Olive Kitteridge And Olive,Again In The Context Of Family Systems Theory

Elizabeth Strout is a famous contemporary American writer.As a representative of her works,Olive Kitteridge won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2009.Olive,Again,a sequel to Olive Kitteridge,was published in 2019 and was selected for the revival of Oprah’s Book Club in the same year.Set in the town of Crosby,Maine,the two collections of short stories present family life of residents including the heroine Olive Kitteridge as well as other local people.Olive Kitteridge and Olive,Again consist of 26 stories.After a comprehensive study of the 26 stories,this thesis focuses on 13 typical stories,including “Pharmacy”,“Starving”,“Incoming Tide”,“Ship in a Bottle”,“Criminal” and “The Piano Player”.Based on the theoretical accomplishments of family systems theory,the thesis regards “relationship” as a starting point and analyzes family conflicts from three aspects: the relation between husband and wife,the relation between generations,and the relation between family and society.In addition to the introduction and the conclusion,the main body of the thesis is divided into three chapters,as follows.Chapter two discusses the problems in marriage.With the help of Satir’s concept of survival stance,the first section revolves around Olive’s two marriages and explores the conflicts in marriages.It is found that the reason why spouses cannot communicate effectively is survival stance which is originated from low self-esteem.The ineffective communication provokes quarrels and suspicion.Starting from Bowen’s concept of selfdifferentiation,the second section takes two marital relations as examples,comprising the relation between Harmon and Bonnie and the relation between Jim and Helen,to examine the conflicts in marriages.It is found that the couple deal with anxiety in different ways due to their different levels of self-differentiation.The mishandling of anxiety brings about the silent treatment.The main concern of chapter three is the problems in the intergenerational relation.On the basis of Minuchin’s concept of boundary,the first section considers two intergenerational relations as examples,comprising the relation between Christopher and his parents and the relation between Kevin and his parents,to analyze the intergenerational conflicts.It is found that extreme boundaries lead to unhealthy communication patterns between parents and children.The inappropriate communication patterns exacerbate emotional enmeshment or disengagement.The second section uses Minuchin’s concept of family function to discuss the relation between Julie and her parents and the relation between Kayley and her parents.By exposing the problems in the two relations,this section finds that parents are unable to provide adequate psychological support and encouragement for their children because they lack alternative transactional patterns to communicate with children under pressure.Chapter four explores family problems in social and historical context,and dissects complex interactions between family and society.In the first place the counterculture of the1960 s and the feminist movement bring about family problems of divorce and illegitimacy,which have a negative impact on children’s mental health.Next,under the influence of sexual liberation in the 1960 s,the young generation rebels against abstinence-only sex education and conflicts with the old generation on the topic of premarital sex.Under the guidance of family systems theory,this thesis takes Olive Kitteridge and Olive,Again as the object of study to dig into the causes of family conflicts.From a microscopic perspective,the thesis argues that survival stance,the mishandling of anxiety,extreme boundary,and ineffective family function have negative effects on families.These are the main causes of marital and intergenerational conflicts.From a macroscopic perspective,family life is influenced by the counterculture of the 1960 s and the feminist movement.In other words,anti-traditionalism gives rise to family members’ divergences in values,which is the social cause of family conflicts.Based on profound analysis at the micro and macro levels,the thesis reveals Strout’s critical thinking about American traditional values and provides a reference path for understanding and dissecting the value orientation of American society.