TY - GEN A1 - Cai, Hong T1 - Images of the Alienated Mothers in >The Metamorphosis< and >Old Floating Cloud<, Master thesis, World Literature, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China 2021 [application of Fromm’s theories to art]. N2 - Franz Kafka is known as one of the forerunners of western modernist fiction. As a representative of Chinese avant-garde fiction writer, Can Xue, with her creation influenced by Kafka, has been called >Chinese Kafka< by the Nobel Prize judge Göran Malmqvist. The two writers have both created alienated mother images in their works. Therefore, taking the >mother image< as the penetration point, the thesis endeavors to study the similarities and dissimilarities of the mother images in Kafka’s >The Metamorphosis< and Can Xue’s >Old Floating Cloud<, and to explore the causes behind the alienated mother images as well as the significance of the representation of them. In addition to the introduction and conclusion, the thesis is composed of three chapters. The introduction part begins with a close analysis of the related theme and clarifies this study’s significance and methodology.– Based on close reading, chapter one analyzes the evil mother images in >The Metamorphosis< and >Old Floating Cloud< and points out that neither of them possess traditional mothers’ virtues, but the two authors present the images of alienated mothers in different ways. Under Kafka’s depiction, the mother image in >The Metamorphosis< undergoes a dynamic change, while Can Xue puts the mother images in a static structure, presenting the inherent catastrophe within the motherhood.– Chapter two examines the causes for alienated mother images in the two works from the perspective of patriarchy and modernity crisis. Using Simon Beauvoir’s theory of >The Other Sex< and Fromm’s theory of >alienation<. this thesis demonstrates that the mothers in both books are both victims and accomplices of the patriarchy. Meanwhile, the mother in >The Metamorphosis< has lost love for her son because of her excessive pursuit of capital under the sway of modernity. The mothers in >Old Floating Cloud< are caught in the spiritual predicament in modern society, which also alienates their relationship with their children.– Chapter three discusses the significance of the representation of the alienated mother images by Can Xue and Kafka in terms of the books’ cultural and social background as well as the writers’ own experiences. Although the two writers have different focuses, they both express criticism of patriarchy and offer reflection on the crisis of modernity. Comparing the alienated mother images in >The Metamorphosis< and >Old Floating Cloud< provides a different angle in the comparative study between Can Xue and Kafka. The mothers in the two works are alienated under the influence of patriarchy and modernity crisis, which, in a practical sense, reminds us that we need to pay more attention to the identity of mothers and the spiritual plight of modern people. [English: www.cnki.net, 4/2022] Y1 - 2021 ER -