From Cultural Division To Human Bonding:Narrative Progression In Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead Trilogy

Marilynne Robinson is one of America’s most influential writers,whose notable works include Housekeeping,Gilead,Home and Lila,etc.Set in the Gilead town,the latter three novels constitute the Gilead trilogy.The three works,all unique to themselves,attain great popularity among readers and scholars.Because religion and race are the most prominent topics of the trilogy,most of the critical attention is paid to its exposure of the racial and religious issues in America.Other scholars have shown due interest in the narrative techniques in the works.However,generally few have paid much attention to the internal connection between the three works in form and content,which is precisely the focus of this study.This thesis,based on James Phelan’s rhetorical approach to narrative,aims to explore the narrative progression and theme of each work and the narrative momentum that links the three,and further reveals the ethical implications of the trilogy.The thesis consists of six chapters.The first chapter is Introduction,which briefly introduces Marilynne Robinson and her literary achievements,gives a survey of previous studies on the Gilead trilogy,and explains the research methodology as well as the main contents of the thesis.Chapter Two mainly analyzes the textual dynamics in Gilead and Home,and aims to prove that cultural division propels the story forward at the textual level.Cultural division,which is manifested in the characters’ conflicting views of race and religion in both works,serves as the instabilities of the textual dynamics and plays a vital role in the development of the story.Chapter Three focuses on the readerly dynamics of Gilead and Home,and explains how the tensions at the discourse level in the two works function to convey the theme of cultural of division to readers.It is found that the employment of stream of consciousness techniques helps readers become aware of the deep-rooted racial problems in Gilead;the juxtaposition of the past and present through flashbacks foregrounds the opposite racial attitudes in the Ames and disparate religious identification in the Boughtons;and circuitous narration prompts readers to dig out the reasons why Jack runs away and finally returns home,and helps to lay bare to readers the fact Jack is alienated.Chapter Four concentrates on the narrative progression of Lila,and argues that the pursuit of human bonding is the internal narrative momentum.On one hand,Lila’s transformation from alienation to integration through human bonding constitutes the most important instability and drives the story forward.On the other hand,the writer’s manipulation of duration and adoption of authorial intrusion allow readers to see the significance of human bonding in identity construction and facilitate their positive emotions towards human bonding,thus highlighting the importance of human bonding.Chapter Five reveals the narrative momentum that binds the works and the ethical messages conveyed by the trilogy.Both Gilead and Home address the issue of cultural division,and just as the intertwining racial and religious issues in them,the two works form an inseparable unit,whereas the third work Lila can be thought of as having provided a solution—that is,human bonding—to the problems depicted in the previous two.The narrative progression of the trilogy from cultural division to human bonding provokes readers to meditate on the cultural division caused by racial and religious issues in the American society,helps them see human bonding as a way out,and appeals to them to show respect for differences,to accept others,to defend personal principles and to have absolute trust in kindness.Chapter Six is Conclusion,which summarizes the discussion and analysis in the previous chapters and arrives at the conclusion that Robinson’s Gilead trilogy is unified whole.The narrative progression from division to bonding exposes the cultural division in America,reveals the necessity and feasibility of human bonding,and provokes thoughts on the racial and religious issues in the real world.The trilogy is of real significance and ethical value.