《还乡》中游苔莎的悲剧命运分析.docx

《还乡》中游苔莎的悲剧命运分析.docx

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《还乡》中游苔莎的悲剧命运分析

《还乡》中游苔莎的悲剧命运分析

摘要

19世纪英国著名的现实主义小说家托马斯·哈代创作的《还乡》是一部“性格与环境”的代表性悲剧小说。

被哈代称之为“夜之女王”的女主人公游苔莎，一直以来也被文学界所关注。

本文先从游苔莎在爱敦荒原的生活，与克林的婚姻，以及不可避免的死亡来展现其悲剧，再从三个方面对游苔莎的悲剧命运展开剖析：

首先从她个人的性格因素着手，然后分析其当时生存的自然环境和社会环境，最后是推动情节发展的巧合因素。

外部环境起到的只是推波助澜的作用，内在的性格弱点才是其悲剧命运的根源。

因此本文着重从三个方面对游苔莎的内在性格因素进行分析：

酷似“女巫”的个性；游戏爱情与婚姻的态度；爱抱幻想的思维。

本文通过分析游苔莎的悲剧命运，尤其是她的性格弱点，旨在加深读者对这部作品的理解。

关键词：

游苔莎；爱敦荒原；悲剧

1．Introduction

TheReturnoftheNativeistherepresentativetragicnovelofThomasHardy,whoisconsideredasthelastgreatnovelistoftheVictorianperiod.InHardy’novels,heseemstobecontinuouslycomplainingaboutanoverwhelming,persuasiveblindforce,whichheconsidersasFateandChance.D.H.LawrencepraisedHardywithambivalence,andassociatedhimwithTolstoyasatragicwriterinStudyofThomasHardyhewrote.Hardyisoutstandingforhistremendouspowerofproducingtragediescomparabletoclassictragedies.

TheReturnoftheNativeisatragicnovelwhichanalyzesthepsychologicalparadoxofthecharactersandtheconflictbetweenmanandnature.Whenthenovelwaspublishedin1878,agreatnumberofcommentatorspraisedHardyforhisvividdescriptionsofthegeographicallandscapes—EdgonHeath,especiallythoseinthefirstchapter.While,onthecontrary,othersthoughtthathisportrayalofthelocalcharacterswasshallowandunconvincing.AreviewinAthenaeumdeemedit“distinctlyinferiortoanythingofhisnovelswehaveyetread.”JeanR.Brookscommentedthatthisfiction“strikesaharshernotethanFarfromtheMaddingCrowd”[1]269.Eustacia,theheroineofTheReturnoftheNative,hasattractedextensiveattentionfromacademicreaders.Forexample,AlbertJ.GuerardholdstheopinionthatEustaciaisthefirstofHardy’sirresponsibleandmildlyneurotichedonists[2]127.HavelockEllisbelievesthat“superficiallyshewastimid;itwasbeneaththattimiditythatherstrongerandmorerebelliousspiritdwelt.”DavidEggenschwilerseesEustaciaastheconsequenceofadialecticalstruggleinHardywithregardtohisownRomanticism;whileinPerryMeisel’sopinion,EustaciaandherstoryrepresentHardy’sownreturnoftherepressed.Inaword,Eustaciareceivedbothappreciationandcriticism,sodidthecausesofhertragicfate.Inthispaper,theauthorplanstoanalyzethetragicfatethroughthreeaspects:

surroundings,innercharactersandcoincidentalfactors.Onthebasisofnaturalandsocialinfluence,theauthorisgoingtotrytoexploremoreinnercharacteristicelementsthatgiverisetothetragedy.

2.Theauthorandthenovel

InTheReturnoftheNative,Hardymakesadeepcontemplationofwoman.Ontheonehand,heshowsagreatconcernforthesufferingofEustacia.Ontheotherhand,itisimpossibleforhimtoarrangeagoodfateforhisheroine:

thestrongwomaninhisnoveldiesintheend.ObservingEustacia’slittlepowertofightagainstherfate,Hardy,thecreator,candonothingbutstandsilently.

