《邮局》中的邮政文化叙事研究

PAGEAStudyontheNarrativeofPostalCultureintheWorkThePostOfficeCharlesBukowski’sPostOfficeconstructsadistinctnarrativeformthroughitspostalsetting,whereletters,postmen,andbureaucraticsystemsfunctionasbothplotdevicesandmetaphors.Therepetitiverhythmsofmaildeliveryandtherigidprotocolsofthepostofficemirrortheprotagonist’sfragmentedexistence,whilefailedordelayedcommunicationunderscoresthemesofisolationandfutility.Byembeddingpostalelementsintothenarrative’sstructure,Bukowskitransformsmundanetasksintosymbolicacts,amplifyingthenovel’scritiqueofinstitutionaldehumanization.Thischapteroutlinestheresearchcontext,synthesizesresearchbackground,andpresentstheliteraturereviewtoguidethisexplorationofpostalculture’snarrativepotential.Chapter1Introduction1.1ResearchBackgroundCharlesBukowskiisanAmericanindividualisticwriter,famousforpresentingthemiserablelifeofunderprivilegedpeopleandsimplewritingmode.PostOfficeisanovelwrittenaccordingtohisownexperienceinpostalstaff.InthenovelBukowskidescribesrealmodeofoperatingapostalsystemsuchasthemodeofdeliveringletterandinternalworkingorderofapostoffice.Moreover,headoptshisdistinctivewayofwritingtodepictthedailystateandemotionalworldofpostmeninplainlanguage.Intheresearchofliterarystudies,writtentextsofpostalculturepossessitsownspecialvalue.Itbearsthecommunicatingmethod,emotionalcommunicationandsocialinteractionpatternsofhumanbeingsatdifferenthistoricalperiod.Nevertheless,todate,thereexistfewresearchesoversuchtypetextandtheworkonin-depthanalysisofPostOfficeareespeciallyrare,itremainslotsofopenspaceforourwork.IntextanalysisofthePostOfficewriting,andwiththeaidofthenarratologytheoryofPrince,whatkindofinternallogicandisomorphicrelationshipdothereexistbetweenthepostalelementsincludingletters,postmenandpostofficesandthenarratologylevelsincludingperspectiveofstorynarrative,organizationofevent,codeofnarrativeexpressionandthemeexpression?Inwhatsensetheseelementspostal,bythespecificmanifestationatdifferentnarratologicallevelsofnarrative,arepromotingtheplotconstruction,shapingthecharacters,commentingthethemesofthenovel,andthusestablishinganin-depthrelationshipbetweenpostalcultureandliterarynarrative,andbringingouttheirspecificvalue?Theseissuesarewhatthisarticlewilltakeintoaccountand,withthehelpofthetheoryofnarratology,gostraightintothedarkinsidethepuzzleofpostalculturalnarrativeofPostOfficetoobserveitsspecialliteraryvalue.1.2LiteratureReviewPostOfficebyCharlesBukowskihashadrelativelylittlescholarlyscrutiny.Itisasemi-autobiographicalbookbytheauthorwhoworkedasapostalemployeeanddepictedhisworkdaysinblackcomedyoftheUnitedStatesPostalService.ShenDanandWangLiya’sWesternNarratology:ClassicalandPostclassicalhasgivenagoodtheoreticalstudyoftheresearch.ThebookssystematicallydiscussestheoreticalideasofnarratologyonvariouskeypointsincludingnarrativestructureandnarrativeperspectiveandgivethepreparationforthedissectionofnarrativefunctionofpostalcultureelementsinPostoffice.Geraldprince’sNarratology：TheformandfunctioningofnarrativedidconceptualsortingandfunctionalanalysisonbothformandfunctionalRelationsofnarrative.AboveconceptscouldbeusefultoadetaileddiscussionofPostOffice.Forinstance,sortingoutformstransformationintextcanpresentwhyletterdeliveryandthepostofficescenetransitionsinsidestoryareanimportantpartthatdeterminetherhythmofstory.Throughembodyingfunctionalrelationsinthetext,correlationsamong,say,thebehaviorofthepostmaninthestoryofPostOfficeandtherulesofthepostoffice,etc.,maybeidentified,showingitsrichmeaningandnarrativelogic.Theexplorationoflettertextsinforeignacademiccirclesrevealsthecloseconnectionbetweenlettersandnarratology.D.M.Parkerconductedin-depthresearchontheinfluenceofthebackgroundofthepostaleraontheformandnarrativefunctionofepistolary.Intheliteratureexplorestheimpactofmid-centurypostalreforms,“improvedtransportationandnewpostalproductsontheletter-writingpracticeandepistolaryrelationshipsofArthur.”(Parker1)ItalsoprovidesareferenceforunderstandingtherelationshipbetweenpostalcultureandnarrativeinPostOffice.InLetterWritingasaSocialPractice,itisexpoundedbyDavidBartonandNigelHallthat“timeandspaceareimportant”elementsofletterwriting.“Spatialdistanceisoftenthemainreasonfortheletter’sexistenceandthereisatimelagbetweenthewritingandthereading”(BartonandHall6).Consequently,“twoworldsareinvoked:thehereandnowofthewriterandthehereandnowofthereader”(Barton6).Itisfurtherdemonstratedthateveninnarratologicalnovels,lettersremainindispensableandmorecapableofpromotingthenarrative.Theycanexpresstheinnerfeelingsofcharactersconciselyandaccuratelyfromauniqueperspective.Throughtheplotsofcharacterswritinglettersandreadingletters,theperspectiveshiftcanbeachievedmorequicklyandnaturally,therebyconnectingkeyplotnodesandpromotingthedevelopmentofthenarrativeprocess.Domesticscholarshavealsoexploredthepostalculturalelementsinliteraturefromtheperspectiveofnarratology.In“OntheNarrativeCharacteristicsofEpistolaryNovels”,DiaoLijuan（2013）analyzedseveralepistolarynovelsfromtheaspectsofnarrativecommunication,focusandtimecharacteristics,pointingoutthattheirnarratorsandnarratorsarediverse,thefocusmethodsarerich,andtheuseoftimeisunique.Inaddition,WuQian,in“TheStoryoftheLetter:EuropeanEpistolicNovels”,focusesonEuropeanepistolaryliterature,whenstudyingitsnarrativefunction,proposesthat“thelettersinDangerousRelationshiparenolongersincereandpassionateexpressionsofemotions,buthavebecomeaboosterfortheinterweavinganddevelopmentofvarioussubplots”(qtd.InWu13).Itprovidesideasforexploringnarrativefromtheperspectiveofletters.Theseanalysesdemonstratetheroleofnarratologyinunderstandingsuchpostalculturalwrittentextsandreflecttheinterpretivepowerofnarratologyinanalyzingpostalculturalwrittentexts.However,atpresent,thereisstillalackofcomprehensiveandin-depthresearchonthepostalculturenarrativeinPostOffice.Itsvalueinaspectssuchasnarrativestructure,charactershaping,andthemeexpressionhasnotbeenfullyexplored.Thereisstillmuchroomforexplorationinthein-depthintegrationandanalysisofnarratologytheoryandpostalculture.1.3LayoutoftheThesisThisarticleisdividedintofivechapters.ChapterOneIntroductionelaboratesontheresearchbackground,reviewsrelevantliterature,andintroducestheories,layingthefoundationforthestudyofthenarrativeofPostOffice.ChapterTwointroducesthetheoryofWesternnarratologyandillustratesitsapplicationinthestudyofpostalculturaltextsandthefeasibilityofPrince’stheorywithexamples.ChapterThreeappliesGeraldPrince’snarrativetheorytoanalyzethenarrativestructureofPostOffice,investigatingthenarrativeorigin,theinteractionbetweenmediumandnarrator,aswellasthespatiotemporalrelationsandnarrativecodesofpostaldiscourse.Itrevealshowpostalculturalelementsfunctioninconstructingthenarrativeframework.ChapterFouralsodrawsonPrince’snarrativetheoryandexaminesPostOfficethroughevent-typetransformation,themetanarrativesignificanceofpostalartifacts,andthekernelofthenarrative.Thischapteruncoversthenovel’snarrativetechniquesanddeepermeanings,whileexploringtheintersectionbetweenpostalcultureandnarratology.ChapterFivesummarizesthenarrativecharacteristics,functionsanddevelopmentopportunitiesofpostalculture,andlooksforwardtoitscreativeprospects.Thisstudyaimstotakenarratologyasthemethodology,deeplyanalyzesthenarrativelogicandprofoundimplicationsofpostalculturalwrittentexts,expandtheresearchdimensionsofthistypeoftext,andprovidespathsandthoughtsthatcanbereferredtoforthecontemporaryinheritanceofpostalcultureandtheinnovativepracticeofliterarycreation.Chapter2TheoreticalFramework:NarratologyandGeraldPrince’sNarrativeTheoryToanalyzePostOfficenarratively,however,requiresatheoreticalfoundationintheconceptofnarrationofferedbystructuralistnarratologistslikePrince.Consequently,thischaptercontextualizestheconceptofnarratology,particularlythatofPrince’sconceptofnarrativegrammarandcodesinrelationtoBukowski’ssemi-autobiographicalpostaljobnarrative.Thischapterlaysoutamethodologicalframeworkbylookingatthewaysthesetheoreticalinstrumentscouldpotentiallyconnectwiththenovel’srepresentationoftheworkingsofthebureaucraticsystemandexperiencesofworkingclassindividuals.2.1OverviewofNarratologyNarratologycamefromRussianformalismandFrenchstructuralisttendencyofthought.Withtheinvestigationandestablishmentbyagroupofscientists,itfinallyestablishedasoundtheoreticalsystem.Secondly,literarycreationalsorelateswiththedevelopmentofmediatechnology.“Withtheupdatingofmediaforms,theformsandfunctionsofliterature,people’scognitionaboutitwillalsobeupdated”(Liu&Bu,44).Throughtheapplicationofthenewperspectiveofmediastudies,wecanmakeclearthelinesofchangeandgettoknowthelawsofliterarydevelopment.ThetheoryofnarratologyderivedfromtheideologicalcurrentsofRussianformalismandFrenchstructuralism.Westernnarratologyemergedfromthestructuralisttrendofthoughtinthe20thcentury,shiftingfromthetraditionalemphasisoncontentcriticismtotheexplorationofnarrativeformsandstructures.ShenDanandWangLiyahavesortedoutitsdevelopmentprocessinWesternNarratology:ClassicalandPostclassical.Inthestageofclassicalstructuralistnarratology,ProppanalyzedRussianfolktalesandsummarized31functionalitemsofcharacterbehaviortoconstructanarrativeframework;Lévi-Straussproposedthedeepbinaryoppositionstructureofmyths,layingthefoundationfornarratology.Inpostclassicalnarratology,externalfactorssuchassocietyandhistoryhavebeenincorporated.RolandBarthespointedoutthatnarrativeworkscanbeanalyzedfromthreelevels:function,action,andnarration;Genettedividednarrativetimeintosequence,duration,andfrequency,distinguishingbetweentheouternarrativelayerandtheinnernarrativelayer,adjustingtherhythmofthestoryandenrichingitslayers.Atpresent,thetheoryofnarratologyiswidelyusedinliterature,whichmainlyexplainsthefollowingpoints:Firstpoint,toanalyzethetextualstructureoftextstoreflecttherationalrelationshipofstoryconstruction;Secondpoint,toexplorethecorrelationbetweencharacterexpressionandplotprogressiontounearththeprofoundtextmeaning;Thirdpoint,analyzingexpressiveeffectsoftextsfromnarrativeviewpointperspectiveandnarrativevoiceperspectivetograspauthor’screativeintentions.Narratologytheoryhasbecomeoneoftheimportantmethodsfordeepinterpretationofliterarytextstoassistresearcherstodigouttextvaluesfromacompletelynewangle.2.2OverviewofPrince’sTerms:NarrativeOrganizationandThePointofNarrativeInthedevelopmentprocessofnarratology,Narratology:TheFormandFunctionofNarrativewrittenbyGeraldPrinceholdsanimportantposition,systematicallyconstructingthetheoreticaledificeofnarratologyresearch.Intheintroductionpartofthebook,hementioned:“Narrativeindeeduniversalandinfinitelyvariedmaybedefinedastherepresentationofrealorfictiveeventsandsituationsinatimesequence”(Prince1).Prince’sdefinitionofnarrativebreaksthroughtraditionalcognition,definingitasthepresentationofrealorfictionaleventsandsituationswithinatimeseries.Thisdefinitionemphasizesthetemporalattributeofnarrative.Whetheritisarealstorythatoccursinreallifeorafictionalplotcreatedbytheauthorthroughimagination,aslongasitispresentedinchronologicalorder,itcanallbeincludedinthecategoryofnarrative.ThisstudyisgroundedinGeraldPrince’snarratologicaltheory,focusingonsixcoreconceptsintegraltotextualanalysis:narrativeorigin,medium,narrator,spatiotemporalorganization,thecodeofwrittennarrative,metanarrativesigns,andthepointofnarrative.Narrativeoriginencompassesthedualimpetusofsociopoliticalinstitutionalconditioningandauthorialintent,revealingthedrivingforcesbehindnarrativeproduction.Narrativemedium,asbothamaterialcarrierandsemioticsystem,extendsbeyondconventionalformsliketextandfilmtoencompassatypicalinfrastructuressuchaspostalsystems,therebyshapingtheexpressiveboundariesofnarrative.Narratorialfunctionbridgesnarrativeproductionandreceptionthroughperspectivalconstraintsandself-consciousinterventions.Thespatiotemporalorganizationofnarrativeprioritizesthecoercivesequencingoftemporalevents,complementedbyspatialrelationsthatanchormeaningwithinspecificcontexts,collectivelyformingthelogicalframeworkofevents.Thecodeofwrittennarrativemanipulatestextualinterpretationthroughimplicitconventionslikegrammaticalrulesandparagraphicsegmentation.Metanarrativesignsemployself-referentialstrategiestoexposenarrativeartificiality,deconstructingitsillusionofnaturalness.Ultimately,thepointofnarrativetranscendssurface-levelplottocriticallyunveilstructuralcontradictions,suchaspowerdynamicsorcommunicativeruptures.Theseconceptsconstructaprogressiveanalyticalchainspanningproduction,expression,andcritique,therebyprovidingamethodologicalframeworkforsystematicallydecodingideologicalencodingswithintexts.Chapter3AnalysisofNarrativeFormsinPostOfficeInthischapter,IusethePrince’snarratologicalgridtoanalyzetheformalstructureofPostOfficeinpostalculturaldiscourse.Byanalyzingthewaysinwhichthenarrativeorigin,mediaandnarratorconditionallystructurethetext,byapprehendingthetensionsbetweenstativeandactiveevents’transitioninsidethespatiotemporalmatricesandbyelucidatingthetheoreticaldifferencebetweenthenarrativecodesandmetanarrativesigns,thepresentinvestigationuncoversthewayinwhichthepostofficebecomesanarrativemachinethatcriticizestheinstitutionalpower.3.1NarrativeOrigin,Medium,andNarratorGeraldPrince’stripartiteframeworkofnarrativegenesis:motivationalimpetus,meaningconstruction,andmaterialembodiment(Prince34).ItfindsitsoperationalmechanicsinPostOffice’spostalinfrastructure.Thenovel’sinauguralscenedemonstratesinstitutionalprotocolsasnarrativeengines:“ItwasChristmasseasonandIlearnedfromthedrunkupthehill...thattheywouldhiredamnednearanybody,andsoIwentandthenextthingIknewIhadthisleathersackonmyback...Whatajob,Ithought.”