Living Death

German American Scholar Erich Fromm (Erich Fromm 1900-1980) is dedicated to combine Marxian social analysis with the method of Freud's psychoanalysis, creating his own"Humanistic Psychoanalysis". His main argument is that man's basic emotion is rooted in the mutual relations between people and the society. Joyce Carol Oates is a contemporary American female author who is concerned about the conflict between the individual and his social environment and good at depicting individuals'dislocation and extreme psychological turmoil which are caused by contemporary America's philosophical contradiction and its colliding social and economic forces. In her masterpieces---Wonderland, Oates goes deep into the very recesses of its characters'brains to explore their fear, suppression and despair, and further investigate human beings'living predicament, human nature's alienation and individuals'isolation. By analysing characters' insane personality with Erich Fromm's theory of social character, the present thesis tries to indicates that predicaments and living death condition of modern people result from their passive personalities which are caused by the alienated labor of modern industrial world.The present thesis includes the introduction, the main body which consists of three parts, and the conclusion.The introduction of the present thesis, first of all, mainly explicates the background of Joyce Carol Oates's literary creation, outlines the plot of Wonderland, and views the researches on Wonderland both at home and abroad. Herein evolves the aim of the present thesis—the exploration of the springhead of characters'tragic life in the Wonderland by investigating their insane personalities in light of Fromm's social character theory.Chapter One expounds Fromm's theory on social character. Although his theory develops from the basic finding of Sigmund Freud, Fromm criticizes his libido determinism, and argues that an individual's personality is molded by the cultural, economic and political condition in his society. At the same time, as an intermediary between economic base and superstructure, social character can modify the whole structure of the society. This chapter begins with the comparison of Fromm's and Freud's character theory and explains Fromm's psychoanalytical method which focuses on the motivation of human behavior. Furthermore, by discussing character's functions and classification, the analysis of personality is attached with great significance.Chapter Two focuses on the formation and expressions of Jesse's masochistic and sadistic personality with Fromm's theory on"escape mechanism". Fromm argues that"primitive ties"fasten an infant to the outside world and give him security. With the growth of the individual, he has to re-build positive relationship with the world to replace severed primitive ties by means of productive work and love. However, this is a tough process. An abrupt rupture of primitive ties will result in a strong sense of fear and anxiety. For avoiding feelings of insecurity, powerful tendencies will arise to escape from individuality into submission or domination, or, as Fromm puts it, masochistic and sadistic strivings. In Jesse's case, social unrest and family calamity destroy his primitive ties with the world and throw him into an isolated world. His relationship with his foster father, mentors, wife, daughter and patients shows his strivings for regaining security. Unfortunately, however, these strivings turn him into both a sadist and a masochist.Chapter Three analyzes passive personalities of Jesse's wife Helene and his younger daughter Shelley, pointing out that it is passivity that prevents women from self-fulfilling. Different from female images in Oates's earlier works, women in Wonderland, confronting with a male-dominated world, have fairly clear self-awareness and spirit of resistance. Moreover, nearly all of them take actions to achieve self-actualization and pursue freedom. However, their failures of transcending the ready-made roles of traditional women and of establishing active relations with the world prevent them from gaining authentic freedom and happiness.The last part of the present thesis concludes that analyzing personality with Fromm's theory provides a viable explanation to the springhead of characters'tragedies in Wonderland.