Lacanian Reinterpretation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper based on Theories of“Mirror Stage”and“Three Orders”

Abstract—The Yellow Wallpaper was a representative work of feminist literature by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In the novel， the heroine under great repression gradually awakes to seek self identification and revolt against the patriarchy. Many researchers have conducted studies from perspectives of feminism， image， theme and structure of the novel. This paper aims to employ Lacan’s “mirror stage” theory and “three orders” theory to analyze the story. Through observing the image of the “confined woman” in the “mirror” （the yellow wallpaper）， her awareness of “selfhood” is gradually awakened： she lives in the Symbolic Order where the patriarchy has imposed many restrictions on her. Unable to live in such a world， while the Real is also incomprehensible， what she could do is to totally immerse herself in the Imaginary Order. That’s why she is creeping like a child.

Key words—Mirror stage； Identification； Ego； “Three orders”

I. I.INTRODUCTION

1.1 The “Mirror Stage” Theory

According to Lacan， the “mirror stage” occurs， when an infant of six months discovers its own reflection in a mirror. The “mirror stage” describes the formation of the ego via the process of objectification， the ego being the result of feeling dissention between one’s perceived visual appearance and one’s perceived emotional reality. This identification is what Lacan called alienation.

At six months， the baby still lacks coordination； however， it can recognize itself in the mirror before attaining control over his bodily movements. It sees his image as a whole， and the synthesis of this image produces a sense of contrast with the incoordination of the body， which is perceived as a fragmented body. This contrast is first felt by the baby as a rivalry and thus the mirror stage gives rise to an aggressive tension between the subject and the image. The wholeness of the image in the mirror and the fragmentation of its own body perceived by it are quite different. Later， to resolve the aggressive tension， the baby identifies with the “seemingly perfect” image. The identification with the counterpart helps form the ego （Evans 221）. The moment of identification is to Lacan a moment of jubilation since it leads to an imaginary sense of mastery （Lacan 133）.

This image that the baby sees in the mirror is an alienated one： it ‘misrecognizes’ itself in it. The “perfect image”， a pleasing unity perceived by it， is imaginary. The realm of images is what Lacan called Imaginary Order in which we make identifications. Though making imaginary identifications will lead to misperception and misrecognition， it is how the ego is built up. In Lacan’s opinion， the formation of the ego is just a narcissistic process whereby we bolster up a fictive sense of unitary selfhood by finding something in the world with which we can identify.

The point worth emphasizing here is that the ego is the product of “misunderstanding”. In other words， just by recognizing “other” in the mirror， the baby begins to seek its own identity. The identifications with others contribute to the formation of the ego. Just as Lacan said， “the mirror serves as a prototype that reveals other relations between the subject and his image as the latter is the ego’s” （Lacan 228）.

In particular， the “perfect” image of oneself or ideal ego gives pre-verbal impetus to create narcissistic fantasies in the fully developed subject. The fantasy image can be filled by others who we may want to emulate in our adult lives （role models） and anyone who we may set up as a mirror for ourselves.

1.2 “Three Orders” Theory

Lacan’s theoretical concept “three orders RIS”---the Real， the imaginary， and the symbolic is intended to help interpret the various levels of unconscious dimension by pointing to joins and knots that cannot be seen in any literal sense.

The Imaginary Order

Just as mentioned above， the mirror stage is where the subject becomes alienated from itself， and thus is introduced into the Imaginary Order. This is a world of perception. It’s the world that the child experiences through images rather than words. And it is a world of fullness， completeness， and delight because with the child’s sense of itself as a whole comes the illusion of control over its environment （Tyson 27）.

It is worth noting that this for Lacan this imaginary realm continues to exert its influence throughout the life of the adult and is not merely superseded as the child moves into the Symbolic Order.

The Symbolic Order

For Lacan， the child’s acquisition of language means its initiation into the Symbolic Order，for language is first and foremost a symbolic system of signification， that is， a symbolic system of meaning-making.The entrance into the Symbolic Order involves the experience of separation from others， and the biggest separation is the separation from the intimate union we experienced with our mother during our immersion in the Imaginary Order. Lancan thought this separation constitutes our most important experience of loss， and it is one that will haunt us all our lives. We will seek substitutes great and small for that lost union with our mother（Tyson 28）.

In the Imaginary Order， we’re excited because in such a world we have illusion of fulfilment of control. But as we enter the Symbolic Order， we inhabit a world in which others have needs， desires， and fears that limit the ways in which and the extent to which we can attend to our own needs， desires， and fears. In other words， this new world is one in which there are rules we must obey and restrictions by which we must abide.