The purpose of this study is to clarify the direction of American society as it was affected by various changes in the twentieth century modernism. At that time, American society established the direction based on community spirit. In this , the ... The purpose of this study is to clarify the direction of American society as it was affected by various changes in the twentieth century modernism. At that time, American society established the direction based on community spirit. In this , the researcher paid attention to a transition process of traditional values of the major characters in four novels (i.e., A Lost Lady, 1923; Lucy Gayheart, 1935; My Ántonia, 1918; and Death Comes for the Archbishop, 1927) by Willa Cather (1873-1947). The several established research methods on Cather’s literature were extended to the stories concerning communities, pioneering, feminism, eco-feminism and homosexuality. However, this study aimed to determine the appropriateness of conducting research from the ecological perspective, which can be integrated with various viewpoints. In the American literature, the theme of 'nature' holds an important position. In particular, nature plays a significant symbolic role in the works of transcendentalists like Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803-1882), Henry David Thoreau(1817-1862), Nathaniel Hawthorne(1804-1864) and Herman Melville (1819-1891). Cather attempted to approach nature from a different perspective than the other writers. However, it was not her intention to describe a tragic view of life through nature as Thomas Hardy(1840-1928) did. Also, she did not maintain Emerson's assertion to return to nature by leaving the present world or showed praise and religious belief for nature like Thoreau. What was significant in her works involving the description of natural ecosystem was that they portrayed nature just as it is, not as the means or place for escapism, brutal force or the subject of blind faith. She never recognized nature only as a place where humans find comfort or as a place of 'the survival of the fittest'. Nature she perceived was the one that embraced all the ambivalent characteristics of nature. Due to the development of science and industrialization, the Western civilization broke away from the natural ecosystem and separated from time as a natural inherent rhythm. Thus, inevitable side effects occurred in the relationships, where alienation or isolation of humans from nature took place. Cather's idea of ecosystem is studied in a contrasting structure of the characters in her works. In her works, she found the cause of human transition. Humans became enlightened and transformed during the process of inspiration and promotion of community and family spirit, with family being the smallest community unit in a natural ecosystem. She follows a large paradigm in which nature and humans are equal and balanced. She suggests that this paradigm or spirit should be an ideal goal of America, an immigrant-based country where a variety of ethnic groups and cultures co-exist. Moreover, the emphasis on ecological community spirit differentiates her from the other writers. Although Cather lived in a world of rapid changes from the nineteenth to twentieth century and her works reflected many sociocultural elements of the time, they also contained nature-friendly and ecological perspectives that can be used to approach many issues in our modern world concerning multi-cultural, multi-racial and other sociopolitical problems, suggesting an ideal direction for the promotion of global community spirit. The study should be based on the literary ecology and contribute to the restoration of the relationship with nature by inspiring and stimulating humans' mental imagery that was isolated from nature through literature. That is, when studying literature, the focus should be placed on the significance of establishing the relationship between nature and humans to determine the impacts and roles that influence human happiness. Therefore, the researcher focused on the relationship described in Cather's works while she was inspired by the natural ecosystem. Through the characters' values in Cather's works, it is proved that one cannot become a healthy member of the community when his/her inner maturity is insufficient. In A Lost Lady, the researcher observes the process of downfall of Captain Daniel Forrester, who represents a spirit of ecological community, after being trampled by Ivy Peter, who symbolizes the values of material civilization. Then, In Lucy Gayheart, the researcher contemplates the possibility of unity between nature and humans after observing the influence of Lucy Gayheart's narrow sense of natural ecosystem over the family. In My Ántonia, the meaning and direction for life in agreement with nature is presented through Ántonia who relocated from the great plains of Nebraska and had grown adapting himself to the new life. Here, Jim Burden emerges as a story teller. The three groups symbolizing individual communities appear in Death Comes for the Archbishop: A community of native Indians who pursue harmonious life with nature, a Mexican community that have their own folk religion and culture, and a community of bishops that represent Europe. The roles assumed by the two priests Jean Marie Latour and Joseph Vaillant, who came from Europe, represent rationality and sensibility. They provide a direction for an ecological community, where their unity is being achieved through balancing of grouping and arrangement, as well as harmony and concord. ，免费韩语论文，韩语论文范文 |
