英语本科毕业论文从女性主义视角分析《飘》.doc

Analysis of Gone with the wind from thePerspective of Feminism从女性主义视角分析飘AbstractAs a great master in the modern literary world, American female writer Margaret Mitchell gains a world-wide reputation merely on the strength of her singular work Gone with the Wind. As the first novel which depicts American Civil War from womens perspective, Margaret focuses on the sufferings from the war of those women who stay at home and their difficult journey of reconstruction. Ever since its publication in 1936, Gone with the Wind has received extensive attention from literary world. Literary critics, on the basis of their respective knowledge and understanding, have given different evaluations about this novel. Most of their researches concentrate on the historical background of American Civil War, the abolitionist thought, Scarletts particular characters and the cultural discrepancy between the North and the South. Meanwhile many readers only treat this novel as a simple love story, fascinated by its intricate and moving narration yet neglecting its implicit ideological values. Starting from the feministic perspective, this thesis will elaborate on womens social status and values, a series of vivid female images, and the relationship between nature and women, thereby to analyze the awakening of female self-consciousness reflected in this novel and its immense and positive effect on the cause of womens liberation.Key Words: Gone with the Wind women feminism eco-feminism 摘要美国女作家玛格丽特·米歇尔作为现代世界文坛巨匠，凭借其唯一的一部作品飘就名扬天下，成为美国文学史一颗耀眼的明星。作为第一部从南方女性角度叙述美国内战的小说，玛格丽特着重描写了留在后方家里的妇女饱受战乱之苦的体验和感受以及战后立志重建家园的艰辛历程。自从1936年飘问世以来，就受到了文学界广泛的关注，评论家们基于自己的认识和理解给出了各自不同的评价。多数研究主要集中于美国南北战争的历史背景，废奴主义思潮，斯嘉丽独特的个性以及南北方文化的差异上，许多读者也只把它当成一部通俗的言情小说，着迷于其中曲折动人的爱情故事，却忽视了其中蕴含的思想价值。而本文将从女性主义视角入手，从女性的地位与价值，一系列个性鲜明的女性形象，以及自然与女性的关系加以阐释，由此分析这部作品体现的女性自我意识的觉醒以及其在推动三四十年代女性觉醒和解放运动的地位和作用。关键词：飘 妇女 女性主义 生态女性主义 Contents. Introduction. Background of Margaret Mitchells ageA. Womens social status in American society reflected in the novelB. Social influences on Margaret Mitchells female sense1. Awakening of womens consciousness and pushing of anti-slavery movement2. Feministic movements attack on American southern culture and the author. Feminism reflected by typical female charactersA. Feminism in Scarlett OHara 1. Fight against traditional conventions and emphasis on self-consciousness2. Dedication of love and unremitting seek for her own happiness3. Pursuit of economic independence and self-actualizationB. Feminism in Ellen OHara 1. Pursuit of true love and free marriage2. Model mother(a). Establishment of standard manners for others(b). Living and spiritual backbone of the familyIV. Eco-feminism reflected in Gone with the wind A. Introduction of eco-feminismB. Eco-feminism reflected by two natural images in the novel1. Eco-feminism by the image of earth2. Eco-feminism by the image of house(a). House of Gerald(b). House of Melanie(c). House of ScarlettV. Conclusion. IntroductionGone with the Wind, the masterpiece of American female writer Margaret Mitchell is one of the most distinguished representative works of American literature and can be comparable with Tolstoy's War and Peace. Merely on the strength of this novel (her singular work), the author Margaret gains a world-wide reputation. Having broken the sales records immediately upon its publication and been translated into some dozens of foreign languages, it is not only widely read and proclaimed in the United States, but also remains its eternal popularity throughout the whole world.However, quite a few literary critics regard Gone with the Wind as a simple love story and many readers are also merely fascinated by its intricate and moving narration, yet neglecting its implicit ideological values. If it is exclusively an exoteric love story, can it still cast such an enduring literary spell after decades? The answer is definitely not. The reasons for its everlasting enchantment are not only due to its unique writing perspective or artistic expressions but also lie in its deep-going reflection of peoples thoughts of that age or in other words its penetrative intentions. The feministic thought is precisely an essential one in the midst of them, which endows this work with a timeless glamour. This thesis will take a thorough exploration of feminism implicated in this novel. The first part is a general introduction. Then the following part will be an overview of Margaret Mitchells living and creating background, with the next two parts fully probing into the feministic thought in this work through a series of female characters and natural images. Finally, a conclusion sums up the thesis. . Background of Margaret Mitchells ageA. Womens social status in American society reflected in the novel The story takes place in the southern plantation before American Civil War. At that time, the South