Female characters in the short stories Lao vao lua and Dem noi lua by Nguyen Thi Thuy Vu: from physical body to ego dialogue

Tóm tắt

The article focuses on examining the expression of sexual elements as well as the search for the female character's ego in the two short stories Lao vao lua and Dem noi lua by Nguyen Thi Thuy Vu by applying Freud's psychoanalytic theory and Sartre's existentialism. Firstly, the preoccupation with pleasure and neglect of the body represents an escape from sadness in reality. Secondly, the rejection of life manifests as self-destruction of the ego. Thirdly, after experiencing ups and downs in life, the female character reflects on her own private life and becomes aware of her existence in relation to life itself. The body and the ego are two aspects that are closely related to each other when considering the character's life. This study contributes to affirming the role of female characters in expressing the artistic concept of human beings as well as the creative personality of the writer in her short stories.