Lost In The Symbolic Order

Angela Carter’s second novel,The Magic Toyshop,is a turning point in her creating career and helps her win the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.The novel tells the story of Melanie and the others in the Flower family,who become the so-called subjects under the suppression of Philip,the patriarchal representative.Based on Lacan’s subject theory,this thesis points out that in the symbolic order,although Melanie and the others strive to fight for freedom of speech and rebel against patriarchy,because freedom of speech,rules,etc.are defined by Philip,the representative of patriarchy in the symbolic order,their efforts are actually to identify with Philip,so their subject construction has not been truly completed.In addition to the introduction and conclusion,the body of this thesis is divided into three chapters.The first chapter analyzes how Melanie and the others experience aphasia and seem to gain freedom of speech.Since the patriarchal discourse represented by Philip has always controlled Melanie and the others,the process of Melanie and the others striving to obtain language freedom has not escaped Philip’s control,and their subjects are still lost in the Philipian language.The second chapter analyzes how Melanie and the others fall into an identity crisis and rise again.However,the so-called freedom they obtain is defined by Philip,and they do not break the social norms defined by Philip,so their subjects remain lost in the social norms defined by Philip.The third chapter examines how Melanie and the others rebel against Philip through cultural symbols such as music,dance,and clothing differences,and the death of the swan and the Bluebeard seems to have led Melanie and the others to freedom and independence.However,such freedom and independence are still accidental and passive results,and the so-called freedom and independence that Melanie and the others strive for are also defined by Philip,so their subjects must be lost in the Philipian cultural symbols.In the concluding part,the thesis points out that by telling the bondage,resistance,and failure experienced by Melanie and the others,Angela Carter expresses her critique of patriarchy and her disgust with the norms and constraints of the shackled subject.