Fragmented Selves and the Search for Identity: A Lacanian Study of ‘The Water Cure’ (2018) by Sophie Mackintosh

Abstract

The aim of this research paper is to apply Jacques Lacan theory of psychoanalysis to analyze the novel, The Water Cure (2018) by Sophie Mackintosh. The close reading in the paper has been applied to examine the patriarchal structures of the society in the novel and how the structures restrict the freedom of the women, by putting them within the confines of a particular boundary that the Symbolic order places on women. It employs the Mirror stage and the Symbolic stage that was proposed by Lacan in understanding the sense of self in the characters and how the characters reacts to the outside world. The theme of power in the family and the navigational and resistance strategies of the characters is also discussed in the paper. It is a qualitative research methodology that is founded on Approach based on qualitative content analysis that focuses on concepts arising out of the cultural background. This study is informed by the analysis on the female characters presented in Novel ‘The Water Cure’ (2018) by Sophie Mackintosh. The technique for selection of Population and Sample is judgmental sampling. The female characters of the chosen pieces of literature have been selected as the population and Sample. The analysis shows that the Lacanian reading of The Water Cure (2018) provides a more in-depth insight into the themes and characters of the novel. It brings out the repressive aspect of patriarchal systems and how it affects the agency of women. The Mirror stage, and the Symbolic stage analysis shed some light on how the characters form their identity themselves and how they are complexly oriented towards the external world. The paper also reveals the different power relations involved in the family and the negotiating and resisting strategies of the characters. The psychoanalytic theory of Jacques Lacan will form the basis of this paper to show that there is more to The Water Cure (2018). The Lacanian reading of the novel brings more meaning to the novel since it examines the hierarchy of patriarchy, subjectivity of the self as the characters are involved with the power structures. This study contributes to our perception of the overall themes in the novel and the intricacies of the characters experiences.

Keywords: The Water Cure, Lacanian Reading, The Mirror Stage, The Symbolic stage.