The Anxiety Of Social Transformation In Wish You Were Here

Contemporary British writer Graham Swift's novel Wish You Were Here describes the disintegration of the traditional living structure of the English countryside and the pains of life and death caused by the war before and after the turn of the new and old century from the end of the 20~thh century to the beginning of the 21~stt century.In doing so,the novel reveals the mental dilemma of free choice for individuals,the anxiety of interpersonal relationships,and the anxiety of social public safety during the social transformation.This paper takes the anxiety theory of Kierkegaard,Sullivan and Rollo May as the framework.The second chapter discusses the spiritual dilemma of free choice experienced by individuals under the"dizziness of freedom" during the social transformation.The farm that Jack's family has run for generations has been in trouble under the influence of the cow disease,and the main characters in the novel are faced with important choice.Jack,Ellie and Tom experience the difficulty of choice facing the possibility of freedom,and feel the"dizziness of freedom" ---the anxious mood in a difficult situation that seemingly free choice,but is restricted by external factors.They seem to be free but they are actually not free.Anxiety arises with the emergence of the protagonists'self-consciousness and the willingness to choose freely.Jack's choice of the identity of the"islander" gives him an unspeakable sense of drifting.His existence and mind are floating in confusion between the material world and the spiritual home.Ellie's choice of "self" makes her deeply lost.The contradiction between her principle of freedom and the limited reality makes her full of anxiety.Tom's choice of the"battlefield" is full of helplessness.The spiritual anxiety of drifting,confusion,and helplessness of the protagonists in a situation that seems to be free but actually not free shows their dizziness in the face of the possibility of freedom.The third chapter studies the anxiety of interpersonal relationships reflected in the "apprehension of disapproval" of people during the transformation.The disapproval of kinship,love and friendship caused the characters in the novel to fall into spiritual anxiety and apprehension.The alienated parent-child relationship of the Luxtons and the Merricks reflects the faintness of kinship.This causes the depressive psychology of each family member,and makes them suffer from anxiety.The alienated marital relationship between Jack and Ellie,Jimmy and Alice,Toby and Claire in the novel reflects the breakdown of love and gives them a strong sense of loss.Under anxiety,they try to use the means of destruction or avoidance to release the pressure of anxiety.Their madness and loss reflect the ravage of anxiety on their hearts.The indifferent neighborhood relationship between Michael and Jimmy reflects the lack of friendship.They should have supported each other and felt warm friendship after their families'misfortune,but what they brought to each other was endless loneliness and helplessness.The fourth chapter discusses the anxiety of social public safety caused by the threat of "nonbeing" during the transformation.Under the threat of the forces of"nonbeing" such as diseases,wars and governments'corruption,several happy families are falling apart or faltering.Psychic diseases such as pain,fear and despair engulf the soul of people and demonstrate the spiritual dilemma of modern people.The sufferings and traumas caused by the spread of various animal diseases and human bodily diseases have caused people to suffer,and people are on the verge of collapse.The threat of frequent wars has brought tremendous spiritual shock to people,making them feel nervous and fearful at all times.The threat of governments'corruption has caused a large number of farmers to suffer economic and spiritual damage,victims either fleeing or committing suicide.Sadness,anger,abandonment,and a strong sense of loss of roots pervade the whole society.The above studies show that the common people involved in the double journey of survival and mind in Wish You Were Here have experienced the"dizziness of freedom" in the face of seemingly free choice of their respective identities and future life during the social transformation.Their free choice is subjected to external conditions,objective environment,and their own thoughts and desires.They are not free.The dizziness experienced by the protagonists is the mental anxiety they encounter.The characters in the novel are flummoxed by the denial of their place in the minds of important people.The indifference and alienation between parents and children bring repression to each other;the alienated marital relationship between husbands and wives makes each other feel lost;the indifference and opposition between neighbors make them feel lonely.The forces of"nonbeing" such as diseases,wars and corruption in the novel threaten the foundation of people's security and bring people the pain,fear and despair caused by the destruction of their home.