Analysis of Freedom and Loneliness Theme in >All the King's Men< [《国王的人马》中自由与孤独主题分析], Master thesis, English Language and Literature, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China 2013 [application of Fromm's theories to art].

  • 罗伯特•佩恩•沃伦是美国二十世纪著名的多产作家,他善于通过小说中的人物来展现现代人的精神困境和生存状态。《国王的人马》(1946)正是这样一部作品,它对杰克和威利两名主人公对待自由的态度的描写反映了现代人在追求自由的过程中遇到的困境。在弗洛姆>逃避自由<的理论中,自由分为>积极自由<与>消极自由<两种,小说中的主人公杰克和威利都曾因在消极自由的状态中无法继续生存而选择逃避自由,从而得到暂时的依赖和安全感。杰克的逃避方式是臣服于权威,威利则是成为主宰他人的权威,虽然方式不同,但他们都在逃避自由的过程中缓解了孤独,却丧失了真实的自我。杰克通过努力最终获得了积极自由,而威利则在逃避中走向了最终的毁灭。沃伦在《国王的人马》中试图告知我们这样一个道理:只有像杰克一样敢于面对真实的自我,才能得到真正的自由。
  • Robert Penn Warren is a well-known prolific American writer in the20th century. He is good at presenting the existential state and spiritual crisis of modern people. >All the King’s Men< (1946) is such a novel in which the two heroes’ attitudes towards freedom reflect the predicament of modern people in their pursuit of freedom. In Fromm’s theory, freedom is divided into two kinds, >positive freedom< and >negative freedom<. In the novel, both Jack and Willie, the two heroes, have been stuck in the state of negative freedom which renders their lives unbearable. In order to get a sense of belonging and security, they choose to escape from their freedom. Jack makes his escape by submitting to the authority while Willie does so by dominating others. Although their ways of escape are different, their loneliness is both alleviated and their true self is lost. In the end, Jack eventually obtains positive freedom through his efforts while Willie is doomed to his final destruction. Warren intends to convey such a truth to the readers: only by facing your true self can you obtain true freedom. [Author’s translation]

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Metadaten
Author:Rui Zhao
Document Type:Dissertations
Language:Chinese
Year of first Publication:2013
Release Date:2016/09/29
Format:no download and copy possible
IdNo:Zhao_Rui_2013
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Dissertations / Dissertationen
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Dissertations / Dissertationen
Licence (German):
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