Stepping Out Of The Icy World--An Interpretation Of Binary Opposition In Atwood's Cat's Eye

Crowned as "the Queen of Canadian literature", the contemporary Canadian writer Margaret Atwood is renowned for her numerous highly acclaimed works ranging from poetry, fiction to criticism. Her seventh novel Cat's Eye, published in 1988, has won many literary awards and was nominated and later, short-listed for the Booker Prize. This thesis focuses on the heroine Elaine's inner journey. It is composed of four chapters. Chapter One is an introduction to Atwood's life and work, and critical assessment on her work, especially on Cat's Eye. Chapter Two discusses binary opposition rooted in Western metaphysical tradition, and the ubiquity of binary opposites as revealed in Cat's Eye. Chapter Three is an analysis of the heroine's long journey to maturity, i.e., from her initiation into, to her internalization, till her final transcendence of binary opposition, from the angles of games, cat's eye vision, reminiscent narrative and paintings. Chapter Four is the conclusion. It points out that the practice of decentralization and re-evaluation of difference plays a vital part in deconstructing binary opposition.