Confessional Discourse and the Presence of Power in Under Western Eyes

Confessional Discourse and the Presence of Power in Under Western Eyes

Reading Under Western Eyes, this study focuses on the problem of power in confessional discourses. The language teacher's narrative transformation of Razumov's confessions exposes the natures of authority and discourse practices in the context of Russian autocracy. Confessional discourses, as Razumov's written confessions demonstrate, are products of the ideological struggles of the autocratic society. This study suggests that the extremely asymmetrical power relations in the society are responsible for the production of the confessions. This particular form of discourse is more than "an act of free will". The confessional discourse flourishes in a society where a diversity of voices is not tolerated. In this monologic discourse condition, even other discourses become confessional, because voices are monitored, excluded and punished by the authority. This study discusses the issues of the subjectivity in Razumov's confessions and the significance of hearers in shaping the confessional discourse. Questioning power relationships between discourse participants, Conrad tells us that the self which Razumov tries to justify through his autobiographical confession is in fact a social construction, a result of social struggles of his time.