A Study On The Underground Railroad From The Perspective Of Existentialism

The Underground Railroad,as the sixth novel of Colson Whitehead,made the writer become the only novelist of the 21 st century who has won both the National Book Award for Fiction and Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for the same novel.It mainly narrates the story of the black heroine Cora who escapes from a plantation in Georgia to the North by the underground railroad.Centering on what the female slave saw and heard on her way,this novel describes the physical torment and the mental trauma suffered by black slaves and the white who helped slaves before the American Civil War.The Underground Railroad has distinctive characteristics in reflecting the survival and choices of individuals.Some scholars have a small amount of attention to its research,but few scholars have conducted special studies on the work from the perspective of existentialism.Therefore,this thesis mainly applies Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialism theory to analyze the psychological journey of some characters.The mental journey begins with individuals experiencing great anxiety in an absurd world,then moves to the second stage of seeking meaning through “bad faith”,and finally turning to authenticity in free choices.Chapter One analyzes the anxiety endured by the black and the white groups in the face of an absurd world.The black community,represented by the protagonist Cora,was ruthlessly enslaved and exploited in the racially violent American South,living at the bottom of society.While the white groups who help black slaves are also at risk of being denounced by their neighbors at any time.Both the black and the white have many painful experiences in the world of slavery,including existence predicament,internal alienation,and self-loss.This triple suffering further reflects the helplessness of the individuals under absurd slavery.Chapter Two explores how most individuals with anxiety seek meaning through“bad faith”.The characters in the novel reflect two forms of “bad faith”: one is to objectify oneself,regarding the past as the force that determines the present and future.In other words,it is the gradual movement towards escapism through selfobjectification;The other is to exist for others,pretending that they don’t have to make choices,thus these individuals go with the stream by numbing their minds.Chapter Three focuses on the adult Cora turning to authenticity in free choices as most people go astray in “bad faith”.After reconsidering the meaning of freedom and the value of life,Cora decided to free herself from “bad faith”.She firmed up her free choices in different circumstances and finally realized the pursuit of freedom.In the process,her life was approaching an authentic existence.At the same time,black and white groups bear the burden of responsibility for their free choices.The conclusion is drawn that the seemingly negative emotional experience of anxiety not only causes most individuals to seek meaning in “bad faith” but also brings true freedom to them.The transformation pattern of the main characters in the novel also provides enlightenment for contemporary African Americans: instead of comforting in “bad faith”,they should confront the weight of freedom,take a serious look at their past and situations,and then make free choices,take responsibility for their own choices,finally turn to an authentic attitude to life.