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Research on >The Cement Garden< after Fromm’s Theory of Human Nature, Master thesis, English Language and Literature, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China 2022 [application of Fromm’s theories to art].

  • Ian Mc Ewan is one of the most influential novelists in the contemporary British literary world. He has won he Booker Prize, the Maugham Prize for Literature and so on. Mc Ewan’s >The Cement Garden< was published in 1978, which is one of his outstanding and representative works in his early career. On the basis of Fromm’s theory of human nature the thesis aims to analyze the growth environment of the children in >The Cement Garden< and its influence on the construction of the children’s personality in three aspects: the needs satisfaction, the love interactions and the formation of social personalities. Through the analysis of the children’s growth in the three aspects the thesis interprets the inevitability the tragedy of the children and we can deeply understand Mc Ewan’s reflection on human nature and his pursuit and exploration of the sound human nature. The thesis is divided into four chapters besides introduction and conclusion. The introduction part briefly introduces Mc Ewan’s life, creation and his important work >The Cement Garden<. On this basis it reviews the research status of the novel both at home and abroad, thus clarifying the innovation of the thesis and explaining the purpose, significance and structure of the thesis. The first chapter is the theoretical basis, which briefly reviews the origin and development of Fromm’s theory of human nature. It discusses in detail the people’s needs, the emotion interactions and the formation of social personalities in the theory of human nature.– The second chapter analyzes the unsatisfying needs of the children in the construction of human nature. The insufficient association, the deficiency of root-seeking requirements and the unfulfilling sense of identity make the children cannot satisfy their critical needs in the growth process. Mc Ewan also shows that only by establishing contact and communication, paying attention to spiritual needs and improving sense of identity can the children improve their sound human nature in a positive and active life.– The third chapter discusses the lack of love interactions in the construction of human nature. Because of the mother’s unconditional love, the father’s conditional love, the unequal emotion interactions of the siblings and the abnormal and selfish self-love the family members lack the ability of caring for others and the ability of efficient interactions. At the same time the children also show the efforts to build the sound human nature in their limited brotherhood and pursuit of beauty and emotion.– The fourth chapter discusses the formation of the social personalities of the children in the construction of human nature. With the non-productive personality and the negative behavioral representations the children cannot interact effectively with the outside world and they drift away from the society. At the same time, Mc Ewan also shows that only in the satisfaction of human instinct and the healthy family relationships can the children form the positive social personality.– The conclusion part of the thesis points out that >The Cement Garden< reveals the necessity of a healthy growth environment for the construction of the sound human nature of the children. The exploration of children’s growth environment from the perspective of human nature theory not only shows the author’s concern for the human nature problem in the children’s growth, but also provides new ideas on how to construct the sound human nature in modern society. On the basis of Fromm’s theory of human nature the thesis analyzes the construction of human nature of the children in >The Cement Garden< in three aspects: the needs satisfaction, the love interactions and the formation of social personalities. Fromm’s theory of human nature shows that the satisfaction of needs, the comfort of emotions and the positive social personality are the indispensable factors for the construction of the sound human nature. In the novel the children grow up without these factors and result in the final tragic ending. However, >The Cement Garden< is not a worthless work describing the morbid survival state. Mc Ewen shows that the sound human nature plays an important role in the growth of children. Therefore, the novel is of profound social significance in arousing the concern and reflection of contemporary people on the construction of the sound human nature and healthy society. The analysis of >The Cement Garden< through the use of Fromm’s theory of human nature can provide a new perspective for the study of McEwen’s works. [English: www.cnki.net, 9/2022]

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Metadaten
Author:Linrui Wang
Document Type:Dissertations
Language:Chinese
Year of first Publication:2022
Release Date:2024/04/04
Format:no download and copy possible
IdNo:Wang_Linrui_2022
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Dissertations / Dissertationen
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Dissertations / Dissertationen
Licence (German):
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