Theory of Deconstruction: Disentangling truth in The Danish Girl

Derrida’s Theory of Deconstruction: Centre, Structure, and Meaning

If jewel is the heart of the sea, then deconstruction is the core of post-structuralism theory. A discussion pertaining to the philosophical system would go incomplete without mentioning deconstruction as a core element associated with it. Deconstruction is developed by Jacques Derrida as a strategy for reading and interpreting literary texts. It guides the readers on searching for the Centre, by alerting a person about its construction of truth and meaning, which later a critical view for the contradiction of the truth and meaning created will be made.

The very basic idea of deconstruction is to go against the established meaning developed in a literary text, provided through the meaning of the words itself. It is to counter back the argument hold by the structuralists that all of the meanings and concepts in this world, perceived by one’s mind are provided through the meanings of the words itself. But, according to Derrida, that would not be the case at all time related to reading a literary text. This is because a literary text’s meaning and ideas may not be fixed at only one concept, rather it can have more than one meaning in regard to its poetic language. I would say if Derrida does not exist in centuries ago, deconstruction would not be established by the year 1960, hence much of the richness in our literary texts is restricted to studying only the summary and plot, and not the significance of words bring to the setting, metaphors as well meanings constructed in a story.

To interpret a literary text by the use of deconstruction, the readers have to first and importantly reveal what constitutes the Centre. In other words, to look for what is the core message or theme in a story, poem, novel or film. The core message or theme would usually govern other parts of the literary texts in conforming to the whole structure, so that the main idea brought up in the text will be reinforced. Next, a deconstructionist have to look for any parts in the story that would contradict itself from the main idea highlighted in the text, hence causing its structure to get shaky. Therefore, no fixed concepts of a text is established, rather more ambiguities of meaning developed in it. The binary oppositions of two contrastive elements are also loosen up.

The Centre can no longer hold other parts in their set place, and the solid elements are now put into play of giving the readers different views yet ambiguous for understanding the text, compared to the definitive meaning intended to be delivered to the readers by the words used in a particular literary work. This shall be the point where deconstruction is almost completed, for us to see a literary text from other perspectives though having such ambiguous meanings. By the time, we have to complete it by either throwing out the whole structure or to develop a new Centre, new main idea of controlling other parts in place, thus the structure will become rigid again.

Theory of Deconstruction: Disentangling truth in The Danish Girl

A view for deconstruction will not make itself clear if we do not put it into practice. Hence, a 2015 box office film The Danish Girl shall be used as a tool for us to comprehend better how deconstruction functions in interpreting a work, particularly a film. Acted by the Oscar award-winners Alicia Vikander and Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl is a fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Einar Wegener and Gerda Wegener. The couple's marriage and work evolve as they discover Lily's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

The film is set in 1926 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Einar Wegener (played by Eddie Redmayne) and his wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander) are a happily married couple. Both of them are artists, that Einar prefers landscapes and Gerda is fond over portraits. One day Einar poses for a portrait of Gerda’s while wearing a dress and stockings, for replacing Gerda’s friend Oola who is their mutual friend and a ballerina in the story. This is initially done as a lark, which later they play games of attending to the party by having Einar dressed as a woman. Gradually, Einar soon discovers that she is in fact a woman and over time prefers being Lily that she often goes out in the street dressed up as a woman, to a point where she secretly meets a guy. At first, she and Gerda try to have her situation "cured" but this leads nowhere (other than to many doctors trying to have Lily locked up as a pervert or lunatic). Her voyage of self-discovery will ultimately lead to her undergoing the first ever sex-change operation in German.

Binary oppositions

It’s first scene would give the viewers background information about the relationship between Einar and Gerda through the exchanges of remarks expressed by their friends, that they are both husband and wife. Here, we can develop the idea of binary oppositions through the identities of husband and wife which lead us to consider discussing the roles of man and woman developed through the identities they hold in the story. It is normal for everyone on expecting the next scene where it depicts the couple’s daily actions which conform to the society’s norms and cultures.

The Centre

It would then lead the viewers on constructing self-analysis for establishing the assumed Centre of the story, which is the Gender identity of how a man and woman should behave. It is portrayed though the main characters of Gerda and Einar as a couple, including the society itself. The different gender identities portrayed by characters in the story is through the initial characterization of Einar Wegener as a successful and admired painter in Copenhagen, his friend Hans Axgil (Matthias Schoenarts), a childhood friend of Einar, and behaviors and socialization of people at the party. The man would ask the girl to dance, and the woman would behave gracefully on accepting the man’s invitation. Importantly, the role of husband and wife shown in the film through Einar and Gerda characters are well emphasized of reflecting the Gender identities; man and woman.

Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne)

Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander)

Shaky Parts, Structure and Meaning   

Anyone would expect Einar to act masculinely along the story as how a man should portray himself through the role of husband in a relationship. Yet, such thought was somehow violated with the repetition of Einar’s behavior in tidying up the house, picking up the clothes worn by Gerda on the floor, and to tediously put her night dress in the proper basket where it must be kept for washing. It is clearly the duty of a woman. The conflict a viewer sees from the early part of the story would gradually be heightened after watching the scene of where Einar wears the dress and stockings resembling a ballerina for Gerda’s portrait. This is the crucial part of narration that shakes the Centre: Gender identity. After putting on the stockings and dress, Einar begins to feel the sense of femininity hidden closed within himself was excited by the portrait session he has with Gerda. He is able to pose like a girl, and this has induced an urge of feelings to continue playing with the game that eventually makes him unable to stop thinking of transforming himself into a girl, called Lily.

A man should act like a man, and a girl should act like a girl. Yet, it is not the case with Einar since she loves being Lily. We can see the Centre in the story is deviated through the depiction of details provided by the director in upbringing the true nature of self in Einar. He is teased and beaten up by couple of guys in the streets, frequently doing the house chores, unable to initiate sexual relationship with his wife and to develop a keen interest in woman’s night dress by wearing it as inner layer of clothes during the day, as well as to always caught up himself in the look of others when he is copying a woman’s gestures of walking, buying things, and drinking.

The story is supposedly to portray the Centre, Gender identity effectively by putting emphasis on Einar’s masculine actions as a man that he must not do the house chores which the duties should be transferred to Gerda, likewise to the situation where men in the streets verbally abused and attacked him that he is expected to defend himself. Some weaknesses shown by Einar’s actions somehow serves as shaky parts in the portrayal of Gender identity that causes its structure to be disturbed. Much of the emphasis laid upon the development of Einar’s changes of behavior and attitudes can also further strengthen our analysis that the Centre is now violated by its parts since boy/man is closer to the Centre compared to girl/woman. Yet, Einar whose his gender is closer to the Centre is now drifting away from that place since he chooses to be Lily.

Here, the definitive meaning of man’s characteristics seem obscure and it has caused Einar's gender identity to be falsely determined, which most of the doctors consulted by Gerda remarked his husband as someone who is lunatic, pervert and the one who has hormone problems. This is because the Centre of idea hold by the prevailed culture in the story is that again man should act like a man, and a girl should act like a girl. Thus, to have a unique person like Einar would disrupt people’s innate worldview, for prejudices and stereotypes towards such individual become significant in community.

The Collapse of Binary Oppositions

The portrayal of Einar’s characteristics caused a confusion to arise about his Gender identity. Upon watching the film, one would question about the true nature of himself as he sometimes wanted to become a good husband to Gerda, while at the same time he secretly goes out to meet a guy whom he acquainted during the party. However, towards the end of the story his determination on becoming Lily was clear to everyone’s eyes including Gerda. To approve his desire on becoming Lily is easy, but to make her become Lily is difficult, and this has challenged both Gerda and Lily.

The Collapse of Binary Oppositions: Creating a New Centre

Gerda’s acceptance towards Einar’s changes of behaviors however cannot suffice the freedom wanted by Lily. She is trapped in the body of a man. Yes, she can express her feelings and desires of freeing herself as a woman out in the crowd by wearing the woman clothes, make up and meet with the guy whom she fond of. However, her biological needs also ought to be given attention to, hence leading Lily to travel to German by making an appointment with Dr. Kurt Warnekros (Sebastian Koch) that performs practically unprecedented sex reassignment surgery on her.

The structure, particularly the shaky parts in the story cannot be thrown out in order to put the Centre back in place, or to delete scenes of where Einar’s weaknesses as a man is portrayed in the film, for it to be replaced with new scenes that show Einar’s (Eddie Redmayne) great personalities as a charming guy. This is because the replacement or deletion of parts in the story would leave the deliverance of message to be emptily conveyed to the viewer, without novelty of thoughts presented. Therefore, a new Centre needs to be created. The Gender identity is no longer restricted to binary oppositions of boy/girl and man/woman, yet it opens up to the new and gradually accepted third gender in society, which is transgender. Thus, new Centre in the story will be about the portrayal of struggles and difficulties shown by a transgender called Lily Elbe upon freeing herself to the new person who she wanted to be. It is no longer about the gender identity pertaining to role of man and woman through the titles the characters hold which are “husband and wife” because it is not what the whole structure is reflected on. Hence, The Danish Girl brings about the support towards transgender people on having courage to be oneself, through the emphasis of new Centre formed.

To watch the full movie, please click the link provided: https://fmovies.se/film/the-danish-girl.28p0