A Sacrifice in the Maledominated Society on the Image of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations精品文.docx

A Sacrifice in the Maledominated Society on the Image of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations精品文.docx

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ASacrificeintheMaledominatedSocietyontheImageofMissHavishaminGreatExpectations精品文

ASacrificeintheMale-dominatedSocietyontheImageofMissHavishaminGreatExpectations

　　:

CharlesDickensisoneofthegreatestcriticalrealisticwritersoftheVictorianAge.InhisGreatExpectations,manyvividfemalecharactersarecreated,leavingdeepimpressiononreadersofallcountries.MissHavishamisoneofthemostimpressivecreations,andthedescriptionofhertragedydisplaysthecorruptionofthesociety.Inthispaper,thetragedyofMissHavishamwillbeanalyzedfromthefeministpointofview,aimingatexploringhertragiclifeandrevealingwomen’sfateinthemale-dominatedsociety.

　　1Introduction

　　GenerallyregardedasthegreatestliterarygeniusesofhistimeinVictorianEngland,CharlesDickens（1812-1870）enjoyedawiderpopularitythananypreviousauthorhaddoneduringhislifetime“becauseofthemagnitudeofhisartisticachievementandbecauseofthecomprehensivenessofthepictureitgivesofhisage.”[1]

　　Dickens’slaterworkGreatExpectations（1861）,whichisconsideredashisartisticmasterpiece,isthemostperfectlyconstructedofallDickens’snovels.“SurelythecharactersinGreatExpectationsarethegreatestcollectioninallofEnglishfiction.”[2]asKeithLoveassertedintheintroductiontoGreatExpectation,itisnodoubtthatDickensskillfullyportraysallthecharactersandmakesallofthemimpressingandvivid.Amongthem,MissHavishamiscertainlyoneofthemoststrangeandmemorablecreationsinthestory.Herhorribledressing,grotesquelifestyleandmadbehaviorimpressedthereaderssomuchthatmostpeopletreatherasevil.Actually,sheisatragicfemalecharacterworthyofsympathy.Inthispaper,thetragedyofthisfemalecharacterMissHavishamwillbeanalyzedfromthefeministpointofview,aimingatexploringhertragiclifeandrevealingwomen’sfateinthemale-dominatedsociety.

　　2LiteratureReviewofGreatExpectations

　　GreatExpectationsisDickens’slaterandmaturework.ItwasforalongtimeclassifiedasabookabouttheVictorianAge,andDickens,thespokespersonfortheage,attractingmanycriticsandreviewers.

　　InGreatExpectations,thedistinctivecharacterMissHavishamattractscritics’andresearchers’attention,thearticlesathomereferredtotheanalysesonthecharacterandimageofGreatExpectationsarenumerous.Inatypicalstudyofthistype,LiGuangming（2007）suggestedthatMissHavishamisavictimofcomplexforceswhichfromherfamilyandthebourgeoissociety.[3]WhereassomecriticsfeelthatMissHavishamhasherownlimitations,asCaiWei（2006）claimedthatherinsaneactionsdon’tstartfromherabnormalpsychologybutherdoublepersonality.[4]

　　“ThewesterncriticsforalongtimefocustheircommentonthethemeandcharactersofDickens’snovels.”[5]Mostcriticismsaretraditionalcriticism,whichhighlightthefactorsoutsidetheliterarytext,puttingMissHavishaminpsychologicalandsociologicalcircumstancesforanalysis.PsychoanalyticcriticismconcentratesontherelationshipbetweenthedevelopmentofMissHavishamandsocialcircumstances.

　　GreatExpectations“attractstheattentionofscholarscomingfromawidevarietyofcriticalapproaches:

feminist,newhistoricist,psychoanalytic,anddeconstructionist,aswellasfrommoretraditionalhistoricalandformalistperspectives.”[6]Withthedevelopmentoffeministmovementandfeministliterarycriticism,criticsandresearchers,nationallyandinternationally,havepaidmuchattentiontostudyingthewomencharactersinGreatExpectations.ButthestudiesonfemalecharacterMissHavishamofGreatExpectationsarestillnotenough.ThusthepaperwillanalyzethemostmemorableheroineMissHavishamfromthefeministpointofviewinGreatExpectations.

　　3FeministLiteraryCriticism

　　Feministliterarycriticismcanbetracedbacktothewomen’sliberationmovementduringthelate1960s.Generally,itexiststocounter,resist,andeventuallyeliminatethetraditionsandconventionsofpatriarchy-theideologyorbeliefsystemwhichseesas“natural”thedominanceandsuperiorityofmenoverwomeninbothprivateandpubliccontexts-asitexistsinliterary,historical,andcriticalcontexts.[7]

　　Inpractice,feministliterarycriticismisnotlimitedtotextswrittenandreadbywomen,foritsinterestisnotonlyinhowwomenhavebeentreatedinbooks,butalsointhenotionofthepatriarchalsocietytothem.Itstargetmayincludestereotypesofanyofthesegroupsseenasinferiorfromthepointofviewofanestablishedpatriarchalorder,ortheexclusionofsuchgroupscreatedbysuchapointofview（orideologicalbias）inliteraryhistory.[8]Thus,itisofgreathelptousesuchatheorytoanalyzethenovelGreatExpectations,especiallythefemalecharacterMissHavishaminthenovel.

