A Deconstructive Analysis Of Brian Castro’s The Bath Fugues

Brian Castro is an excellent writer with multicultural background. He occupiesan important position in Australian literature and his works are well received in worldliterature. The Bath Fugues is his ninth novel which is composed of three interrelatednovellas. Each section focuses on different characters and these characters circle witheach other in a contrapuntal manner.This thesis attempts to analyze The Bath Fugues based on Jacques Derrida’sdeconstructionism and J.Hillis Miller’s repeated views. It can be divided into fiveparts including introduction, chapter one, chapter two, chapter three and conclusion.Introduction consists of four parts. First it briefly talks about Brian Castro’s lifeand his works. Then it introduces The Bath Fugues and provides a literature reviewabout it. After the brief introduction of deconstructive analysis and repeated viewscomes the layout of the thesis.Chapter one applies Derrida’s deconstructionism to analyze The Bath Fugues.The first step is the subversion of logocentrism to eliminate the center. Brian Castrodeconstructs binary oppositions between truth and fiction, order and disorder. Afterdeconstruction, he converts to describe marginalized people who are looked downupon by others. Castro gives them discourse power to tell their own stories. He notonly tells the story in a fragmented form but also demonstrates the story in fragmentedplots.Chapter two uses Miller’s repeated views to discuss recurrent images. Numberthree with its symbolic meaning appears in different forms through the text. Baths andbicycles both convey deep meanings with recurring images. Moreover, there arereiterated characters including fugueurs and counterfeiters. They have impliedmeanings which lead readers to more thinking and deep understanding.Chapter three bases on the previous two chapters and explores the profoundmeaning after reconstruction. At first, it reconstructs melancholy and vulnerability andshows how these two aspects are represented in a novel. In the following part, theseemingly disadvantaged aspects such as melancholy and vulnerability can endow positive power after reconstruction. At last, the reconstructed concepts make people’slife more colorful and inspire them to be brave when facing their problems. They willhave beliefs to work hard and find silver linings behind sufferings and setbacks.The conclusion part summarizes the whole thesis by pointing out the inspirationswhich Brain Castro wants to convey. Sufferings and setbacks are quite common inpeople’s daily life. Melancholy and vulnerability are core of sadness and fear but alsothe birth place of creativity, love and joy. People should face the reality, change anattitude to accept it and embrace it with gratitude. He provides abundant knowledgefor people to learn and digest.