To begin to understand the psychoanalysis of a character or film, one must first understand what the Freudian psychoanalytic theory is. The theory stems from a theory created by the father of psychology, Sigmund Freud. Freud believed that both the human personality and the human mind have layers or levels to them. He believes that the human mind has three levels to it: the conscious, which is where our thoughts, focus, and emotions form, the pre-conscious, which is where we form and hold all memories (subconscious), and the unconscious, which is the deepest level of our mind that holds processes that drive our primitive and instinctual desires. Similarly, he believed that the human personality has three levels as well; the id, ego, and superego. He believed that all of these “layers” will interact with each other, and it is how those layers interact that can reveal an individual’s inner psyche. A person’s id is defined as the primitive part of their personality that holds their most aggressive and sexual desires. The id can be thought of as a person’s deepest, darkest beliefs; It is the version of themselves that most people try to hide. Every person’s id acts out of their own self-pleasure as this is the part of a person’s personality that will directly and adamantly respond to basic urges, needs, and desires and it is not impacted by logic. The superego is the opposite of the id in that it is an idealized, “perfect” version of that person’s personality as it operates as a moral conscience. It is believed that this is the part of the unconscious that is the source of self-criticism and the voice of the conscience. Finally, the ego acts as a mediator between the id and the superego. The ego is meant to work out realistic ways to satisfy both the id and the superego and will often suppress the id’s satisfaction in order to comply with society’s or the individual’s morals. One’s defense mechanisms, which include but are not limited to, projection, rejection, and denial, live in the ego however, they operate at the unconscious level. There are a few things that are very important to note when studying the relationships between the id, ego, and superego, especially for this specific analysis. Firstly, the ego does not act out of logic, it simply does what is seen as beneficial and logical for that individual. Secondly, there are technically two parts to the superego: the conscience and the ideal self. More importantly, the ideal self, which is a perfect version of that person, usually stems out of a person’s first great love attachment. Lastly, it is believed that certain types of traumatic upbringings can result in a weak and fragile ego, whose ability to control the id is limited. It can result in an individual’s id controlling their psyche. When individualized, psychoanalytic therapy’s main goal is to release repressed emotions in order to lead the client to catharsis or healing.
The purpose of this analysis is to psychoanalyze the protagonist of a show named Peaky Blinders, which tells the story of the 1900s Shelby gangster family in Birmingham, England. The protagonist, Thomas (Tommy) Shelby is a cold, calculated man. He is the leader of their gang, the Peaky Blinders and despite him being the second eldest son, he is seen as the brains and head of the family. The gang participates in many illegal activities such as gambling, racketeering, bribery, intimidation (threatening), and murder. While Tommy’s interactions with any character are important, his interactions with his aunt Polly, older brother Arthur and first wife, Grace, can be seen as the most important because they not only reveal but are the physical representations of the different aspects of Tommy’s inner psyche. In other words, not only do these external characters embody the different factions of Tommy’s personality, but by studying interactions between Tommy and these characters, the audience is able to see why Tommy is so close to these characters. It is impossible to summarize the entire plot of the show, however, there are some general details that are very important to the plot. There are five Shelby siblings; Arthur, Tommy, John, Ada, and Finn. Shelby’s mother, who is Polly’s sister, committed suicide when the kids were young and their father was a raging alcoholic which led to their aunt Polly taking them in. The three eldest all served in WWI and the show begins two years after they come back in 1920. While the audience does not experience it firsthand, it said by Polly that there was a dramatic shift in Tommy’s character before and after the war. It also is never explicitly said that Arthur and Tommy developed PTSD after the war, however, it is very explicitly displayed. The family is of Romanian descent and are Gypsies which explains their strong sense of spirituality and the complex relationship between the Shelbys and death. Personally, the series is so interesting because it has so many complex layers that are interconnected with each other, however, the connections aren’t explicit. The series is also very interesting because Tommy himself is just an interesting protagonist. The complexity of his character, along with the flawless execution of the character played by Cillian Murphy, makes Tommy one of the greatest protagonists to ever hit the screen. Tommy, on the surface, can be described as cold, calculated, manipulative, authoritative, observant, and intelligent. However, the more the show progresses, the more and more of Tommy’s layers get pulled back and the creators of Peaky Blinders allow the audience to enter Tommy’s mind in a way they do not allow for other characters. Lastly, another very interesting factor of the show is their inclusion of women, especially in positions of power. The show is depicted to take place in the early twentieth century, even before women could legally vote, however all Shelby women are authoritative and carry this no-nonsense attitude with them; And in multiple cases, they prove to outsmart the men around them. Additionally, despite the obstacles that women faced in society, the series continuously highlighted the fact that Tommy’s biggest influences were women; His aunt, mother, sister, wife, both first and second, and daughter all played very significant roles to Tommy throughout the entire series. It wasn’t only Tommy either; Other important men in the series such as Arthur Shelby, Micheal Shelby (Thomas’s cousin), Oswald Mosley and Luca Changretta (Thomas’s business partners) not only were in positions of extreme power at one point or another in the series, but they all had smart women on their side advising them. Unlike most shows that depict that time period, Peaky Blinders does not hide from the fact that powerful men were influenced by even stronger women.
