The Disguise Games Of Proust

The discussion of self identity has always been a topic of great interest.However,most authors use their protagonists to show their self-image,while Proust,an innovator,assigns his identity to multiple characters of the work,some of which are even hidden to the depth.Therefore,the purpose of this paper is to explore how Proust’s disguise game made possible.The first chapter mainly introduces Swann’s obsession with art.He had a special hobby that he liked to associate the people around him with the portraits of famous artists.This interest even affected his life,for he transferred his love for Zipporah of Botticelli’s works to Odette.The blind love for Odette even made him ignore her moral defects.As a result,Swan was ridiculed by people in the upper class,was betrayed by his beloved,and he finally recognized the blindness of this love.Proust disguised himself as Swan,endowed his fascination and accomplishment with the disguised character.But Proust found the secret of art and devoted himself to literary creation.The second chapter mainly analyzes the Jewish identity of Bloch.As a French of Jewish descent,Proust was resistant to his Jewish identity,which was influenced by the prevailing anti-Semitism in the society at that time.As a result,the Jewish characters he wrote was full of negatives,among which Bloch was the representative.Bloch was an ignorant,arrogant and snobbish man,who was full of inferiority to the Jewish identity.He even pretended that he was not Jewish in strange places,just as Proust refused to admit that he is a Jewish writer.The Dreyfus Affair,however,was a turning point,arousing the collective identity of the entire Jewish nation,linking Bloch with the upper class of Swan and the Duke of Guermante.Bloch’s request for a joint letter was Proust’s personal experience.But it does not mean that Proust has completely accepted his Jewish identity.After this incident,he expressed great indignation against Zionism and disagreed with the separation of church and state.As a "hybrid" of Jews and Catholics,he chose to stand on the side of justice and did not favor any party.The third chapter expounds Baron de Charlus,the object of Proust’s gender disguise.He looked very manly on the surface,hoping that everyone would recognize his "male" identity,while actually he was full of feminine temperament.He loved young men,his love experience with Jupien and Morris was full of passion,just the same as Proust did in his real life for his male lover.Unfortunately,the notorious homosexual identity prevented Charlus from becoming a orator.In order not to be discriminated against,Proust not only denied the gender characteristics of his "hermaphrodite",but also wrote articles to criticize Jews and homosexuals,calling them "cursed races".He even let the hero Marcel make a clean break with Charlus to hide the fake identity.Proust has given his different identities to different characters,which can play a certain role in shielding,so that the "I" who displayed in front of everyone can be disguised.When pretending to be another character,it is equivalent to transforming an identity.Proust converted himself into Swan,Bloch,and de Charlust,and the disguise game alleviates the author’s fear of the outside world.The author finally puts down the self-defense mechanism and has the courage to approach the inner and repressed self.