On The Theme of Salvation of The Underclass in >Tortilla Flat> and >Cannery Row< 《煎饼坪》与《罐头厂街》中的底层阶级救赎主题探讨, Master thesis, English Language and Literature, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan, China 2016 [application of Fromm's theories to art].

  • 20世纪最具影响力的美国作家之一约翰•斯坦贝克于1962年获得诺贝尔文学奖。《煎饼坪》和《罐头厂街》作为其两部经典小说,展现了大萧条时期及二战时期蒙特雷地区底层阶级的精神面貌。一些学者认为,相对于《愤怒的葡萄》中斯坦贝克对资产阶级的强烈批判,这两部小说显示了斯坦贝克对资产阶级的屈服。这种观点实际上忽视了斯坦贝克站在底层阶级的角度对底层阶级如何自救进行的思考。本文将借用弗洛姆对爱的阐释对斯坦贝克的这种思考进行讨论,探讨这两部作品中底层阶级的救赎主题。弗洛姆在《爱的艺术》一书中指出,爱是人类存在的基础,可分为>兄弟之爱<、>母爱<、>性爱<、>自爱<和>上帝之爱<。他认为爱是人类走出生存困境的方式,是解决西方社会各类问题的救赎之道。本文拟围绕底层阶级的自卑感、无家感、孤独感,从>自爱<、>兄弟之爱<、>上帝之爱<三个方面分析《煎饼坪》和《罐头厂街》中底层阶级的自我救赎、人际救赎以及组织救赎。正文包含三章。第一章从底层阶级的自杀现象入手,分析两部作品中底层阶级个体的自我救赎,认为斯坦贝克在两部作品中强调了底层阶级应克服自卑感的重要性,指出底层阶级只有通过自爱,才能消除孤独感和自卑感,从而获得个体的救赎。第二章从底层阶级小群体彼此间建立的兄弟情谊以及从底层社区人们亲如兄弟姐妹的人际关系入手,分析两部作品中底层阶级内部的相互救赎,认为作品突出了兄弟之爱对底层阶级无家感救赎的重要性。第三章分析底层阶级的组织救赎,从理性信念和非理性信念两个方面探讨整个底层阶级如何建立自身的阶级信念,明确阶级奋斗目标,从而实现阶级的救赎的过程,认为理性信念才是底层阶级打破自身非理性信念、实现阶级组织救赎的基础。文章结论指出斯坦贝克在两部作品中表现了底层阶级实现阶级救赎的可能性,这种救赎与当时社会环境密切相关。斯坦贝克认为底层阶级虽然无力对抗强大的资产阶级,但是通过认清自己的阶级地位,以爱为中心实现底层阶级的自救与互救,内部形成合力,去争取本阶级的阶级利益,能够实现本阶级的救赎。从这一点来看,这两部作品并非显示了斯坦贝克对资产阶级的屈服,而是体现了斯坦贝克对底层阶级依靠自身走出阶级困境的思考。
  • John Steinbeck (1902-1968) was one of the most influential writers in America in 20 th century, who received the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature. >Tortilla Flat< and >Cannery Row< are his two famous novels, both describing the casts of misfits and have-nots during the period of Great Depression and the Second World War. Compared with Steinbeck‘s serious attack on bourgeoisie in the Grapes of Wrath and other works, some critics think >Tortilla Flat< and >Cannery Row< show Steinbeck‘s flinch on bourgeoisie criticism. As a matter of fact, this viewpoint ignores Steinbeck‘s reflection standing on the underclass‘s point to consider how to save underclass themselves. Based on Erich Fromm‘s interpretation of love, this paper tries to analyze Steinbeck‘s reflection in order to dig out the theme of salvation of the underclass in >Tortilla Flat< and >Cannery Row<.– In the Art of Loving, Fromm treats love as the root of human existence and classifies love into five objects: motherly love, erotic love, brotherly love, self love and the love of God. Fromm points out, that love is a solution to living predicament and to social problems. Starting from this point, this paper will analyze self salvation, interpersonal salvation and institutional salvation of underclass from self love, brotherly love and the God of love, with the thread of the sense of inferiority, homelessness and loneliness of underclass.– This thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter one analyzes the self salvation. Based on the analysis of suicide phenomenon in >Tortilla Flat< and >Cannery Row<, this chapter thinks that Steinbeck stresses the importance for the underclass to overcome the sense of inferiority, and points out that only by relying on self love, can underclass individuals eliminate loneliness and the sense of inferiority, and then achieve the salvation of themselves.– Chapter two discusses the interpersonal salvation. Through the analysis of the process of Paisanos’ group‘s formation in >Tortilla Flat< and the brotherly union in the community in >Cannery Row<, this chapter holds that these two works reflect the importance of brotherly love for the underclass to eliminate helplessness and obtain a sense of belongingness.– Chapter three analyzes the institutional salvation. It stresses the function of rational faith and the irrational faith respectively and the importance of setting up class belief and then draws the conclusion that the rational faith is the root of the salvation of the underclass for it helps underclass people to transcend irrational faith to class belief.– From the above analysis, this thesis concludes that >Tortilla Flat< and >Cannery Row< show the possibility of the salvation of the underclass. This salvation is related to the social background. Steinbeck thinks that the underclass are not strong enough to fight against the bourgeoisie, but they can achieve salvation by way of self salvation, interpersonal salvation and institutional salvation with the basis of recognizing their class status, forming a joint force, and gaining their own class interests. From that point, these two novels do not show Steinbeck‘s flinch on bourgeoisie criticism but reflect Steinbeck‘s concern on how the underclass people extricate from their plight by themselves. [Author’s translation]

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Metadaten
Author:Zhichao Mi
Document Type:Dissertations
Language:Chinese
Year of first Publication:2016
Release Date:2017/11/20
Format:no download and copy possible
IdNo:Mi_Zhichao_2016
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Dissertations / Dissertationen
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Dissertations / Dissertationen
Licence (German):
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