2.1ThomasHardy

ThomasHardy（1840-1928）,bornandbroughtupinDorsetshire,wherelaterbecamethefamous“Wessex”inmanyofhisnovels,isconsideredasanEnglishpoetandregionalnovelist,andalsoashortstorywriter,essayist,playwright,andarchitect.Hewaskeenonarchitecture,music,countryfolk-tablesandliterature,whichappearedinhisnovelsandhisownlife.Whenhewasyoung,healwaysexperiencedthelifeofcommonpeople.Heshowedgreatsympathytothosepoortraders,womenandfarmers,wholedthemiserablelifeundertheinfluencesofcapitalisticdevelopment.Hisexperiencesofasimplerurallifelaterbecametheplentifulmaterialsofhisnovels.

Hardybegantowritepoetryandnovelsfrom1867,andhedevotedthefirstpartofhiscareertothenovel.TherewerestatisticsthatHardyproducedmorethan20longnovelsinhiswholelife.Hisnovelwritingcanbeclassifiedintothreestages.Inthefirststage,hehasastronginterestinromanticism.Themajorworksare:

UndertheGreenwoodTree（1872）,andFarfromtheMaddingCrowd（1874）.Thenhegoestoanotherone,inwhichhemainlydepictsthesocialtragediesinWessex.TheReturnoftheNative（1878）andTheMayorofCasterbridge（1886）aretwotypicalnovelsinthisstage.Inthelaststage,HardytrieshisefforttodescribethetragicfateandthebankruptpeasantsofWessex,whichwecanlearnthroughTessofthed’Urbervilles（1891）andJudetheObscure（1895）.Healsohandeddownmanycollectionsofpoems,suchasWessexPoems,PoemsPastandPresent,TheLaughingStockofTimeaswellasEarlyandLateLyrics.Hardy’worksnotonlyhandeddownthegreattraditionofEnglandrealism,butalsoledabrightwayforBritishliteratureof20thcentury.Untilhisdeathat87,heremainedtherewritingnovelsandlaterpoetry,livingsimplyandquietlyinspiteofhisworldwidefame.

2.2ThebriefintroductiontoTheReturnoftheNative

Thestorybeginswithtwowomen,ThomasinYeobrightandEustaeiaVye,simultaneouslyfallinginlovewithDamonWildeve,whosemarriagetoThomasinYeobrightisdelayedbysomeerrorsinthemarriagecertificate.Asamatteroffact,Wildeve,tosomeextent,usesThomasinasadevicetomakeEustaciajealous,becauseheisinfatuatedwithEustaciaVye.DiggoryVennlovesThomasin.WhenVennlearnsthatEustaciaandWildevehaveanunusualrelationship,hisownloveforThomasininduceshimtointervenewiththem,whichhewillgoondoingthroughoutthenovel.However,Venn'seffortstopersuadeEustaciatoconsentWildevetomarryThomasin,justlikehisownmarriageproposaltoThomasin,arefailed.

EustaciafinallymarriesThomasin’scousinClymYeobright,anativemanwhoreturnsfromParis,despitethestrongobjectionsofMrs.Yeobright.EustaciaseesurbaneClymasachancetoescapefromthehatedheath.Butitisnotlongbeforesheisthoroughlydisillusionedwithherhusband.Eustacia'sdreamsofmovingtoParisarerejectedbyClym,whocomesbacktostayinthevillagebecauseheistiredofcitylife.Hehas，onhisreturn，theintentionofrunningaschool.WhenWildevehearsofEustacia'smarriagewithClym,hebeginstodesireheragain,althoughheisalreadymarriedtoThomasin.HemetEustaciainacountrydance,seenbytheomnipresentobserverDiggoryVenn,andlaterwhenWildevevisitsEustaciaatherhomewhileClymiscoincidentallysleeping.Duringthisvisit,Mrs.Yeobrightknocksatthedoor.Shehascomehopingforreconciliationwiththecouple.Eustacia,however,inherconfusionandfearatbeingdiscoveredwithWildeve,doesnotallowMrs.Yeobrighttoenterthehouse:

heart-brokenandfeelingrejectedbyherson,shesuccumbstoheatandsnakebiteonherwayhome,andfinallydies.

