符号学视域下《异次元骇客》的“自我–身份”问题

The “Self-Identity” Problem in The Thirteenth Floor from the Perspective of Semiotics

摘要: 以谜题电影《异次元骇客》为分析对象，旨在从符号学视角探究虚拟现实嵌套叙事中人物“自我”与“身份”的建构机制。该影片通过1937、1999、2024三个层级的时空系统，构建了不同的“符号语境”，使人物性格成为一种动态的表意实践。研究核心援引中国符号学家赵毅衡先生的相关论述，区分了作为意义主体的“符号自我”与在具体表意中临时扮演的“文本身份”。通过对道格拉斯·霍尔、简·富勒等主要人物的分析，揭示了其“自我”在穿越不同现实层级时发生的水平位移与分裂，而其“身份”则随着符号语境的切换被不断重构与覆写。最终，在由代码与记忆植入所操控的世界里，人物的性格呈现遵循着“符号自我”与“文本身份”之间的张力逻辑，而人物内在的自我选择与判断则成为在虚幻中确认主体意识的最后锚点。在AI技术深度参与内容生成与身份表达的今天，该分析亦为理解技术赋能下自我表达的更多可能、以及如何在符号洪流中保持主体意识的自觉，提供了符号学层面的启示。

Abstract: Taking the puzzle film The Thirteenth Floor as its object of analysis, this study aims to explore, from a semiotic perspective, the construction mechanisms of characters’ “self” and “identity” within the nested narrative of virtual reality. Through a spatiotemporal system comprising three levels—1937, 1999, and 2024—the film constructs different “semiotic contexts”, rendering character personality a dynamic signifying practice. The core of the research draws on the relevant discussions of the Chinese semiotician Zhao Yiheng, distinguishing between the “semiotic self” as the subject of meaning and the “textual identity” temporarily enacted in specific signifying practices. Through an analysis of major characters such as Douglas Hall and Jane Fuller, the study reveals the horizontal displacement and splitting of their “selves” as they traverse different levels of reality, while their “identities” are continually reconstructed and overwritten with the shifting of semiotic contexts. Ultimately, in a world manipulated by code and implanted memories, the presentation of character personality follows the logic of tension between the “semiotic self” and “textual identity”, while the characters’ inner self-choice and judgment become the final anchor for confirming subjective consciousness within illusion. In an era when AI technology is deeply involved in content generation and identity expression, this analysis also offers semiotic insights for understanding the greater possibilities of self-expression empowered by technology, and for how to maintain the awareness of subjective consciousness amid the torrent of signs.