Lacanian Interpretation Of Female Subjects In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled Hosseini is a well-known Afghanistan-American writer. He was awarded TheUnited Nations Humanitarian Award in2006because of his first novel The Kite Runner.Although his second novel A Thousand Splendid Suns has been discussed widely andinterpreted from various dimensions, there are few researches on the process of protagonists’subject growth from the perspective of psychoanalysis. This novel relates a story of twoMuslim women Mariam and Laila, who are ignorant at first but persistent at last, but they livediligently and refrainingly and eventually become independent individuals fighting forfreedom, dreams and happiness. Based on Lacan’s Subject Theory in respect of Three Ordersand Mirror Stage, this thesis aims to analyze the two major female figures and explore howthe Afghanistan women develop such powerful spirit and establish their subjects under such acruel environment. And it also interprets the important reason for Hosseini’s success andpopularity.This thesis consists of the following seven parts:The prologue mainly introduces the common features of ethnic literature works andKhaled Hosseini’s distinguishing writing style and important position inAfghanistan-American literature. Meanwhile, it points out the research purposes and meaningof the thesis.The first chapter introduces Hosseini’s life background and his major works A ThousandSplendid Suns, including its main plot and the current research status of this noveldomestically and internationally, and also illustrates the innovating point of this thesis.The second chapter focuses on Lacan’s Subject Theory and it’s some relevant conceptsof this theory, such as the Mirror Stage, Ego, the explanation of Other, etc. The key point ofthe analysis lies in Lacan’s Three Order theory in establishing the subject character.The third chapter mainly analyzes the two female protagonists in the Real Order in orderto figure out how Mariam is trapped and can’t get herself out of the identity of harami, andhow she traps into the morass for searching her family affection. While another female,Laila, she lingers between happiness and unhappiness, and is unable to get rid of the delusionin her own mind. It also gives a further illustration that the subject in the Real Order is inchaos. The fourth chapter discusses Mariam’s pitiful dilemma from the perspective of Lacan’sThree Orders of Subject Theory. Mariam seems happy, while it’s nothing but fantasy. Itattributes to Anla who is Mariam’s own other and by whom she perfects herself. Lailadeceives herself by ignoring the resistance of Rasheed and lives in her fantasy world. Basedon this point, the thesis illustrates that the Imaginary Order is only a fantastic resistance andself-recognition is only an unreal image from Mirror Stage.The fifth chapter analyzes the process of establishment of the two female protagonists onthe basis of Imaginary Order. Although the two females experienced differently, it leads to thesame result by recognizing the Other in the name of Father and completes the characterindependence of their own.Conclusion comes to the seventh part of the thesis. It points out the literary and practicalmeaning of this research based on the whole thesis.