论文好人难寻.docx

论文好人难寻.docx

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论文好人难寻

学校代码：

10204　　　　　　　　学生学号：

0609010117

分类号：

H31　　　　密　　级：

无

吉林工程技术师范学院

学士学位论文

YellingFromSpiritualWasteland--InterpretationofCharacteroftheMajorFiguresinAGoodManisHardtoFind

来自精神荒原的呐喊——剖析《好人难寻》主要人物性格

作者：

狄利利

指导教师：

崔爱婷讲师

学科专业：

英语

吉林工程技术师范学院

2010年6月

Abstract

FlanneryO’ConnorisoneoftheleadingfiguresofAmericansouthernliteratureinthetwentiethcenturyandhasdecisivelyinfluencedthecourseofsouthernliteratureinthelatterhalfofthecentury.Bornandboughtupinadevoutcatholicfamily,O’ConnorissteepedinherownfaithofChristianorthodoxyandconstantlyputsthesereligiousconceptsinhercreationofworks.Sheisbestknownasshortstorywriterandhascreatedmanywonderfulshortfictions.Shemakesextensiveuseofviolenceandgrotesquefiguresasawayofshockingpeopleoutoftheirusual,entirelysecularwaysofthinkingaswellasmakingpeoplerealizetheunfair,bizarreanduglyaspectsofthesociety.

IntheprocessofexploringO’Connor’sAGoodManisHardtoFind,Ihavefoundthatmostreaders,commentatorsandliterarycriticsinthepastpaidundueattentiontoherfaithofreligion----OrthodoxyCatholism.OthersoftencarriedouttheirresearchesonthesubjectofOriginalSinandhumanbeings’weaknesses.Therewereactuallynumerouspapersanddissertationsintheseaspects,talkingagainandagainabouttheimpactsofreligiousfaithonherworks.

Whatmakesmydissertationstandoutisthefactthat,throughathoroughandmeticulousreadingandinterpretationofAGoodManisHardtoFind,Ihavesummedupasalienttheme,thatis,theprotagonists’characterandfateinthisstoryarelargelydeterminedbythesocialconditionsandenvironmentsofthattime.Beittheselfish,proudandsuperficialGrandmotherorthebrutalandruthlesstheMisfit,theirunfortunateandtragiclifeis,toalargeextent,influencedbythesociety.Asisknowntoall,FlanneryO’Connorisoneoftheprominentwritersafterworldwartwoandhercreationcareerisinbestvogueinthefifthsandsixtiesofthetwentycentury.America,duringtheSecondWorldWar,gotalotofprofitsfromsellingweapons,whichstimulatedthedevelopmentandprosperityofitseconomyafterthewar.Asthematerialcivilizationwasprospering,thespiritualonewasdeclining.Peopleweremoney-oriented;thesolepurposeoftheirlifewaspursuingwealthtothelargestextentnomatterwhatmeanstheytook.Mostpeoplelosttheirreligiousfaith,eventhoughsomepeople,mostofwhoweresouthernersentertainedtheirfaith,itwasan“empty”one.Thegovernmentwasnotservingthepeople,rather,itservedastheruthlesstoolforthosewithmoneyandpowertoexploitandoppressthepoorandtheweak.Asaresult,thewholesocietywastotallycorrupted.Violence,injustice,dishonestywereprevailing.ThespiritualworldofthepostwarAmericanpeoplehasbecomeawastelandwherethespiritualisdecadent,themoralcorruptandthefaithlost.Nothingexceptmaterialwealthdominatesthewholeworld.Sothetragedyofthecharactersinthisfictionisalsothetragedyofthattime.However,thetragedyisnotpeculiartoAmericansocietyaftertheSecondWorldWar;itstillexistsintoday’sworld.Sothisstoryisstillvaluableandhelpfulineducatingpeoplenottobedevouredbywealthpursuit,atthesametime,italsomakesasirencallforthegovernmenttoperfecttheirrulesandregulationstoservepeoplebest.It’salsomysincerehopethatthisthesiscouldinspiremorepeopletopayduerespecttotherichnessofourspiritualworldandthusmaketheworldamoreharmoniousandpleasantone!

