Jonathan Franzen's new work "Crossroads" reflects the personal spiritual disorder, broken family relationships, and political disintegration of American society from 1971 to 1974 through the story of the Hildebrandt family. The novel explores the historical backgrounds of the Cold War, Vietnam War, anti war, civil rights, counterculture movements, and consumerism, as well as their manifestations in family moral crises. Individuals seek freedom but fall into a loss of meaning, individualism goes to extremes, and is criticized by scholars. Franzen attempted to capture the historical origins of cultural change and address the crisis of rampant individualism. The novel portrays the ethical shift in post-war American society through emotional writing, revealing the misguided view of authenticity in the tearing of public political identities. Through the characters' return to relational authenticity in non alienated labor, it implies the path of redemption through cross-border collaboration.

The ethical shift towards "sincerity" and "truth"

Crossroads explores the ethical shift between sincerity and authenticity through the anxious emotions of the Lars Hildebrandt family. On the eve of Christmas in 1971, Las was questioned about his motives for going to the black community on the south side of Chicago, as well as his drug invitation with Frances, and he struggled with moral principles and personal desires. After losing the management of the church youth organization, his resentment towards Rick Ambrose and longing for Frances led him to face a moral dilemma of sincere repentance. Mary Ann, the wife, is skeptical of Las' religious progress and reflects on her own moral hypocrisy. The children also face anxiety about sincerity and hypocrisy. Clem is disappointed with her father's moral hypocrisy, Becky struggles between social demands and personal desires, and Perry worries that her good behavior hides utilitarian motives.

The root cause of the crisis in public politics: the identity tearing of the only self view of authenticity

Through the book "Crossroads," this article explores the authoritative shift between "sincerity" and "truth" in post-war American society and the public political crisis it has triggered. The dominant position of the concept of authenticity is partly due to the public's anxiety about the bureaucratic technical system manipulating individual survival. The book reveals the issue of moral hypocrisy through the example of Lyndon Johnson. Since the late 1960s, the American public has generally questioned the traditional governance system, fearing that individuals may lose their citizenship and self existence under the control of bureaucratic instrumental rationality. Although the concept of authenticity can help stimulate creativity, excessive emphasis on inner autonomy can lead to the inferior path of solipsism and the dark side of individualism.

The Crisis Redemption of Public Politics: Reshaping the Authentic View of Relationships

Deeply explored the issue of reshaping the concept of authenticity in the context of public political crises. Franzen criticized the view of solipsism in identity politics and emphasized the constructiveness of cultural identity through the role of Pastor Ras in the book "Crossroads". The Mennonite community to which Ras belongs demonstrates the crucial role of tradition in defining individual identity through its unique religious and social stance. However, tradition is not fixed and unchanging, but rather through continuous reinterpretation, individuals or groups construct collective cultural imagination, forming power relations that challenge social norms.