“The masks continued
to pile on him”: Interrogating Faces of Identity in Malachi Edwin Vethamani’s Poems
through Lacanian Lens
Ivan Ling Chen Chuen
Universiti Malaya
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Abstract:
Malachi Edwin Vethamani is a prominent literary voice within the Indian
diaspora in Malaysia, having published several collections of poems and short
stories. His fifth poetry collection, Rambutan
Kisses (2022), navigates a labyrinth of issues—exploring gender, race,
culture, and much more. By analysing three of Vethamani’s poems, “Sanctuary
Slayed,” “A Man of Many Faces,” and “Skin,” this article seeks to uncover the
notion of identity through Jacques Lacan’s theory of psychoanalysis. In Literary Theory: An Introduction by
Terry Eagleton (1983), Lacan’s renowned ‘mirror-stage’ is described as “a small
child contemplating itself in a mirror,” propagating the concept of “the
child’s first development… of an integrated self-image” (164). This realm of
the ‘imaginary’ lacks a “defined centre of self,” to which the “self” then
passes into objects, finally creating an implicit understanding (164). Eagleton
further clarifies Lacan’s “imaginary” to be the place where construction of
“identifications” takes place, but in the process misrepresentation of self may
occur (165). Sub-categorising each of the chosen poems in Vethamani’s
collection into personal, racial, and gender and cultural identities, the
article provides a detailed examination of these aforementioned ‘misrepresentations.’
Every poem highlights the complexities of identity formation and reflection of
a self—be it a child, younger boy, or even as an adult.
Keywords: Identity,
Lacan, Psychoanalysis, Self, Gender, Culture, Race, Personal
Introduction:
A well-known literary
figure within the Indian diaspora in Malaysia, Malachi Edwin Vethamani has
published a series of collections ranging from poetry to short stories. His
writing in English contributes to the growing literary tradition, Malaysian
Literature in English. The main contributors to this literary tradition were
initially Malaysian writers of the Indian and Chinese diasporas but more Malay
(indigenous race in Malaysia) writers now write in the English language. His
fifth poetry collection, Rambutan Kisses (2022), is one that navigates a
labyrinth of issues—exploring gender, race, culture, and much more. By looking
at three of his poems, “Sanctuary Slayed,” “A Man of Many Faces,” and “Skin,”
this article seeks to illustrate the complexities of identity through a
Lacanian lens.
Lacan and
Understanding Identities:
In order to analyse
the masked identities hidden behind Vethamani’s poetry, this article utilise Jacques
Lacan’s theory of psychoanalysis. The French psychoanalyst is renowned for his
‘mirror stage’ method of understanding identity. In Literary Theory: An
Introduction by Terry Eagleton (1983), Lacan noted the impossibility of a
“clear distinction between subject and object, itself and the external world,”
therefore proposing the concept of the ‘mirror stage’(164). According to Lacan,
this stage is described as “a small child contemplating itself in a mirror,”
propagating the concept of “the child’s first development… of an integrated
self-image” (164). He labels this as being the realm of the ‘imaginary,’ and
because the ‘imaginary’ lacks a “defined centre of self,” it then passes into
an “object or person in the world,” finally creating a mutual
‘understanding’—or even the reflection—of the self (164). However, Eagleton
does clarify Lacan’s “imaginary” to be a place where the construction of an
identity may take place, but in its process misrepresentation of self may also
occur (165). To Lacan, this ‘misrepresentation’ is a “narcissistic process”
aimed to “bolster up a fictive sense of unitary selfhood” (165). I find his
last statement contestable, and I will explain why in a later paragraph.
An important work by
Robert Burden (1998) discusses how poetry can be read from a Lacanian lens,
provides vital assistance in my analysis of Vethamani’s poems in this article.
Burden begins by introducing how Lacan has influenced ideas of literary
criticism by:
[providing] literary
criticism with a way to get beyond the transparency and reductionism of early
Freudian criticism: the poetic may now be read symptomatically; analytical
material may be read textually. This methodological affinity between
psychoanalysis and literature at the level of tropes—metaphor and metonymy—has
been significant in the continuing search for the most productive fit between
the psychoanalytic methodology and its literary object. (91)
At the same time,
Burden introduces the concept of “condensation,” a “process of the poetic
metaphor” (93). Metaphors play an important role in Burden’s argument solely
due to their function to “[reattach] the subject to its attributes… [creating]
new imaginary relations between the subject and the world” (94). Condensation
is intriguing because of its resistance to “transparent reading,” allowing
implicit meanings to remain hidden behind its metaphor.
