A Study of Forough Farokhzad’s Poems from the Perspective of Lacan’s Theories of “Gaze” and “Mirror Stage”

In his theory of “mirror stage,” Lacan focuses on the fundamental role played by the mirror image in the development of man’s psyche. He refers to the importance of mirror image in the social and linguistic identity of the individuals. From Lacan’s perspective, man’s “gaze” is superior to that of the woman. Man’s “gaze” deals with the woman as the one who is endowed with a more inferior place than that of the former. The other concept considered in this article is the concept of “gaze,” that has an affiliation with Lacan’s theory of “mirror stage”. The author has made an attempt to study the impact of Lacanian “gaze” and “mirror stage” on Farrokhzad’s poem, using analytical-descriptive method. Since Forough’s poems have romantic characteristics and they reflect her own feelings and thoughts, thus this article can provide an important ground for offering better attitude towards Forough’s poems. The main research questions used in this article is how we can establish a relationship between Lacanian “gaze” and “mirror stage” and Forough’s poems. The results indicate that Forough has intended to challenge an identity ascribed to het by society and literary traditional through her poems; she intended to attain her real self. For the purpose, she could make use of mirror as metaphor, and like many other modern poets, present her feminine subjectivity and identity using “mirror image” and “gaze”.