Oppression And Resistance: An Analysis Of The Hothouse From The Perspective Of Foucault's Power And Discourse

As one of the most prestigious post-war playwrights in Britain,Harold Pinter(1930-2008)observed and recorded the totalitarian society he lived in in The Hothouse(1958)with his high sense of social responsibility,keen observation and pungent writing style.It is for the first time he aimed at state institutions,unfolding a dynamic picture of resistance by people who were being oppressed under the rule of power discourse,criticizing and condemning the cruelty and inhumanity of the ruling class.Based on Foucault's theory of power and discourse,this thesis aims to solve some problems by studying the institution's control on the discourse of people in The Hothouse such as: the means used by the ruling class in this play to manipulate power discourse;the consequences of manipulating power discourse;the resistance strategies people adopt under the pressure,and the results and causes of the resistance.The thesis is divided into five chapters.Chapter I is a brief introduction to Harold Pinter and The Hothouse,and a brief discussion of the key points in Foucault's theory of power and discourse.Chapter II analyzes the two methods that totalitarian organization uses to manipulate discourse: surveillance and the three principles to limit discourse production: prohibition,the opposition between madness and reason,and the opposition between the true and the false.Chapter III delves into the consequences brought about by the rule of power discourse: the most basic human rights of the dissidents,such as the right to life and personal dignity,are violated;and the ruling class in the institutions is reduced to docile individuals under the power discourse.Chapter IV analyzes the subjects' resistance to power discourse,result and causes of the resistance.While Chapter V is the conclusion which reveals two important points: the course of overthrowing the rule of power discourse is arduous and tortuous,requiring unremitting spirit and efforts;Pinter spoke highly of the importance of the specialized intellectuals in resisting power discourse.Gibbs' success shows that resisting totalitarian rule cannot be achieved by discourse alone,but by dismantling the foundation of dictator's rule.The combination of Foucault's theory of power and discourse and Pinter's viewpoint provides a way for individualsto resist totalitarian rule: if specialized intellectuals can win the support from the grassroots forces under totalitarianism,the probability of overthrowing totalitarian rule will be increased greatly.Guided by Foucault's theory of power discourse,this paper focuses on the analysis of the totalitarian control of discourse in The Hothouse,the results of the power discourse rule,and the strategies of people's resistance.It reveals the purpose of the ruling class to control the discourse of power: to eliminate the threat imposed by dissidents to the exercise of power,and to turn the civilians into rigid,docile but useful “machines”.At the same time,the struggle of the subjects of power in the play also brought hope of democracy and freedom to the people under the pressure of totalitarian power.The play is not only a vehicle for Pinter to express his political views,but also a manifestation of his humanitarian sentiment.