Absence,Alienation And Disillusionment

Joyce Carol Oates is one of the most productive writers in contemporary America.Her novel The Gravedigger's Daughter depicts the story of the Schwarts fleeing from Germany to America,which presents their resignation in the absence of home,the alienation of human relationship,and the disillusionment of their dream.The thesis explores the plight of existence of Jewish immigrants through Zoran's and Lefebvre's views on the Space Theory.The thesis reveals the theme of the novel---the plight of Jewish immigrants through depicting the life,interaction,and mental state from topographical space,social space,and psychological space.First of all,the plight in topographical space is the absence of home that is the most direct experience for the Schwarts.The life of vagrancy in the process of fleeing from calamity,an isolated state after settlement,and the houses without love and sense of belonging lead to the change of everyone's personality,the tension between the individual,and the alienation from the surrounding.Then the social context of anti-Semitism brings them unfair treatment.The local government has never provided any political and economic help for them and the local people hate them.The repulsive attitude causes that the Schwarts cannot make normal contact with others.Finally,the absence of home in topographical space and the alienated relation in social space definitely give rise to despair and loneliness in psychological space.The gravedigger Jacob commits suicide in the end because of the disillusionment of American dream and Rebecca feels lonely for her life,which are the inevitable results.Through exploring the theme in the novel,the thesis points out that America as a melting pot of races does not show the inclusive manner but the repulsive attitude towards Jewish immigrants and it is a country with racial discrimination in essence.