On Deconstruction Of Logocentrism In The Grass Is Singing

Doris Lessing(1919- )is widely regarded as one of the most important post-war English writers. Her works focus on a diverse range of the twentieth-century issues and concerns. War, love, sex, politics, female concerns and other social realities are all touched upon in her novels.Doris Lessing lived in the African veldt from six to twenty-nine years old. Africa leaves her a strong impression. She is deeply responsive to the African bush. Her first novel The Grass Is Singing (hereafter referred to as GS) is Africa-based.GS depicts Mary Turner, a helpless white woman who loses her authority over her black houseboy, Moses. In addition, a personal, sexual relationship develops between them. When, however, Mary denies this and tries to send Moses away, he murders her. Michele Wender Zak in Doris Lessing: Critical Studies calls GS "a little novel about the emotions." Roberta Rubenstein in The Novelistic Vision of Doris Lessing: Breaking the Forms of Consciousness assumes that Mary's breakdown is a way to her breakthrough. James Vinson in Great Writers of the English Language Novelists and Prose Writers considers that the connection between Mary and Moses breaks the great taboo of the colour bar between the black and the white races. Even though less information shows the idea of deconstruction of logocentrism in the novel, the author of the thesis holds that it is a possible assumption that in the novel Lessing is attempting to subvert the white-black dichotomy. White-centrism and white superiority are challenged and deconstructed in the novel in the ways that the black houseboy murders his white woman master; the hostess has a sexual relationship with her colored servant; the white host fails repeatedly in farming in the African land; the poor living conditions and hypocrisy of the white are revealed as well.The thesis is composed of four parts. Firstly goes an introduction to Doris Lessing and GS, together with the purpose and significance of the thesis. It shows that a deconstructive reading of the novel GS is a possible perspective to explore the underlying theme of deconstruction. Then proceeds the first chapter, in which the theoretical perspective applied in the thesis is presented. It includes two divisions: the first one presents a review of logocentrism, which, as the resort to traditional metaphysics, is generally characterized by pursuing a centre or absolute authority, seeking for the present metaphysics, and holding a thought of dichotomy or centrism. In the second division, Jacques Derrida's standpoints on deconstruction of logocentrism are employed and analyzed, which serve as the basic theoretical approaches to the study of the novel. Derrida questions in a radical way the foundation of conceptual domination—logocentrism. Derrida states that deconstruction strengthens the egalitarian and non-hierarchical tendencies. In response, deconstruction only has one rule: allow the other to speak to subvert logocentrism.In the second chapter, the author of the thesis analyzes deconstruction of logocentrism underlying in GS. By exploring the protagonists involved in the novel, the author of the thesis claims that logocentrism of white-centrism and white superiority in GS are deconstructed. Mary, the white woman is delineated as weak, helpless, and utterly dependent on her black houseboy; Dick Turner, the white host, is a total failure; and negative depictions of Charlie Slatter's hypocrisy and Tony Maston's escapism are objective in the novel. Thus, Lessing displays a world of deconstruction of white logocentrism. Contrastingly, Moses, the black houseboy, the traditionally marginalized role is highlighted in the novel as brave, kind, honest and powerful.Finally comes the conclusion of the thesis. Summing up the main points stated in the thesis, the conclusion reiterates deconstruction of logocentrism Lessing holds in GS.