Space And Anxiety

As one of the founders of British modernism literature, Joseph Conrad occupies anindispensable seat in the English literature. Under Western Eyes is Conrad’s only politicalnovel with Russia as its background. The novel’s particular political background shows thewriter’s anxiety under the repressed space as well as his expectation to break down the spatiallimitation. At the same time, it also reproduces the history traces and characteristics ofRussian society.The spatial dimension in novels has attracted growing concerns of critics in recent years.Spatial turn appears in critical theory. Spatial theorist Henri Lefebvre thinks that space can bedivided into material, spiritual and social space three kinds. In fact, space is not a simplestationary container, nor just a life or athletics arena in literature. What’s more important is thetwo-way relationship between spatial characteristics and the various characters as well as theirpsychological changes in the society. The two-way relationship between Razumov’spsychological growth and spatial change reflected in Under Western Eyes is a main line of thispaper. This main line not only clearly presents the hero’s psychological growth in the spatialdimension but also makes the novel have a kind of cultural connotation of Bildungsroman1.Based on the theory of space, this paper will discuss the Razumov’s psychologicalgrowth with spatial disruption, spatial reshaping and spatial transcendence as thechronological order. The discussion will be combined with the background of that timetogether with the experiences of Conrad. This paper introduces the domestic and foreignresearch results of Under Western Eyes in the introduction part. Besides, a brief analysis onspace and mental growth is analyzed in the introduction part. Three questions are alsomentioned in this part: What causes the spatial anxiety of Conrad as well as the people in thenovel? How Razumov gets the psychological growth in the spatial dimension? What isConrad’s real intention in terms of the process of spatial transcendence? The main body isunfolded according to the three questions. The first chapter is mainly focused on the spatialdisruption after the hero Razumov’s house is invaded by Haldin. The turbulent social situationand the complex relationship make the people of that time could not find a safe haven in theirown country nor even could they find a secure place in foreign countries. Razumov’s physical space together with his spiritual space is disturbed after his classmate Haldin’s invasion to hishouse. Razumov expects to return to his own space that is not disturbed, and betrays hisclassmate Haldin to protect himself. However, his betrayal makes nothing good to him exceptfor the limitation of his mental space. The main emphasis of the second chapter is Razunov’sspatial reshaping in a new social environment. Razumov doesn’t get what he wants after hisbetrayal to Haldin. Razumov comes to Geneva acting as the spy of the Russian government asthey require. The new space is full of gazes as well as confrontations among different powers.Razumov reshapes a Utopian picture in his mind after the influence of the chaotic space. Justlike the writer Conrad, Razumov opposes dictatorship and violent revolution. What he looksforward to is a harmonious space picture. The third chapter mainly analyzes Razumov’sspiritual space transcendence. Razumov endures the physical and mental suffering fromdifferent gazes after he comes to Geneva. Razumov decides to make a self-redemptionthrough confession. He makes a confession to the revolutionaries as well as the Haldins,which makes him not only relieves from the soul burden, but also expands his mental space.Even though Razumov receives punishment after the confession, yet he gets real soul releaseand spiritual liberation.From the three chapters’ analysis, it comes to the conclusion as follows. Many Russians,the novel’s hero included, whose lives are full of spatial anxiety under the pressure of thedictatorship. In Conrad’s view, loyalty is a fundamental ethical principle that has eternal valuein one’s life. If we adhere to the sincere faith and have the courage to confess, we will be ableto find a more liberal way of life in the stress-filled society.