On Body Politics In The Blind Assassin

As the tenth novel of Margaret Atwood,The Blind Assassin expresses her consistent concern on the predicament of female survival in a patriarchal society.In this novel,Atwood focuses on the female body.On the one hand,men regard female bodies as tools.On the other hand,women never give up their struggles to be the master of body.By exploring body politics in the novel from the perspective of feminism combining with Michel Foucault's power theory,this thesis reveals the awakening of female under the discipline of the male power.Based on Foucault's theory of disciplinary power combining with feminist theory of Millet and Beauvoir,this thesis first analyzes how men in the Chase family use various methods of discipline to turn female bodies into docile tools that work for the needs of the patriarchal society,which reveals the living dilemma of the female characters.By applying the theory of resistance proposed by Foucault,the awakening of Iris from an accomplice to an avenger is revealed.Different female characters play different roles under the oppression of the male power.Their failures prove that neither submission nor passive resistance is the right way for women to survive.From the death of Laura,Iris realizes that the strong power of the patriarchal society leaves no shelter for women,because their voice is too weak to be heard.So she writes down her stories,andshe finally becomes the person who survives.By probing into the significance of Iris' s writing,this thesis reveals how Iris frees her body from the control of the disciplinary power.In summary,this thesis reveals that The Blind Assassin not only sincerely portrays the living dilemma of women in a patriarchal society,but also gives an insight into women's pursuit of survival.In the male-dominated society where the female body is regarded as the tool and commodity,neither submission nor escape can bring real freedom to women.Fortunately,Iris finds a right way,that is,facing her body directly and writing it down.Through writing,Iris reconstructs her self-identity,exposes the real family history,and sets a precedent of female body writing.The survival of Iris shows that Atwood encourages women to write in order to make their own voice heard.And it is the key for women to survive in a patriarchal society.