Carson Mccullers Novel Writing Psychology And Character Psychology Research

Carson McCullers (1917-1967) is one of the most unique and prominent writers in American literature. She depicts the lower classes and shapes them into physically, psychologically deformed characters by means of grotesque technique. She experiences success early with the publication of The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter in 1940 at the age of 23. It also sets the theme of her future creation-spiritual isolation and loneliness at the same time. In the following novels, including Reflections In A Golden Eye, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and The Member of the Wedding, McCullers retains her consistent writing style and carries it on. The theme of spiritual isolation and loneliness is explored deeply and totally in these novels.McCullers suffers from her unfortunate marriage and miserable illness and she can not get herself out from the shadow of depression and loneliness. On the basis of such special understandings and feelings towards life, such themes as abnormality, morbidity, torture and sadness are easy for her to handle. She typically sets her stories in small southern communities, reveals the inner lives of lonely people and the reality that people have difficulties communicating with and understanding one another. She also explains the riddle of isolation, which can be the result of regional civilization, racial and sexual discrimination, loss of love and so on.By analyzing the history of the south of America, biography and psychology of McCullers, along with her four important novels, this thesis mainly discusses her psychological motivation when she creates novels and the psychology factors which results in the spiritual isolation and loneliness of the characters in her works. The analysis is made to demonstrate my argument: only under the influence of the following creative psychological elements, including inferiority complex, the psychology of death, religious culture and abnormality could Carson McCullers create such excellent works. These elements also lead to the endless spiritual isolation and loneliness of herself and the characters in her novels.