The Construction of Heterotopia Space in and Its Dual Effects on Character Creation and Plot Development

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Authors: Yachun Xin
Cited by: 0

Abstract

In 1927, Hemingway's short story, The Killer, transforms the story space into a heterotopia through a series of images in the text, which has a profound impact on the characters and plot development.In terms of theory, this study selectively uses Foucault's classic heterotopia theory.Then, the text reading method is used to pay attention to and record the description of space, time, and environment, and their positions in the article.Focusing on the two core spaces of Henry's lunch-room and Ole's room in the novel, this paper analyzes how the three images of counter, clock, and bedroom respectively embody three of the six principles of heterotopia.The study points out that these heterotopia spaces not only break the space-time continuity of reality but also reconstruct the subjectivity of the characters at the psychological and behavioral levels and become the internal driving force to promote the development of the plot.By revealing the deep interaction between spatial structure and narrative dynamics, the contribution of this study is to provide Hemingway's novels with a relatively novel perspective of the integration of space and narrative, to highlight the significance of the elements behind the dialogue for the development of the novel, and to strengthen the comprehensive understanding of Hemingway and his short stories.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Spatial and Cultural Studies Narrative Theory and Analysis Utopian Dystopian and Speculative Fiction

Publication details

Journal / source
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research/Advances in social science, education and humanities research
Pages
534–542
Publication date
1 January 2026
Language
EN