符號的出現,是由于意義沒有得到解釋,即符號并不表達已經存在的意義。作為意義承載的主體,自我如何把玩符號與意義之間這種"得意忘象、得魚忘筌"的關系,決定了讀者對文本的接收與闡釋。本文根據敘述符號學中,自我、意義與符號的定義出發,探究美國印第安作家路易斯·厄德里克的新作《踩影游戲》。在這個叩問"何謂愛"的故事中,一共卷入了三個關于"愛"的符號文本,其中,三位敘述主體的敘述形式是三種再現體;其指涉的對象分別為自我欲求與他者之間的距離、占有他者的形式以及通過他者確立的身份;并最終延伸到對愛之本質的叩問:即愛本身是意義。三個文本的敘述主體用愛的符號所表達的,恰恰是愛的闕如。

The absence of meaning necessitates the existence of signs; as the source of meaning,the self determines textual interpretation in the sense that it manipulates the relationship between sign and meaning. Based on a semiotic narratological approach,this paper explores the essence of "love" in Louis Edrich’s latest work Shadow Tag through analysis of the representation,object and intrepretant of the tree semiotic texts,and reaches the conclusion that love itself is meaning,and,therefore,goes against the semiotization of the three narrative selves.