Keywords:

spiritualwasteland;characters;violence;southerntraditions;socialconditions

摘要

弗兰纳里·奥康纳是继威廉·福克纳之后美国南方最杰出的作家之一，她作品的魅力在很大程度上源于其深刻的思想，尤其是她对人性黑暗面的洞察力。

由于从小生活在南方并受南方地域与文化的影响，她的作品带有浓厚的南部特色和乡土气息；同时，天主教家庭教育的熏陶使她的作品充满了浓重的宗教色彩。

她善于写短篇小说，用讽刺性的幽默描绘现实生活的琐碎细节，揭示生活中怪异的人物和荒诞的现象，剖析被物质异化了的人们复杂的内心与扭曲的灵魂。

历来学者及评论家对奥康纳《好人难寻》主题意义的研究大都从宗教信仰的角度，原罪理论，以及对人类弱点的剖析展开的。

本文作者的创新之处在于在汲取前人研究成果的基础上，认为小说中人物性格的形成及其命运与当时的社会环境密切相关。

奥康纳是战后美国南部的重要作家，其创作生涯集中在二十世纪五六十年代。

众所周知，二战后的西方随着垄断资本主义的发展,整个社会经济高速发展。

二战后的西方基督教文明的价值体系已经分崩离析,道德上的修养、灵魂上的净化已不再是人们的追求目标。

作为一名虔诚的基督徒,透过这种浮华的外表,奥康纳看到了现代人的精神荒原、道德堕落和丧失信仰的内心世界。

尤其是对战后美国南方人的盲目乐观、胸无大志、见识肤浅和宗教意识淡薄尤为反感。

笔下的老祖母与“不合时宜的人”是那个时代的悲剧，也是奥康纳对那个时代的控诉！

本文通过对《好人难寻》这个暴力惨剧故事里，社会上的畸形现象和畸人的巨像描写，让人们看到现代人受到工业发展的负面影响，丧失信仰和道德准则，出现精神危机，从而引发暴力惨剧，造成社会危机，为人们敲响警钟，希望人们重审自己的内心和灵魂，获得救赎，找回精神的家园，让好人难寻的世界得到改善，共建和谐社会！

关键词：

精神荒原;人物性格;暴力;美国南方传统；社会环境

Contents

Introduction1

ChapterOne：

Grandmother—theLastRepresentativeof

“Glamorous”OldAmericanSouth………………………………….4

1.1TheCharacterofGrandmother……………………………………4

1.2InfluenceofsomeOldSouthernConcepts………………………..6

ChapterTwo:

“Misfit”—theDevilandVictimofModernAmericanSociety…………………………………………..8

2.1theImageof“Misfit”……………………………………………...8

2.2ReasonsBehindHisEvilBehavior…………………………………...10

ChapterThree:

CausesBehindtheViolentTragedy………….13

3.1Material-orientedSocietyafterWorldWarTwo……………….…...13

3.2InjusticeandCorruptionofSocialInstitutions……………………...16

Conclusion…………….17

Bibliography………………………………………………………………..18

Acknowledgements……………………………………….20

Introduction

FlanneryO’ConnorwonaprominentplaceinmodernAmericanliterature.Shehasananomalyamongpost-worldwartwowriters----aromancatholicfromthebible-beltsouthwhosestatedpurposewastorevealthemysteryofgod’sgraceineverydaylife.Sheisbestknownasshortstorywriterandhascreatedmanywonderfulshortfictions.Awarethatfewreadersshareherfaith,O’Connorchosetodepictsalvationthroughshocking,oftenviolentactionuponcharactersthatarespirituallyorphysicallygrotesque.WhileO’Connorusedexaggerationtoexpressherideas,herprosestyleisconsideredcompressedandbrilliantlypolishedandhercharacter-portrayalisvividandfabulous.Moreover,herstoriesarerelatedwithsuchironicdetachmentandmordanthumorthatsomeconsiderthemtobeexistentialistorevennihilisticinoutlook.O’Connoralsoinfusedherfictionwithlocalcolorandrichcomicdetailofhersouthernmilieu.Finally,acomplexsystemofsymbolismandallegoryaddsfurtherresonancetoherbodyofwork.

