Abstract

Norman Mailer is an innovator of the nonfiction novels. In his nonfiction novel The Executioner’s Song, he created a typical American existentialist—Gilmore. Gilmore’s psychological characteristics and antisocial violence highly reflected the philosophy of Mailer’s American existentialism. By describing the character, Mailer wanted to warn the readers that the only way to struggle with the absurd 20th century is to be an American existentialist. You should enjoy the sensual pleasure and use the violence to fight against the alienated society.

Key words:  Gilmore, American existentialism, Hipster, death

摘要

诺曼•梅勒是非虚构小说的先行者。在《刽子手之歌》中，他塑造了一个美国存在主义的典型代表—吉尔摩。吉尔摩的心理特征和反社会行为高度浓缩了诺曼•梅勒的“美国存在主义”这一人生哲学。作者欲通过刻画主人公吉尔摩向世人传达：面对荒谬的20世纪，人们只有一条出路，那就是成为美国存在主义者，用追求感官享受和暴力行为来反抗这个异化的社会。

关键词：吉尔摩；美国存在主义；希波斯特；死亡

1.    Introduction
1.1 The introduction of Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer (1923-2007) was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, but he was raised in Brooklyn, New York. He was a towering figure in American literature for nearly 60 years. Mailer's literary talents were recognized and encouraged at school by his teachers, who let him write whatever he wanted. His first literary effort was a 250-page story called Invasion from Mars, which he penned at the age of nine in notebooks. However, it was not until he attended Harvard that he decided to become a writer. In 1939 he graduated from Boys High School and then studied at Harvard University, Cambridge, receiving B.S. in aeronautical engineering. In 1941 Mailer's The Greatest Thing in the World won Story magazine's college contest.