On The Alienation Of Martin In Arrowsmith

Sinclair Lewis's?1885-1951?has earned his international fame for becoming the first American writer winning the Nobel Prize for literature.Novels of Lewis mainly reflect the distress experienced by a generation going through changes,and he utilizes satirical writing to probe into paramount problems caused by the ruthlessness of industrial progress.Faced with those social and occupational problems,he offers his characters evasive solutions like escaping into nature.Lewis has produced many prestigious novels,among them Arrowsmith?1925?is the one he claimed he dedicated the best of himself.Like Lewis,Martin Arrowsmith experiences his life at the juncture of the 19^th and 20^th century,when the American economy developed rapidly and its material life was abundant,but more and more people felt anxiety,fear,loneliness and dazedness.The feeling of experiencing oneself as an alien,the slave of his own actions and being excluded from oneself,others and the society is the representation of alienation,which one cannot be oblivious to.This sort of psychological phenomenon is deemed as alienation based on Erich Fromm's theory.In Arrowsmith,the state of an individual being alienated is fully presented through Martin Arrowsmith.It is hardly surprisingly that the na?ve obsession with pure science and the urge to connect with people wither,as the developing capitalist economy turns every individual into products that can be valued by money and traded.Martin is confronted with the situation that he is alienated from himself,others and society as a whole due to a series of reasons.Based on Erich Fromm's theory of alienation,individuals'alienation can be overcome if appropriate measures are taken.And reasons for,representations of and approaches to overcome Martin's alienation are separately discussed in three parts.Chapter one mainly discusses causes of Martin's alienation.The roots of Martin's alienation lie deeply in his commodification of capitalist economy and disconnection with others and the society.Firstly,the market rule of capitalistic economy has greatly undermined Martin's ability and confidence in saving people's life,and it also makes Martin doubts his own value and the meaning of life.Secondly,the dichotomy of short span of life and Martin's potential leads to his alienation.Due to people's limited span of life and the level of medical science,Martin is unable to exert his full potential to cure his patients or save lives of his loved ones.Instead of giving up,Martin keeps fighting against the dichotomy and continuous failures frustrates him and makes him alienated.And human psychology and personality are the subjective reasons for Martin's alienation.Living within a society which worships money,a kind but na?ve man like Martin who believes in the existence of pure science is surely alienated by people around him.No matter as a medical student or a physician or a scientist,Martin has always felt being different,isolated and anxious.Chapter two revolves around Martin's manifestations of his alienation.Martin is mainly alienated from himself,people around him and the society he lives in.The alienation this thesis mainly analyzes are the alienation in Martin himself,which refers to his estrangement from his nature by selling his personalities and worshiping idols;Martin is alienated from people around him,for the reason that the relationship between them is essentially that between materials;the alienation from society is not only represented as his retreating into himself,but also his passiveness in social activities he is involved in.Chapter three is about Martin's approaches to overcome his own alienation by rebuilding connections with people and society and rediscovering his value in creative activities.The most efficient attempt is being absorbed in scientific researches which is free from others'expectation and repression,so that he can push forward the study and offer hope to those who are infected with the plague.As for relationships with others,Martin has learned to give and take care of his patients and life partners in order to cultivate love.Finally,he has taken lessons from the transcendentalists to realize his own value through living in the countryside,where he engages himself in the daily labor and make him no longer a product in the capitalist economy.By studying Martin's alienation,this thesis reveals the specific causes,manifestations,and ways of overcoming alienation in a capitalist society,and attempts to find a feasible way for modern people with problems of experiencing alienation.