I would like to
conjoin the findings of Eagleton and Burden, therefore forming my own method of
utilising the Lacanian lens. First, Burden highlights how a Lacanian lens can
be applied towards poetry, by observing its metaphors then associating it in relation
to its representation—in this case, identity. This relationship between
“psychoanalytic methodology” and “literary objects” is important within the
context of this article because only by dissecting each line will there be an
instance of the said ‘representation of self.’ On the other hand, while I
mostly agree with Eagleton on Lacan’s realm of the ‘imaginary,’ it is the final
point about “a fictive sense of unitary selfhood” that I would like to provide
a different angle on. In the poems that will be discussed, the presence of the
‘imagined’ continues to linger but in “A Man of Many Faces,” there is no self
for the persona—not even a fictitious one. This will be discussed in the later
paragraphs. Hence, my approach towards the poems in this article would be to
analyse their metaphors in their ‘imaginary’ states, then documenting how these
factors influence their (the personae in question) state of
self-identification.
“Sanctuary Slayed”
and a Return to Childhood:
The first poem,
“Sanctuary Slayed” deals with the personal identity. It represents a process of
acquiring a sense of awareness or sentience. The poem is split into two parts:
recollection, which encompasses the first three stanzas, and reflection, the
final three. “Sanctuary Slayed” begins with “When I was a child/ the thunder
was a distance away,/ the lightning was a brief flash” (4). Immediately, the
first line (also repeated in the second and third stanzas) indicates the
participation of a child, whose details are, and remain, unknown. However, from
the child’s observation, there is a sense of fear and awe emanating from the
young persona’s reaction towards the presence of natural elements such as
“thunder” and “lightning.” Bringing to light the juxtaposition between the two
elements, there is a difference in terms of temporal and spatial distance; the
“thunder” being “a distance away,” the other “a brief flash.” Yet, if one takes
notice, these are only superficial descriptions—there is a lack of depth in the
child’s perception towards nature. The relationship between child and nature
echoes Habib (2008), who explains how Lacan’s “imaginary phase is one of unity
(between the child and its surroundings)” (91). The difference here being there
is not a defined “unity,” but rather a superficial one, evidenced by the
emotional detachment the persona feels by recalling this particular memory.
Even so, this opening stanza represents the first step to achieving a sentient
understanding in terms of personal identification.
In the second stanza,
the persona begins to see past superficiality, inching closer to the ‘mirror
stage.’ Once again, the first line points to the perspective of the young
child, but this time “the trees stood firm” and “the winds blew dead leaves”
(4).Compared to the first stanza, there are layers within the lines, evidenced
by a more prominent usage of vocabulary. From the imagery that belies this
stanza, it can be observed that the persona is slowly becoming more aware of
the life around him. For example, in the third line of the stanza, “the winds
blew dead leaves” highlights the presence of a maturing nostalgia, indicating
some form of personal growth. The mirror phase in Lacanian psychoanalysis is
identified as a “the point at which the child can recognise itself and its
environment in the mirror” (Habib 92). Therefore, it is without a doubt the
child is moving towards reality, towards the understanding of his own identity,
as he has become aware of these new sensations (sentience and nostalgia).
Weaving the image of
a realist child, the lines in the third stanza are as follows: “When I was a
child,/ the rains came in their time,/ the fruits in their seasons” (4). This
might indicate that the child has grown old enough to perceive beyond the
“elements” as how they were represented in the first stanza. Realising “the
rains” came as they wanted to, while “fruits” bore during their respective
seasons, emphasises how the persona has begun to look at nature from a
different perspective now. At the same time, in contrast to the aforementioned
notion of a maturing nostalgia, the child has now developed a sense of
nostalgia towards nature. It is amazing how the child has actually begun to
become aware and understand the finer details of life—how nature can be
interpreted as one would like it to be. However, this then brings up the
question: is this a representation of peak childhood? Through Lacan, this
process of maturation reflects a “passing from the imaginary to the symbolic”
and it is here where the child will search for a “unity, security, [and of]
ultimate meaning”—an identity (92).
