| Don DeLillo is one of the most important representatives of post-modern literature.His works mainly are set in the post-industrial era of American society,focusing on mass media,performance art and global terrorism and so on.His novel Falling Man,published in 2007,has been hailed as a masterpiece of post-9/11 literature.It mainly describes people’s fear and anxiety about death after the terrorist attack.Robert W.Firestone and Joyce Catlett raise death anxiety in their book Beyond Death Anxiety: Achieving Life-Affirming Death Awareness.They believe that death anxiety represents the integration of many different thought processes and emotions: denial,fascination with death and fear of intimacy,religious attitude,etc.Such phenomena fit well with the thoughts and behaviors of people in DeLillo’s novel Falling Man.Therefore,by employing Firestone and Catlett’s death anxiety theory,this thesis makes a research on Falling Man by focusing on people’s attitudes towards terrorism and death,reveals DeLillo’s concern about people’s living situation and spiritual world as well as his worries about life.This thesis is divided into three parts: Introduction,Body and Conclusion.The first part briefly presents DeLillo’s life and his novel Falling Man as well as overviews the researches on Falling Man at home and abroad,outlines the theoretical basis and thesis structure.The second part includes three chapters.Chapter one focuses on characters’ denial of terrorist attack in Falling Man.People deny terrorist attacks in order to deny death,so as to alleviate death anxiety.Lianne and Nina’s denial of terrorist attack is a defense of American mainstream ideology.Justin’s acceptance of foreign cultures while denying the reality is to resist American mainstream ideology.It can be seen from the comparison that DeLillo is not in favor of American mainstream ideology,and he hopes that American young generation can accept foreign cultures with a tolerant attitude.Chapter two discusses people’s fascination with death and fear of intimacy in the novel.Fear of death can not only lead to fascination with death,but also fear of intimacy.Lianne and others’ high concern for death as well as Keith and others’ estrangement from their relatives are suppressing anxiety.By comparison,we can know that DeLillo faces death with equanimity and appropriate feelings.He also hopes that people can face death correctly and then relieve death anxiety.Chapter three analyzes people’s attitudes towards religious belief in the novel.Religious belief can relieve death anxiety,but make people who have different faiths opposite to each other.New York citizens are suspicious of religion;Terrorist Hammad is blindly adherence to religion;Lianne longs for religion.By contrast,DeLillo conveys his religious view: neither doubt nor blindly follow,but keep one’s own faith.Conclusion summarizes the previous analysis.Through the interpretation of death anxiety of characters in the novel,this thesis points out DeLillo’s criticism of terrorist attack and his concern for people’s survival.It reveals DeLillo’s attitude: people can overcome death anxiety through tolerance,love and religion,and live a more fulfilling life. |
