On The Construction Of Identity And Desire Of The "Other" In Life Of Pi From Lacanian Mirror Stage Theory

Young Canadian writer, Yann Martel, obtained the British Man Booker Prize by virtue ofhis famous work---Life of Pi in2002. In this seemingly drifting novel, Martel told us a storywhich was full of fantastic color with plenty of space. The protagonist Indian teenager namedPi had to co-exist with an adult Bengal tiger on the same lifeboat because of the shipwreck.After spending227days on the Pacific Ocean, they ultimately survived. When the novel wasnewly published, it had gained the love and popularity from the masses, which also becamethe primary focus at the same time. Most of the comments mainly focused on exploring thetheme of the story and the religious issue revealed in the story. However, the comments whichconcentrated on analyzing the authenticity of the tiger called Richard Parker were very rare sofar. This thesis argues that exploring the real identity of the tiger is the key to interpreting thisnovel.This thesis consists of introduction, theoretical foundation, main body and conclusion.The introduction part mainly introduces the author and his works, summarizes theresearch trends of this novel at home and abroad, and presents the opinion of this thesis.The theoretical foundation part is largely based on summarizing the origin anddevelopment of Lacanian mirror stage theory. In addition, two main aspects: the identity ofthe “other” and the desire of the “other” have been described and explained in details.The main body consists of two parts. The first part states the loss of the original “other”of Pi and the construction of his new “other”---Richard Parker. This part specificallydescribes the reasons for losing his original “other”, the performance after losing his original“other” and the specific process of reconstructing his new “other”. The second part analyzeshow Pi transforms his desire into the desire of the “other”. As a strict vegetarian and devoutreligious believer, it is hard for Pi to accept the fact that he is turning into an evil person. Bythis time, the new “other” who can assume all the crimes of that person is required. This partdetailedly elaborates on the cause and the purpose for the emergence of the desire of the“other”.The final summary part arrives at the conclusion. This thesis is aimed atenlightenmenting each person: There is a Richard Parker in the heart of each person. Whenone is in a tragic situation, he should keep struggling unremittingly and never give up easily.Finally, the end of this part proposes the limitations and suggestions for further study of thisthesis.