Body Narrative: An Analysis of the Symbolic Meaning of Hand in the Works of Doris Lessing

Abstract

Doris Lessing was famous for her writing about women’s experience, however, her writing about body covered not only women but also men of varying age. Hand, as one of the body parts Lessing paid special attention to, was the best representation of Lessing’s thinking about violence and human nature. This paper argued that Doris Lessing, though usually wrote from women’s perspective, was a humanism writer instead of a prejudiced women artist since she spared much effort writing about the times and suffering people. The body narrative in the novels of Doris Lessing vividly revealed Lessing’s representation of the society and her optimistic attitude toward life though in difficult times.