| Loneliness is an eternal theme in the literary world.Especially since the 20th century,with the development of economy and society,more and more literary writers are connected with the theme of loneliness and desperation in the human spiritual world.Carson Mc Cullers is one of the most important southern female writers in the 20th century in the United States.Loneliness and spiritual isolation have almost prevailed in all her works.The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is her representative work on the theme of loneliness,in which Mc Cullers perceives the deepest destiny in the human heart and the loneliness in human nature,but at the same time she remains hope for life.This thesis applies the theory of personality structure and defense mechanism of Freudian psychoanalysis,combining the time background and social status of the three main characters in the novel,to analyze the id,the ego and the superego of their personality structure and explore the psychological factors of their inevitable loneliness.Their tragic lonely fate is not only brought about by the suffocating social traditions of the South,but also the result of their imbalanced personality structure.Therefore,using psychoanalysis to analyze these characters’ spiritual world and loneliness is helpful to understand the theme of loneliness of the novel,and reveal the critical realistic and emotional meaning conveyed in the author’s writing of loneliness.This thesis consists of the introduction,the main body and the conclusion.The introduction first gives a brief review of Carson Mc Cullers’ writing background and the novel The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.Next,it offers a comprehensive literature overview of this novel at home and abroad.Then it explains the feasibility of applying Freudian psychoanalysis to the research of the theme of loneliness of the novel.Finally,it points out the purpose and significance of this thesis.The main body includes three chapters.Chapter One explains the instinctive desires of these characters’ id and their manifestation of loneliness.Driven by the impulsive id,the characters show various weird behaviors and radical thoughts in pursuing their personal ideals and satisfaction of instinctive desires,which are inconsistent with the mainstream social values and norms in their time.Mick’s desire for gender equality is mainly manifested in her boyish behaviors and ambition;Jack’s struggle for class equality is embodied in his radical ideas and crazy behaviors;Dr.Copeland’s fight for racial equality not only can find its expression in enlightening his compatriots,but also in imposing his ambitions on his children.Therefore,they cannot be understood and recognized by their family,compatriots and even society,and sink into a dilemma of loneliness.In fact,the strong desire of the id is the origin of their loneliness.Chapter Two interprets the mediation of their ego and the application of defense mechanism to relieve their loneliness and anxiety.Faced with the negative feedback from the external world,the characters’ ego begins to play its role and tries to adjust their behaviors according to social norms to establish contact with others and integrate into society in vain.Their strong id always prevails,leaving the ego in a weak state.Since there is a conflict between the impulsive id and reality,their ego adopts different defense mechanisms to alleviate their anxiety and loneliness in reality.Mick uses fantasy and projection to escape the reality in the “outside” room,achieve dreams in the“inside” room and share secrets with Singer.Jack employs displacement and projection to transfer his pain to liquor and calm himself down by talking to Singer.Dr.Copeland adopts displacement and projection so that he can find peace in reading,working and communicating with Singer.However,these efforts cannot help them fundamentally get rid of the shadow of loneliness,only to relieve the pain temporarily.Especially after the death of Mr.Singer,the only listener and comforter who could calm them down,their possibility of reducing loneliness disappears completely.Chapter Three discusses the weakness of their superego and their inevitability of loneliness.According to the morality principle,the superego represents culturally internalized moral standards.For some personal,family or social reasons,social norms and ethics have not been effectively internalized in their values of the superego.Mick’s potential patriarchal superego,Jack’s lack of class ideology and Copeland’s weakness in racial superego make them do not feel guilty for their rebellious behaviors and ideas that do not meet social expectations.Their personal ideals also run counter to the requirements of social reality.Therefore,under the influence of the Southern patriarchy,capitalism and slavery history,their radical behaviors and ideals of the id cannot be understood and supported by their communities who have internalized the mainstream cultural values,preventing them from taking action.And finally,they inevitably fall into the plight of loneliness and desperation impossible to escape from.The last part draws a conclusion.The three main characters’ strong id takes up a dominant place,their feeble ego and defense mechanism fails to regulate the conflict between the id and reality,and their superego is too weak to restrict the impulsive id with a sense of guilt as a punishment and to guide the feeble ego with a strong moral sense.Under that social background,the personality structure of these three characters is imbalanced,so the inevitable loneliness generated by the inherent conflict between ideality and reality cannot be effectively cured.Through the analysis of the tragic lonely story,it is found that only when they can maintain the id,the ego and the superego in harmony and handle the relationship between the individual and society,between the ideality and reality well,can they obtain understanding and recognition among their communities,establish harmonious relationships with others,and achieve a healthy psychological state to get rid of loneliness and spiritual isolation. |
PDF Full Text Request