My paper analyzes the issue of the alternation between two complementary concepts which can be analyzed in the novel The Heart Song of Charging Elk： imprisonment and freedom. In order to achieve this goal, I have use...My paper analyzes the issue of the alternation between two complementary concepts which can be analyzed in the novel The Heart Song of Charging Elk： imprisonment and freedom. In order to achieve this goal, I have used several critical theories of authors such as： Michel Foucault, Carl Jung, and Pierre Bourdieu. The analysis is concerned with exploring the alternation between the themes of freedom and imprisonment and the way in which these issues influence the evolution of the main character. I argue that the two themes are in a relation of interdependency and they can be interpreted as opposites from a rational point of view. The rational point of view, although valuable, is, however, incomplete without the exploration of the emotional and subjective factor. This factor can account for the ＂unreasonable＂ events from a broader perspective： that of the imagination. As Michel Foucault argues, power exists only in action. Power is also a rather elusive concept. In the same way, the perception of reality can be represented more accurately from a subjective point of view. More exactly, reality is constructed with every thought, emotion, and action of the individual. To sum up, I argue that, from a sociological point of view, the main character is striving to assimilate his personality in a new and hostile cultural environment. On the other hand, from a psychological point of view, he is confronting his inner shadow, as Carl Jung defines the hidden part of the personality. This has a result of the emergence of a genuine sense of self. As the critic Pierre Bourdieu argues, there are a set of common characteristics of taste which define the social belonging of an individual. In the analyzed novel the character manages to adapt to the new situation and to overcome the obstacles that he finds on his way.展开更多
文摘My paper analyzes the issue of the alternation between two complementary concepts which can be analyzed in the novel The Heart Song of Charging Elk： imprisonment and freedom. In order to achieve this goal, I have used several critical theories of authors such as： Michel Foucault, Carl Jung, and Pierre Bourdieu. The analysis is concerned with exploring the alternation between the themes of freedom and imprisonment and the way in which these issues influence the evolution of the main character. I argue that the two themes are in a relation of interdependency and they can be interpreted as opposites from a rational point of view. The rational point of view, although valuable, is, however, incomplete without the exploration of the emotional and subjective factor. This factor can account for the ＂unreasonable＂ events from a broader perspective： that of the imagination. As Michel Foucault argues, power exists only in action. Power is also a rather elusive concept. In the same way, the perception of reality can be represented more accurately from a subjective point of view. More exactly, reality is constructed with every thought, emotion, and action of the individual. To sum up, I argue that, from a sociological point of view, the main character is striving to assimilate his personality in a new and hostile cultural environment. On the other hand, from a psychological point of view, he is confronting his inner shadow, as Carl Jung defines the hidden part of the personality. This has a result of the emergence of a genuine sense of self. As the critic Pierre Bourdieu argues, there are a set of common characteristics of taste which define the social belonging of an individual. In the analyzed novel the character manages to adapt to the new situation and to overcome the obstacles that he finds on his way.
