本文是一篇英语论文，本文结合镜像阶段理论，对史蒂文斯自我建构困境的表现及原因展开分析，试图找到个体面对困境的应对方式。
Chapter One Theoretical Foundation
1.1 The Source,Proposition and Development of Lacan’s MirrorStage Theory
英语论文怎么写
Jacques Lacan(1901-1981),described as“the most controversial psycho-analystsince Freud”,is a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist,also considered by some to bea structuralist.Lacan was interested in literature and philosophy in his early years,which laid the foundation for the comprehensiveness of his theory later.In 1919,Lacanentered the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Paris to study psychoanalysis andafter graduation he engaged in the teaching and medical work of psychoanalysis,dedicating his life to the cause of psychoanalysis.The most notable feature of Lacan’stheory is his recreation of others’theories.Mirror stage theory,as Lacan’s core theory,invokes multiple terms from different fields.“Mirror Stage Theory”gets its name fromHenri Wallon’s mirror experiment,the concept of“signifier”comes from Saussure’stheory,and a part of the original structure of mirror stage theory comes from Hegel’smaster-slave dialectic.The most influential person in the mirror stage theory is Freud.Lacan quoted a lot of Freud’s ideas and reinterpreted them,and from the 1950s,“Returnto Freud”had been the slogan he kept declaring.It should be noted that the meanings of these concepts and terms are different from their original meanings.Lacan just chosethe terms that literally correspond to his own thoughts and creatively interpreted them inhis way.The following is a specific introduction to several sources of mirror stagetheory.
1.1.1 The Source of Mirror Stage Theory
In the 1930s,Lacan took the child psychologist,Henri Wallon’s course.Wallonconducted a mirror experiment on the behavior of infants and animals in front of themirror.According to the different reactions between infants and chimpanzees,Wallondiscovered that although humans are inferior to animals in physical coordination,theyare the only ones intellectually able to recognize themselves in the mirror and befascinated by that image.Wallon believes that it is through this process that the subjectdevelops a sense of identity.Lacan was inspired by this experiment but different fromWaloon’s interpretation,he argued that the self in the mirror was a false self,whichpulled the subject into a false world forever.Based on this thought,Lacan used thename of this experiment to propose the mirror stage theory.
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1.2 The Main Content of Lacan’s Mirror Stage Theory
Mirror stage refers to the process of people constructing themselves as a completeimage through identifying themselves in the mirror.Due to the immaturity of thenervous system,infants between 6-18 months age can realize the existence of their bodywhen looking down at it while cannot feel its existence when not seeing it.They areunable to feel their body as a complete being.However,the moment they look in amirror,they soon recognize their own image and are captured by it.Therefore,thesubject accepts the false image from the mirror before they actually feel their ownwholeness.Since then,people have slipped into the abyss of false identification withthemselves,and struggle for that imaginary self all their lives.
The“mirror”here does not refer to a real mirror,but a symbol of the image ofothers.Lacan uses this image to accurately describe the process of people leaving theirreal subject and moving towards identification with others.
1.2.1 The Imaginary,the Symbolic and the Real
In 1953,Lacan proposed three components of the subject’s psychological structure,that is,the Symbolic,the Imaginary,and the Real.While in the speech in 1974,hechanged the order to the Real,the Symbolic,and the Imaginary.Undoubtedly,theSymbolic is the most important part of the mirror stage theory and the Imaginary is lessimportant,and that’s why Lacan never puts the Imaginary first.However,the theory isusually introduced in order of individual development which puts the Imaginary first,and this order will be followed in this thesis.
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Chapter Two Manifestations of Self-ConstructionDilemma of the Subject
2.1 False Ideal Ego－The Formation of Dilemma
Subject in the Imaginary is deceived by the mirror self and influenced by the eyesof others,mistakenly regards the mirror self as his real self,and the desires of others ashis desires,thus fantasizing an image of an ideal ego who mistakenly regards the wishesof others as their own goals.What Stevens sees in the mirror is an image of himself whoabides by professional norms and is rigorous and perfect.He loves and believes in it,but his subject is gradually erased.
2.1.1 Obsession with Work
In this novel in the form of a diary written in the first person,Stevens presents toreaders the image of a standard British butler,who is serious,decent,and dignified.Indeed,he described countless times how much he valued and loved his profession as abutler,and made it his lifelong goal to be a great butler.It is certainly commendable todo the best job within the scope of duties,but Stevens expects more from himself.Likea theater actor,he professionalized his entire life.To be a great butler,like one wants tobe a good teacher or a good lawyer,should be part of life’s goal,not the whole of it.But Stevens forcibly suppressed the joy,pain,sadness,and almost all emotions that humansshould have and show,and lived himself into the stereotype of a British butler.
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2.2 Unconscious Self-Deception－Lost in Dilemma
Stevens in the Imaginary creates a false ideal self based on the misrecognition ofself-image and other people’s desires.After entering the Symbolic,a world constructedby others based on language,Stevens is deceived by the rules formulated by the upperclass,and willingly puts himself in the position of an absolute obedient.When Stevenswants to express his heart through language,he is trapped by seemingly rationallanguage rules,unknowingly suppressing the irrational original voice from the bottomof his heart,and thus completely loses in the dilemma of self-construction.
