Symbolic Order

This paper illustrated in Alice Munro’s selected works the bad condition in which the characters are trapped as a result of their contexualized mind that is confined to limited interpretation in accordance with the Other’s desire, their mental attachment and dependence to Symbolic Order and what it imposes as the only way to think and live. Lacan’s concept of Beauty encapsulated in “act[ing] in conformity with one’s desires” is thought while reading Munro’s writings. It is a socio-ethical reading of Lacan. It was proved socio-ethical reading in psychoanalysis is quite fruitful; it gives the data that its effect goes from individual to society. Lacan’s notion on Symbolic Order was theoretically analyzed to prove how ethical psychoanalysis helps characters awareness. The bad condition illustrates living in Symbolic Order. The characters found it intolerable since unlike Lacanian ethics and Beauty that helps human to live his life in its full,morality in Symbolic Order works for desire of the Other. Symbolic Order subjects the characters to structure of power; the dominant socio-political power that follows “morality of the master” meaning that it determined society’s conventions. Characters have no role in making their life by their own decisions and in conformity with their Real desire. They turn into passive individuals with victim mentality. Relinquishment of one’s own desire results in feeling of guilt and regret. Hence, while characters stand out from the social orders, they experience a neutral stance in which they come to awareness; this neutrality illustrates Beauty in Lacan.

This essay explores the psychological tension between the Symbolic and Imaginary orders in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, examining how these tensions relate to trauma through the theories of Jacques Lacan and Cathy Caruth. By analyzing Holden Caulfield's fantasies, rejection of adult "phoniness," and fragmented identity, the study reveals how trauma disrupts the subject’s relation to the Symbolic and manifests in obsessive retreats into fantasy. Drawing on Lacan’s concepts of the Real, Symbolic, and Imaginary orders and Caruth’s theory of trauma as an unassimilated experience, alongside recent critical studies, this essay offers a psychoanalytic reading of Holden’s alienation, illustrating how his attempts to resist symbolic structures ultimately reinforce his trauma. Through an analysis of Holden’s relationships, internal conflict, and interactions with adults, the essay argues that his rejection of the adult world is driven by a fear of corruption, insincerity, and the inevitability of change. Holden's critique of adult society, exemplified through his cynicism toward institutions and adults around him, is contrasted with his idealization of childhood innocence, represented by his fantasies of being "the catcher in the rye." By examining the symbolic significance of Holden’s red hunting hat and his relationships with characters like Phoebe and Jane, the essay highlights his internal struggle and ultimate inability to reconcile the innocence of youth with the complexities of adulthood. The analysis concludes by addressing Holden's self-destructive path, revealing the broader themes of alienation, disillusionment, and the tension between childhood purity and the pressures of growing up in.