The Distorted Self-An Analysis Of Seamus O' Young In Birds Of Passage From Lacan's Theoretical Perspective

This thesis focuses on Seamus O'Young, one of the two leading characters in the novel Birds of Passage, analyzing the distorted self of this ABC (Australian-born Chinese) generated by the other. With the application of Lacan's psychological theory, the writer attempts to point out that the dissimilation of self is the doomed fate of Seamus, which corresponds to Lacan's theory that the wholeness of self is unattainable.In Lacan's theory the other with small "o" mainly refers to the people around the child in the mirror stage which, according to Lacan, plays a crucial role in the formation of one's self-identity. But the "self the child gets from the mirror's reflection is just an illusion. With the intervention of the other, Seamus's real self is obliterated gradually. He insisted on his Australian identity at first but doubted himself later with the influence of the others'views. At last he began to pay more attention to his "yellow skin and black hair" that marked the differences between him and the others, instead of the blue eyes that demonstrated at least he had something in common with the others, which means that Seamus began to accept his "heathen" identity reinforced by the others. Moreover, he tried to find himself through the identification with the dumb girl and his ancestor Lo Yun Shan, because they shared with him the similar fate of being ignored, taunted and ostracized. However, the imaginary "self Seamus rebuilds on the basis of the identification with the other is just an image in the mirror, far away from his real subject, which means his lost self can not be regained, and he will inevitably feel confused towards his self-identity.And his confusion is deepened by the refusal of his unconscious of being accepted by the community. The unconscious is the Other's discourse and is structured the same as language from Lacan's point of view. And the unconscious usually expresses itself either by metaphor or metonymy. The signifier in Seamus's words reveals his unconscious of gaining the recognition of the Other. Food, hunger, and empty are the metaphor of his aspiration for love and recognition in that the delicious and rich food is always related to the happy life with his foster parents, while hunger and empty emerge whenever he suffered from prejudice and discrimination. But at last, the rich food seldom appears in his life and the feeling of hunger always haunts him, which demonstrates that his unconscious cannot be accepted and admitted by the society at all. And this stirs up his spirit of resistance.Seamus's resistance towards the community means that he refuses to accept the Law-of-the-Father, another term for the Other in Lacan's theory, which is a metaphor, not the real father in his life but just a symbolization, a function of the society or a kind of social code and a series of systems of the family and the society. In the novel, Seamus uses his own way to express his dissatisfaction and resistance towards those arrogant people and the unfair society, refusing the name imposed by the society "Ching Chong Chinaman". But without the acceptance towards the name given by the Law-of-the-Father, one can't enter the symbolic order where the real subject is constructed. Therefore, the wholeness of self-identity for Seamus remains as a mirage for ever, and the splitting self ultimately leads to the dissimilation of his self.At last Seamus ended up insane, which echoes Lacan's assertion that all individuals are fragmented, and the complete self is only an illusion. At the same time, with the exquisite presentation of Seamus's inner world where the anguish of rootlessness, the confusion towards his self-identity and his rebellious spirit are precisely conveyed, the chord of the reader is struck because of the sympathy towards Seamus and the indignation towards the unfair rules of the cold society. Thus the aim of the author is achieved that the living conditions and the inner world of the marginalized people should be concerned, and the phenomenon of the dissimilation and marginalization should be focused.