Reification and Control on Individual in William Burroughs's Naked Lunch

Abstract

This thesis observes Naked Lunch as a portrayal of social, political and economic domination, manipulation and control of individual in the modern market-centered economy. The scientific techniques as represented by Dr. Benway are totally reductions of the mind and body by objectifying them so as to make an individual easy to control. The political parties of Interzone Divisionists, Liquefactionists and Senders represent the agents or power sources which try to end all human identity and individual difference and establish total uniformity in the form of their own replicas. Likewise, the idea of addiction to power and control has been developed in a parallel way with addiction to drug, sex and consumerism. Human body, mind, language and creative potential are reduced to the level of an object. This objectification and reification is precisely a way of control. Moreover, drugs are the ultimate merchandise and Burroughs sees addiction as part of the global conspiracy by the presiding powers of our world which are determined to reduce us to the total dependency of addicts, while teasing us with the mirage of transgressive sex.