The Study Of "Marginal Man" Images In Thomas Pynchon’s Novels

Thomas Pynchon is a representative writer of the American postmodern literature who isstill active.So far,he has written and published seven novels, and each has aroused widespreadconcern in the readers and critics. Many of his novels have accounted for a lot of significantawards in America, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times, too. It’sno doubt that he is an influential and outstanding writer in the America and all the worldaround. Pynchon is also a very unique hermit, his life experience and style is different fromthe mainstream writers, can be called the "marginal man" in the writers. This paper followsthe development of Pynchon’s ideology, explores the rich implication and significance of the“marginal man” images from aesthetic and historical viewpoint.This paper consists of three parts: introduction, main body and conclusion. The mainbody is divided into three chapters: firstly, the first chapter discusses the origin of the"marginal man" concept, and tries to improve its definition in this paper; then with lookinginto the background of the novels, analyses the survival situation of "marginal man" viaaspects of economy, politics and ideology, reveals social and historical reasons of appearanceof these images; finally, from the two aspects of mainstream say deconstruction andexpression of post-modern aesthetic orientation, reveals Pynchon’s intention of creating the“marginal man” images. The second chapter, the refugees of economy and politics, analysesfour types of “marginal man” images who becoming themselves due to external factors suchas economy and politics. Among them, the analysis on the mainstream abandoned "waste",shows their poor situation and self salvation in order to survive; the analysis of the politicalvictims called “the half dead”, shows the tragic political experience and half dead state of life;the analysis of the oppressed “witness”, highlights their survival plight in tyranny, andhelpless and miserable in exchanging freedom for survival; the analysis of the suffering race,shows the history of the American colonial period and their “soul-losing” process. Thecreating of the four kinds of characters, shows the sympathy and humanitarian care of a writeron the bottom. The third chapter, anti-mainstream spirit practitioner, focuses on the analysis ofthree types of “marginal man” images who becoming themselves due to self choice in thespiritual world. Among them,the analysis of “the ill”,demonstrates their non utilitarian pursuitand good nature in hard situation; the analysis of the hippie group, shows their firm faith ingoodness and guard of human nature and family love; the analysis of the latent instinctfollowers, demonstrates their challenge and rebellion to the instrumental reason in scientificresearch activities as well as the life rhythm and heat beat in the fog of war. The creating ofthe three kinds of characters, reflects the writer’s postmodernism value orientation of antimainstream spirit.Pynchon’s novels involve rich inclusions, uncertain meanings and ingenious metaphors,and they are also intricately built. This study of the topic “marginal man” images, tries toshow the survival situation, spirit and value pursuit of this group from multiple angles, andreveals inspirations and means in them, in order to open up a new field of Pynchon’s novels.