(Bukowski9).Theemploymentofpostalpolicyandthephysicalityofthemailbagarehereconsideredasnarrativeconditions,evencomingfull-circlewithPrince’sideaofphysicalshape-taking.Thisissupportedbymediascholars:“Backinthe19thcenturythere’stonsandtonsofcreativityastohowthepostofficewasgoingtobeusedtoimprovethegeneralpublicgood.IthinkyoulookbacktotheoneofthegreatestAmericanstorytellerandyouseethesameeffect”(qtd.inPrice).Thisdualitysetsthemailservicebothasaninformationalchanneland,infact,asaroutinizedgeneratorofstories.Thenarrator’soccupationalidentityimposescognitiveconstraintsduringchurchdeliveries:“OnedayIwasoutonthestreetandtheroutewasgoingwell...Andwalkedout”(Bukowski21).Confrontingenigmaticsymbols(clericalrobes,liquorbottles),themailcarrier’ssuperficialobservationswithoutcausalcomprehensionexemplifyPrince’smediumspecificity,postallabor’sprotocolsdictateperspectivalboundaries.Apartfromthenarrativeoriginoftheplotnodes,throughouttheentiretext，postalimplementspersistentlyshapenarrativemorphology:“ShewasablockbackdownthehillandIwasalreadybehindschedule.‘MAILMAN!MAILMAN!THISDOESN’TGOHERE!’...Iwalkeddownandsnatchedthethingfromherhand...Itwasanadvertisement!4thclassmail.Ipickedmycapupoutofthestreet,putitonmyhead.Putthesackbackontotheleftsideofmyspine,startedoutagain”(Bukowski48).Themailbox’spowerdynamics,thecyclicalrhythmofmailbaghandling,andthesemanticvoidofadvertisingmailcollectivelysubstantiatePrince’sorganizationsthroughnarrativepraxis.3.2SpatiotemporalRelationsandtheNatureofEventsPrince’stemporal-spatialaxestheoryachievesfullarticulationhere.Temporally,thepostalsystem’smechanizedschedulecompressesnarrativeintocompulsorysequences,“Youhadtogetyourmailupbefore8a.mnoexcuses”(Bukowski12).TheviolentdiscipliningofnarrativeprogressionbymeasurabletimeperfectlyinstantiatesPrince’sdictumthat“eventsmustbeorganizedsequentiallyalongatemporalaxis”(Prince64).Spatially,narrativecohesionemergesthroughthemailcarrier’srepetitivetraversal,“Route511waspeelingoff...houseafterhousewithwell-keptlawns”(Bukowski41).SongXinxin’sstudyofRussianpostroadsprovideshistoricalresonance:“Ascommunicationinfrastructure,poststationsfacilitatedtransnationalpersonnel-informationflows,sustainingstategovernance”(17).Thisspatialconnectivity,whetherthrough19th-centuryimperialroutesor20th-centurysuburbangrids,validatesthepostalsystem’stranshistoricalroleassocietaladhesive.Ofcourse,theorganizationalformsoftimeandspacearenotcompletelyseparated.Temporal-spatialcollisionachievesnarrativefissionduringmonsoondeluges,“Therainyseasonbegan...Itwasoneofthose5-daystormswheretheraincomesdowninonecontinuouswallofwaterandthewholecitygivesup...Thepeople.Thepeople.Andthedogs”(Bukowski23).ThedistortionofspatialperceptionundermeasurabletimedramatizesPrince’stemporaldominanceoverspatialaxeswhileechoingGenette’sparadoxofnarrativeduration:“comparingnarrativedurationtostorydurationremainsproblematicbecausenarrativedurationisimmeasurable”(86).Tobetterunderstandsuchanarrativeform,wecanextendourfocustoPrince’sdefinitionofthenatureofevents.ThenarrativestructureofPostOfficedemonstratesPrince’sfundamentaldistinctionbetweenstativeandactiveevents,where“stativeeventsconstituteastateexpressiblebyNP’sV-ingforms,whileactiveeventsinvolveactionsresistingsuchformulation”(Prince63).Thisdichotomyorganizesthenovel’smostpowerfulscenes,particularlyinitsabruptshiftsfrompassivitytoviolence.Theprotagonist’sinertwaiting“Iwassittinginachair,halfasleep,waitingforameal”(93)epitomizesPrince’sstativeeventthroughitsgrammaticalandpsychologicalsuspension.Thisstasisrupturescatastrophicallywhenactiveeventserupt:“Igotupandwalkedovertoher.Igrabbedthatbluedress”(Bukowski183).ThesyntacticchainoffiniteverbsperformsPrince’sactiveeventscriteriawhilemirroringtheprotagonist’spsychologicalunshackling.Stativeeventscorrespondtostaticformsoftimeorspatialrelations,whileactiveeventsincludenarrativeformsthatintegratetemporalrelationandspatialrelationsfornarration.3.3NarrativeCodesandMetanarrativeSignsPrince’smodelofnarrativecodecanbeusedtobetterunderstandhowthepostallawsorganizethenarrativeofPostOffice.Princeassertsthat,wheninvestigatingthenarrativecodesoftextspertainingtopostalculture,Prince’smodelfromNarratology:FormsandFunctionsofNarrativewillbeavaluabletool.Princeclaims,“Sototheextentthatthereissuchthingasacodeofanywrittennarrative,thatcodeistoacertainextentlinguisticinnature.However,itisbynomeansmonolithic.Itconcatenates,mergesandorganizesaseriesofcodesorsub-codes,ofgroupofnorms,constraintsandrulesintermsofwhichthenarrativeis(moreorless)readableandintelligible(105-06).”Itmeansthatnarrativecodesinaliterarytextareconglomerateofdifferentnormsandrules,notbeingtheresultofauniquewhole.ThismaximisexpressedinBukowski’stextinthepresencethroughouthisworkofpostalrulesregulatingboththeplotprogressionandthebehaviorsofthecharacters.Thecodifiednarrativelogicbecomesevident,forexample,inthenovel’sninthchapter.HenryChinaskidoesnotobeythespecialdeliveryrulesforchurchmail,deliveringthepackagetotheparishhouseinsteadoftothemainbuilding.Thefalloutofthisaccidentaldeliveryleadstoenteringthechurchbasementillegally,themomentthatprovidesthedark-comedicset-uptoiletinthechurch(Bukowski23).Intheexamplesabove,institutionalcodesserveasnarrativetriggers;Henry’sunawarenessofthemgivesrisetosituationalirony,whichinturnlaysbaretheirrationalfixityofthistypeofbureaucracy.Thetextmakesitselfmoregeneric,also,byinjectingpostallingo,suchaswiththeextensivequotingofthePostalManual.“TheattentionofallemployeesiscalledtotheCodeofEthicsforpostalemployeescontainedinPart742ofthePostalManual,andConductofEmployeesasprovidedinPart744ofthePostalManual...allpostalpersonnelarerequiredtoconductthemselveswithunquestioninghonesty...postalpersonnelshallfollowthehigheststandardofmorals”(Bukowski9).Thelanguageoftheseregulationshasthreepurposes.Theyvalidatethepostofficeasaworkplaceinproceduralverisimilitude.TheyestablishasuffocatingtonereminiscentofHenry’spsychologicalimprisonment.AndtheyprovideanarrativescaffoldingonwhichHenry’sdisorderlyactions—throwingunmailedlettersintotheriver,forinstance—achieveresistance.InhisReadingNarrative,PrincealsousedachaptertodescribetheconceptofMetanarrativeSigns,whichisplacedafterNarrativeCodes,heexplains:“aparticularnarrativemayrefertoitselfandtothoseelementsbywhichitisconstitutedandcommunicated”(116-17).