On The "Besieged World" Described By Carson McCullers

Carson McCullers is one of the most distinguished female writers in Southern America.During her major creative period,it was a period of social transition in the South,economic、war、religion and other issues caused changes in people’s past living conditions.McCullers observed that the relationship between people became distorted,leaving individuals in a desperate situation.Therefore,she closely revolved around the theme of survival predicament in her works.It reflected the sense of loneliness that human beings under both material and spiritual suffering.Carson McCullers takes the Southern American town as a model and tries to create gothic atmosphere by using suicide and violent plot,constructing a weird and isolated" besieged city".The oppressive external living environment reacts on the ordinary people who live inside,making them negatives.In addition,McCullers focuses on the group that is not accepted by the mainstream society.There are both disadvantaged women who are suppressed by traditional gender perspectives,homosexuals and androgyny who are confused by gender selection,as well as ethnic minorities who are in racial conflict.On the one hand,they expect to break through the boundaries of the identified identities;on the other hand,under the restriction of patriarchy culture and”white supremacy" ideology,they are suffering from spiritual isolation and being trapped in internal and external circumstances.They are constantly trying to find the way for relief.Unfortunately,they have established emotional connections with friendship、love、kinship but met with the disillusionment of the emotional appeal;in the process of pursuing ideal identity and ethnic identity,they were once again confused;even if they have turned to religious salvation,they cannot really gain the power of faith.Although characters always cannot escape the shackles of traditional ideas,their efforts to seek the meaning of survival highlights the humanistic care that McCullers has beyond race、gender and mediocre daily life to break through loneliness.