Chaotic Orders and Unbalanced Triangle--Interpretation of The Sound and the Fury from Lacan’s View

Abstract

The paper applies Lacan’s Three Order theory and Oedipus Triangle to the novel The Sound and the Fury to investigate the unconscious mechanisms of the three brothers to account for their behaviors. Banji, Quintin, and Jason respectively have breakdowns in three orders: the Imaginary, the Real, and the Symbolic. Banji’s isolation in the Imaginary imposes restrictions on his self-consciousness, reflected by his inability to language. He represents Oedipus who’s obstructed from becoming a conscious subject during the process of grasping the meanings of beings. Quintin, on the other hand, is unable to balance his desire in the Real and his identity in the Symbolic, like the Mother in the Oedipus Triangle, so the conflict between his complex for Caddy and the burden of the family and social conventions result in his collapse and eventual suicide. Jason relinquishes his emotions and desire to adapt to the Symbolic. Just like the Father in the Oedipus Triangle, under the Big Other’s control, his desire is coerced to be unified with the Symbolic. Therefore, he is forced to follow orders that he is oblivious of, and thus can’t attain pleasure for himself. With careful reflection on the individual analysis of the brothers’ pathologic psychosis, not only does The Sound and the Fury release more charm for sophisticated psychological depiction, but also a more general picture of human’s mental mechanism can form, warning people of their potential mental conflicts to help avert the tragedies happened in The Sound and the Fury.

Keywords

• the sound and the fury
• three order theory
• oedipus triangle