| Rebecca Harding Davis(1831-1910)is considered as one of the pioneers of American realism and the forerunners of American naturalism.She is also an outstanding female writer in American literature.Davis has a keen ability to capture social reality and an advanced creative thinking.Her literary accomplishment is appreciated by Emerson,Hawthorne and other outstanding writers.During her lifetime,she anonymously creates quite a few works,among which the Life in the Iron Mills is of a great practical significance and literary research value.The novel exposes some problems of the American industrial society in the nineteenth century.The novel has received much attention since its publication.However,there are few scholars analyzing it from the perspective of Existentialism,let alone studying it systematically with Sartrean Existentialism.Therefore,this thesis applies Sartrean Existentialism to interpret Life in the Iron Mills,which can not only deepen people‘s understanding of American industrial society in the nineteenth century,but also provide new research perspectives for scholars at home and abroad.This thesis applies Sartrean Existentialism to analyze Life in the Iron Mills.Firstly,utilizing the thought that ―the world is absurd and people are anguished‖,this thesis analyzes the absurdity in Life in the Iron Mills.Focusing on the iron mill,this thesis analyzes the industrial pollution caused by it in nineteenth-century American industrial town Wheeling,its harsh factory environment and the cruel working system.On this basis,this thesis analyzes the laborers‘ suffering,including the female protagonist Deborah‘s self-loss and the marginalization and suicide of the male protagonist Hugh.Secondly,this thesis utilizes the thought of free choice and responsibility to analyze the free choices of different groups and their attitudes toward responsibility.Through the analysis of Hugh‘s artistic pursuit and self-abandonment,as well as Deborah‘s pursuit of love and belief in Quakerism,this thesis reveals the freedom of making choice and the importance of shouldering responsibility.Sartrean Existentialism focuses on human existence,emphasizes the value of existence,and encourages people to find the meaning of existence.By analyzing the absurdity,the free choice made by the protagonists and their corresponding responsibilities in Life in the Iron Mills,this thesis calls on people to improve their self-awareness and realize self-transcendence.Besides,it concludes that people should never give up easily in adversity,and should cherish life and realize the real value of their existence. |
