On The Theme Of Love Disintegration In Olive Kitteridge

Olive Kitteridge,Elizabeth Strout's fourth novel,was published in 2008 and awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2009.She is an outstanding contemporary female writer in America.Strout's works are famous for her delicate framework and heart-wrenching emotion.Olive Kitteridge is based on Crosby,Maine.The residents are suffering from the love disintegration of extramarital affair,anorexia nervosa and depressive disorder because of their deficiency of love elements.In Olive Kitteridge,love disintegration is a general psychological state of all characters.It is also a general situation of contemporary society.Therefore,there are certain values to research from this approach.The theory of love is the core content in Fromm's neo-psychoanalytic theory.He argues that love is out of people's need to fight with existential dilemma and it is the true answer to the problem of human existence.Human beings have to possess elements of love,distinguish pseudo-love and succeed in love practice to recover from love disintegration.Most of the research works concern on the marital trauma and the caring for the aging people in this novel instead of analyzing it from the perspective of love disintegration.This thesis endeavors to interpret Olive Kitteridge from the perspective of love disintegrationthrough the syndromes and the causes of love disintegration and the process of recovery of the characters,depending on Erich Fromm's theory on love and extensive reading.This thesis consists of five chapters.The first chapter briefly introduces the author and Olive Kitteridge.It also illustrates the love theory and other research.Chapter Two explains characters' syndromes of love disintegration.The main character Olive's love is affected by projective mechanism and she is lost in extramarital affair.Nina's anorexia nervosa is alongside with her idolatrous love.Kevin is stuck in sentimental love and he endures depressive disorder.Chapter Three illuminates the causes of love disintegration.Olive's absence of knowledge for love leads to her disharmonious relationship with her husband.Nina's love is deficient of responsibility which makes her undergo love disintegration.The love from Kevin's parents is insufficient of care.Chapter Four points out characters' recovery from love disintegration.Olive is incapable of overcoming her narcissism or escaping from love disintegration,and she has to keep a disingenuous relationship with her husband.Nina tries to rebuild her faith for love but unfortunately fails and dies of anorexia nervosa.Kevin rebuilds his positive attitude towards love and voluntarily stops committing suicide.The last chapter summarizes the findings of this thesis,limitation and future research orientation.Additionally,it gives guidance for modern people.Love disintegration is a major crisis in contemporary society.Love is the only answer to the existential dilemma of human beings.Strout vividly illustrates modern people's spiritual life crisis through these three characters.