On Coleman’s Quest For Self In The Human Stain From The Perspective Of Lacan’s Subject Theory

Philip Roth(1933-) is the renowned Jewish writer of the contemporary America and The Human Stain is the last work of his American trilogy. Since its publication,the novel attracts the great attention of domestic and overseas scholars who interpret it from various perspectives, ranging from the author’s moral thinking, the theme of alienation, identity and tragedy to the writing skill studies and the comparative studies.However, few scholars studied the process of the protagonist Coleman’s quest for self,leaving room for the thesis’ s study.Through the careful reading of The Human Stain, the thesis writer finds that the protagonist Coleman gains the sense of self through others around him and undergoes the process of pursuing his self for three times. Thus the thesis aims to analyze the deepening process of Coleman’s quest for self in the Imaginary Order, the Symbolic Order and the Real Order by applying Lacan’s Subject Theory, in an attempt to expand the research on The Human Stain.The thesis is composed of an introduction, a main body and a conclusion. In the introduction, the thesis writer briefly introduces Philip Roth and his novel The Human Stain and reviews studies on The Human Stain both at home and abroad. Besides, the theoretical approach, the thesis statement and the thesis structure are included in this part as well. The main body is made up of three chapters.In Chapter One, Coleman’s quest for self in the Imaginary Order proceeds from his formation of self of a promising man and ends in failure as being a negro. Through the textual analysis and the application of the Imaginary Order theory, the chapter argues how Coleman forms his self through the three important others of the Jewish surgeon, the Jewish coach and his family and how his quest for self fails due to the failure of academic achievements and the loss of the complexion advantage.In Chapter Two, Coleman’s quest for self in the Symbolic Order starts from his formation of self of an accomplished man and ends in failure as being a “racist”.Through the textual analysis and the application of the Symbolic Order theory, the chapter explores the process of Coleman’s quest for self from its ascertainment to its formation through others around him. And the failure of his quest for self is analyzed from the two aspects of the loss of fame and achievements and the loss of family’s love and support.In Chapter Three, Coleman’s quest for self in the Real Order is discussed from the two aspects of his search for self of a free man and the failure of the quest for self.Through the textual analysis and the application of the Real Order theory, the chapter explores Coleman’s ascertainment of self of a free man and his attempt to pursue such self and how his quest for self fails due to the failure of secluding from society and escaping from social morals.The thesis makes conclusion after the argumentation of the three chapters.Through the protagonist Coleman’s tragic quest for self, Philip Roth voices his concern over the situation of the minority, who are discriminated and deprived of various opportunities and expresses his thinking on the relation between individuals and society. The academic significance of the thesis lies in its application of Lacan’s Subject Theory to the analysis of Coleman’s quest for self, which provides new research perspective for the study of the novel, and maintains some creativity. Besides,through the analysis of the protagonist’s tragic quest for self, the paper prompts man to ponder over the relation between individuals and society.