Female in Maledominated Society in Vanity Fair An Analysis of Becky and AmeliaWord下载.docx

Female in Maledominated Society in Vanity Fair An Analysis of Becky and AmeliaWord下载.docx

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—AnAnalysisofBeckyandAmelia

Ⅰ.Introduction

A.Thackeray’sLifeandArt

WilliamMakepeaceThackeraywasbornin1811,inCalcutta,India,thesonofanofficialhighintheemploymentoftheEastIndiaCompany.Hisfatherdiedwhenhewasonlyfour.AtsixhewassenttoLondontogeteducation.ThenheenteredCambridge.In1830,ThackerayleftCambridgewithoutadegreeandlaterenteredtheMiddleTempletostudylaw.Hebecameeditorofaperiodical,TheNationalStandard.Latein1833,hisfortunes,alreadyuncertain,tookadisastrousturn.Helost1500poundsatcardsandmostoftherestofhisconsiderablefortunebecauseofthebankruptcyofIndianagencyhouses.Thenextyear,hesettledinParistostudyartandtriedhishandatdrawingandpaintingatfirst.ThenhemetIsabellaShaweandmarriedherin1836.HereturnedtoEnglandin1837,supportinghiswifeandhimselfbyliterarywork.Threeyearslater,hiswifebecameabnormal.Inthelateryears,Thackeraywrotealargenumberofessays,bookreviews,travelnotesandnovelstosupporthisfamily.Andhediedin1863.

Thackeray’searlynovelsincludeTheYellowplushCorrespondence（1838）,Catherine（1840）,TheGreatHoggartyDiamond（1841）andTheLuckofBarryLyndon（1844）,whichcriticizedswindlersofupper-classandcriticizedtheexaggeratingofcrimes.HismasterpieceVanityFair,whichlaidafoundationofhischaracterofcriticalwriter,waspublishedin1847inamagazine.TheotherimportantnovelsofhisarePendennis（1848-1850）,HenryEsmond（1852）,TheNew-comers（1853-1855）,andTheVirginians（1857-1859）.AndhislastnovelisDenisDuval,heonlyfinishedeightchaptersofitwhenhedied.Besidesthese,healsopublishedsomeessays.ThemostfamousoneisTheBookofSnobs（1847）.HisfamiliaressaysarecollectedinTheRoundaboutPapersandhismostfamouscollectionofreviewsisTheEnglishHumorists.Thackerayisaproductivewriterwholeftseriesofexcellentworks.CharlotteBronte,whoseadmirationforThackeray’sgeniuswasboundless,calledhim“thelegitimatehighpriestofTruth”.Shecommented:

“ThemoreIreadThackeray’sworksthemorecertainIamthathestandsalone—aloneinhissagacity,aloneinhistruth,aloneinhisfeelings[...]ThackerayisaTitan”（qtd.inTillotson51）.

B.IntroductiontoVanityFair

AmongThackeray’snovels,VanityFairiscertainlythemostinfluentialone.VanityFairisrootedinsocialandhistoricalrealityandshowstheweaknessofwomeninamale-dominated,status-conscioussocietyofthe19thcenturyEngland.Resultsoftheworshipofthewealth,rank,power,andclassaretheperversionoflove,friendship,hospitalityandtheabilitytolove.Thisnovelfaithfullyandvividlyrevealsusthelivesoftheupper-middleclassofthe19thcenturyEnglandsuchaslandedaristocracy,citymerchants,socialclimbers,etc.

Thestory,subtitledwith“Anovelwithoutahero”,focusesonthefortunesoftwowomeninthemale-dominatedsociety:

AmeliaSedleywhoiswell-bornandpassive,andBeckySharpwhoispenniless,butambitiousandcourageous.Thackerayresearchesthepositionoffemalesinamale-dominatedworld.The“ruthless,self-willed”andbeautifulBeckyisoneofthemostfamouscharactersinEnglishliterature,an“intelligentandcunning”youngwomandeterminedtomakeherwayinsociety,andherfoilisthe“faithfulgood-natured”girlAmelia（Knowles12）.ThackeraydescribesBeckyandAmelia’slifethroughhappytimesandsorrowfuldaysfromLondon,Brighton,thecountry…totheContinent.

Ⅱ.AnAnalysisofCharactersofBeckyandAmelia

InVanityFair,Thackeraydescribestwowomen—BeckyandAmeliaingreatlength.Thetwocompletelydifferentwomenrepresenttwokindsoffemaleswholiveinthatsociety.Generallyspeaking,AmeliaistheVictorian“Angelinthehouse”whoisenduringwhileBeckyisthe“adventuress”.