is a new reclaimed land where the industrial civilization has not yet penetrated it. The residents rest on the rolling money gained by cotton planting and picking. There, within the shadow of chivalry, keeps the skin-deep grace and splendor. Women living on the red soil are delicate flowers, tightly clinging to men and decorating mens world. They have no rights to vote. Nor can they control their belongings or children after they get married, let alone draw a will or make a treaty without their husbands permission. Their social status is parallel to “that of a minor or a slave” (Deborah L.Madsen, 2006). They endure dual oppression not only from men but also from themselves, lying in the subordinate social position without the privilege to manage their own lives. In this male-dominated world, men stifle womens development from every aspect. Firstly, they strain every nerve to confine women in the house to make sure that womens ignorance has not been corrupted by the society and they are satisfied to be the lovely “vase”. Although men provide women with protection, clothing and food sources, they have an essential prerequisite that men should hold primacy as well as the control of women. Women are imprisoned at home wanting economic independence. The exclusive approach for their social status and economic warranty is to marry and give birth to babies. Secondly, men also spiritually suppress women. They may yield to women and satisfy their all kinds of small requirements about the household affairs; nevertheless once women have independent opinions, they will feel panic and pull every string to hold them back. For instance, when Scarlett buys a lumber mill and decides to operate by herself, her husband Frank, though a coward, still feels unacceptable: “Frank, in common with all men he knew, felt that a wife should be guided by her husbands superior knowledge, should accept his opinions in full and have none of her own” (Margaret Mitchell, 2008). Therefore mens tolerance is on the premise of the assurance of the male-centered status. In fact, men would rather give everything in the world to women than allow women to have intelligence and independent views. In mens opinion, “women should be confined to the domestic sphere, nurturing children, maintaining the household and serving their husbands” (Deborah L.Madsen, 2). If a woman shows her any intellectual advantage, people will isolate her, reputing that she has go beyond her due responsibilities which are generally defined as dressing, dancing and house management. Regrettably, women are imperceptibly influenced by the location given from men. Southern mothers in Gone with the Wind act as the executor of ethical codes, inhibiting young girls development of their true colors. Take Scarlett as an example, she is educated to be an obedient lady even from childhood. Her mother and black mammy have always tried their best to instill those indispensable qualities of a lady into her. “You must be more gentle, dear, more sedate”, “Gentlemen do not like forward girls”, “Young misses should cas down dey eyes an say, Well, suh, Ah mout an Jes as you say, suh.” (Margaret Mitchell, 2008). Before their marriage, young girls should be tender and lovely with well-educated manners; however as soon as they get married, women become birds, restrained in the house and busy with the household affairs all day. They manage their husbands houses and educate their children, consuming their intelligence just in various trivia. More miserable are the widows: wearing the black, no flowers, no lace, no jewelry, no free talks, no social activities and even no laughter, just staying at home and mourning daylong. No wonder the author call this as barbarous as “Hindu Settee” (Margaret Mitchell, 2008). Due to mens repression on both womens bodies and their spirit and womens acquiescence towards their attaching status, the southern society before the war is completely male-centered and male-dominated.B. Social influences on Margaret Mitchells female sense Generally speaking, the authors thinking, emotion, and value orientation are always keenly connected with and influenced by social currents. The same is true of Margarets feminism. Through Gone with the Wind, the author depicts a series of outstanding and tough female images, displaying their enormous contribution to the South. Either its language or the characters behaviors are permeated with Margarets intensive female consciousness, which actually keeps up with the times.1. Awakening of womens consciousness and pushing of anti-slavery movement In the rise of anti-slavery movement during the 19th century America, women are also an active part. In this movement, women go through fire and water as with men yet receive no respect or attention from them. At that time, their actions are hard to win mens understanding let alone their