On Theodore’s Loneliness In Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch

Donna Tartt(1963-)is a new generation writer in contemporary American literature history whose works mostly derive from her childhood experiences which reflect on realistic social problems and the mental state of young people.The Goldfinch is the third book of Tartt.It was widely popular upon its publication,which won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Literature.Until now,academic research on The Goldfinch mainly focuses on the initiation story,intertextuality,trauma,eco-criticism,anxiety and so on.Taking the protagonist Theodore as the research object,this thesis attempts to interpret his process of conquering the loneliness in the light of Enrich Fromm’s theory on loneliness.Generally speaking,loneliness refers to the individual’s subjective psychological feelings.Social psychologist and psychoanalyst Enrich Fromm puts forward his philosophical illustration that loneliness is the objective fact that all human beings need to face.And,it will spread with the changes in the social environment,which leaves people in a strong existential crisis.Fromm mentions five critical demands for human existence: the need for relatedness,transcendence,identity,positioning and rootedness.When the alienated capitalist society can’t satisfy human needs,they may come into “a jail of loneliness”.Therefore,people tend to make different efforts to get out of the challenging condition.Within The Goldfinch,the hero Theodore is lost in morbid loneliness at first,then he adopts psychological defense mechanisms and continuously makes self-empowerment.Finally,he becomes a mature individual with the sane personality who transcends the loneliness to realize positive freedom.Chapter one discusses Theodore’s phase of being beleaguered in loneliness.The hero always lives a rootless life from the estranged and indifferent family relation.Loss of security and belonging means that he doesn’t have the protection of “primary ties” who struggles with desperate loneliness.Self-doubts and denials about existence deepen his anxiety and loneliness.Under the circumstance of an alienated social environment,he is also tortured by loneliness from conflicts like materialism and class differences.Chapter two analyzes Theodore’s phase of escaping.When the external living conditions can’t meet the basic requirements of his growth and mental health,he adopts psychological defense mechanisms to overcome loneliness.Firstly,he attempts to escape from realistic anguishes by establishing symbiotic emotion with Pippa,which does work to some extent,but he loses integrity and independence.Secondly,Theodore takes morbid and destructive behaviors such as alcoholism and drug abuse to alleviate isolation and helplessness that can’t overcome loneliness in essence.Chapter three demonstrates Theodore’s transcending of loneliness.Fromm points out that spontaneous activity is an effective way to overcome loneliness because the individual connects with the world again in self-realization.And “love is the most central component of spontaneity”(Fromm,Escape from Freedom 174).Firstly,it demonstrates the hero’s return of moral responsibility and conscience.Theodore finds that materially possessing “The Goldfinch” brings him in a tremendously moral dilemma for a long time,he needs to finds the aesthetic value in the art world to conquer the loneliness hopefully.Secondly,it discusses Theodore’s productive self-achievement.With great free will,he succeeds in breaking away the situation of self-degeneration and gradually finds subjectivity and creativity to integrate into the society through spontaneous learning and art creation.Finally,he cultivates an independent personality with emotional sublimation who masters the elements and connotation of love to take his subjective initiative to give love.By analyzing the process of Theodore’s being beleaguered,escaping,and transcending upon loneliness,this thesis attempts to reveal people’s general mental state under the background of highly developed capitalism.Besides,it also points out that the correct way to overcome loneliness is to insist on the power of love and the beauty of art for spiritual redemption,which enlightens people to pursue positive freedom.Under the context of modernity with rapid economic development,ideas expounded in the novel provide some significant references for us to get rid of the spiritual crisis.