| Acknowledgements | 第5-6页 |
| 中文摘要 | 第6-8页 |
| Abstract | 第8-9页 |
| 1. Introduction | 第11-21页 |
| 1.1 John Cheever and Falconer | 第11-13页 |
| 1.2 Literature review of Falconer | 第13-17页 |
| 1.3 Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialism as the theoretical approach | 第17-19页 |
| 1.3.1 A brief introduction to Existentialism | 第17-18页 |
| 1.3.2 Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialism | 第18-19页 |
| 1.4 Structure of the thesis | 第19-21页 |
| 2. The Absurdity of the World Manifested in Falconer | 第21-25页 |
| 2.1 The living predicament and the absurd death | 第21-23页 |
| 2.2 The disintegration of traditional norms and ideals | 第23-25页 |
| 3. Alienation of the Main Characters | 第25-35页 |
| 3.1 Farragut's alienation | 第25-33页 |
| 3.1.1 Alienation from the social institutions | 第25-28页 |
| 3.1.2 Alienation from his family | 第28-32页 |
| 3.1.3 Alienation from marriage | 第32-33页 |
| 3.2 Chicken Number Two's alienated relations with others | 第33-35页 |
| 4. Free Choices of the Main Characters | 第35-42页 |
| 4.1 Farragut's choice-self-emancipation | 第35-38页 |
| 4.1.1 Embracing love-rebuilding self-esteem | 第35-36页 |
| 4.1.2 Choosing rebellion-awakening | 第36-37页 |
| 4.1.3 Breaking out of prison-getting rebirth | 第37-38页 |
| 4.2 Chicken Number Two's choice-self-abandonment | 第38-42页 |
| 5. Conclusion | 第42-44页 |
| Bibliography | 第44-45页 |
