A Study Of Family Relationships In Novels Of Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates(1938-)is a highly reputable writer in contemporary American literature.Throughout her work to date,Oates’ novels are rich in ethical ideas.Oates’ stories usually unfold within the family,and the writer’s humanistic concerns,ethical demands,and social and ethnic scrutiny are all echoed in the writing of various family relationships.The first chapter analyzes the alienated family ethical relationships in Oates’ s novels.Focusing on the family,Oates looks at the crisis of the individual and the times,focusing on the alienated interpersonal relationships in the family sphere.This focuses on the breakdown of marriage,the alienation of generations,and the indifference between in-laws and communities.Together,they present the collapsing ethical status quo in America,where care gives way to cold oppression and responsibility gives way to the satisfaction of self-interest.The second chapter aims to analyze the deep-seated social causes behind the family crisis.In the process of gender socialization,the differences between men and women develop into an imbalanced power relationship.Men are given a sense of superiority and authority that shapes their sense of separation and control,causing them to disregard and oppress their family and close friends.Women,on the other hand,have lost their subjectivity under patriarchal domination,resulting in their own misplaced family identity.Oates wants both men and women to break down stereotyped gender identities,tear down the walls of patriarchy,and reverse family and social crises.The materialism and consumer logic of contemporary capitalist society have shaped utilitarian values,and the satisfaction of self-interest has overtaken flesh and blood,seriously endangering the ethical order of the family and the development of social civilization.the extreme liberal trends of the 1960 s and1970s,such as sexual liberation,hippies and radical feminism,have dissolved people’s sense of responsibility and pushed them into the abyss of irrational indulgence.Traditional marriages rooted in fidelity were challenged,and adolescents lost a healthy environment to grow up in,making it difficult to form a sound personality.Against the backdrop of materialistic desires and emotional indifference,Oates calls on people to exercise restraint rationally,restore the vitality of life,and thus assume their own responsibilities.The third chapter writes about the ways to repair family ethical relationships.Getting out of family pain and rebuilding a harmonious relationship requires each family member to clarify their own ethical identities and put them into practice in real life.In the face of marital difficulties,women regain dignity and happiness through spiritual independence,while men are reborn in the nourishment of marriage and family love.In the face of intergenerational wounds,wounded children put aside their hatred and reintegrate into the real world;derelict parents reflect on their past faults and grow into competent guardians.In addition,in the practice of love giving and caring,people lighten the hidden pain in the family,complete their own salvation,and inspire others around them to go out of the way.The family connects the individual to society.Oates starts from a small place in the family,with the intention of examining the state of existence of contemporary individuals and social problems.She advocates that family members love each other and restore the proper ethical order,so as to achieve the harmony and coexistence of human society.