The Pain Of Survival-The Interpretation Of Sophie's Spiritual Crisis In 'Sophie's Choice'

William Styron's novel'Sophie's Choice'is famous all around the world when it was published. It tells us the suffering experiences about Polish Catholics Sophie by the narrator Stingo, who is a pure young man from the South of America. All the memories of suffering about Sophie in Auschwitz, and the conflicts between Sophie and Nathan after she came to the U.S. by her own, are all happened in New York, America, 1947. The novel opens the pain of Sophie step by step on the way of stream of consciousness, etc., and we can see the huge spiritual crisis behind her. In the end, the novel shows us Sophie's pain of survival.In previous studies, most of the points are that the novel is to expose the evil of human nature. The topic of the studies is focus on the human nature. They think Sophie is the one who is charged with sin, she just wants to help herself get out from the evil though the way of soul salvation. But I think Sophie is the presentation of people who are trapping in the dilemma in the modern society. Although she was living in the accordance with its nature tendency, every choice she made is in clear consciousness. The suffering brought her spiritual crisis, and then she can choose the death way bravely.Sophie's spiritual crisis is survived in her own contradictions: Sophie has different roles in different social relationships. When she is in different roles, she cannot bear the responsibility. She is a daughter and a mother, a wife and a lover. However, she bear the pain of spiritual in every relationships. She not only can't get the care from her father, but also can't protect her children. As a prisoner in Auschwitz, she's not only the victims, but also an accessory who helps German as a translator. When she is contact with her Nathan, she always gets pain from the body to the spiritual. Even Stingo, Sophie just look him as a good listener, but Stingo fall in love with her, that means the relation between them will be changed. She cannot keep a harmonious relationship between different social relations, so she feels sad and painful. Well, what made Sophie feel painful? From the direct causes, Sophie's huge pain that she cannot bear is caused by society, herself, and others around her. But moreover, in a deep view, we can see that the pain she bears is inherent. The fate, or we can say the survival situation makes Sophie caught in dilemma. No matter which one she chooses from the dilemma, she will trap in another deeper pain. This article just wants to reveal the spiritual crisis of modern human-beings who live in the modern society. Styron proposed a way to make human get out from the dilemma. The essay just discusses the positive sense of this way, and to imply the writer is full of forward-looking. And we can have a deep consideration about where should we go about communion between people.