Unconscious Desires and The Symbolic Order: A Lacanian Reading of Homosexual Characters in Trifonia Obono's La Bastarda

Psychoanalysis provides theoretical foundations for understanding the construction and reconstruction of personal, collective, and sexual impulses of characters. Existing studies on homosexuality in African literature have addressed perspectives such as sexual rights, relationship negativities, oppression, and queer performance. However, much academic attention has not been paid to the unconscious processes and dimensions of homosexual characters’ desires, using Lacan’s concept of the symbolic order. The study, therefore, explored the unconscious processes and dimensions of homosexual characters’ desires, focusing on concepts such as metaphors, metonyms, symbols, and the “big other” in Trifonia Obono’s La Bastarda. The study adopted Lacan’s symbolic order concept of psychoanalytical theory because it allowed for the understanding of characters' motives and dimensions towards the formation of their sexual identity. Using a qualitative approach, the novel was subjected to critical and textual analysis, while references were made to secondary texts where applicable. In La Bastarda, components of the symbolic order, such as metaphors, metonyms, and symbols, help to shape their same-sex desires despite homophobic attitudes and reactions meted out to homosexual characters in the novel. Through these linguistic elements, the characters align with their preference for homosexuality regardless of the dictates of the heteronormative society. The “big other” present in the unconscious of homosexual characters serves as a mediator between their sexual desires and societal expectations, causing their desires to be restricted within the heteronormative Fang tribe. This study offers a framework to comprehend the inner lives of the homosexual characters as they navigate through the realities of society.