An Analysis Of Norman Mailer’ S The Naked And The Dead From The Perspective Of The Existentialism

Norman Mailer, a contemporary American writer, is renowned for his achievementsin his unique portrayal of a series of brillant characters. He has wroten many splendidworks and he has won the Pulitzer Prize twice for literature. All his works and histhought has influenced American literature and society as a whole. Mailer among thecontemporary American writers has his own unique personality and idea. Inphilosophially, he has developed a unique type of existentialist thought in the UnitedStates. The Naked and the Dead, as Norman Mailer’s first and the representative work, isconsidered as the most classical war novel since the Second World War and also the mostcontroversial work. The publication of The Naked and the Dead has won his a solidposition in the field of American literature. He has been recognized as one of the mostdistinguished writer since the Second World War for his first work The Naked and theDead. With the war as a backgroud of the novel, The Naked and the Dead shows that thewar makes people more avaricious, and shows that the lust for power deprives people ofreason and humanity. This thesis aims to analyzing the conflict and alienation of theinterpersonal relationship in The Naked and the Dead from Sutter’s Existentialperspective. With the help of Sutter’s Existentialist philosophy, this essay mainly probeinto the subject of The Naked and the Dead.This thesis consists of an introduction, the main body and a conclusion. The maincontents are as follows:The first part is the introduction, which introduces the research status on Mailer athome and abroad and general review of Mailer, his predecessors’ comments on NormanMailer and his works, the previous studies in this field, as well as the realisticsignificance of this thesis.The second part is the main body, which is made up of three chapters:The first chapter is mainly about the theory basis of this thesis and the existentialistcharacteristics reflected in all Mailer’s works. The first chapter is divided into three parts,the first one of which is about Sutter’s Existentialist philosophy related to this thesis. Thesecond part offers the Existentialist characteristics reflected in all Mailer’s works. In thefield of American literature, Mailer has his own personality and idea. All his worksreflects an unique type of Existentialist thought in American literature. In the third part of the first chapter, this thesis analyzes the theoretical reflection of Mailer’s Existentialismin The Naked and the Dead.The second chapter is about the analysis of the conflict between the people in TheNaked and the Dead with the help of Sutter’s Existentialist philosophy. The secondchapter is divided into three parts. The first part is about the conflicts between the beastand the humanity. Each character itself is not harmonious. Mailer depicts it vividly thatthe beast and the humanity is in the fight in the human mind, which exists in every one ofthem to the different degree. The second part is the conflict between totalitarianism andliberalism. The Mailer analyzes the conflict between power and human and he predictsthe development tendency of the post-war totalitarianism. Mailer criticizes and satirizesthe American sick society, exposing the corruption of American politics through the formof a novel. The third part deals with the analysis of the conflict between the man and thenature. Under the background of the war,The Naked and the Dead reveals and reacts thegood and evil in the human’s nature. Through the description of army life, the authorexposes the conflict relationship between the nature and the human.The third chapter deals with the analysis of the interpersonal alienation between thepeople in The Naked and the Dead with theory of Sutter’s Existentialism. In the novel,the alienation of human relationship mainly is discussed from three aspects, namely, thealienated relations between the superiors and the subordinates, the alienated relationsbetween the soldiers and the soldiers and the alienated relations between men and women(mainly refers to the husband and wife). Mailer more comprehensively shows theAmerican society during the Second World War to the readers. Mailer makes peopleclearly see that the problems existing in the United States Army are also social problems.The conclusion part makes a summary to the preceding analysis and points out themain purpose of this essay. This thesis mainly analyzes the conflict and alienation of theinterpersonal relationship in The Naked and the Dead from a new perspective SartreExistentialist Philosophy. Mailer criticizes and satirizes the American sick society,exposing the corruption of American politics through the form of a novel. Although thereis full of conflicts and contradictions between the people, they look forward to a brighterworld. This is because conscience in the human mind never vanish. Many readers believethat the atmosphere and the outcome of The Naked and the Dead is covered with a dark, gloomy colors, but the author intentionally leaves this world a little hope. The novelconcludes through the above research that war and military competition has made thewhole world tired out. The people of the world can not withstand any threat of war. Peaceand security is vitally important to the people around the world. All this has importantsocial and political significance.