镜像理论分析死者.docxVIP

An interpretation of the Epiphany of The Dead From the Perspective of Lacan’s Theory of Mirror StageAbstract: The dead is the last story of Dubliners. In the short story, the protagonist, Gabriel undergoes a series of psychological frustrations and struggles; at last, he achieved his last “epiphany” of his failed marriage and life in his aunts’ party. Mirror stage is Lacans important contribution in the field of psychoanalysis, which sheds on the formation of self. In the mirror stage, the formation of self depends on the reflection of the others and is subjected to effect of the others. In the process, Gabriel has undergone three mental stages: the complete self, the disintegration of self, epiphany of the self through the frustration of the three characters, the maid Lily, Ivors and his wife Gretta. As the others outside, their reactions have the significant influence on the disintegration and reconstruction of his self. Based on the mirror stage, the paper attempts to analyze how the protagonist realized his own epiphany.Key word: Mirror stage; Epiphany; The dead; Lacan; The self一The “epiphany” is the distinctive writing model in Dubliners of Joyce, which accomplishes the integrity and harmony of the collection of short stories. However, the “epiphany” is closely bound up with the plot and character’s experiences, instead of a causeless and unexpected apperception. Before the arrival of the “epiphany”, the character must undergo the psychological change process consciously and subconsciously through the stimulation of external condition, in which some situation or thing triggers the character’s emotion and lead to his or her “epiphany”. (Li Weiping, 2000:292-293) Therefore, the theory of mirror stage could be a new perspective to analyze the psychological process of the protagonist. Especially in The Dead, the function of the others plays an important role in the process of the protagonist’s psychological development. It should be pointed out that, that the autho