Firstly, Tommy’s id can be represented by his older brother, Arthur Shelby. Arthur Shelby’s character, at surface value, can also be described as irrational, violent, aggressive, lust-driven, lethal, vulnerable, and very loyal. Arthur is known as the “master of mayhem” on the show as he is capable of making any situation explosive and chaotic. The creators of Peaky Blinders allow for Tommy’s id to be shown through his work as his line of work calls for him to sometimes be aggressive, manipulative, and very violent. Tommy’s id can be defined as irrational, lust-driven, aggressive, lethal, and also very susceptible to addiction to substances such as coke, alcohol, cigarettes, etc. He copes through his addictions. Tommy and Arthur are also known for creating devious plans together. In season four, episode six they are seen executing a plan where Tommy pretends that somebody killed Arthur in a bathroom during a boxing match. Tommy only lets three members of the family know that Arthur is not really dead however, he carries out such an extreme plan in order to deceive his enemies into thinking he was getting into a weak position. Additionally, there is another important aspect of Tommy’s id that deeply relates to Arthur’s character and that is how impulsively lust-driven they can be. A commonly known concept of the id is that it holds a person’s deepest sexual desires and both characters are very sexual, both implicitly and explicitly. Of course, to emphasize the difference between the characters, Arthur is much more explicit with his sexual advances however, Tommy is implicitly also like that. Throughout the entire duration of the show, Tommy has a plethora of partners, whether he had a romantic relationship with them or not. He is also seen cheating on his second wife with multiple one-night stands throughout the last few seasons. The last aspect that correlates Arthur’s personality to Tommy’s id is their emotional immaturity. Since a person’s id is hidden so deeply within them and is the factor of the personality that does not encounter societal morals and foundations, it is often the first to develop in a person. As said before, it is also a common belief that when a person experiences a traumatic childhood, it will stunt the development of their ego which can lead to the id taking over the psyche. Both boys went lived the same childhood with the same violent, alcoholic father and suicidal mother. Arthur, along with his other characteristics, is also very emotional however his inability to maturely communicate his feelings is what leads to his irrationality. In a way, Tommy is also very emotionally immature and detached because while he has the ability to maturely communicate his feelings, and will when the situation calls for it, he frequently chooses not to share his emotions and shuts down instead. So while the two characters express their emotional immaturity differently, they still possess the same quality. Arthur being the physical representation of Tommy’s id can be explained by them living through the same traumatic experiences. The similarities between their personalities can explain why out of all the Shelby siblings, they share the closest bond and their undying loyalty to one another is one of the highlights of the series.
