A Multi-Dimensional Analysis Of Suicide In The Hours

Death is one of the important themes in Michael Cunningham's famous novel The Hours. In the novel, three characters attempt to suicide, and two of them succeed. Through the description of their death, the author attempts to reveal the possible ways to live a meaningful life in difficult situations, and encourages people to cherish life and go on living happily and optimistically. The great social significance of the novel is that it gives an analysis of the plight of human life and tells people to cherish their lives and live a meaningful life.Scholars at home and abroad study the novel mainly from the perspective of feminism, lesbianism, psychoanalysis, existentialism and intertextuality. However, few people abroad or at home study the novel from the perspective of suicide. Therefore, this thesis intends to analyze the novel from the perspective of suicide. Through the analysis of the reasons and meaning of their death, this thesis attempts to discuss the main characters'miserable living condition, their possible ways to escape their plight, and the values they seem to place on life. The research not only aims to broaden the study of the novel, but also reflects Cunningham's multi-dimensional evaluation of human life and philosophical exploration into the ultimate meaning of human existence.This thesis is divided into four parts: a general introduction, two main-body chapters, and a conclusion.Chapter One gives a brief introduction to the author, the novel, the topic of suicide, and literature review.Chapter Two mainly discusses the different causes of suicide in The Hours: childhood traumatic experience, disease, war, death complex, loneliness, and feelings of failure.Chapter Three centers on the positive meaning of the main characters'death, the purpose of which is to free them from sorrow,to preserve their dignity of life,to free them from restraint, and to give those still living better quality of life, as well as to warn the others to cherish their life.The conclusion, Chapter Four, is a summary of what has been talked about throughout the entire thesis. Through the analysis of The Hours from the causes of suicide and the meaning of death, this thesis points out that the great significance of the novel is to tell us that we have many choices in an awkward predicament, while suicide is only one of them. What we should do is to cherish our lives and live the life we like. When we are in a predicament and suffering great agony, and after we have tried every means but still cannot get out of it, we can choose suicide, which, in a sense, reflects our ultimate freedom, for it possesses the positive effect—put to an end all sorrow and preserve one's dignity. By analyzing the novel from the perspective of suicide, the research on the novel can be broadened. This thesis is also hoped to provide helpful information for further study of The Hours.