Tribulation And Redemption ——An Analysis Of Female Images In Let The Great World Spin From The Perspective Of Hierarchy Of Needs

Let the Great World Spin（2009）is the representative work of the Irish-American writer Colum Mc Cann.It occupies a pivotal position in the 9.11 novel.The novel won the annual National Book Award in 2009.Let the Great World Spin is known as the best foreign novel in the 21 st century.The background of this novel is New York in the 1970 s.It depicts a group of marginalized people suffering and struggling to survive in the turbulent society,which reflects a society full of repression and suffering.In the 1970 s,American economic crisis took place frequently,and the gap between rich and poor was obvious.At the same time,it was deeply stuck in the quagmire of the Vietnam War and the Cold War.People were deeply desperate to the American government,which was a stage of pessimism and despair in American history.This novel describes the process of the marginalized people at the bottom of the transitional society struggling in tribulation and despair and seeking redemption.Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory opposes the Freudian school to treat people with mental illness as the research object,and opposes the behaviorism school to treat people as an animal species.Of course,he doesn’t negate Freud and Watson completely,but absorbs the meaningful parts and establishes his own unique psychological thought.Maslow takes people with sound spirit as the research object,revealing the connotation and development direction of human nature through the study of human basic needs,in order to help humans understand themselves more comprehensively.The themes of any good novel are complicated,and everyone’s interpretations are different.Most scholars analyze and interpret the novel by means of new historicism and trauma theory,but there are few papers studying the theme of tribulation and redemption contained in the novel from the hierarchy of needs theory.In view of this,this thesis uses the method of close reading to interpret the life course of women in Let the Great World Spin.Firstly,this thesis analyzes the tribulation of the women in the novel-Claire,Gloria and Tillie’s lack of basic needs and the reasons for them.Secondly,it analyzes the ways of self-redemption of these women-Claire,Gloria and Tillie obtain partial satisfaction of their basic needs through their own efforts,help from others and social support,and then get self-actualization to a certain extent.This paper reveals the living status of marginalized women in turbulent society in New York in the 1970 s.Then it comes to the conclusion that as long as women have a firm belief and strive hard,one day they can achieve self-actualization.The interpretation of Let the Great World Spin from the perspective of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory not only provides a new perspective for the interpretation of this novel,but also enriches the research scope of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory.This study believes that although women in the novel have not been completely redeemed,their process of seeking self-actualization has important reference significance for the development of modern people.For modern people,even if the road to self-actualization is full of setbacks and obstacles,we should also be hopeful about the future,be willing to help others,have a firm belief and face life with a smile.Only in this way can we get rid of the difficulties and achieve ourselves in the struggle.