Transcendence Over Disciplinary Power

Colleen McCullough is an internationally acclaimed Australian writer. Not only is sheadept at fiction writing, but also she is an expert in studies of Roman history as well aspsychological research. McCullough’s masterpiece The Thorn Birds is an epic family saga. Itfollows the lives, loves and deaths of the Cleary family through three generations from1915to1969. Boston Globe delineates it as “the kind of book the world blockbuster was made”. In1983, the novel was adapted into a television mini-series, and it was the winner of6categories of Emmy Awards.Recently, a large number of scholars at home and abroad have made their comments onsuch an international bestseller. Broadly speaking, these comments are composed of DVDreviews, theme studies, the comparison between The Thorn Birds and other novels, theanalysis of it by way of various literary theories such as feminism, psychoanalysis, receptionaesthetics, structuralism, eco-criticism, existentialism, extra-textual studies and the like.However, few have made valuable contribution to examining this novel in the light of MichelFoucault’s power theory.With the aid of Foucault’s discipline theory, this thesis, following Ralph and Meggie’slife experiences, is to reveal how the novel The Thorn Birds vivifies the operation ofdisciplinary power in society with fascinating stories. More importantly, it tries to excavatethe way to transcend disciplines and enjoy a meaningful life in McCullough’s point of view. Itfalls into six parts. The structure of this thesis is as follows.Introduction, first and foremost, presents the main information about ColleenMcCullough and her masterpiece The Thorn Birds. Then, Michel Foucault’s power theory,especially discipline, ensues. Alongside with it come the significance and the structure of this thesis.Chapter One delineates what confront Ralph and Meggie in the disciplinary society. Onthe one hand, they are separated in space from people intimate with them. Having beenrespectively locked up in diverse cells, they are persistent with their own dreams whichprevent them from getting access to the other’s heart. The distance between them in space andin psyche absolutely isolates Ralph and Meggie. On the other hand, the fact of beingconstantly seen, of being always able to be seen imprisons Ralph and Meggie in the jail of thesoul. As the prey of hierarchical surveillance, they become administrators to themselves.Chapter Two is an analysis of Ralph and Meggie’s resistance. As the desires surge upwithin him, Ralph gets to comprehend religion is nothing other than an illusion. Asceticismmakes no sense. In consequence, he keeps farther and farther away from the Almighty God,and finally repudiates Him with the price of his life. In the meantime, in order to get rid of thefeeling of aloneness, Meggie cannot but resort to Ralph’s love. For the sake of it, she neverscruples to take enemies with social morality and the Supreme Being.Chapter Three deals with the punishment imposed upon Ralph and Meggie by thedisciplinary society. In the first instance, in terms of reason, the penalization upon Ralph andMeggie is ascribed to their departure from the norm they ought to have complied with. Ralphgoes against the duties of a priest, and Meggie deviates from the virtues with which thepatriarchal culture endows women. Secondly, as far as the means is concerned, disciplinarypenalty is in company with gratification. Ralph and Meggie are respectively rewarded onaccount of their behavior in accordance with the rules. In the ultimate, the aim of disciplinarypenalty is to forge docile, useful individuals. With the aid of such gratifying and punitiveskills, Ralph and Meggie are trained to be bodily machines that work automatically for thedisciplinary mechanism.In Chapter Four, some enlightenment comes into being after Meggie and Ralph’s life experiences are explored. By virtue of the indefatigable efforts, Meggie wins Ralph’s love atlast. Her story indicates great joy can be attained at the cost of great pain. As long as womenfight courageously for what they want in bosom, they will make themselves heard. In addition,Ralph’s tragedy manifests that psychological health is positively correlated with prestige,success and happiness, and that the integrity of life would not be guaranteed, supposing theEros is broken up with the Logos.Conclusion strikes a summary of what is said previously, and sets forth the meaning ofthis thesis. For one thing, the operational mechanism of the disciplinary society and the life ofhuman beings in it are magnified, with the help of Foucault’s discipline theory. For that reason,the literary value of this novel as an international bestseller is testified further. For another, thepractical meaning of the novel is excavated in this thesis so as to give readers some guidancein the present world: the best is only bought at the cost of great pain; the intactness of liferelies on the integration between the Eros and the Logos.