The Other And Self-Disintegration

Most of Joseph Conrad's fiction traces the"evolutional"tracks of the characters'minds catalyzed by the outside world and persons around. The purpose of this thesis is to delve into the process of"evolution"from personal and social angles in the perspective of Lacan's Theory of Subject.Lacan's Theory of Subject proposes the triangle of Imaginary-Symbolic-Real as the three basic phrases in forming the subject. In the theory, Lacan expounds the role of the Other in fostering the subject and asserts that the subject is empty and disintegrated in essence, it is subjugated to the effects from the Other. The basic facts about human existence are established on the visions of himself, of the community in which he lives, and of the relative position he places himself in that community. Modern society complicates the visions in which it breaks the balance of man's social obligation and personal instinct. The severe cultural conflicts and alienated surroundings contribute a lot to the final disintegration of the self.Many characters in Conrad's fictional works are well-behaved and sane in their native realm, considering themselves to belong there. However, once removed to an alienated environment, they come to break their primary"disguise"and are subject to the latent natures of insanity, isolation and disintegration. Accordingly, they often result in tragedy in the end. Therefore, how to keep sane and integrated void of the binds of laws and customs in foreign surroundings becomes crucial to all of us. From the characters'tragic fates, we can glimpse Conrad's views on the world and life. The characters reflect Conrad's awareness of the threat of loneliness to human existence. His major goal, to speak at large, is to reveal the human consciousness of this loneliness and isolation and the effect of the consciousness on the disintegration of the subject, the self. The aggression of the Other which builds the unconsciousness of the subject during the mirror stage is the origin of the disintegration of the self.Though many critics have involved the field of psychoanalysis in criticizing Conrad's fictional works, they don't consider them in the light of Lacan's theory. So this thesis aims to fill the"blank"left by them, hoping to give a hand in the further study of Conrad's works.Perceiving the relationship between the individual and community represented in the fictional works together with the characters'process of alienations influenced by the situations around as the critical elements, the thesis is made up of three chapters, each dealing with a comparative compact aspect of the characters in their process of alienation aided by some details of Lacan's Theory of Subject. The thesis involves Conrad's key works like The Nigger of the"Narcissus", Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness, Nostromo, and so on that share the same theme and concern the thesis intends to explore.Introduction concisely expounds Lacan's Theory of Subject and Conrad's views of the world together with the prevalent theme in his fictional works and analyses the possibilities of the anatomy of the characters in Conrad's works by the device of Lacan's Theory of Subject. Closely associated with the perception of events and physical objects is the perception of the subject. Accordingly, in his works, Conrad blurs the boundaries between the self and the Other, so the knowledge of the self can come through the knowledge of the Other and the knowledge of the Other can come through the knowledge of the self. Human subjectivity exists within the context of the self, the Other, and their existent circumstances. For Conrad, no clear distinction exists between the self and the Other, the self learns from the Other what it is and what it is not. In addition to the knowledge of the self through the knowledge of the Other, the subjective knowledge may also be obtained through cultural contrasts and investigation into one's self.Chapter One: Gaze and Identification mainly treats the inner worlds of the characters in some of Conrad's fictional works before they are affected by the alienated culture and surroundings, which often take place in Lacan's Mirror Stage that plays a crucial part in the register of Imaginary. Only in their original surroundings and familiar cultures, could they identify and maintain their"integrated"self and be in accordance with the outside world and persons around.Chapter Two: Isolation and Dissolution chiefly involves the issue of the register of Symbolic in analysis of the characters'disintegration and alienation and even dissolution into the foreign customs and rites when they are in foreign surroundings. Therefore, in some sense, symbolization means alienation.Chapter Three: Real and Emptiness concentrates on the emptiness of the self in essence. The unconscious is the discourse of the Other and the home of the subject. Accordingly, the desire of the self is reduced to the desire of the Other. The characters'final destinies are doomed since the subject is"a hole"which is filled with the otherness. However, the influence of the Other on the subject is greatly dominated by the subject's refusal or acceptance which is demonstrated in the characters'different fates though they practice the similar processes.Conclusion summarizes the disintegrated process of the subject. Through the anatomy of the characters in Conrad's fictional works, we can conceive Conrad's motto"the danger of loneliness"(Watt: 79) and his obsession with the relationship between individual and community caused by his unique identity as a Polish exile. So, in some sense, the disintegrated process of the subject in his fiction is the process of seeking for the self of him in the reality. At the end of the thesis, some flaws and viewpoints are listed to be further bettered and polished in the future research.