Examining the Split Subject in the Novel How to Suckle from the She-Wolf Without Getting Bitten Based on Jacques Lacan’s Perspective

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

Abstract

Psychoanalysis offers a scientific approach to exploring the complexities of the subject. Jacques Lacan (1901–1981), the renowned French psychoanalyst, posits that the subject’s transition from the Imaginary to the Symbolic order results in a loss that engenders a fundamental split within the subject. This split perpetually drives the subject to attempt to fill the resulting existential void, yet the void remains unfulfilled, redirecting the subject toward unattainable desires. In Amara Lakhous’s novel How to Suckle from the She-Wolf Without Getting Bitten, the protagonist, Amadio, embodies a split subject, caught between the conscious and unconscious and torn between the Imaginary and Symbolic orders. This defining psychological trait of Amadio prompted this study to investigate the concept of the split subject in the novel’s protagonist. Employing a descriptive-analytical approach, this research examines the split subject in Amadio, highlighting the pivotal role of language in shaping his psyche. The findings reveal that Amadio’s conscious and unconscious self, as well as his perception of identity, are profoundly influenced by linguistic structures. Following his migration to Italy, Amadio’s forced adoption of the Italian language marks his entry into the Symbolic order, positioning him as a fractured subject. This transition, driven by the acceptance of language and submission to the Symbolic order, intensifies his psychological split and amplifies his unfulfilled desires in the face of an existential void.

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Research in Narrative Literature

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 05 May 2025

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