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Abstract： In The Vagrants，some pairs of binary oppositions are used to present the theme and the characters vividly. This study attempts to find those representative binary oppositions and then analyze them based on the theory of deconstruction to dispel the binary opposition.
Key words： deconstruction； the binary opposition
Introduction
Deconstruction is coined by French philosopher Derrida. He points that in Western culture， people tend to express their thoughts in terms of binary oppositions. Derrida complicates structuralism’s linguistic analysis by exposing the hierarchical relationship between the two terms in which the first is given priority while the second is represented as negative or derivative. In general，these binaries favor self - identity，unity，and presence over difference，multiplicity，and absence.
The Vagrants by the Chinese American writer Li Yiyun is one of her important works，in which a narrative novel about the life of common people at Muddy River in 1970s. Characters in this novel show different binary oppositions.
Belongingness and Vagrancy
Bashi is a boy who lives with his grandmother. Due to his father’s glorious deeds， he lives a comfortable life with his grandmother. His life is well arranged by the government. On the face of it， he has a cozy home with everything he needs. His father dies when he is very young and his mother leaves him and marries to another man. At this stage， Bashi is a homeless orphan. Bashi will always be a vagrant.
Nini is the eldest girl in her family. She is born maimed. Superfically， she belongs to the home with her parents and her sisters. However， her parents never treat her as their daughter. They dislike her because of her ugly face and lame leg and treat her as a maiden. Nini always feel hungry and is beaten by her parents and asks Gu Shan’s parents and Mrs Hua for help. She is marginalized and exiled. Home is a place never gives her warm and safety.
Kai is a friend of Gu Shan. She marries to a son of high-ranking official. In the eye of other people， she is a perfect woman with a happy and enviable marriage. However， she doesn’t love her husband even though he is very considerate and gentle. She disagrees with bureaucracy of her husband’s parents， and doesn’t want to get evolved in dark officialdom. From the above analysis，belongingness and vagrancy of these characters is dispeled.
Innocence and Guilt
The central character Gu Shan is executed as a counterrevolutionary. At first， she is a fanatic believer in Chairman Mao and his cultural revolution. As a red guard， she does everything to support the Cultural Revolution and does something harmful to her compatriots and her familiar neighbors. The red guards destroyed many things and families. To some extent， Gu Shan is guilty. But when Gu Shan starts to reflect on her past mistakes， to doubt the correctness of cultural revolution， she is put into prison， and is sentenced to 10 years. In fact， Gu Shan just honestly tells her doubt and introspection. After all， the Cultural Revolution is a combination of errors in the political line， dereliction of duty of leadership at all levels， bigotry and narrow mindedness of ideology. Gu shan’s bitter final results are unfair. Her throat is cut by force and her body is insulted by a janitor. All these unfair treatment and her final execution is beyond her bearance. From this point， she is innocent.
Tong， another character， goes to the scene to find his dog at the day of Gu Shan’s execution， but he signs his father’s name on the petition， which causes his father’s imprisonment. However， he really doesn’t understand what the counterrevolutionary is and what the meaning of redress Gu Shan’s execution is. In some sense， he is innocent. When his father is badly hurt， he takes his responsibility to take care of his family.
Reference：
[1] 王先霈.文学批评原理[M].武汉：华中师范大学，2003.
[2] 邱云华.文学批评方法与案例[M].北京：北京大学出版社，2005.
作者简介：张玥，1988年11月30日，女，上海对外贸易学院国际商务英语学院，英语语言文学，研究生（研二）
Key words： deconstruction； the binary opposition
Introduction
Deconstruction is coined by French philosopher Derrida. He points that in Western culture， people tend to express their thoughts in terms of binary oppositions. Derrida complicates structuralism’s linguistic analysis by exposing the hierarchical relationship between the two terms in which the first is given priority while the second is represented as negative or derivative. In general，these binaries favor self - identity，unity，and presence over difference，multiplicity，and absence.
The Vagrants by the Chinese American writer Li Yiyun is one of her important works，in which a narrative novel about the life of common people at Muddy River in 1970s. Characters in this novel show different binary oppositions.
Belongingness and Vagrancy
Bashi is a boy who lives with his grandmother. Due to his father’s glorious deeds， he lives a comfortable life with his grandmother. His life is well arranged by the government. On the face of it， he has a cozy home with everything he needs. His father dies when he is very young and his mother leaves him and marries to another man. At this stage， Bashi is a homeless orphan. Bashi will always be a vagrant.
Nini is the eldest girl in her family. She is born maimed. Superfically， she belongs to the home with her parents and her sisters. However， her parents never treat her as their daughter. They dislike her because of her ugly face and lame leg and treat her as a maiden. Nini always feel hungry and is beaten by her parents and asks Gu Shan’s parents and Mrs Hua for help. She is marginalized and exiled. Home is a place never gives her warm and safety.
Kai is a friend of Gu Shan. She marries to a son of high-ranking official. In the eye of other people， she is a perfect woman with a happy and enviable marriage. However， she doesn’t love her husband even though he is very considerate and gentle. She disagrees with bureaucracy of her husband’s parents， and doesn’t want to get evolved in dark officialdom. From the above analysis，belongingness and vagrancy of these characters is dispeled.
Innocence and Guilt
The central character Gu Shan is executed as a counterrevolutionary. At first， she is a fanatic believer in Chairman Mao and his cultural revolution. As a red guard， she does everything to support the Cultural Revolution and does something harmful to her compatriots and her familiar neighbors. The red guards destroyed many things and families. To some extent， Gu Shan is guilty. But when Gu Shan starts to reflect on her past mistakes， to doubt the correctness of cultural revolution， she is put into prison， and is sentenced to 10 years. In fact， Gu Shan just honestly tells her doubt and introspection. After all， the Cultural Revolution is a combination of errors in the political line， dereliction of duty of leadership at all levels， bigotry and narrow mindedness of ideology. Gu shan’s bitter final results are unfair. Her throat is cut by force and her body is insulted by a janitor. All these unfair treatment and her final execution is beyond her bearance. From this point， she is innocent.
Tong， another character， goes to the scene to find his dog at the day of Gu Shan’s execution， but he signs his father’s name on the petition， which causes his father’s imprisonment. However， he really doesn’t understand what the counterrevolutionary is and what the meaning of redress Gu Shan’s execution is. In some sense， he is innocent. When his father is badly hurt， he takes his responsibility to take care of his family.
Reference：
[1] 王先霈.文学批评原理[M].武汉：华中师范大学，2003.
[2] 邱云华.文学批评方法与案例[M].北京：北京大学出版社，2005.
作者简介：张玥，1988年11月30日，女，上海对外贸易学院国际商务英语学院，英语语言文学，研究生（研二）