浅析《宠儿》中赛斯母爱畸形的原因_英语论文

On the Causes for the Abnormal Maternity of Sethe in Beloved

摘要

《宠儿》是托妮·莫里森的经典著作之一，她曾凭此书获得了1988年的普利策奖，并于1993年获诺贝尔文学奖。本文分析论述了塞斯弑婴这一触目惊心的惨剧，并对导致塞斯母爱畸形的原因进行了深度的剖析。结合当时的时代背景来看，塞斯这种母爱是一种痛苦而又神圣的母爱。而导致塞斯母爱畸形的原因又是多方面的，例如，黑暗的奴隶制度，在性别和种族双重歧视下造成的塞斯的极端性格，或是塞斯自己的母爱缺失导致的她对母爱的理解的偏差，又或是需求层次的矛盾。但究其根本，奴隶制才是罪恶之源。

关键词：赛斯  母爱  畸形  奴隶制  需求层次

Abstract

Beloved is one of the greatest masterpieces of Toni Morrison. She is an Afro-American female writer, who won the American National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize in 1988, and the Nobel Prize of Literature in 1993. The thesis deeply analyzes the causes for the abnormal and deformed maternal love of Sethe in Beloved by the shocking tragedy of infanticide. Combined with the background of the times, the maternal love at the racial and gender discrimination is painful but holy. The causes for the maternal love of Sethe are various, such as the cruel slavery, the extreme character of Sethe, the deviation of her understanding of maternal love, the contradiction of hierarchy of needs and so on. Basically, slavery is the source of evil.

Keywords: Sethe  Maternity  Abnormal  Slavery  Hierarchy of Needs

Contents

Introduction1

Chapter I The Character of Sethe.3

    1.1 The Personality of Sethe3

    1.2 The Influence of Social Environment on Sethe4

Chapter Ⅱ The Causes for the Abnormal and Deformed Maternity of Sethe8

    2.1 The Religious Beliefs.8

    2.2 The Distorted Values.9

    2.3 The Absence of Maternal Love10

    2.4 The Conflict Between Human Needs and Social Environment12

Chapter Ⅲ The Evaluation of the Maternal Love of Sethe.17

    3.1 The Traditional Values of Maternal Love .17

    3.2 The Analysis of the Behavior of Sethe.18

Conclusion20

References.21
Acknowledgments22