A Quest In Contradiction-the Lacanian Reading Of Hazel In Wise Blood

Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964) who is recognized to be one of the most outstanding writers after William Faulkner in the southern United States has a huge impact in the global literature. Because of the disease of lupus erythematosus, O’Connor died when she was at the age of thirty-nine. American critics say that her premature death is the greatest loss to American literary world after the death of Fitzgerald. Her works, with a weird style, are full of the smell of violence and death, and sometimes make the readers who first read her books feel hard to accept them. Territory and religion are two themes in the works of O’Connor and her creation presents an everlasting structure:from the contrast between the natural environment and the spiritual geography to the collapse of the region and then to the enlightenment of the character. We can say that O’Connor describes the living state of modern sinners as well as the pursuit of the freakish hero’s faith.As the first novel of O’Connor, Wise Blood relates the protagonist Hazel’s tortuous road of the understanding of the religious belief. Hazel always denies the real faith in his inner heart, and wants to confirm his inner negative things in the real world. He often has a quest in contradiction, torturing himself to exhaustion. Lacanian theory is undoubtedly one of the best ways of reading for Hazel’s complex inner change and religious pursuit. Taking the theory of Lacanian three orders as the main structural frame, this thesis analyzes Hazel respectively from the Imaginary, the Symbolic and the Real. Hazel’s external behavior clashes with his inner pursuit, so he constantly swings between the Imaginary and the Symbolic. Until his mental state has a problem, he finally has to fall in the source of desire—the Real.This thesis consists of six parts.The introduction gives a brief presentation on O’Connor and her novel Wise Blood as well as the literature review of the related research at home and abroad.Chapter One outlines Lacanian three orders, namely the Imaginary, the Symbolic and the Real.Chapter Two expounds Hazel’s self-identification in the Imaginary. Because of the past unhappy memory, Hazel decides to give up Christianity and found "the Church Without Christ" in Taulkinham. He makes all sorts of behavior rebelling against Christianity so that he seeks ego in the world of temptation. The contradiction, which is between the so-called external pursuit and the real inner faith, makes him get into a crazy state, and then he brutally kills his "mirror image"—Solace.Chapter Three discusses Hazel’s self-escape in the Symbolic. For Hazel, the binary Imaginary always tests the strength with the ternary Symbolic. Although Hazel publicizes his sect, his journey of the sermon is just his exploratory road of the capitalized "Other" which is the center of the Symbolic. Whether it is the false Other—Asa or the fantastic Other—the shriveled man, it is just a substitute for the real Other—Jesus. In fact, Hazel never gives up his Christian faith.Chapter Four interprets Hazel’s self-regression in the Real. When he loses Essex, he comes to a sudden realization, but he still makes himself be trapped in the Real, and punishes himself by the extreme way to achieve the purpose of redemption.The conclusion first summarizes the whole thesis, and then reveals O’Connor’s writing characteristic of "the freakish protagonist", and carries on expounding the writing significance and practical significance of this thesis, and finally points out that the paper still leaves space for further research.