2.2.1 Unreliable Narrative in the Diary
The novel is written by Kazuo Ishiguro in the form of Stevens’diary in anunreliable narrative.At the beginning of the diary,Stevens accepted the suggestion ofhis new employer,Mr Farraday,and started a few days of travel.Little things from thetrip kept bringing back memories of Darlington Hall in Stevens,some of which wereblurred.Therefore,the whole book unfolds in the form of mixed reality and memoryand dislocation of memory and memory,and the proportion of memory in the book farexceeds reality.The tone of the diary sometimes seems to be talking to himself,andsometimes seems to be confiding to others and proving something.Its words arerigorous and logical,but readers can still perceive Stevens lying many times,and this lieis not to deceive others,but to deceive himself.As a line in the Korean drama Annasays,“People,they even lie in their private diaries.”Everyone has contradictions in theirhearts,and most people don’t have enough courage to face their true ideas and justchoose to deceive themselves,let alone Stevens,who extremely suppresses the true self for the sake of the ideal self.As the content of the novel progresses,the contradictionbetween Stevens’real thoughts and his forced repression and defense is more and moreclearly displayed in front of readers.“Indeed,Stevens’narrative unreliability is a keymeans through which these conflicts,largely unresolved for him,are demonstrated.”(Wall,1994:18)Through such a narrative method as Stevens’own words,KazuoIshiguro subtly makes readers not only feel Stevens inner conflicts,but also aware ofthe conflicts that exist in themselves and every individual,and this is an effect thatcannot be achieved by any other narrative method.
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Chapter Three Reasons for Self-Construction Dilemma of the Subject..................37
3.1 The Illusion of the Imaginary.......................37
3.1.1 The Misrecognition of the Mirror Self...........................37
3.1.2 The Deception of Others’Desire................................39
Chapter Four Subject’s Two Choices in Facing the Dilemma......................51
4.1 Breaking through the Dilemma.............................51
4.1.1 Releasing Inner Conflicts...............................52
4.1.2 Escaping the Trap of the Signifier..........................55
Conclusion..................................66
Chapter Four Subject’s Two Choices in Facing theDilemma
4.1 Breaking through the Dilemma
In the process of engaging in psychoanalysis,Lacan discovered some ways tomake the subject break the deception of the mirror image and return to the right track inlife.To break the illusion of the false ideal self in the Imaginary,the subject shouldrelease his inner conflicts to return to a balanced mental state.To avoid getting lost inthe Symbolic,the subject should escape the trap of the false ego deepened by thesignifier.Besides,taking on one’s ethical obligations is the best balance that the subjectcan find between the other and himself.If Stevens can make changes in these aspects,he would have an opportunity to get rid of the dilemma of self-construction and live afreer and more valuable life.
4.1.1 Releasing Inner Conflicts
In mirror stage theory,Aggression and Thanatos are two ways for subjects torelease their inner conflicts.The subject splits itself in two,abandoning itself in favor ofthe mirrored self-image based on the desires of others.In this process ofself-estrangement,the subject as the original master and the false ego as the otherinevitably have a fierce struggle.Aggression is the external manifestation of thisstruggle.Since the mirror self comes from the other and is similar in appearance to theother,the subject projects the tendency to destroy the false ego onto others,and realizesaggression through quarrels,fights,etc.
英语论文参考
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Conclusion
This thesis combines Lacan’s Mirror Stage Theory with Kazuo Ishiguro’s novelThe Remains of the Day to analyze the dilemma faced by individuals.Double deceivedby the mirror image and the other,and driven by fantasy,Stevens mistakenly takes anunrealistic perfect image as his goal.In order to pursue this goal,Stevens suppresses histrue emotions and thoughts,and falls into the dilemma of self-construction.This thesisanalyzes from the perspective of Mirror Stage Theory,believing that as social animals,human beings instinctively have the desire to be recognized by others.In order to gainrecognition,people unconsciously shape themselves according to the standards of others,and eventually internalize those standards as their own.Therefore,they examinethemselves from others’point of view without knowing it.Stevens spends most of hislife pursuing the false ideal self built on the desires of others,but loses his own subject,and finally collapses due to awakening,falling into a lost situation.
Stevens’dilemma reflects a contradiction that runs through human existence.Anindividual will become a meaningless and lifeless existence if he is completelyunaffected by the desires of others,while he will lose his original desire and become thepuppet of others if he is affected by the desires of others.Lacan believes that once aperson enters the society,it is impossible to find his own subject again,and the onlyway for getting close to his original desire is to resist the false narcissistic fantasy andresist the desire of others.Language and social rules are products of consciousness thatcontradict the unconsciousness in the Real where the subject resides.People who live inorder always ignore the real voice from the unconscious.Therefore,the subject must getrid of the interference of language in order to hear the true appeal of his heart.Inaddition,releasing inner conflicts is another way for people to relieve their depressionand find inner balance.
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