| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | 第1-9页 |
| ABSTRACT | 第9-10页 |
| 摘要 | 第10-11页 |
| CONTENTS | 第11-13页 |
| CHAPTER Ⅰ INTRODUCTION | 第13-20页 |
| ·A Brief Introduction of Carson McCullers | 第13-15页 |
| ·The Plot of The Ballad of the Sad Café | 第15-16页 |
| ·Significance of the Study | 第16-18页 |
| ·Organization of the Thesis | 第18-20页 |
| CHAPTER Ⅱ LITERATURE REVIEW | 第20-26页 |
| ·Researches on The Ballad of the Sad Cafe Abroad | 第20-22页 |
| ·Researches on The Ballad of the Sad Cafe in China | 第22-26页 |
| CHAPTER Ⅲ EXISTENTIALISM | 第26-37页 |
| ·The Origin and Development of Existentialism | 第26-28页 |
| ·The Central Propositions of Existentialism | 第28-33页 |
| ·The Belief that Existence Precedes Essence | 第28-29页 |
| ·Predicaments of Man’s Existence | 第29-31页 |
| ·Meaning of Freedom, Choice and Responsibility | 第31-33页 |
| ·Sartre’s View of “The Other” | 第33页 |
| ·Existentialist Literature | 第33-35页 |
| ·Existentialism in America | 第35-37页 |
| CHAPTER Ⅳ AN EXISTENTIAL ANALYSIS OF THE BALLAD OF THE SAD CAFE | 第37-64页 |
| ·The Existential Living of the Townsfolk | 第37-43页 |
| ·Weak Religious Beliefs of the Townsfolk, an Expression of Existence Precedes Essence | 第37-40页 |
| ·Loneliness of the Townsfolk and Meaninglessness of Their Life | 第40-43页 |
| ·The Existential Living of Miss Amelia | 第43-48页 |
| ·Miss Amelia’s Struggle for a Meaningful Life | 第43-45页 |
| ·Collapse of Miss Amelia’s Self-subjectivity | 第45-46页 |
| ·Miss Amelia’s Confrontation with the Absurdity | 第46-48页 |
| ·Freedom of Choice and Responsibility | 第48-52页 |
| ·Miss Amelia’s Freedom and Responsibility | 第48-50页 |
| ·Marvin Macy’s Freedom and Responsibility | 第50-51页 |
| ·Lymon’s Freedom and Responsibility | 第51-52页 |
| ·The Representation of the Belief “Hell is Other People” | 第52-59页 |
| ·Lymon and Amelia: Hell to Each Other | 第53-55页 |
| ·Miss Amelia and Marvin Macy: Hell to Each Other | 第55-57页 |
| ·Marvin Macy and Lymon: Hell to Each Other | 第57-59页 |
| ·Predicaments of Miss Amelia, Marvin Macy and Lymon | 第59-61页 |
| ·Carson McCuller’s Humanistic Concern about Man’s Existence | 第61-64页 |
| CHAPTER Ⅴ CONCLUSION | 第64-66页 |
| WORKS CITED | 第66-69页 |
