| Joyce Carol Oates,a famous contemporary American writer,pays close attention to the realistic problems in American society and exposes the living difficulties encountered by people in modern society.In recent years,she has paid special attention to the spiritual predicament of modern people,showing a high sense of social responsibility and human concern,and is called "Female Faulkner".Her works are rich and profound,attracting the attention of many researchers.As one of the representative works whose artistic creation and ideological depth are quite mature,The Falls involves many social problems,such as family,destiny,ecology,etc.,revealing the intricate relationship between people,between people and nature,and between people and society,implying the torture of class,social injustice,humanity and other issues.The tortuous marriage life and tragic life experience of the heroine Ariah are related to the pursuit of personal destiny and the meaning of life,and at the same time,arouse the attention to the psychological trauma suffered by the characters.By interpreting the works with reference to modern trauma theory,this paper discusses the causes of psychological trauma,symptoms and how the characters overcome the pain in their hearts and get salvation in their hearts.The thesis is divided into five parts.The introduction introduces Joyce Carol Oates’ s life,creation,The Falls,research status at home and abroad and trauma theory.The first chapter discusses the growth trauma of Ariah.The first is the psychological trauma caused by the depressed family environment.Under the education and control of parents,Ariah formed abstinence,sensitivity,inferiority and introversion,and lacked correct self-awareness.Secondly,social cognition aggravates Ariah’s distorted cognition of self,and the rigid cognition of women’s figure and marriage age leads to Ariah ’s self-doubt.Under the dual influence of family environment and social cognition,Ariah suffered tremendous psychological pressure and was suppressed in the subconscious,which had a profound impact on Ariah’s marriage life and even his whole life.The second chapter mainly discusses that Ariah experienced the grief of losing her husband before and after two marriages,which led her to fall into the fear of losing at any time,showing traumatic symptoms such as forgetting,avoiding,anxiety,uneasiness,flashback and nightmare.The third chapter focuses on the intergenerational trauma suffered by The Burnaby children.The fourth chapter narrates the healing of characters’ trauma.Family of Dirk Burnaby transferred their complex feelings towards Dirk to the puppy "Zarjo" and empathized,which played a positive role in the final healing of trauma;Finally,by uncovering the truth of Dirk’s death,Ariah and the children finally put down the burden in their hearts and realize their spiritual redemption.The fifth chapter is the conclusion.To sum up the full text,the purpose is to think philosophically about the life philosophy revealed by Oates,that is,no matter what kind of psychological trauma you encounter,as long as you have love and courage in your heart,you can conquer the devil in your soul and regain the meaning of life. |
