"Alienation" Behind "Menace": A Humanistic Psychoanalysis Of Pinter's Plays

Harold Pinter is a major figure in the British Theatre of the Absurd and a worldly acclaimed outstanding dramatist. His Comedies of Menace have both the thought-provoking power and the heart-resonating artistic charm. The "Pinteresque," structural patterns, essential features, post-modernism artistic techniques and themes of absurdity and alienation of his plays have attracted attention from the critics at home and abroad, such as "Pinteresque", the structural pattern in his plays, natural characteristics and his artistic techniques from the viewpoint of post-modernism, including the themes on absurdity and alienation. This thesis aims to make a deep analysis of the social alienation theme of Pinter's Comedies of Menace, from the perspective of Eric Fromm's theory of humanistic psychoanalysis. By applying Fromm's theories of "man's needs", "the conditions of man's existence", "social character", "the social unconsciousness", and "alienation of human nature", it makes a thorough observation of the insights and treatment Pinter brings to the relationship between the social individual and society. Through the text analysis of Pinter's representative plays, The Birthday Party, The Caretaker and One for the Road, the thesis argues that "Pinteresque conflict" and "Pinteresque menace" are exactly the thematization and dramatization of the alienated western modern society described by Fromm. The "absurd" and "incompetent" people living in a society full of constant "menace" and their existential state of Existentialism indicate that Fromm's humanistic idealism of the individual freedom and self-realization is merely a Utopia, because all the "routine" rituals represented in Pinter's plays determine the internal control relationship of domination-submission, and constitute the alienated reality behind daily menace.This thesis is divided into five parts. Chapter One is the introduction part. It gives readers a general idea on the basic background information of Pinter, including the unique term "Pinteresque", his unique writing style and his world-known works. It introduces the criticism at home and abroad as well, illustrating the necessity of studying deeply on the alienation theme of Pinter's plays by adopting Eric Fromm's theory of humanistic psychoanalysis. Chapter Two is the theoretical part of this paper. It systematically introduces Eric Fromm's humanistic psychoanalysis, on "man's needs", "the conditions of man's existence", "social character", "the social unconsciousness", and "alienation of human nature" Fromm believes that the freedom of modern people makes them get into isolated anxiety and incompetent situation, but this complex sense of identity stimulates them to realize that only if the society is sane will their basic needs be satisfied. In order to meet their needs to make connections with the outside world, "the social unconsciousness" comes into being, which is the psychological mechanism of escaping from loneliness and unease. Whether the potential of every individual can be depressed or can be developed mainly depends on the "social character" and "the social unconsciousness".Chapter Three demonstrates that when facing the survival menace of distorted "social character", some typical peculiar personages of Pinter's three plays live in a survival panic. An eccentric hermit hurt by intruders in The Birthday Party confronts puzzling threats and interrogation restlessly, bearing all the tortures without any resistance. In The Caretaker, all of the main characters are just nobody, who are deprived of everything and live in the survival menace to each other, leading to their loss of friendship. While the cruel governor in One for the Road claims to believe in God, in fact he is so mean and sadistic that he places others to a misery situation where they are threatened to lose the basic human rights, by brutal torment and psychological torture. In Pinter's plays, behind all those dramatic plots, language absurdity and communication fearfulness, even behind all the menaces, it indicates the alienation of personal relationship and human nature.Therefore, Chapter Four takes a further step to analyze man's needs from the conditions of his existence. Under the menace of the morbid social unconscious, incest, the being of irrationality, destructiveness and all the abnormal needs or desire is exactly a mirror of Fromm's theory on humanistic alienation. In The Birthday Party, the protagonist longs for the need of rootedness by developing an immoral relationship with the hostess. He just wants to find his sense of belongings. The main characters in The Caretaker treat the house as a symbol of self-identity. They are willing to do everything to defend their own identity and root. While the sadistic governor One for the Road tortures the political prisoners only to manipulate others by brutal torment and psychological torture.Chapter Five is the conclusion part. It emphasizes that the ever-present survival menace and the ensuing distress created by Harold Pinter with the realistic writing technique make his plays full of powerful dramatic tension. And it is by applying Fromm's humanistic psychoanalysis to the interpretation of Pinter's Comedies of Menace that the significant value of these plays about recognizing the alienation of modern society and humanity can be revealed more deeply.