WhenClymfindsoutthetruthofhismother’sdeath,heseparateswithEustacia.Afterafierceargumentbetweenthecouple,EustacialeavesClymforhergrandfather’scottage.Soon,Wildeveofferstohelpher,hopingshewillbecomehismistressandleaveEgdonwithhim.ClymwritesalettertoEustaciatocallherback.Meanwhile,EustaciaconsentstoleavewithWildeveatmidnightwithoutreceivingit.AterriblestormbeginstosavagetheheathasEustaciaslipsoutofthehousetomeetWildeve.Ontheway,however,sherealizesthatescapingwithhimisnotasolution.Losingallhopeandbeingfrustrated,shedrownsherselftodeath.

3.TheembodimentofthetragicfateofEustacia

Eustacia’stragicfateissoobviousinthisnovel,suchasherlifeinEgdonHeath;marriagewithClymandherinevitabledeath.TheHeathsurvivesbyenduranceandsubmission,sodoesitrequireofitsdwellers,Eustaciarealizesthis,butfeelsitratherashamed.ShewantstorealizeherdreamdependingonherfuturehusbandandwisheshewouldhelptakeherescapeEgdonHeath.Insteadofmeetingherdesires,marriageshattersherlifedream.Losingallhope,shedrownsherselftodeath.

3.1LifeinEgdonHeath

Tragedyarisesoutofthegapbetweenwhatthecharacteris—histrueself—andwhathedoes—theidentityhepresentstotheoutsideworld[3]59.EustaciaisportrayedasaprisoneronEdgonHeathbytheauthor,whichfrustratesnotonlyherpassion,hersexuality,herconsciousnessoftime,butalsoallherescapingattempts.

EgdonHeathisaprimitive,primalHeath,wheretheinstinctivelifeheavesup.“Paradoxically,theheathisnotonlyametaphorforthecosmos,butitmirrorsmankind’scommoninternalchaos”[4]37.Itisserious,anditsindifferencetohumanfeelingsandcompleteignoranceoftheeffectoftimearehatedbyEustacia,whosegreatestdesireis“tobelovedtomadness”andtolivealifefilledwith“music,poetry,passion,war,andallthebeatingandpulsingthatisgoingoninthegreatarteriesoftheworld”.RatherthanlivinginharmonywithEgdonHeath,Eustaciaiscontradictorytoitinallitsrelatedmeanings.Egdonisstoic,butsheistragic;Edgonaccommodates,butsheviolates;Edgonapprovessolemnityandself-restraint,butsheaspirestoburnoutwithagreatpassion;Edgonignorestime,butshelikestostareatthesandrunningoutinhersmallhourglass.[9]88Sheenjoysprotrudingherselfbymockingitsconventions:

“OnSaturdaynightsshewouldfrequentlysingapsalmanditwasalwaysonaweekdaythatshereadtheBible,thatshemightbeoppressedwithasenseofdoingherduty”[5]179.

OnEgdonHeath,itappearsthatonlyEustacia,equippedwithhergrandfather’stelescopeandhergrandmother’shour-glass,whicharemetaphorsof“transience”,isespeciallyconcernedwiththepassingoftime.Watchingthesandrunningoutinhersmallhour-glass,shefeelsthat“anyloveshemightwinwouldsinksimultaneouslywiththesandintheglass”[5]92.Eustacia’sdesiretoenjoythepresentmoment,accordingtoBrooks,JeanR,istheuniversalthrustoflifetogrowoutofth