Analysis Of The Fixer Based On Foucault's Power Theory

Bernard Malamud (1914-1986) is one of the most prominent Jewish writers in contemporary America. He is good at exposing the universal by penetrating deeply into the particular. His works are mostly about ordinary Jews who suffer and grow in an alienated world. The Fixer (1966), which is considered Malamud's finest novel, wins for the author both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for literature. The novel is about a poor fixer, Yakov Bok, who is falsely accused of ritual murder and struggles against injustice and ordeal in prison.Previous studies on The Fixer are mainly from perspectives of Jewishness, suffering, spiritual growth, archetypes, history, etc.. This thesis makes a change and attempts to interpret the operating mechanism of disciplinary power and resistance to it under the guide of Michel Foucault's power theory. Disciplinary power is a specific technique of power aiming to achieve one party's control over the other through a series of disciplinary techniques and institutions. However,"where there is power, there is resistance". Disciplinary power is not omnipotent and destined to meet multiple resistance.By analyzing the disciplinary techniques in Tsarist Russia and individuals'resistance to disciplinary power in The Fixer, we find that Tsarist Russia in the novel is a disciplinary society like a prison where omnipresent power controls and reforms Russian individuals. Meanwhile, characters are not completely disciplined and they resist in multiple ways. The protagonist Yakov Bok's dilemma and struggle are not only that of the Jewish people but also that of other ethnic minorities in the world.The thesis consists of five chapters.The first chapter includes a brief introduction to Bernard Malamud and his works, The Fixer, the literature review of the novel and the framework of the thesis.The second chapter focuses on Michel Foucault's power theory which serves as the theoretical framework of the thesis. After a brief introduction to Foucault's concept of power, the emphasis is laid on the disciplinary techniques, Panopticism, theory of prison and resistance to power.The third chapter analyses how the three disciplinary techniques, that is, hierarchical observation, normalizing judgement and examination, are conducted in The Fixer to normalize people and to maintain social order. The theory of prison and Panopticism will be interlaced in the analysis. It is argued that the characters in the novel are confined in a network of omnipresent observation and writing. Any deviation or violation of norms or laws will be punished.The fourth chapter mainly explores how Yakov Bok resists to the disciplinary power in despotic Russia in various ways. With an indomitable spirit, Yakov transgresses Russian law by living in a forbidden area. After being imprisoned, he does not submit to the disciplinary power, but resists against the harsh living environment and temptations and takes discourse as an important means to fight. He finally sees beyond his personal misery and wins spiritual growth through suffering and struggle. Besides, other characters'resistance will also be briefly mentioned to demonstrate the pervasiveness of resistance to Russian disciplinary power as well as Russian individuals'discontent toward the corrupt and despotic reign of the Tsarist government.The last chapter summarizes the thesis. The author of this thesis concludes that the Tsarist Russia in The Fixer is a prison-like disciplinary society permeated with power relations and resistance. The novel reflects Malamud's deep concern for human's living dilemma and struggle in modern society which is alienated and penetrated with power relations.