Welcome to my analysis of David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. Buttons at the bottom of each post allow navigation through the analysis. You may go to part 1 by clicking here.
In Jungian psychology, a quaternity is a four-sided figure or other grouping of four. The quaternity symbolizes psychological wholeness, which as we've already noted, is the goal of the process of individuation. Top left: Adam's view while driving to his meeting with the cowboy. Note that the lights from the street lamps are shaped like crosses. Jung considered the cross, with its four points, to be a symbol of the quaternity.
Top right: A short while before Adam left for his meeting, the hotel manager, Cookie, spoke briefly with him. There are three persons involved in the cowboy scenario: Adam, Cynthia (the woman whom Adam spoke with over the phone), and the cowboy. The grouping of three represents a 'distorted' quaternity, indicating a problem in the dreamer's (Diane's) individuation. If Cookie had been involved in the scenario, there would have been a full quaternity; thus, Cookie is the 'missing person' who is needed to form a grouping of four. Above left: Later in the movie, we again see cross-shaped lights when Betty and Rita flag down a cab to take them to Club Silencio. Above right: The same man who played Cookie is now the emcee at Club Silencio. The club scenario involves five significant persons: Rita and Betty, the magician (the man performing onstage), Rebekah Del Rio (the singer), and the emcee, whose sole job it is to introduce Del Rio. This grouping of five is similar to the grouping of three depicted earlier, in that it is 'off by one' from a proper quaternity. Thus, it too indicates a problem or abnormality with Diane's individuation process. Note that the man who played Cookie earlier is now the 'extra person' - the magician himself could just as well have introduced Del Rio. (We see the
blue-haired lady in this scene, but she's sitting at a distance, and she doesn't speak or do anything, so she's not directly involved in the club scenario, as are the five persons discussed above. It is only at the very end of the movie that she comes into play. Also, the trumpet player, and the man who helps the emcee carry Del Rio off the stage, appear to be less significant than these five persons.)
[UPDATE: As of 12/13/11, the analysis of Mulholland Drive has been placed on hold indefinitely, while I work on my other blog.]
