Acknowledgments  Upon the completion of this thesis, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those who helped me directly or indirectly in the course of the preparation, writing and revision of this dissertation. Without their enduring encouragement and support, this dissertation would not have been possible.22939

My profound gratitude first goes to Associate Professor Wang Min, my supervisor, for her patient and thorough guidance and never-failing encouragement in the long-term process of my writing. It is with her crucial and considerable advice, proper and profound suggestions that my thesis could gain further modification and refinement.

 I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to other teachers at SIT, like Doctor Cheng Qinghua, who gave me lots of enlightening instructions, Mrs Liao Jing, who provided us many necessary referential materials, Associate Professor Huai Peixin, who imparted basic literature knowledge for students, and Associate Professors Yuan Bing, Zhao Xiaoling, Yan Ming, Yu Jing, Sun Hongying, and many other teachers who have given me persistent encouragement and help during my college years.

I am also grateful to my old sister, who has done a lot of assistant work for me, saving my pressure to a large extent. What’s more, I’d like to thank my old classmate Kong Dezhang, who offered me access to the digital information in their library and many friends who give me much brainstorming ideas and numerous insightful suggestions.

Last, I wish to devote this paper to my parents for their everlasting dedication and unconditional support for me during my college years.
 
Abstract Norman Mailer was reputed as one of the best American writers. He won the Pulitzer prize twice for literature and had great influence on American literature and the whole society. In literature field, he was distinct for his character and thought; in philosophy field, his works often has existential features. The Naked and the Dead, a representative works of Norman Mailer, has been acknowledged as the earliest and the best postwar novel and has been evaluated as being of rich existential significance. Set under the background of war, the novel exposed that power might deprive man of reason and humanity, thus arising readers’ reflection about humanity, death and power. This thesis uses the method of case studies to explore the destructive influence of power on humanity from the perspective of Sartre’s existentialism, revealing that power-is-the-highest attitude can only lead people to failure and emptiness. Nowadays, with the proliferation of problems associated with power, people who gained benefits from power gradually lose the right attitude towards it. Therefore, a study of the influence of power upon human nature is of great realistic significance.
The thesis include five chapters. The first chapter is an introduction of Norman Mailer and The Naked and the Dead. The second chapter is an exploration of the relationship among existentialism, power and humanity. It includes three parts. The first part introduces existentialism and its features. The second part introduces the influence of power on humanity. The third part explores the expression of existentialism in the novel. The third chapter analyzes typical figures like General Edward Cummings, Lieutenant Robert Hearn, Sergeant Sam Croft, and Soldier Red Valsen, revealing how power distort humanity. The significance of the portrait will also be discussed in this chapter. The fourth chapter is a contemplation of the influence of power in real life. In the final analysis, the conclusion about the research subject will be drawn.
Key Words: The Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer, existentialism, power, humanity
 摘要诺曼•梅勒是当代美国文坛的重要作家, 被誉为20世纪最伟大的美国作家之一。他一生成就颇多，曾两次获得普利策文学奖，对美国文坛乃至整个社会产生了巨大的影响。在文学领域内，梅勒有自己独特的个性和思想。在哲学领域内，他的作品又表现了独特的美国式存在主义思想。《裸者与死者》是诺曼•梅勒的代表作，被公认为是写得最早也是最好的战后小说，同时也被评为是一部极富有存在主义探索价值的作品。小说以战争为背景主要揭示了权欲使人丧失理性和人性的事实，从而引发了读者对人性、死亡及权利的反思。本论文试图运用角色分析的方法，用萨特的存在主义哲学研究权欲对人性的摧毁，从而揭露权力至上的态度只会给人带来失败和空虚。现如今，因权力衍生的问题不断蔓延，从权力中获益的人们逐渐丧失了对待权力的正确态度。因此，研究权力对人性的影响具有重要的现实意义。 《裸者与死者》中权欲下的人性分析:http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_15802.html