An Analysis Of The Goldfinch Based On Theory Of Anxiety

American woman writer Donna Tartt(1963-)has attracted the continuous attention since she stepped into the literary world.Focusing on the anxiety and confusion of young people,her novels show their mental states and self-discovery.In 2013,her third novel,The Goldfinch was published and awarded Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in the next year.The novel tells the protagonist Theo's rebirth from the tragic past,his entanglement with the famous oil painting The Goldfinch as well as his self-rediscovery and thinking about life.Widely praised for its delicate description and intricate plot,this novel has been read from different perspectives by domestic and foreign scholars.Most researches pay attention to the topic like Bildungsroman,trauma and adolescent problems.However,the story of The Goldfinch spans fourteen years and half of the novel is about adult Theo.It seems one-sided if the researches only focus on the adolescent problems.And Theo's anxiety,without a deeper analysis,is always regarded as the symptom of trauma caused by his childhood experience of explosion and loss of his mother.Based on Existential Psychologist Rollo May's theory of anxiety and his relevant concepts of courage,destiny and responsibility,this thesis gives an analysis on the anxiety of protagonist in The Goldfinch.It includes three parts: introduction,the main body and conclusion.The introduction offers general information about the author Donna Tartt and The Goldfinch,a summary of domestic and foreign researches and the significance of this thesis.Chapter one is the theoretical foundation of the thesis,which introduces Rollo May and his theory of anxiety.It summarizes the impacts of anxiety,roots of anxiety and ways to manage anxiety.Anxiety is a basic experience of human being,which impacts man's mental and physical conditions when it is excessive.It is the apprehension caused by a threat to one's existence or to some value that one holds important to his existence.The social root of anxiety is the loss of social values and the formation of new values,like emphasis on reason and the strong desire to be accepted by others.And its psychological root is man's emptiness and loneliness.To manage anxiety constructively,one need to face it bravely,rediscover himself and take the attendant responsibility after making choice.Chapter two makes analysis on the impacts of protagonist Theo's anxiety.It is not only a painful mental experience for Theo,but also causes his abnormal physical condition.Theo suffers from the painful mental experience,which includes the feeling of uncertainty and helplessness,self-alienation and sense of guilt.Meanwhile,he becomes weaker because of the tiredness and self-indulgence in drugs.Chapter three analyzes the main roots of protagonist Theo's anxiety.The first section gives an analysis on the basic root of Theo's anxiety: his mother's early death,absent father and unconcerned grandparents together pose a threat to his existence.The second section analyzes the psychological root of his anxiety: the emptiness and loneliness caused by rootless life and unhappy love relationship,which is a threat to his sense of belonging.The third section discusses the social root of his anxiety: loss of social values.What pose a threat to Theo's individuality are the emphasis on reason and the strong desire to be accepted by others.Chapter four makes an analysis on Theo's constructive ways to manage anxiety.Moral courage enables him to understand others and realize his faults.Social courage enables him to build close relationships with others bravely.Creative courage enables him to obtain new comfort from works of art,writing and antiques restoration.He accepts that his destiny cannot be changed,makes choices and takes the responsibilities to return the famous painting he owns privately,buy back the fakes he sells,and keep his late friend's mother company.The conclusion sums up the above analysis and points out that the novel The Goldfinch not only shows the attention to the mental states of today's young people,but also reflects the thinking about man's predicament and meaning of life,which brings its practical significance.Anxiety is inevitable in one's life.In the process of managing anxiety,one should understand the nature of anxiety and find out its roots.By building up courage,acknowledging the limitation of destiny and taking the attendant responsibility after making choice,man can gain further improvement and maturity.