On Images of Women in Gone with the Wind and Vanity Fair论飘和名利场中的女性形象.docx

On Images of Women in Gone with the Wind and Vanity Fair论飘和名利场中的女性形象.docx

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OnImagesofWomeninGonewiththeWindandVanityFair论飘和名利场中的女性形象

OnImagesofWomeninGonewiththeWindandVanityFair

摘要：

《飘》和《名利场》这两部有名的作品都描写了在当时的社会背景下几个女主角的形象和性格。

美国作品《飘》描写了两位性格截然不同的女主角坚韧顽强，勇于面对困难不退缩的生活态度。

特别是斯佳丽不懈的拼搏奋斗，给人以极大的心灵震撼和精神鼓舞。

英国作品《名利场》中的丽贝卡和阿米莉亚也同斯佳丽和美兰妮一样，成为他那个年代颇有影响力的女性人物。

本文运用比较分析法，将来自不同国家和时代的女性形象相互比较：

首先比较她们的出身背景，相貌及所受教育;其次比较她们对社会所持的态度;最后比较他们面对艰难挫折及命运的态度。

并且还将她们与那一时代的男性也稍微加以比较。

使这些女性的形象更加鲜明。

关键字：

飘，名利场，分析比较

Abstract:

ThesetwofamousmasterpiecesGonewiththeWindandVanityFairhavedescribedseveralimagesofwomenunderthesocialbackgroundofthattime.TheAmericannovelGonewiththeWindeulogizesthetwomainfemalecharacterswhosekidneysarecompletelydifferentindiligence,pertinacityaswellaspositiveattitudetowardslifewhentheyencounterdifficulties.Especially,thepain-stakingstriveoftheindomitableandunyieldingScarlettshakesourheartsandinspiresourspirit.ComparetoScarlettandMelanie,TheactressesofEnglandmasterpieceVanityFairRebeccaandAmeliawereconsiderablyinfluentialfemalecharactersinThackeray’sage.Thethesismakesacomparisonbetweenthem:

first,theirbackground,educationandappearance;second,theirattitudestowardsociety;third,theirattitudestowardsdifficultiesinlifeandfate.Bytheseindetailcomparison,wegetbrightimagesofthesewomeninthesetwonovels.

Keywords:

GonewiththeWind,VanityFair,comparison

Contents

1.Introduction1

2.ComparisonofthetwofemaleheroinesinGonewiththeWindandVanityFair2

2.1ComparisonbetweenRebeccaSharpandScarlettO’Hara2

2.1.1RebeccaSharpandScarlettO’Hara’sbackgroundandappearance2

2.2.2ScarlettO’HaraandRebeccaSharp’sattitudestowardssociety4

2.2.3ScarlettO’HaraandRebeccaSharp’sattitudestowardsdifficultiesandfate5

3.DisprovalofthewrongunderstandingaboutRebeccaSharpandScarlettO’Hara7

3.1DisprovalofthewrongunderstandingaboutScarlettO’Hara7

3.1.1Onherattitudetowardsman7

3.1.2Onherattitudetowardsmoney8

3.2DisprovalofthewrongunderstandingaboutRebeccaSharp9

3.2.1Onherlivingskills9

3.2.2Onhermarriageplan9

4.Conclusion10

Bibliography12

1.Introduction

GonewiththeWindisalwaysconsideredasaromanticlovestoryrunsparallelwiththedescriptionsoftherealisticAmericanCivilWar.ThereadersalwayssighedwithemotionnotonlyaboutthecomplicatedandtouchingloveofentanglementamongScarlett,AshleyandButler,butalsothehistoricalpanoramaofthecrisscrossandsoul-stirringCivilWarandpostwarreconstruction,justasapowerfulandmagnificentepicpoem,especially,thepain-stakingstriveoftheindomitableandunyieldingScarlettwhodarestofacerealityandneverbowstofateandunceasingattemptoftimidandshybutdeterminedMelaniewhomakesnocompromisewithdifficultiesshakethereaders’heartsandinspiretheirspirit.（CaiYangyu,2008:

183）AllcommentatorsfindVanityFairapowerfulmoralnovelwhichisalsoregardedasoneofthegreatestcriticalrealisticworksinVictorianAge.Intheirpointofview,VanityFairreflectstherelationshipbetweenpeopleincapitalisticsociety,hierarchyofsocialrankalongwiththeadvantageousanddisadvantageousrelationshipbetweenfeudatorialnoblesandpettycapitalistsinthesocietyaswellastheircorruption.

Asweallknow,bothofthesetwonovelshavetwomainfemalecharacters.Thewritersofthesetwonovelsfocusedtheirenergyonnarratingthestorieshappenedaroundtheirtwomainfemalecharactersintheirnovels,andthesimilaritiesoftheseheroinesastonishedmeverymuch.ItisnotdifficultforustofindthatthereissomethinginScarlettthatwecanalsofindinRebeccaThisthesiswillmakeacomparisonofthesetwocharacters,andfindoutthedifferenceandcommongroundbetweenthemandthensummarizethecommonadvantagesofthem.Bycomparingthemaincharactersinthesetwoworks.Wemayhaveabetterunderstandingofthesewomen.Althoughthesecharactersaresofamousandvividandagreatnumberofreviewershadoncewrittenreviewsonthem,therearestillsomewrongunderstandingsaboutthemandthethesiswilldisprovetheminordertoreemphasizehowstrongthewomenare.Forone’sgrowingexperiences,surroundingsandbackgroundexertgreateffectsontheformationofone’scharacters.