While Arthur is the physical representation of Tommy’s darkest side, his first wife Grace can be the physical representation of Tommy’s best side or his superego. Tommy and Grace’s journey begins in 1920 when Grace becomes the barmaid at the Garrison, which is Tommy’s establishment. Grace can be described as observant, passive-aggressive, reasonable, compassionate, kind, peaceful, and intelligent. She was a fierce, yet very soft individual. Upon meeting Grace, Tommy was very cold however throughout their relationship he begins to not only literally open up to her, but he also opens up and adapts to some of her beliefs. Grace’s greatest impact on Tommy was that she made him more generous and kind, and this impact will last far past her death. Tommy’s acts of kindness include funding and creating an orphanage, and children’s hospital and he blew up his own manor in order to make housing for the UK’s working class. It was very obvious that the more time Tommy spent with Grace, the warmer he became as a person. He also became more patient, understanding, and reasonable as well. One of the most drastic shifts experienced in Tommy’s character is seen after Grace’s death. Grace influenced Tommy to be a better person by ultimately convincing him to listen to his superego more. Her death marks the beginning of the end of the influence that Tommy’s superego had over his psyche. After Grace’s death, the audience does not see Tommy love another woman like that despite him marrying again. He is also very, very isolated that after that; He seldom opens up to people, he definitely does not smile or laugh, and all the lightheartedness that was revealed with Grace quickly disappeared. Coincidentally, Tommy and Arthur also get very close after Grace’s death. Tommy and Grace’s relationship, as well as the gentleness that Tommy showed solely to Grace, can be explained by Tommy’s superego aligning with much of Grace’s personality.
Finally, Tommy’s ego is personified by his aunt Polly. Aunt Polly is another very interesting character because she is also complex like Tommy. Polly can be described as compassionate, authoritative, honest, calculating, ambitious, protective, harsh, and violent if the situation calls for it. Polly, until her death in season five, is one of, if not the, closest confidant to Tommy. Polly is the personification, besides Tommy himself, of Tommy’s very cruel and harsh id paired with his gentle and caring superego. One of Polly’s most famous quotes from the show is “My senior position within the Shelby company means I don’t have to ask permission from anyone to do anything”, which perfectly embodies her no-nonsense attitude. Throughout the entire duration of Polly and Tommy’s relationship, it is very clear that Polly is able to understand Tommy in a way no one else can. She can understand him without him saying a word, and for Tommy, who struggles with verbal communication, this aids him quite a bit. One example of this is seen in season four, episode six where Tommy’s mental wellbeing is seen to be on the decline. His symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks and hallucinations, and during this episode, he was having them profusely. Polly notices that something is off with Tommy and she advises him to get help to which he declines. She then advises him that if he refuses to seek help, he should instead “shake hands with the devil and walk past him.” Polly is also known for giving Tommy very realistic and somewhat mystical advice however, she does, like Tommy, tend to have a harsh delivery. There is no doubt that Polly and Tommy’s close relationship stems from Tommy’s feeling that nobody understands him quite like his aunt Polly does.
It’s very hard to find another psychoanalysis of Thomas Shelby however the NY Times has done multiple reviews on Peaky Blinders and Thomas Shelby himself. In one of their latest reviews done titled ‘Saying Goodbye to Tommy Shelby, a traumatized TV antihero’, done in June 2022, it is highlighted that Tommy Shelby, in 2020, “was voted the “greatest TV character of all time” by the male oriented British website LADbible.)” The articles also specifically highlights the audience’s response to Tommy and the gang’s violence shown in the earlier seasons of the show. It is because of that that the producers of the show start to reveal more of Tommy’s internal struggle within the later seasons of the show. The article also touches on the fact that Tommy struggled with PTSD since the beginning of the show. They claim that “This vulnerability is essential reason viewers root for the character.” The most interesting part of the article is where they highlight the impact other female characters have had on Tommy because “Despite the show’s focus on Peaky Blinders and their conflict, female characters like Ada Shelby and Aunt Polly are central to Tommy’s trajectory.” According to Anthony Byrne, who directed season five and six, he was able to discover Tommy’s masculine side through his feminine side because “Everything in Tommy’s psyche is governed by the women in his life, both dead and alive.” I agree with the analysis of the series very much because Thomas’s isolated vulnerability is exactly what makes the audience feel like they have a special relationship with Tommy. The producers decision to give Tommy alone time on the screen, particularly when he is having a mental breakdown, along with the decision to actively play out Tommy’s dreams and hallucinations to the audience is what makes the audience feel like they see and understand Tommy in a way that even his family doesn’t understand.
References
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