Beyond the pleasure principle. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 18, pp. 1–64). London, England: Hogarth Press.

Freud, S. (1957). The unconscious. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 14, pp. 159–215). London, England: Hogarth Press.

Freud, S. (1912). The dynamics of transference. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 12, pp. 97–108). London, England: Hogarth Press.

Freud, S. (1923). The ego and the id. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 19, pp. 1–66). London, England: Hogarth Press.

Frith, S. (1996). Performing rites: On the value of popular music. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Fromm, E. (1956). The art of loving. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

Halnon, K. B. (2006). Heavy metal carnival and dis-alienation: The politics of grotesque realism. Symbolic Interaction, 29(1), 33–48. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2006.29.1.33

Hartono, T. (2021). The tell-tale heart: A Freudian analysis of guilt and repression. Journal of Literary Studies, 9(3), 211–227.

Hogle, J. E. (2002). The Cambridge companion to Gothic fiction. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Jung, C. G. (1951). Aion: Researches into the phenomenology of the self. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Jung, C. G. (1964). Man and his symbols. New York, NY: Doubleday.

Jung, C. G. (1971). Psychological types. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1921)

Kahn-Harris, K. (2007). Extreme metal: Music and culture on the edge. Oxford, England: Berg.

Kristiawan, A., Nugraha, R., & Dewi, P. (2024). Aggression and repression in rock music lyrics: Symbolic reflections of modern anxiety. Indonesian Journal of Language and Culture, 16(1), 101–114.

Lacan, J. (1992). The ethics of psychoanalysis 1959–1960: The seminar of Jacques Lacan (Book VII) (D. Porter, Trans.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton.

Miller, S., & Gomez, R. (2021). Sublimation and musical expression: Freudian perspectives on creative transformation. Journal of Psychoanalytic Studies, 15(3), 78–92.

Moleong, L. J. (2017). Metodologi penelitian kualitatif (Edisi revisi). Bandung, Indonesia: PT Remaja Rosdakarya.

Nietzsche, F. (1966). Beyond good and evil: Prelude to a philosophy of the future (W. Kaufmann, Trans.). New York, NY: Vintage Books.

Nietzsche, F. (1974). The gay science (W. Kaufmann, Trans.). New York, NY: Vintage Books.

Nietzsche, F. (1887). On the genealogy of morals (W. Kaufmann & R. J. Hollingdale, Trans. New York, NY: Vintage Books.

Nietzsche, F. (1888). Ecce homo: How one becomes what one is (T. Wayne, Trans.). New York, NY: Algora Publishing.

Nugraha, S. (2022). Nietzschean ethics and rebellion in heavy metal: Challenging social conformity through music. Journal of Philosophy and Culture, 14(2), 145–159.

Punter, D. (1996). The literature of terror: A history of Gothic fictions from 1765 to the present day (Vol. 2). London, England: Longman.

Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person: A therapist's view of psychotherapy. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Sari, D. P., & Handoyo, B. (2023). Psychoanalytic representations of trauma in contemporary song lyrics: Pathways to emotional healing. Journal of Music and Psychology, 18(4), 234–248.

Thompson, W. F. (2004). Music, thought, and feeling: Understanding the psychology of music. Psychological Bulletin, 130(2), 345–363.

Weinstein, D. (2000). Heavy metal: The music and its culture (Rev. ed.). Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.30743/ll.v1i1.12233

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.