Discipline And Resistance

Toni Morrison,the Nobel Prize winner,is one of the important writers in contemporary America,and Song of Solomon is one of her important works.There are complex power relations among different characters in the novel.Based on Michel Foucault's theory of power,this thesis studies the power relations in the novel and reveals that the power relations between the white and the black,the upper class black and the lower class black,the black male and the black female show that the American society is a disciplinary one in which the dominant groups try to discipline and assimilate the vulnerable groups by using disciplinary techniques of isolation,observation and judicial penalty,and the latter always take different measures to resist the former's disciplinary power over them.The presentation of the disciplinary and resistant relations in the novel reflects Morrison's concern with the vulnerable groups' dilemmas and her encouragement of the vulnerable people's resistance to the dominant groups' repression,encouraging them to break out the dilemmas.This thesis consists of three parts.The first part is a brief introduction to Toni Morrison and her works,the studies of Song of Solomon both at home and abroad,the theoretical foundation,and the argument and the layout of this thesis.The second part is the body part of the thesis,including three chapters.Chapter one studies the power relations between the white and the black.The white use the disciplinary techniques of isolation,observation and judicial penalty to discipline the black,and assimilate the black like Ruth and Hagar;meanwhile,the black group Seven Days,Solomon,and Mr.Smith resist the white's disciplinary power in their own ways.Chapter two approaches the power relations between the upper class black and the lower class black.The upper class black isolate the lower class black in the Southside town.And Dead II,a representative of the upper class black,supervises his tenants with the help of Freddie.Dead II also punishes his tenant Mrs.Bains when she violates his norms.Under the disciplinary power of the upper class black,the lowerclass black like Guitar accept the former's superiority.However,the lower class black do not completely succumb to the upper class black,guitar resists the upper class' s disciplinary power by assassinating Milkman.Chapter three explores the power relations between the black male and the black female.Dead II isolates Ruth and Dead sisters in his house for decades;Dead II supervises Ruth and Dead sisters with the help of Freddie;Dead II punishes Ruth for her violation of his norms.Under Dead II's disciplinary power in his house,Ruth and Dead sisters become obedient and silent bodies.But Ruth and Corinthians do not succumb to Dead II's disciplinary power in the long term,they take their own way to resist the disciplinary power.The last part is a concluding part of the thesis,summarizing the main content and view of this thesis and revealing Morrison's attention to the vulnerable groups' dilemmas in modern society and also her encouragement of the resistance to the dominant groups' repression,encouraging them to break out the dilemmas.