POWER DISCOURSE AND SUBJECT FORMATION IN NGUYEN MOT’S HEAVEN AND EARTH IN TURMOIL

Abstract

This study analyzes the mechanisms through which power operates in Heaven and Earth in Turmoil by Nguyen Mot, drawing on Michel Foucault’s discourse theory. In the novel, power is legitimized through three interwoven layers of discourse: mythological–spiritual; communal ethical and patriarchal discourse; and revolutionary–legitimizing discourse. These discursive layers distribute the right to speak among characters in an asymmetrical order: on one side are subjects who claim access to “truth” and exercise authority over the fate of the community; on the other are subjects deprived of self-definition and pushed into silence. In some cases, subordinated subjects, through processes of internalization, become agents who reproduce violence against more vulnerable individuals. Alongside the discourse of power, however, the novel also constructs a counter-discourse of love and compassion, affirming the intrinsic strength of humanistic values in the face of domination. The findings offer a new perspective on the novel while also demonstrating the effectiveness of discourse theory in interpreting contemporary Vietnamese literature.