Lily’s Pursuit of Self—Interpretation of The House of Mirth in Lacan’s Subject Theory

【中圖分類號】I712.074 【文獻標(biāo)識碼】A 【文章編號】2095-3089（2016）01-0001-02

1.Introduction

Lacans subject theory including the mirror stage theory and the three orders theory. This theory could clearly illustrate the psychological journey of a subject. Although this theory is based on the evolution of infants psychological development， it could be a metaphorical process from an infant to a mature adult. Meanwhile， in The House of Mirth， the heroine Lily indeed experienced an indispensable growth and pursuit of self. Hence， Lacans subject theory could be applied to analyze the process of Lilys pursuit of self. 2.The Formation of Lilys Self

The formation of self is crucial for an individuals growth. For Lily， her formation of self largely depended on two essential others and her growth environment.

According to Lacan （cited in Evans：1996）， in the mirror stage， the self is a kind of illusion which is generated by the unconscious itself. Namely， the self can not be a real and specific thing without others desire. The selfs desire is determined by the desire of others. Hence， the journey of ones self？鄄pursuit is bound to be alienated. At the very beginning， infants mistake the little others as themselves. To receive others recognition when growing up， they have to be affected by the big “Other”， called linguistic symbols. Obviously， the other is essential for a persons growth.

The formation of Lilys self under the influence of her essential others： her mother and father. As a dominant figure， Mrs. Barts desire decided where Lilys desire lay. Her constant pursuit of extravagant life made a tremendous impact on Lilys self when Lily was unable to distinguish her real self and the others. In the meantime， Mr. Barts exquisite interest and ideal value also contributed to the formation of Lilys self， which went against her mothers influence. Mr. Bart laid emphasis on spiritual pursuit. As an unconscious self？鄄seeker， Lilys values were totally determined by her essential others. Therefore， she undoubtedly sank into a chaos in which she hovered between the material desire and spiritual pursuit.

3.The Pursuit of Ideal Self

In the mirror stage， the infant is in a complicated situation： on the one hand， the infant sees an integrated image in the mirror which makes him feel satisfied and unified. So the image is so indispensable for individual growth. On the other hand， the infant sees the image in the mirror， and follows his actions， and he would probably mistake that he has controlled his own body as well as the image in the mirror. However， the infants ability of domination is confined to some limited parts and it is based on the recognition of others （Evans： 1996）. The mirror stage is a simile which accompanies the subject all his life. The subject would continue to pursue the self from various recognitions both in Symbolic and Real order. For Lily， she constructed herself with the help of her essential two others. Although being confused， she didnt stop pursuing her ideal self from marriage， friendship as well as her own career until she was fettered by the law of the father.

After Lilys self was initially constructed under the influence of her mother and father， she continued to pursue her ideal self. First， she pinned her hope on a good marriage which could bring her an eminent status and a luxury life. Due to her hesitation between the material enjoyment and spiritual fulfillment， she missed the great opportunity of entering upper？鄄class by the means of good marriage. Subsequently， her unreliable friendship put her in a tough condition once again. She had to run her own career for the sake of maintaining livelihood in the end. Unfortunately， she couldnt find her ideal self by refusing the fixed law of father in the patriarchal society. Being driven into a corner， Lily was inclined to find a quiet place to make clear what her real self was and to restart her new life.

4.Return to Real

The Real order is the most marvelous and untouchable realm in Lacans three orders because there is no way to explain and comprehend it. （huangzuo，2005）， In Lacans words， the Real order is “impossible”. “The Real， taking the position of Freuds unconscious， must not be confused with the classical concept of ‘reality， which Lacan identifies with our phenomenological perception and with thus depends on the imaginary. The only possible definition of the real is that it is ‘impossible to be defined and formalized” （Leupin， 1991：11）. There are also some distinctions between Lacans Real order and the reality of world. It doesnt belong to an objective reality， while it is a part of subjective reality. The Real order contains some things that belong to the imaginary and the Symbolic order as well as transcend their limitation. The content of the Real order has noting to do with language order， so it cant be achieved by signifier link. Most of its content could be only revealed by the way of desire， but it could never be totally discovered.