A.CharacterofBecky

UnlikeAmelia,whowas“vapid”and“passive”,Beckywas“electric”and“aggressive”.BeckyleftMissPinkerton’sAcademy,throwingtheDictionaryaway,likesweepingdustfromherfeet,andwastakentospendafewweekswithherfriendAmeliaSedley,aclassmate,attheSedleymansioninRussellSquare.TheirrepressibleBeckywasonherway.AsanorphaneddaughterofdissoluteartistandaFrenchopera-girl,shebelongedtonoclassandhadnofamilyconnectionstosupporther.Ambitious,intelligent,andunscrupulousBeckyknewthatanadvantageousmarriagewasthesurestwaytosecurityandstatus,andinordertogetthat,shebecameanexpertactress,actingoutthefemalerolesexpectedbymenofhertime.Sowhenshemettheeligible,fat,timidand“immortal”JosephSedley—Amelia’sbrotherwhocamehomefromIndia（Melvill98）,Beckymade“arespectfulvirgin—likecurtsey”andmodestlykepther“large,odd,andattractive”eyeslowered（Thackeray22）.AswedesiretoloveAmeliaSedley,wewishthatthepeoplearoundherwerelessvulgarorlessselfishthantheyprovedtobe—especiallywewishitinregardtothathandsomeyoungfellow,GeorgeOsborne,whomAmelialovedwithherwholeheart.ButwithJosephweareinclinedtobecontent,thoughheisfat,purse-proud,awkward,adrunkard,andacoward,becausewedonotwantanythingbetterforBecky,andBeckydidnotwantanythingbetterforherselfbecauseofthemanhadmoney.Shehadbeenborninapauperfamily,andhadnoadvantagesinregardtofriendsorfamilyassheenteredlife.Youngasshewas,shemustearnherbreadforherself.Shelovedmoney,andhadagreatideaofthepowerofmoney.Therefore,thoughJosephwasdistastefulatallpoints,sheinstantlymadeherattack.Thereasonwhytheworlddealtbadlywithherwasthatsheinheritedneitherstatusnorwealth.Hadshebeenbornwithpositionorpower,theworldwouldhavetreatedherverydifferently.Becky,however,lackedalltheseadvantages,andthereforeifshewishedtosurvive,tosaynothingoflivingwell,shehadnochoicebuttoactasshedid.Shewouldnotsubmittoperpetualslaveryandhumiliationwithinthegovernesstrade.Heractionswere,ineffect,ajustifiablerebellionagainstanunjustsociety,whichtookherinfinitepluckandcourage.Beckyhaddoneyetnothingeitherharmfuloreviltoothers;

shehadsimplybeensearchingforahusbandtosatisfyherdreamofhappiness.However,shefailedinthesubjugationofJosephforthepresent.Sheneverbecamehiswife,butatlastshesucceededingettingsomeofhismoney.AftersheleftRussellSquare,BeckywenttoSirPittCrawleyasgovernessforhersecondfamily,andwastakendowntoQueen’sCrawleyinthecountry.Therehercourageandintelligenceprevailed,evenwiththebaronet.Shekepthisaccount,wrotehimlettersandhelpedhimtosavemoney;

shereadbookstheyoughtnottohavereadwiththeeldersister;

sheflatteredthesanctimoniousson.Infact,shebecameallinallatQueen’sCrawleysothatSirPitthimselffellinlovewithher,fortherewasareasontothinkthatSirPittmightsoonbecomeawidoweragain.ButtheyoungersonCaptainRawdonCrawleycomesdowntothebaronet’shouse.Ofcourse,Beckysetshercapathim,andofcourse,shesucceeds.AndshesucceedsingainingtherichauntCrawley’sfavorbyherwiles.TheauntbecamesofondofBeckythatwhenshehadtoreturntoherownhouseintown,shecouldnotbehappywithouttakingBeckywithher.

Becky’smarriagetoRawdonfellshortofheranticipationbythecarefullycontrivedwithdrawalofMissCrawley’ssupportandRawdonlosthisrightofinheritance.ButBeckywhowasindomitablewasnotdiscouraged.Andontheonehand,Beckywasarebelagainstthegenteelworld,andatthesametime,shegenuinelywantedsecurityandrecognitionbytherespectableworld.Sheenjoysafairy-taleriseinsociety,achievingthestatusinconsistencythathelpedredefinetheideologyofromance.

B.CharacterofAmelia

IntheVictorianTimes,theso-calledfemininitymeantweaknessandobedience.Ameliawasatypicaltraditionalwoman,andacceptedwhateverGeorgewantedordid.Ameliaisborninafamilyoftheuppermiddleclassbutshealwayslivesalong-sufferinglife.Werecognizeherhonestheartbutregretherinabilitytounderstand,andthusprotectherselffromthosewhowereusingher.Weknowfromthestart,forinstance,thatherloveforGeorgeOsbornewaspure,butidealizedandsentimental.Amelia,“asillylittlething”,wastheinnocentpreyofindividualslikeGeorgeandaninstitutionlikeMissPinkerton’swhichhadformedhercharacter（Thackeray37）.Assoonassheremainsapassivevictim,oursympathyforhercontinuestobalanceourexasperationatherweakness.Whensheabandonsthepassiveroleforanactiveone,ourreactiontohersubsequentfateislesssure.

Inchapter57,AmeliaacceptedmoneyfromoldOsborneaftergivinguplittleGeorge.Herlackofpridestemmedfromherbeingnaturallysimpleanddemandofprotection,andrevealedhersuffering,poverty,humilityandprivationssincehermarriage.Andmanywomensimilarlysacrificedthemselves:

“Oyoupoorsecretmartyrsandvictims,whoselifeisatorture,whoarestretchedonracksinyourbedrooms,andwholayyourheadsdownontheblockdailyatthedrawing-roomtable;

everymanwhowatchesyourpains,orpeersintothosedarkplaceswherethetortureisadministeredtoyou,mustpityyou—and-andthankGodthathehasabeard...ifyouproperlytyrannizeoverawoman,youwillfindahalfp’orthofkindnessactuponher,andbringstearsintohereyes,asthoughyouwereanangelbenefitingher.[…]Begentlewiththosewhoarelesslucky,ifnotmoredeserving”（Thackeray542-543）.

Thecon