IntheprocessofexploringO’Connor’sAGoodManisHardtoFind,Ihavefoundthatmostreaders,commentatorsandliterarycriticsinthepastpaidundueattentiontoherfaithofreligion----OrthodoxyCatholism.OthersoftencarriedouttheirresearchesonthesubjectofOriginalSinandhumanbeings’weaknesses.Therewereactuallynumerouspapersanddissertationsintheseaspects,talkingagainandagainabouttheimpactsofreligiousfaithonherworks.Whatmakesmydissertationstandoutisthefactthat,throughathoroughandmeticulousreadingandinterpretationofAGoodManisHardtoFind,Ihavesummedupasalienttheme,thatis,theprotagonists’characterandfateinthisstoryarelargelydeterminedbythesocialconditionsandenvironmentsofthattime.Beittheselfish,proudandsuperficialGrandmotherorthebrutalandruthlessTheMisfit,theirunfortunateandtragiclifeis,toalargeextent,influencedbythesociety.Asisknowntoall,FlanneryO’Connorisoneoftheprominentwritersafterworldwartwo.ThespiritualworldofthepostwarAmericanpeoplehasbecomeawastelandwherethespiritualisdecadent,themoralcorruptandthefaithlost.Nothingexceptmaterialwealthdominatesthewholeworld.Sothetragedyofthecharactersinthisfictionisalsothetragedyofthattime.It’salsomysincerehopethatthisthesiscouldinspiremorepeopletopayduerespecttotherichnessofourspiritualworldandthusmaketheworldamoreharmoniousandpleasantone!

Mypapercouldbedividedintothreeparts.ChapteroneisGrandmother—theLastRepresentativeof“Glamorous”OldAmericanSouth.Inthissection,IhavegivenameticulousdescriptionabouttheimageofGrandmotheraswellasadetailedinterpretationabouttheinfluenceofconventionalsoutherncultureandconceptsonhercharacter.TheGrandmotheristhemostcomplicatedandunforgettablecharacterinthestory.Ononehand,sheisselfish,superficialandhypocritical;ontheother,sheisgracious,benevolentandtender.Nomatterwhatqualitiesshepossesses,asafogyofthedecayingsouth,thegrandmotherinevitablybearstheimpactofthetraditionalsouthernvalueconceptsandworldoutlook.ChaptertwoisallaboutTheMisfit---thedevilandvictimofmodernAmericansociety.Fromtheverybeginningofthestory,weknowthatthemisfitisanescapedconvict.Thefactthathehaskilledthewholeinnocentfamilywithoutmercymakesusconsiderhimasadevilhavingnoemotion.Nevertheless,afurtherstudyofhislifeexperiencemakesussympathizewithhimasheisalsotheveryvictimoftheunfairandcorruptsocietyinthattime.Inchapterthree,Ispentsometimeandenergytalkingaboutcausesbehindtheviolenttragedy.America,duringtheSecondWorldWar,gotalotofprofitsfromsellingweapons,whichstimulatedthedevelopmentandprosperityofitseconomyafterthewar.Asthematerialcivilizationwasprospering,thespiritualonewasdeclining.Mostpeoplelosttheirfaithinbothreligionandthegovernment.Thegovernmentwasnotservingthepeople,rather,itservedastheruthlesstoolforthosewithmoneyandpowertoexploitandoppressthepoorandtheweak.Asaresult,thewholesocietywastotallycorrupted.Violence,injustice,dishonestywereprevailing.Byexploringintothecausesbehindthetragedy,Isincerelyhopethatthisthesiscouldinspiremorepeopletopayduerespecttotherichnessofourspiritualworldandthusmaketheworldamoreharmoniousandpleasantone!

ChapteroneGrandmother—theLastRepresentativeof“Glamorous