20世纪90年代以来,西部乡土小说关注现代社会变迁进程中乡村人伦关系的嬗变。作家探讨乡村亲子伦理从传统转向现代:颂扬传统的父慈子孝,批判“父为子纲”的守旧;赞扬现代亲子间平等互敬意识,审视代际伦理差异中的父子冲突。作家尤为质疑并否定现代经济发展中,人极度追求金钱与物质欲望导致孝亲伦理的极端异化现象:父子倒孝、金钱物化与亲子相弑。作家面对传统伦理美德在乡村现代化进程中的悄然流失,深切地呼唤其实质精神的回归。

The western local novels have paid close attention to the changes of rural human relationships in the process of social development since the 1990s. The western writers discuss the filial piety between parents and children in family ethics changing from traditional to modern. They praise the traditional harmonious father-son relationships, and criticize the existence of conservative filial piety ethics. They praise the modern sense of equality and mutual respect in modern parent-children relationships, and inspect the father-son conflict due to the inter-generational ethical differences. They particularly question and deny the alienation of parent-children ethics because of the extreme pursuit of money and material in the process of economic development. Facing the gradual loss of traditional culture essence in the process of rural modernization, the western writers strongly call for the return of its essential spirit.