Carson Mccullers’ Negotiations In The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is the first novel of Carson McCullers, an eminent American Southern female writer, in which lots of individuals who challenge the social norms and dominant ideology are depicted. However, their subversions are finally contained. The novel coincides with the theory of literary functions put forward by New Historicists with its subversion and containment of the social energies such racism, sexism, religious belief, and class expectation.According to Stephen Greenblatt, subversion is the rebellion of the dominant ideology representing the order of the ruling class; whereas containment is the rebellion of the subversive forces. Negotiation is actualized between these two dynamic functions. Negotiation refers to the process of the artists’negotiating social energies in the novel.Based on New Historicists’theory of literary functions, associating with Carson’s personal experience and the background of the novel, the present thesis will analyze Carson’s negotiations to observe the social reality and existence embodied in the text, and to explore how Carson negotiates social energies in her novel to exert influence on the society.Apart from the introduction and conclusion part, this thesis contains four chapters. Chapter1analyzes Carson’s negotiation on belief from two aspects:religious belief crisis and advocating of Marxism. People’s suspect of the existence of God is a great challenge to the dominant religious ideology in the South. However, those subversions are finally contained. Chapter2analyzes Carson’s negotiation on racism. The blacks and Jews fight against racial discrimination. Some white people break the racial boundary and show their hospitality to the blacks. However, their revolt against the racism is contained. Chapter3analyzes Carson’s negotiating consciousness on gender. Homosexuality and transgression of gender are finally proved to be a tragedy. Chapter4analyzes Carson McCullers’ negotiation on class. The negotiation is achieved through the failure of the subversion of the working class and poor whites. All the subversive forces are ultimately contained. As one part of social structure, Carson is restrained by the social network. She negotiates her subversive self-consciousness with the social reality to keep the order and normal operation of the society. Accordingly, the political and social function of her novel is achieved."Negotiation" embodies Carson McCullers’ contradictory ideology and the complexity of her novel. The study on The Heart is a Lonely Hunter from the perspective of New Historicism’s literary function would help more readers to better understand Carson’s attitude toward religion, society and politics.