For Lacan （cited in Evans，1996： 162-164）， there is no lack and absence in the Real order for the reason that there is no language. In this realm， there is nothing but the state of fullness and completeness and the satisfaction of need. The new？鄄born babys state is quite close to the Real order where a baby tries to fulfill his needs without the sense of any separations between himself and the outside world. When the baby finds he is separated from his mother， the baby changes his needs to demands. This kind of demand does not just content some objects， it is a demand for a sort of recognition of other. But the other is not a fixed and lasted one， and it shifts constantly in corresponding periods. The realization of the separation and the existence of otherness make the baby experience a sense of loss and anxiety. So the baby wants to return to the state of reunion and sense of completeness which he has experienced in the Real order. But it is impossible for him to return to such state， once he has realized the existence of otherness， lack and absence， which are the premise of forming an independent self. In addition， the influence of the Real order is not confined to the infant period， and it will continue to impact adults lives when the adults fantasies and the linguistic system finally fail. The Real order proves to be effective means when one acknowledges the materiality of his existence which is usually perceived as traumatic.

In the House of Mirth， the heroine Lily finally entered the Real order from the Imaginary order under the oppression of patriarchal society. Being injured in the Symbolic order， Lily entered the Real order and attempted to find her true self. The Real order is a place where one can satisfy his desire and sensed the fullness and completeness just like the infants state in the pre？鄄mirror stage. Lilys heart was enlightened by a female？鄄worker named Nettie. It was just Nettie who helped Lily make clear what she really wanted to achieve. She finally found her true self and came to realize the meaning of true love. In the end， Lily chose death as the means of getting close to peace and fullness.

5.Conclusion

In The House of Mirth， the heroine Lilys pursuit of self indeed experienced the three orders of Lacan. After Lilys birth， she was just like the baby in the mirror stage who was greatly influenced by her first other： her mother and father. The discontented marriage and the incapable husband made her mother leave all her hope with Lily. Growing up in such circumstances and under the influence of her mother， Lily determined to do whatever she could to make her mother lead a luxury life. It was self？鄄evident for Lily to meet her mothers desire. It goes without saying that Lily regarded the desire of her mother as her own need. At that moment， just like the baby in the mirror stage who couldnt distinguish the difference between herself and her mother， Lily did her best to search for a good marriage which could fulfill her mothers desire as well as her desire. Meanwhile， Lily was also influenced by another other， her father who had interest in literature and art， influencing Lily to become a sentimental and idealistic girl. In the mirror stage， the baby has no whole self？鄄consciousness and his value was determined by the others surrounding him. Exactly， Lilys value toward real life was determined by two others. The dual influence put Lily in a state of confusing， and could not acquaint herself with the outside world correctly. In the Symbolic order， on the one hand， Lily continued to fulfill her mothers desire by pursing a good marriage. On the other hand， her father subtle influence made her hesitate to choose her husband by money and social status. Failed in pursuit of ideal self by marriage， Lily attempted to pursue her ideal self by her friends and her own career. But none of them saved her from the difficulties. In the Symbolic order， the subject must obey the Name？鄄of？鄄the？鄄Father， exactly， the rules in patriarchal society. Lily refused to accept the existent of the rules and even rebelled against it， which made her situation more horrible and she felt more lonely. Being tortured in the first two orders， Lily was willing to return to the Real order where she could remove the sense of lack and pursued her real self by the means of death. To some extent， Lilys return to the Real order was a new birth of her life.

References：

[1]黃作.不思之說-拉康主體理論研究[M].北京：人民出版社，2005.

[2]Evans， Dylan. （1996）. An Introductory Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis [M]. London： Routledge.

[3]Leupin， Alexander. （1991）. Lacan & the Human Sciences [M]. New York & London： University of Nebraska Press

[4]Lacan， Jacque. （2007）. The Ethics of Psychoanalysis： The Seminar of Jacques Lacan： Book VII [M]. London： Routledge.

[5]Wharton， Edith.（1997）.The House of Mirth. London： Wordsworth Editions Limited.

作者簡介：

趙亞洲，男，碩士研究生，助教，麗江師范高等專科學(xué)校外語系教師，主要從事英美文學(xué)研究。