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An Analysis of Snow White's Quest for Self-Identity in Barthelme’s Snow White from the Spatial Perspective

Author(s)

Jie Yang

Affiliation(s)

School of Foreign Languages, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China

Abstract

In Donald Barthelme’s postmodern novel Snow White, the author adopts spatial reconstruction as the core narrative strategy to completely subvert the narrative logic of traditional fairy tales. Based on Henri Lefebvre’s trialectic of space, this paper analyzes the multiple existential dilemmas confronting the heroine Snow White from three dimensions: physical space, social space, and spiritual space. At the physical level, the constant transformation of physical spacecauses confusion in Snow White’s self-identity.Enclosed apartments and mechanized workplaces serve as explicit sites for disciplining female bodies, reducing women’s bodies to objects of observation and discipline. At the social level, the oppression of patriarchy and interpersonal aliation hinder Snow White’s quest for self-identity. Indifferent neighborhood relations and instrumental interpersonal interactions construct an alienated social network, reflecting the collapse of individual connections in postmodern society and women’s marginalized status. At the spiritual level,distorted self-perception and the absence of redemptive natural spaces deprive Snow White of the foundation and reference for subjective construction. The interplay and conflict of these spaces collectively reveal the arduous process of contemporary women’s quest for self-identity under disciplinary systems and alienated relationships.

Keywords

Snow White; Barthelme; Spatial Theory; Self-Identity

References

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