Abstract: As the first work of Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye mainly describes the universal phenomenon that most Afro-Americans lose their self identity. Thus, basing on Lacan’s Mirror Stage Theory, this paper will analyze this novel both from the aspect of cultural conflict and the aspect of absence and alienation of love so as to reveal the spiritual trauma that the Afro-Americans are suffering in daily life and to analyze the roots which lead those Afro-Americans to lose their self-identity. Then, comparing with the different fates of Afro-Americans in the novel, this paper will put forward relevant measures to help Afro-Americans to regain their self-identity. They are balancing different cultures, building up good parent-child relationship and establishing harmonious and healthy black community.
Key words: Toni Morrison; The Bluest Eye; the Mirror Stage Theory; Afro-American;
self-identity
Contents
Abstract
中文摘要
1. Introduction-1
2. Literature Review-3
3. Lacan and the Mirror Stage Theory-4
4. Loss of Self-identity-6
4.1 Cultural Conflict of Different Values--Deprivation of Subjectivity-6
4.1.1 Cultural Dominance of White American and Cultural Marginalization of African Americans-7
4.1.2 Blind Worship of White Culture-8
4.2 Absence and Alienation of Love -10
4.2.1 Loss and Alienation of Parental Love-10
4.2.2 Indifference of the Black Community-12
5. Ways of Searching for Self-identity-14
5.1 Balance of Different Cultures in the Multicultural Society-14
5.2 Importance of Parental Love in Acquiring Self-identity-15
5.3 Importance of Community in Acquiring Self-identity-16
6. Conclusion-17
References-19
