A Lacanian Mirror-Stage Reading of Female Subject Formation in Good Things

Yu Zhong

doi:10.54254/2753-7048/2025.NE27896

Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public MediaOpen access

A Lacanian Mirror-Stage Reading of Female Subject Formation in Good Things

Research Article

Open Access

A Lacanian Mirror-Stage Reading of Female Subject Formation in Good Things

Yu Zhong ^1*

¹ City University of Hong Kong

^*Corresponding author: yzhong246-c@my.cityu.edu.hk

Published on 14 October 2025

LNEP Vol.127

ISSN (Print): 2753-7056

ISSN (Online): 2753-7048

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-331-4

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-332-1

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Abstract

According to Jacques Lacan’s mirror stage theory, the subject constructs self-consciusness through the mirror. In the film Good Things, whether it is the superhuman single mother Wang Tiemei, the always somewhat detached child Wang Moli, or the romance-obsessed neighbor Xiao Ye, all three female characters in the film face the life issue of subjective construction. This paper employs Jacan’s mirror stage theory-particularly the triad of the Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the real-to analyze how the three female characters in the film engage with external symbolic, undergoing a transformation from self-cognition to the reconstruction of self-identity. Although Lacan's mirror stage theory has been extensively applied to film and media studies, and while there is no shortage of contemporary cinematic works centered on female subjectivity, the intersection of these two areas remains underexplored. However, Good things diverges from traditional feminist cinema by transcending a singular narrative of gender oppression. Instead, it shifts the focus to the process by which modern women reconstruct their subjectivity in the face of adversity. This study employs Jacques Lacan's mirror stage theory to analyze narratives of female subjectivity in film. From a psychoanalytic perspective, it seeks to dissect the root causes behind the predicaments of the female subject. It aims to address a gap in the application of Lacanian theory to post-feminist film studies while simultaneously offering methodological inspiration and a critical framework for contemporary women grappling with identity crises.

Keywords:

Textual Analysis, The Psychoanalytic Reconstruction of the Female Subject, The Female Thing, The power of the Feminine, Subjectivity Formation

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References

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