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Alienation, Indeterminacy and Fragmentation in Kurt Vonnegut’s >Cat’s Cradle<, Master thesis, World Literature, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China 2021 [application of Fromm's theories to art].

  • Kurt Vonnegut (1922 – 2007) is a prominent American writer. As a soldier surviving the World War II, he is exceptionally concerned about the society in wartime and the future of human beings. This thesis takes Vonnegut’s fourth novel >Cat’s Cradle< published in 1963 as the research subject. Through the portrayal of the major characters – Dr. Felix Hoenikker and his three children, Dr. Asa Breed and Jonah, the novel exposes a series of social issues such as the misuse of science and technology, religious nihilism, and man’s alienation. Based upon Ihab Hasan’s postmodernism theory and Eric Fromm’s alienation theory, this study aims at interpreting the creative features of >Cat’s Cradle< from three aspects: alienation, indeterminacy and Fragmentation through analyzing the content and the form. Simultaneously, the research tries to dig out Vonnegut’s writing intention, which is to break the scientism and religious nihilism and arouse man’s courage and wisdom of facing up to life. Chapter One begins with a brief introduction to Kurt Vonnegut’s life and his works, pointing out that Cat’s Cradle is worth studying due to its experimental writing style and concern for the social reality. Then, the significance and the layout of the study are indicated.– Chapter Two introduces and analyzes the previous studies on >Cat’s Cradle< at home and abroad, through which the writer finds it necessary to study the textual and practical significance of >Cat’s Cradle< in postmodern context. The theoretical framework of the thesis includes Ihab Hassan’s postmodernism viewpoints and Erich Fromm’s theory of alienation.– Chapter Three draws on Fromm’s alienation view and Hasan’s self-less-ness and depth-less-ness view, pointing out that alienated people in postmodern society often lose their human nature, and nihility and absurdity are the main features of human beings. Through the analysis of the main characters in the novel such as Dr. Hoenikker, Dr. Asa Breed, Dr. Hoenikker’s children and narrator Jonah, Vonnegut’s depiction of the absurdity and indifference in human nature is exposed.– Chapter Four discusses the characteristic of indeterminacy embodied in >Cat’s Cradle< from the aspects of identity and theme. It not only analyzes the importance of indeterminacy in highlighting the author’s writing intention, but also denotes that indeterminacy has permeated into the thoughts and actions of people living in postmodern society. Vonnegut’s concerns and worries about the instability of postmodern society are also demonstrated.– Deriving from the postmodernism literary feature of Fragmentation, Chapter Five tries to dig out the significance of fragmentation in realizing the author’s writing intention and subverting the creation of traditional novels. Meanwhile, the adoption of Fragmentation insinuates the chaotic and disordered state of postmodern society.– Chapter Six summarizes the main content of this thesis, indicating the importance of Vonnegut’s excellent writing skills in exposing social reality problems, and inspiring the public to think and act positively for the survival and development of postmodern society and human beings. >Cat’s Cradle< presents a moral tragedy in a comedy way. It is novel in plot, clever in conception and rich in theme, therefore, it is popular among readers and worthy of further study by scholars. In addition, Vonnegut’s profound reflection on history and serious concern for reality greatly inspire readers all over the world. Therefore, this book is not only a classic literary work worthy of study, but also a novel with paramount practical significance. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]

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Metadaten
Author:Jia Tao
Document Type:Dissertations
Language:Chinese
Year of first Publication:2021
Release Date:2024/04/04
Format:no download and copy possible
IdNo:Tao_Jia_2021
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Dissertations / Dissertationen
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Dissertations / Dissertationen
Licence (German):
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