The next three
stanzas will evolve into stanzas of reflection, whereby moments of
introspection and self-reflection by the author occur. Earlier in the
literature review, there was a mention of how the ‘imaginary’ lacks a “defined
centre of self,” and how that ‘self’ transfers into “objects.” The fourth and
fifth stanza exemplifies this concept:
Now, I’m a grown man,
and I fear the
elements.
Thunderclap rattles
my home,
lightning sears
across the skies,
rainstorms turn roads
into rivers. (4)
The persona has now
grown up and one would expect a cultivated sense of maturity within the adult’s
self. It is, however, intriguing to note how fear resonates from the persona’s
narration. Previously, there was a development of the persona’s sentience or
awareness towards his surroundings. By achieving that level of awareness, one
would also correlate that to acquiring a new world of knowledge. Even so, that
does not seem to be the case from this stanza onwards, as there is, in its
place, a dread about the destructive aspect of nature as the persona gains this
sentient understanding. Natural destruction in itself would be a proper topic
to segue into, considering how much it is also emphasised within the second last
stanza:
Now, I’m a grown man,
and I have lost my
sanctuary.
The waves rise and
sweep us away,
the ground opens and
swallows us,
the howling winds cry
death. (5)
The introduction of
“my sanctuary” is a curious one, raising questions in regards to what it
represents to the persona, and even perhaps, what was it built on. For
instance, is this “sanctuary” a physical or psychological manifestation of the
landscape? After all, the persona is no more a child taking its first steps
into the world but rather an adult who is capable of making his own judgements.
According to Klages (2017), “the process of becoming an adult… is the process
of trying to fix, to stabilise, to stop the chain of signifiers” in order to
uncover the “I” (51). This does not seem to be the case here, as the adult
persona is, ironically, losing control instead.
In the final stanza
of “Sanctuary Slayed,” it begins with “All has gone awry,” possibly indicating
there were some plans that had been set up. Perhaps it was talking about the
presupposed serenity of nature and how it has not ‘acted’ the way it should be.
Perhaps it was the persona. It is obvious that there was something taking place
during the chronological period of this poem, demonstrated by the lines: “the
earth strikes back,/ what a terrible vengeance,/ the price for our avarice”
(5). From this poem then, it can be said that when the persona was small, there
was a sense of amazement towards nature, which later became a greed to be
satisfied—from an intellectual point of view—as the persona grew up. The final
four lines, on the other hand, emphasises how identity will ultimately return
to a child’s perspective, with the difference being: to obtain a sentience
laced with “dread” and “despair” (5).
Racial Imposition in
“A Man of Many Faces”:
“A Man of Many Faces”
represents the second poem of discussion within this article, and is one work
which focuses on the concept of identity through racial perspectives. In this
poem, one will note how there is a constant performative act to ‘unconsciously’
switch identities, or to fabricate the identity of self, to blend into the
surrounding. The opening couplet already provides us with a very clear problem:
“The many masks thrust upon him,/ led to a life of varied incognitos” (46).
Although it is a parallel to the last stanza, this couplet provides hints
towards an ambivalence or ambiguity in identity, with the persona in reference
unable to determine who he truly is. At the crossroad of cultures, it is
implied there are various racial views or perceptions that continue to be
“thrust upon” the persona to accommodate for their lack of racial awareness.
However, the effects of this process are detrimental to the identification of
the self because instead of being exposed to the multiplicity of races (viewed
in a positive manner), it creates a reverse effect—leading to a suppression of
self. The lines below represent the second stanza, which provides more context
to the suppression of identity:
His English
boyfriend’s father
mistook him for a
Pakistani taxi driver.
His Chinese
boyfriend’s mother
preferred to think of
him as the landlord.
His Malay boyfriend’s
brother
told everyone he was
his patron.
