A Study On The Theme Of Death In Willa Cather’s Novels

Willa Cather (1873-1947) is one of the most distinguished novelists of America in theearly twentieth century. Her literary career is remarkable and fruitful for she has writtentwelve novels, four collections of short stories and two poetry anthologies. All her works,with the characteristic of discontinuity, have been highly praised for the unique style of beinglucid and profound themes. My ántonia, The Professor’s House and Death Comes for theArchbishop, which are respectively considered as the best in her three divided artistic phases,are especially notable.Although a lot of interpretations and appreciation have been devoted to the three novels,few critics focus on the theme of death. This thesis is designed to explore the theme of deathaddressed in the three novels by adopting Freudian psychoanalysis of life instinct and deathinstinct. Cather’s personal experience and the social backgrounds are also applied forreference. Through the systematic textual analysis, this dissertation attempts to study Cather’svarying treatment of death and the profound connotations.The thesis consists of three chapters. The first chapter analyzes the denial of death inMy ántonia. As a masterpiece of the Nebraska novels which have established Cather’sliterary status, My ántonia clearly manifests Cather’s optimistic attitude toward life. Thenarration of death in this novel is to reveal the subconscious life instinct and to affirm thesignificance of life rather than to show the dissolution of individuals. Mr. Shimerda’s deathdemonstrates a human dignity sublimated from the hardships and implies a manner ofrenewal. Pavel and Cutter’s unwillingness to face the encroachment of death and theirviolence are the manifestations of the evil of human nature. ántonia who returns to theNebraska plain after a long time of exile achieves immortality in the nature eventually.Chapter Two attempts to explore the longing for death in The Professor’s House whichis a representative of the crisis novels in her middle period. In the aftermath of the First WorldWar and the coming of the Jazz time, a sense of spiritual crisis haunted the Americans.Therefore, the anxiety of being and the meaninglessness of life characterize Cather’s workswritten in this period, which is also a reflection of death instinct within the theoreticalframework of the psychoanalysis. In The Professor’s House, the disillusion of ideals and the death of love are the direct manifestations of social problems. The exploration of thecharacters’ psychic depth reflects men’s impetuosity to embrace death in the desperate world.Chapter Three focuses on the transcendence of death in Death Comes for theArchbishop which is a refreshing novel after the anxiety period. In her third literary phase,Cather comforts herself by writing something about history and religion. Her historicalnovels, filled with an atmosphere of quiescence, provide a detachment. The true meaning oflife is interacting actively with the world by repressing the instincts. In the light of religiousbelief, death not only brings a chance to achieve eternity but also implies the end of an oldorder and the rebirth of a new world.The different treatment of death in Cather’s novels reflects her continuous thoughts onhumans’ life and death. The probe into the characters’ complex psychic depth manifests herhumanist care. In conclusion, the theme of death has achieved its spiritual dimensions to thegreat possibility in Cather’s novels: Death is the key to the presentation of all kinds of humannature, as well as the affirmation of love and life.