2.ComparisonofthetwofemaleheroinesinGonewiththeWindandVanityFair

Ashasbeenmentionedintheintroduction,thefemalecharactersinthesetwoworkshavealotofresemblance.Sointhischapter,furtheranddetailedcomparisonswillbemadetoshowthecommonnessanddissimilarityofthesefemalecharacters.Thethesiswillanalyzethesewomenfromfiveaspects:

theirbackgroundswhichcontaintheirparentage,educationandgrowingcircumstance,theirappearance,theirattitudestowardsocietyandthedifficultiesinlifeandfate.

2.1ComparisonbetweenRebeccaSharpandScarlettO’Hara

Firstly,letuscompareScarlettO’HarawithRebeccaSharponthesethreeaspectsmentionedbefore.Whilereadingthesetwonovels,wemayawarethatbothRebeccaandScarlettarenon-traditionalwomenandverystronginmindwhentheystruggledwiththehardshipsanddifficultiesinlife.So,inthefollowingParagraphs,thethesiswillanalyzeRebeccaSharpandScarlettO’Haratoseewhethertheirgrowingexperiencearesimilarornotandwhatinfluencethemtoformtheirattitudestowardssocietyanddifficultiesinlifeandfate.

2.1.1RebeccaSharpandScarlettO’Hara’sbackgroundandappearance

ScarlettO’Hara’sbackgroundisgoodsenoughtobeoneofthepositiveelementswhichallowhertopossessacomparativelyhigherpositioninsocialclass.ThefacialfeaturesofScarlettarenotoutofordinary.Butshehassharpfeaturewhichmakesherverysexy.ScarlettcamefromarichfamilyinthesouthernpartofAmerica.Theunionofherfatherandmotherisnolessthanamiracle.Forwhentheymarried,Mr.O’Harawasonlyapoormanwithnothingoffamilyrecommendedhimwhilehiswifewas“thedaughterofoneofthewealthiestandproudestfamilies”.（Mitchell,Margaret,2002:

32）Scarlett’sfatherwasaloud-voicedandred-facedmanwithlittleeducation.Hehadnogoodbackgroundanddescendentmoneyfromhisrelativestosupporthimandbuiltuphispropertyfromnothingbuttheassistanceofhisstaminaanddiligence.Heiseasytobeangryandoftenroarstohisslavesandhisdaughters,excepthiswife.UnlikeScarlett’sfather,Scarlett’smotherwasafair,nobleandgentlewell-educatedwomanwhowasincrediblystrictwithherdaughters.AlthoughScarlettcangetahigheducation,shedidn’tlikestudy.Inherpointofview,thecoursesforlearningknowledgeareuselessforgirlswhilethemostimportantcourseforagirltolearnishowtoseizemen’sheart,whichshehasalreadymasteredexpertly.Scarletthadagoodfigureandabetterlineament.JustasthefirstchapterofGonewiththeWinddescribed,“Itwasanarrestingface,pointedofchin,squareofjaw.Hereyeswerepalegreenwithoutatouchofhazel,starredwithbristlybacklashesandslightlytitledattheend.Abovethem,herthickblackbrowsslantedupward,cuttingastartlingobliquelineinhermagnolia-whiteskin.”（MargaretMitchell,2002:

1）

RebeccaSharphadahumblebackgroundwhichshetookasoneofhergreathumiliation.Shecamefromalowerclassfamilyanddidn’thaveadecentidentity.HerfatherwasanartistandhadgivenlessonsofdrawingatMissPinkerton’sschool.Hewasacleverman,apeasantcompanion,acarlessstudent,withagreatpropensityforrunningintodebt.Whenhewasdrunk,heusedtobeathiswifeanddaughter.（WilliamThackeray,1994:

16）Rebecca’smotherisaFrenchwomanwhowasbyprofessionanopera-girl.（WilliamThackeray,1994:

17）Unfortunately,Rebecca’smotherdiedwhenshewaslessthaneightyearsold.Andshepassedherchildhoodunderthecareofherrudeandbad-manneredfather.However,herhumbleparentagedidnotformaninsurmountableobstructionforhertoreceivegoodandformaleducation.ThelanguageabilitysheinheritedfromhermotherprovidedapreciousopportunityforhertostudyinMissPinkerton’sschool.DifferentfromScarlett,Rebeccaappreciatedstudy.AlthoughRebecca’sstudyingconditionwasmuchworsethantheothercarelessgirls,shecantakeadvantageofeverymeansthattheschoolofferedher,andshewasverydiligentandspeedilywentthroughthelittlecourseofstudywhichisconsiderednecessaryforladiesinthosedays.BymentioningRebecca’sappearance,wemustadmitshewasjustanordinarylookingwoman.“Shewassmallandslightinperson;pale,sandy-haired,andwitheyeshabituallycastdown;whentheylookeduptheywereverylarge,oddandattractive”.“Bythesideofmanytallandbouncingyoungladiesintheestablishment,RebeccaSharplookedlikeachild”.（WilliamThackeray,1994:

17）Herlineamentdidnotmakeherextraordinaryfromtheothergirls,soitgivesnodistinctaidtohersuccessesshegotinlife.

2.2.2ScarlettO’HaraandRebeccaSharp’sattitudestowardssociety

Scarlett’sattitudetowardsocietywastoostrongandbolshyforthepeopleofthattimetoaccept.Mostofthetime,Scarlett’sbehaviorcannotgettheconsentofthesociety.Sheisawomanwhohadstrongpersonality,soshehadherownideasorviewpointabouteverything.WhenScarlettwasalittlegirl,itisveryhardforhermothertoletherunderstandthesocialrulesrelatedtowomen.Whenshegraduallygrewup,shebegantolearningtheseruleswhichcanconquermenandmasterthemmuchmoreproficientlythananyothergirls.Afterlearningthatonlytobeobedientandtendertothemencouldagirlcapturemen’sheart,Scarlettstartedtopretendtobetherightgirlwhopossesses