Conflict Between The Beast And The Seer In Man

The Naked and the Dead is the first novel and the representative work of Norman Mailer, one of the four most prominent figures in the contemporary American Literary World. With the war as a background, it discloses the despotism, totalitarianism and the brutal behaviors of American army in trampling human rights, thereon discloses the power politics of America. It lays stress on the fact that the desire for power deprives people of reason and human nature and that war makes people more avaricious. The success of the novel contributes to its exquisite naturalistic techniques, its profound revelation of social reality, and its vivid description of the status of American economy, politics and social psychology after World War II.This thesis discusses the theme of the novel: the conflict between the beast and the seer in man, analyzes the conflict between power and human nature and illustrates the social criticism and political meanings of the novel. Finally, the conclusions are drawn in view of the previous analysis. War and military competition have made the world people exhausted, so the world can't stand any new threat brought by war. Peace and security are extremely important for the world people.