在柯慈《動物的生命》的文本分析中，主要討論「食肉議題」、「生命政治」和「正義」三個議題，以及這些觀念如何與人類與動物相互牽絆。「食肉議題」的關鍵主題是討論動物實驗和大屠殺所帶來的生物衝突、創傷及生存問題。「生命政治」探討最高統治者運用生殺大權、知識、醫療、監禁和生孕來治理生命與死亡。「正義」指小說中的動物和人類經歷生命政治的監控後，藉由自由意志去探索生命價值，進而抵抗權利機制，尋回其身份認同及道德感。在本論文中，作者指出柯慈透過主角伊莉莎白·科斯特洛（Elizabeth Costello）一系列的主題演講及寫作來捍衛動物權利， 以及討論人與動物和社會不平等的議題。這些議題說明「大屠殺」和動物實驗生命與生命政治的管控有關。因此，人類可由自由意志去抵抗並發展生命價值。 
  論文共分三章：第一章處理阿岡本的理論中所定義的生命觀點與君權，並與「食肉議題」、「道德原則」及「倫理學」作對話。第二章則援用傅柯的理論來討論權力運作的機制及其邏輯，同時也輔以「生命政治」的視角來看動物與非動物關係。第三章探討德希達的動物議題，同時也繼續討論第一、二章中有關動物與人類是否有恢復身體自主的可能性。另外，「正義」也是小說中的重要議題。鑒於動物與人類均可被生命政治管控及影響；因此，本論文強調「自身抵抗」和「自我實現」可以讓生命價值和身分恢復成為可能。

This thesis attempts to analyze J.M. Coetzee’s The Lives of Animals in terms of meat eating, biopolitics, and justice. The key theme of human and animal life addressed here 
revolves around the Holocaust, and experimenting on animals. The major idea of meat eating focuses especially on the conflict and trauma between human and nonhuman after 
they suffered from Holocaust, and experimenting on animals. As for biopolitics, the sovereign has the right and through knowledge, medicine and imprisonment to decide life and death. The major justice focuses humans who rely on free will through the self-resistance against power machines and regaining morality. J.M. Coetzee creates the main character Elizabeth Costello to represent him to give three speeches and defending animal rights to discuss injustice issue in novel. He tried to search for the value of life in the novel. Human beings experienced the Holocaust, and nonhumans have experienced being experimented on, it demonstrates that because life is not exhausted, it is always valuable, thus, they are controlled by biopolitics. Humans rely on free will to resist the power machine and search for the value of life. 
  The thesis consists of three chapters. In Chapter One, I apply Giorgio Agamben’s theory to elucidate the meaning of life, and sovereign power will be discussed in conjunction with the theoretic bioethics and ethical principle with a discussions of meat eating. In Chapter Two, I take Michel Foucault’s theory to discuss how animal and human are influenced by the power machine in the novel. I apply biopolitics theory to look into the human and nonhuman relationship. In Chapter Three, I take Derrida’s theory of animal issues to discuss previous problems, and look into the possibility of whether identity and moral recovery is possible or not for animals and human beings. Justice plays an important role in the novel. However, human and nonhuman are controlled by the power machine. They must resist biopower through “self-resistance” to find their own value of life, and through “self-realization” to lead them to define themselves; and the characters do gradually recover their morality in the novel.

Introduction ………………………………………………………………1 
Chapter 1: Meat Eating……………………………………19  
Chapter 2: Biopolitics …………………………………38 
Chapter 3: Justice ……………………………………53 
Conclusion ………………………………………69 
Works Cited ……………………………………75

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