An Interpretation Of An American Marriage From The Perspective Of Ethical Literary Criticism

Tayari Jones(1970-)is a famous contemporary African American woman writer.Since her fourth novel An American Marriage(2018)came out,it has gained widespread attention in America and won many awards as well as enthusiastic recommendations from Oprah and Bill Gates.Set against the backdrop of mass incarceration in America,the novel weaves a story of a newlywed couple whose lives are drastically changed when the husband was wrongfully sent to prison,focusing not only on the direct effects of American mass incarceration on the prisoners but also the long-term effects on the incarcerated and the indirect impact on their families.With ethical literary criticism,the thesis analyzed this work from four aspects:ethical environment,ethical predicament,Sphinx factor and ethical choice.The thesis consists of five chapters.In Chapter one after making a brief introduction to Tayari Jones and An American Marriage,the thesis analyzes existing scholarship on her works home and abroad and states the theoretical framework,structure,and significance of the thesis.Chapter two analyzes the triple ethical predicaments that two protagonists are trapped in due to the harsh ethical environment caused by mass incarceration prevailing in America.Chapter three explores the complex and contradictory Sphinx factors influencing two protagonists’ choices.Chapter four interprets the ethical choices made by two protagonists under the influence of the Sphinx factors.The process of making constant ethical choices helps two main characters develop their ethical consciousness.Chapter 5 concludes that the issues of race,gender,and mass incarceration in America brought two protagonists into the triple ethical predicaments including wrongful imprisonment,physical and spiritual trauma as well as dramatic changes in families.The unceasing rivalries between human factors and animal factors lead to protagonists’ constant change of ethical choices when they face these ethical predicaments.Interpreting An American Marriage with ethical literary criticism not only breaks the traditional mode of studying African American women literature but also brings the text back to ethical scene in American society,which helps us understand the deep-rooted reasons for hard choices made by the author and African Americans in the harsh ethical predicaments of modern American society.