His Indian
boyfriend’s uncle
wanted to sleep with
him. (46)
One message is made
clear, there is a form of racial profiling occurring within these lines as well
as an interrogation towards racial assimilation and acceptance. Each racial
identity has its own presumptuous stance, which severely affects the psychological
constitution of the persona. The question arises: how does each race represent
its obstacle towards self-identification? From the stanza above, there is a
misunderstanding, denial, inability to accept and perversion that underlies
identity ambivalence. An example, could it be that the “English boyfriend’s
father” was influenced by imperialist tendencies, therefore assuming the
persona to be of a lower working class? The persona in discussion here is
fitted with multiple identities that do not belong to him—and according
to Chaitin (1988), these ‘identifications’ could represent a form of
“linguistic imposition,” further alienating the persona from who he truly is
(39).
They all saw him as
it suited them.
His partners’ silence
cut deeper than
anything said. (46)
A pertaining issue
within the stanza above would be whether identity is inflexible or ambiguous.
The stanza echoes the earlier argument made about the suppression of a
self-identity. By implying how the people, who the persona have met, constantly
tried to fit an identity unto the persona like a puzzle piece, it goes to show
that there is a need to submit to unseen racial narratives—especially to be
accepted by others. It is disheartening to realise that the persona’s only
pillar of support, which would be the persona’s partners, had all remained
silent throughout his tiring ordeal of forced racial identification. Without a
“cut deeper than anything” one could feel, the persona must have felt alone and
alienated from the only source of comfort he really had. On a side note, it
would be worthwhile to make a study to understand the effects of this
abandonment towards the psychological construction of the persona’s identity.
“The masks continued
to pile on him./ None saw the beloved that he was” (46). As mentioned before at
the beginning of the analysis of this poem, the first and last stanzas are
parallels to each other. Yet, what this couplet offers is a continuous process
of forced racial identification, as evidenced in the first line, for the stacking
of racial identities on the persona only harms his discovery for who he truly
is. This is indicated in the final line of this poem, with nobody seeing the
“beloved” side of the persona. In contrast to the previous poem, whereby there
was an attempt to understand the self, “A Man of Many Faces” does not—the
persona is forever stuck in a space of racial disputes, ambiguity, and
identities.
Facets of Identity in
“Skin”:
“Skin” is the final
poem of discussion in this article, and covers aspects of gender and cultural
identity. This poem is examined in four minor categories, as the poem branches
into various themes: family, love, children, and the individual. At the
beginning of this poem, it follows the journey of a child as he grows up:
As a young child
I knew of all that
was family.
As I grew a little
more
My school was my
community. (64)
These lines seem to
suggest a portrait of the young persona—especially of one that remains
untainted or unblemished. It is also understood that the first two lines serve as
an introduction to the self to understand that one’s reflection within the
family is the first point of identification—a blurry face of oneself. In Line
3, the question of identity arises, because even though the persona “grew a
little more,” was it growth in a physical or psychological sense? As the topic
of interest in this article, it is crucial to know that each manner stated
constitutes different implications towards identity construction. A physical
identity growth would imply physical appearance and mannerisms, while
psychological growth could determine the state of maturity, for example. I am
of the opinion that there is a growth in both manners because after all, as
humans we will continue to age, and through age comes experience—or, at least, that
is the expectation during adulthood.
The poem seems to
dive into the familial theme in the following stanza: “Those in my family were
not quite the same/ as those I befriended at school./ They only seemed fairer
skinned” (64). By putting forth the idea of dissimilarity, it relates back to
the idea of awareness and sentience—discussed in the two previous poems. What
does the young persona mean to say by describing the differences between his
family members and his friends? How the persona is reflected within these two
scenarios is also an interesting question. The ambivalent usage of “they” makes
it difficult to pin down who exactly is “fairer skinned,” as it could signify
the physical nature of one’s skin colour, or it might even allude to the psyche
behind being fair-skinned.
My first love
was to be the boy
not of my skin
colour.
It was so hidden
no one saw us.
The only woman
I would love
was not of my skin
colour.
