Communal Consciousness In Psychic Fragmentation

Joyce Carol Oates, one of the most famous contemporary American writers, is celebrated for productivity and diligence. She has received a lot of awards and has been nominated for Nobel Prize in Literature for several times. Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart, one of Oates's most significant works, will be analyzed in this thesis.As a serious social writer, Oates has given a truthful portrayal to the nightmarish American reality, in which people are always subject to inner anxiety. This novel is not an exception. The characters, desperate to have a control over their chaotic life, have an obsessive drive to seek their authentic subjectivity. However, their efforts turn to be futile. In this thesis, I'm going to apply Lacan's psychoanalytical theory to this novel and elucidate the psychic fragmentation felt by these characters. Lacan's theory exposes that the subjectivity is surely to be objectified, authentic subjectivity is impossible and the psychic fragmentation is inevitable as long as one lives in this linguistic world. So the problem with those characters lies in their obsessive drive to seek the authentic subjectivity, which could only lead to extreme isolation or even self-annihilation.Oates, holding the idea that the function of literary should be "moral, educative, and illustrative", denounces the excessive drive to seek authentic subjectivity, which she terms as the "I" mentality, and embraces the conception of communal consciousness which has two implications: equality and connection.Besides introduction and conclusion, the thesis comprises three chapters.Chapter One introduces the author Joyce Carol Oates and her works, which shows that as a serious social writer, Oates has given a most truthful portrayal of American people who suffer extreme inner dislocation in reality.Chapter Two can be divided into two parts. The first part presents Lacan's psychological theory which argues that the authentic subjectivity is absent and the psychic fragmentation is inevitable. The second part will be given to illustrate Oates's thematic concern: opposing the "I" mentality and embracing the conception of the communal consciousness.Chapter Three focuses on the analysis of the characters' psychological development in the three Orders, which shows that their authentic subjectivity is only a myth and they are doomed to feel psychic fragmentation. The problem lies in their excessive drive to seek authentic subjectivity, which is presented in two ways: megalomania and denying connection. Oates's conception of communal consciousness with implications of equality and coming back to connection, contrary to the excessive drive, has been embodied in Leslie's photograph and his experience, giving a bright conclusion to the novel.