“Thisself-referentialqualitymanifestspowerfullyinpostalculture,wheretheverymediumofletterswhatAltmanidentifiesas‘aconnectorbetweentwodistantpoints’becomesasiteforexposingnarrativeconstruction”(13).TheinstitutionalrecordingmechanismsinPostOffice,frompersonnelfilestodeliverylogs,foregroundthismetanarrativefunctionthroughtheirconstantjuxtapositionofofficialdocumentationandsubjectiveexperience.Fromthis,wecandeducethatthoughnarrativecodeandmetanarrativesignstheoryareinnarrativeform,narrativecodeismoreapplicabletotheviewofnarrativeform,andmetanarrativesignsareclosertothenarrativeitself,includingtheoccurrenceofevents,Iwillprovehowitplaysitsnarrativerole.Chapter4AnalysisofNarrativeFunctionsinPostOfficeInthischapterGeraldPrince’snarratologicalsystemiscontinuedtobeutilizedtoexploretheeffectsofthenarrativeformsoutlinedpreviously,intheirparticularityofworkingwithinthemodeofautobiography,andinrelationtotheirmoregeneralpostal-culturalmeanings.Prince’skeyconcept,thepointofnarrative,isintroducedinordertoexploreitsfar-reachingnarrativecontentinPostOfficeandhowthisallowsthistexttoturnmundanebureaucraticpracticesintoaninterrogationofadministrativeauthority.4.1NarrativeIntrusiveness:CharacterizationofHenryChinaskiasaMailmanPostOfficeemploysastrategyofanti-linearnarrativeinitsorigination.Byopeningwith“Itbeganasamistake”(1),thenovelinitiateschaoticmemories,thenutilizesrandomcollagesoffragmentedeventsinsubsequentnarrativestosymbolizehowinstitutionalsystemsdismemberindividualexperiences.Thenarrativeoriginresemblesadisorderlysalvageoperation,withthisformoforiginationparticularlyemphasizingindividualtransformation.Thenarrativefunctionservestheexpressionofthenovel’scorethemesratherthanstructuralframeworkconstruction.MaterialpostalitemsinPostOffice,suchasmailbagandletter,bothrepresentinstitutionaloppressionandtheindividual’sexperience.Thematerialityofleathermailbagconveystheoppressionimposedbymechanicallabor,andthecycliccarryinganddroppingofmailbagsreinforcesthemechanicalnessofone’sworkinhislife,whichisseenasasymbolforanalienatedexistencethroughvisualeffect.Asaphysicalnodeofdailyconflict,naturallyitbringsaboutinterpersonalfrictionintheinterpersonalcommunicationbetweenresidentsandpostalworkers,likecomplaintonoverduelettersorrefusalofletterswhichexpressespressuresofinstitutionalsystemsongenerallivesattheirperipheries.Formalofficialdocumentslikepostalmanualsandwarninglettersareinacoldandformalformofwritingthatconfrontstheprotagonist’scolloquialdefiance;herwordsarespeechless,givingformtotheindividual’sordealthroughabureaucraticsystem,turningthesetogetherthroughdirectcasesandsensoryperceptions,forexample,asthemailbagscratchingtheshoulderorviolentbureaucraticwritingworksontheirdistinctivenarrativeroleinsidethecontextofthepostoffice.Theybringtheabstractinjusticeintothelivingofthings,makingissuesofsystematicabductionandtransformationofthehumanbodypalpableandvisceral.Princenotesthenarration,inconsideringthepositionofthenarrator,drawsonwhathecallsnarrativeintrusivenessinassertingthat“Theintrusivenessofagivennarrator,hisdegreeofself-consciousness,hisreliability,hisdistancefromthenarratedorthenarratee,notonlyhelpcharacterizehim,butalsoinfluenceourinterpretationofandresponsetothenarrative”(13).SubjectivityinPostOffice,asemi-autobiographicalnovel,thefirstpersonnarrationseemstobeendowedwithsubjectiveagency,butHenry’ssubjectivityasamailmanisforced,byhisroleasmailman,toabbreviatehisownvoicesofe