support. In 1840, when feministic founders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretian Mott participated in the Worlds Anti-slavery convention in London as abolitionists they were refused proper seats because of their sex. In the face of the truth, women notice and personally experience the oppression and the shame. It urges them to be closely united to challenge the patriarchy. They take action and establish their own National Federation of Womens Anti-slavery. Hence, the feministic movement gradually takes form and develops. “It was in connection with slavery that the organized movement for womens rights has its origin” (Deborah L. Madsen, 2006).2. Feministic movements attack on American southern culture and the author At the end of 18th century, French Bourgeois Revolution proposed the slogan of “freedom, equality and universal fraternity”. When the thought of human rights shocked mens hearts, it meanwhile convulsed womens soul. Bourgeois women took this as a wonderful opportunity to begin the fight for sex equality. However those passionate women were quickly aware that the so called “freedom”, “equality” and “human rights” were only mens patents not womens. Feminists believed that “women need to fulfill their personal and national destinies, but they also need to fulfill the spiritual destiny of humanity” (Deborah L.Madsen, 2006). Therefore those obstacles and restricts should be abolished and reformed. Women should enjoy the equality in laws and politics. In 1848, the first womens rights conference was held in Seneca Falls of America, at which the delegates discussed about the problems of society, citizens, religions, womens rights and so forth. This conference adopted Elizabeth Cady Stantons Declaration of Sentiments which modeled piercingly Jeffersons Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equalThe history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part if men toward women, having in objection the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her” (Deborah L.Madsen, 2006) This feministic movement, quickly sweeping through the entire America, culminates in the early 20th century, which is later viewed as the first wave of American feminism.The Abolition Movement and Feministic Movement exert great impact on American traditional southern culture. For Margaret who lives in those turbulent years of reform and is ceaselessly dynamic in the media, such impact no doubt greatly influences her creation of the novel. In addition, Margaret is born in the middle-class family with fine education. Her father Eugene Muse Mitchell is a prominent attorney and president of the Atlanta Historical Society while her mother Mary Isabelle is a suffragist who strives all her life for womens liberation and political rights. It is under such educational and social background that Margaret Mitchell creates her immortal work Gone with the Wind with abundant feministic thought which re-establishes female images and explores womens values.III. Feminism reflected by typical female charactersIn Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell has portrayed a series of strong and courageous female images that are always making unremitting efforts to pursue for true love and free marriage, for womens self-consciousness and self-actualization, and for economical equality and personal independence. Though the southern women in the authors description are under suppression, they are by no means the ignorant vulnerable group. With their own universal love, wisdom and toughness, they prop up the civilization of the South as well as its plantation economy, confirming the truth that women are fully capable to be self-reliant and as useful and tough as men. They possess a kind of “soft power”the power of femininity or more precisely the power of female intrinsic values. Embodied with these values, women reflect a soft but strong spirit. They are just like those bamboos which can be bent but can never be broken. Therefore when the southern society is under decline, female consciousness becomes the staunch spiritual mainstay that guides people to march forward bravely. “If wed had our mothers-in-law in the ranks, wed have beaten the Yankees in a week” “The only reason we lasted as long as we did was because of the ladies behind us who wouldnt give up” (Margaret Mitchell, 2008). Consequently it is in the first place through these outstanding female characters that the author vividly conveys an extraordinarily advanced idea of her daysfeminism. This part will explore the rich feministic thought through two typical characters.A. Feminism in Scarlett OHara Scarlett OHara, the heroine, is an artistic character that has strong, clear-cut, and rebellious individuality. As the apple of her parents eyes, she comes on the stage from the age of 16 to 28, during which she has married three husbands,