A Study Of The Loss And Construction Of The Protagonist’s Self In Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit From The Perspective Of Mirror Theory

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit,a semi-autobiographical novel written by British author Jeanette Winterson,was published in 1985 and won the Whitbread Award for a First Novel in the same year.It describes the story of the protagonist,Jeanette,who was oppressed by family and religion due to her identification with her own homosexual orientation in the process of her growth.In order to pursue the self and get rid of social bondages,she ran away from home and tried to realize her independence.Finally,she returned to the small town and reached a reconciliation with her mother.At present,there has not been studies on the novel from the perspective of Lacan’s mirror theory.The thesis attempts to analyze the loss and construction of the protagonist’s self from the perspective of self and the other based on the mirror theory.The thesis is divided into three parts,including introduction,main body and conclusion.The introduction briefly introduces Jeanette Winterson’s life experience and works,the studies abroad and at home on Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit,Lacan’s mirror theory,and the aim and significance of the thesis.The main body includes three chapters.The first chapter analyzes manifestation of Jeanette’s loss of self.On the one hand,Jeanette loses her trust in family and religion.On the other hand,Jeanette is isolated by other students at school and there is a conflict between her lesbian and missionary identity.The second chapter analyzes the causes of Jeanette’s loss of self.Firstly,Jeanette lacks care because of an indifferent mother and an invisible father.Also,Jeanette has an unusual family education.Secondly,the hypocrisy and exclusion of religion suppress Jeanette’s emotional needs.Finally,both heterosexual and homosexual relationships around her take on a depressing state,and sexual desire is treated as something unspeakable.The third chapter details the protagonist’s efforts to construct the self and her success.Jeanette rebels against the constraints.She gets rid of family’s control and gains economic and spiritual independence.Also,she breaks away from the hypocritical religion and casts off the control of religious thoughts.Besides,she insists her sexual orientation and establishes her own gender identity.In the end,Jeanette reaches a reconciliation with the mirror images of the other,thus bringing peace into mind.The conclusion summarizes the discussion above,and states the point of view of the thesis.The thesis analyzes the protagonist’s loss of self in the spiritual and physical space due to family and religion,and her successful construction of self through active rebellion against the constraints.