更新时间:2026-01-19
The Hippies and the “Cutoff” Culture in American Fiction of the Sixties
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Foreign Literature   ·   2026年1月19日   ·   2026年 第1期  
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The 1960s in America was a period of dramatic social transformation, often referred to as the "decade of turmoil and change." During this era, traditional beliefs, values, and institutions in American society were widely questioned and challenged, impacting everything from religion and politics to family ethics and gender roles. Social movements and acts of rebellion were not confined to the political sphere but also permeated individual daily life and interpersonal relationships.

I

The phenomenon of young people running away from home in 1960s American fiction is explored as a process of "cutting off" from their families of origin. This concept, derived from family systems theory and proposed by Bowen, refers to behaviors of separation, isolation, withdrawal, or denial of the significance of one's parental family. Running away is an overt form of cutting off, often a self-protective response by children in dysfunctional families. Family systems theory views the family as an emotional field where members' behaviors influence one another, and cutting off serves as a way to alleviate anxiety caused by excessive emotional fusion. Such ruptures frequently occur in emotionally entangled families, as seen in Taylor’s A Falling Life and Cheever’s Percy, where young people seek emotional connections and substitute families by leaving home, only to repeat old relational patterns, leading to deeper estrangement. Cutting off does not resolve emotional enmeshment but may instead reinforce it, leaving individuals more vulnerable and anxious, desperately seeking intimacy. Those who fail to address emotional fusion with their parents will replicate old dynamics in new relationships, perpetuating cycles of rupture.

II

This section examines the connection between hippie culture and the "cutting off" mentality in 1960s American fiction. Through family systems theory, an analysis of literary texts reveals how young people of the era broke from tradition, particularly how hippies redefined their identities through peace and love, utopian ideals, anti-war activism, communal living, drug experimentation, and the sexual revolution. Time magazine’s feature on hippies as a cover story marked the peak of their cultural influence. Hippies sought to escape the influence of their parents’ generation by cutting off ties in pursuit of new identities. John Updike’s short story The Hill People reflects the challenge hippie culture posed to traditional family values, illustrating young people’s rebellion against capitalism and materialism. The hippie movement attempted to forge new intimate relationships and communal lifestyles as alternatives to conventional families, though these efforts often ended in failure, marred by drug abuse and internal conflicts. In Rabbit Redux, Jill’s flight and attempt to create a substitute family symbolize the utopian fantasies and ultimate collapse of the 1960s counterculture. These acts of cutting off were emotional self-preservation for young people trapped in dysfunctional family systems; they sought peace and love but frequently met tragic ends. Nevertheless, hippie culture became emblematic of 1960s America, signifying permanent shifts in society and culture.

III

The 1960s in America witnessed the renewal of individuals and ideologies, with the hippie-led "counterculture movement" embodying the zeitgeist. Family systems theory links familial and social phenomena, offering an analytical framework that transcends binary oppositions. The youth of the sixties rejected and questioned established norms and traditions, creating a "rupture" with Western heritage. The New Left’s political vision was rooted in resistance to familial and adult authority. The culture of the sixties sought to sever ties with the past, authority, and consensus—symbolized by the parental generation at home. The absence of hierarchical boundaries within families led to dysfunctional dynamics. Hippies rebelled against mainstream American values, morality, and traditions, rejecting war, racism, and the conventional American way of life in favor of spiritual awakening and alternative lifestyles. The political movements of the sixties were intertwined with lifestyle experimentation: young people altered their dress, grew long hair, used marijuana, experimented with LSD, and explored new sexual relationships. They opposed all mainstream norms, embarking on a journey against the establishment. Western society in the sixties faced unprecedented challenges, first manifested in the youth’s defiant stance of "cutting off." Hippies believed individuals could shed inherited identities and reshape new ones. "Cutting off" was the defining ethos of 1960s America—a rupture with Western tradition. This trait is vividly reflected in the era’s literature.

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