It was what others
saw,
never me. (64)
These two stanzas
highlight the narration of gendered first loves from the narrator’s
perspective. Yet, there is a connection between these loves, with the both of
them “not of [his] skin colour.” Therefore, a multicultural romance exists
within the lines of this poem—in contrast to the strict cultural requirements
and identifications which were prevalent within all three poems discussed. The
concept of “first love” remains a strong, powerful emotion that requires
self-reflection and courage to act upon it, to admit one’s own true feelings.
This begs the question: was this a form of identity cultivation and by whom? It
is also interesting to note in the second stanza how “only” is emphasised for
the female sex. To answer the earlier question, the occurrences of the “only
woman” and “the boy” alludes to the idea that the persona has been aware of his
homosexuality, which then indicates that the “love” in reference of the
opposite sex might not be of romance, but could be of respect and admiration.
The stigma of
homosexual romance and love continues to persist and pervade societal
normativities, as evidenced by: “It was so hidden/ no one saw us.” What this
does then is to create an unconscious suppression of one’s emotions as well as
sexuality. Therefore, to acknowledge the existence of these emotions and to
understand, realistically, what they entail, is a form of breaking the mirror
stage which Lacan proposes. It can also be noted in the line: “It was what
others saw,/ never me” implies that there is a difference between perspectives.
A comparison occurs as “others,” which might be an allusion to the persona’s
family, perceives the persona’s “woman” to be culturally dissimilar to them.
Again, for Chaitin, language represents “the instrument… to impose [society’s]
own collective, repressive code,” especially towards those of the gendered
minority (39).Though, this judgement is purely superficial because as the
persona declares it was “never [him],” it indicates that the persona
understands both her and him are similar on a deeper level.
In the following two
stanzas, they will be approaching the subject matter of childhood and the
persona’s children’s perception towards cultural discourse:
My sons’ skin colour
only adds to this
confusion
to those who see skin
colour
and give names to
races.
I like it that my
sons see
their miscegenation
and call themselves
chindian
(Though I would
prefer indchin). (65)
Diverging from the
narrative of acquiring an identity from the persona’s perspective, the mirror
of identification has been passed down, temporarily, to his sons. From the
stanzas, it is understood his sons are of a different “skin colour” confusing
the people around them, but what does it represent? It could be due to an
underlying cultural narrative and perception towards hybrid cultures or identities.
The notion of racial stereotyping is evident within “those who see skin
colour,” proving that the normative approach to culture still remains biased.
Normally, this would have been detrimental for individuals who yearn to seek
out their own identities but such is not the case for the persona’s children.
Instead, the young
boys are more attuned to their hybrid identity than their father could ever
be—an impressive feat considering they are only so young, and completely
disrupting the normal approach to Lacan’s ‘mirror stage’ theory. The children
are more accepting of who they ‘see’ in the mirror, holding no sense of malice.
The final two lines of this section highlight the existence of a hybrid
identity in the persona’s sons. It is interesting to note the difference in
cultural dominance between “chindian” and “indchin.” To the young boys, they
might not be too acutely aware of the idea of cultural precedence, thus their
constructed identities continue to remain salient throughout.
I see people,
not races,
but the constant
pounding
has left a dent in my
brain.
Now, I see what they
see. (65)
The narrative
switches back into the persona’s point of view in the final stanza of this
poem. From these lines, there is a sense that the persona has already matured
in terms of thought and identifying people based on who they are, rather
than what. However, he mentions of “the constant pounding,” which, from
the context of this poem, might point to a reinforcement of cultural
stereotyping when the persona was younger. Hence, although the persona has
matured, he is not able to break out of stereotyping.
Conclusion:
This article sought
to uncover the concept of identity within three poems: “Sanctuary Slayed,” “A
Man of Many Faces,” and “Skin.” Each poem had focused on one aspect of
identity, be it from a personal, racial, or cultural and gendered perspective.
It was also found that a Lacanian lens could be applied when dissecting these
poems, showing glimpses of self-identification through an understanding of
Lacan’s state of the ‘imaginary’ and poetic metaphors and imagery.
Nonetheless, the
conceptualisation of an identity remains ambiguous and ambivalent, continuously
affected by societal expectations and normative discourses—be it from one’s
surroundings or from one’s close circle. At least, in Vethamani’s poetry, there
is hope to uncover the secrets behind what it means to carry an identity, and
where it can be found.
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