　　4ASacrificeintheMale-DominatedSociety-MissHavisham

　　4.1Women’sStatusinVictorianEra

　　TheVictorianagewhenHardylivedwasanexcitingperiodofprosperityfortheBritishpeople.Itwasalsoaperiodwhensocial,politicalandreligiousmovementsflourished.Maybetheperiodseemsstrangetous,thefirstthingthatwasverydifferentwasthestatusofwomeninsociety.Duringtheperiod,atraditionalattitudeofmentowardwomenwasgivenbyTennyson’spoemThePrincess:

　　“Manforthefieldandwomanforthehearth;

　　Manfortheswordandfortheneedleshe.

　　Manwiththeheadandwomanwiththeheart:

　　Mantocommandandwomantoobey.”[9]

　　Throughouttheperiod,mostwomenhavefewopportunitiesforhighereducationandpoliticalprofessions.AperfectwomanintheVictorianAgeisdescribedas“theangelinthehouse”,thetitlewhichcamefromCoventryPatmore’spoempublishedin1854.“Shewasintenselysympathetic.Shewasimmenselycharming.Shewasutterlyunselfish.Sheexcelledinthedifficultartsoffamilylife.Shesacrificeddaily.Iftherewasachicken,shetooktheleg;iftherewasadraughtshesatinit…Aboveall,shewaspure.”[10]ItisnosurprisethatShirleyStavesaid“toexpectaVictorianmalewritertocreatewomencharactersfromacompletelynonsexistperspectiveistoexpecttheimpossible”.[11]MissHavishamisundoubtedlyatypicalexampleofit.

　　4.2MissHavishamasASacrificeintheMale-DominatedSociety

　　MissHavishamwasaneccentricandmostimpressivewomanthatDickenshadevercreated,whowasevenregardedasmadbysomecriticsbecauseofherappearance,behaviorsandwords.However,MissHavisham’sfatewastragic:

herjiltingbyCompeysononwhatwastohavebeentheirweddingday.Fromthenon,shelivedaneccentriclifeandaimedtorevengeonallmen.

　　ThedirectcauseofMissHavisham’smadactionisherlostoflove,whichresultsfromCompeyson.“However,facingsuchasituation,notallpeoplechoosetorevengesomercilessly.”[12]ThroughtheinterpretationofMissHavisham,wecanunderstandthatthemale-dominatedsocietyinwhichshelivesleadhertodoso.

　　“AlthoughtheVictorianAgemeetsamaterialprosperity,thepolarizationofwealthiswideningandtheclasscontradictionisbecomingmoreserious,andthisleadtothecorruptionofmoneytohuman’srelationship.”[13]Andthemarriage,love,courts,jailsetcarebasedonthis.MissHavishamisjustthesacrificeofthissociety.Livedintheupperclass,thesimpleandproudMissHavishamfellinlovewithCompeysonmadly,buthowshecouldknowCompeysonjustlovehermoney.Soshecouldn’tfaceherjilting.Andshesufferedgreatlyfromthepainofloveandherquestforrevenge.TheVictorianAgeisamale-centeredsociety,theideathatwomenshouldbesubjectivetomenrootsinwomen’smind.Theconceptofmaledominatesforalongtime,whichcauseswomenacceptthestereotypesubconsciously.Andinordertorealizewomen’svirtueandmoralitytofitforthestandardofmale-dominatedsociety,womenshoulddevoteeverythingeventheirlives.Insuchasociety,womencannotbeindependentfrommen;theirfragilesoulsmakethemunabletofacethelife’ssufferingstaunchly.

　　ItwasthemosttragicthingthatMissHavishamandtheVictorianwomenhadtoface.Withoutahusband,withoutaman,itwasdifficultandpainfulforhertolive.Soshewascompletelyindespair,andchosetheextremewaytoimprisonherselfandtogetrevengeonallmen.Shedidn’tknowitwasnotmen,buttheunfairsocietymadeherloseeverythingandthemale-dominatedsocietywashergreatenemyandtheonesheshouldfightagainst.Justbecauseshelackedoffemaleconsciousness,shecouldnotchangehermiserablelife,andtheonlythingshecoulddoistoreceivethearrangementofthepatriarchalsocietytoherandboundedherselfina“prison”forever.ThusthetragedyofMissHavishamisinevitable.Shejustbecomesasacrificeinthemale-dominatedsociety.

　　5Conclusion

　　Insummary,MissHavishamisatragiccharacterinDickens’sGreatExpectations.Inthenovel,shetriedtogetrevengeonmenbecauseofherpainfulexperienceinthepast,butherrevoltwasonlyadespairingfight,shedidn’trealizethathertragedylayinthepatriarchalsocietyinsteadofanindividual.Herimageasasacrificeindeedreflectsthecruelrealityandmiserablestatusofwomeninsuchamale-dominatedsociety.

　　Bibliography:

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　　[4]江玉琴,宋庆丽.自恋,神经病,抑或双重人格――辨析《远大前程》中赫维仙小姐性格[J].江西广播电视大学学报,2000

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　　[5]李维屏.英国小说艺术史[M].上海:

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