In Pursuit Of Freedom An Ethical Analysis Of Joyce Carol Oates' Them

Joyce Carol Oates(1938 —)is a famous contemporary writer in America,and her masterpiece them has won her the National Book Award.The novel has become the focus of scholarly research since it is published,and there are many studies on the novel.However,studies of ethical study on this novel are few;this thesis endeavors to dig out the ethical concern of Oates in her novel.This thesis consists of three parts: an introduction,the body and a conclusion.The introduction part is a brief overview of Joyce Carol Oates and her novel them.Meanwhile,it also makes a literature review of the studies on Oates in China and abroad.The body of this thesis covers three chapters.In chapter one,the focus is the analysis of the social constraints of the characters in the novel.This chapter analyzes the influences of social violence,economic crisis and male authority on the basis of Plato's Cave Metaphor,and further describes how these social factors play such roles as the “chains”,the “cave” and “marionette players” in Plato's Cave,making the characters miserable and desperate.Chapter two primarily illustrates the characters' state of being slave of emotions according to Spinoza's ethical theory,which holds that all people's emotions are divided into three types: pleasure,pain and desire.It interprets how the characters are trapped in the bondage of these emotions and result in losing their freedom and happiness.In chapter three,the writer of this thesis compares three main characters' way of achieving freedom and analyzes the results of their efforts according to Spinoza's theory of freedom.in them Jules achieves his longing freedom under social and emotional obstacles by his optimistic attitude and his reasonable action;while his sister Maureen and his mother are still the slaves of the passive emotions.The conclusion part is a summary of Oates' special ethical view that people can live happily and freely with their belief in the power of reason when facing the social troubles,emotional obstacles and the difficulties in getting freedom.