《名利场》中两位女主人公的对比分析.docx
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《名利场》中两位女主人公的对比分析
AComparativeAnalysisoftheTwoHeroinesinVanityFair
《名利场》中两位女主人公的对比分析
Abstract
VanityFairisafamousnovelandmasterpiecewrittenbyWilliamMakepeaceThackeray,anditisafamousworkofcriticalrealism.Inthenovel,Thackerayhascreatedtwofemaleimages---BeckyandAmelia,whoarefreshandplump.Theyrespectivelystandsfortwotypesoffemaleimages:
oneisthe“badwomanimage”representedbyBeckywhobreaksthetraditionones;andtheotheristhetypicaltraditional“familyangelimage”representedbyAmelia.However,boththebadwomanandangelhavethedualnaturesinThackeray'seyes.Inthispaper,itmakesa
comparativeanalysisofthetwofemaleimagesshapedbyThackerayiVnanityFair,todiscussthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweentwofemalesimages'characters,values,anddestiny,andprobeintothedeepreasonsforsuchdifferences.
Throughthisnovel,the19thcenturyEnglishsocietycanbeseenatalllevelsandhowdifferentpeoplesurviveinthecruelsociety.Researchingthistopichasimportantsignificanceinunderstandingandbecomingfamiliarwiththesocietyandcultureofthe19thcenturyBritishcapitalism.
Keywords:
characters;Becky;Amelia
中文摘要
《名利场》是19世纪英国著名小说家威廉·梅克比斯·萨克雷的成名作也是其代表作,是一部著名的批判现实主义作品。
小说中塑造了两位女主角——蓓基和爱米丽亚,形象鲜活丰满,栩栩如生。
她们分别代表了两种女性形象:
一种是蓓基所代表的打破传统女性形象的“坏女人”;一种是爱米莉亚所代表的典型传统家庭天使形象。
然而,不管是坏女人还是天使,在萨克雷的眼中都是有其两重性的。
本文就萨克雷在《名利场》中所塑造的两位女性形象进行对比分析,分析二人性格、价值观及命运的异同,并探讨导致这种差异的深层原因。
透过这篇小说,我们可以看到19世纪英国上流社会的各个层面,以及不同的人怎样在社会中谋得他们的一席之地。
研究此课题对了解和熟悉19世纪英国资本主义社会文化具有重要的意义。
关键词:
性格;蓓基;爱米丽亚
Outline
1.Introduction
2.ComparisonofBeckyandAmeliainVanityFair
2.1DifferentCharacters
2.1.1Becky---BreakingtheTraditionalImageofWomen
2.1.2Amelia---ATypicalTraditionalFemaleImage
2.2DifferentAttitudetowardLoveandMarriage
2.2.1Becky---AToolLeadingHertotheUpperSociety
2.2.2Amelia---DevotedHerselftoLove
2.2DifferentFates
2.2.1Becky'sDestiny
2.2.2Amelia'Fastes
3.ReasonsforTheirDifferentFates
3.1LivingEnvironment
3.2SocialSituationinVictorianEra
3.3TraditionalFemaleMorality
4.Conclusion
1.Introduction
VanityFairisamasterpieceoftheBritishnovelistThackeray.Itmainlydepictstheencountersanddestiniesoftwobeautifulgirls---BeckyandAmeliawholiveintheBritishupperclassintheearlytimeofthe19thcentury.Beckyisatypicaladventuressinthecapitalistsociety.Theinfluencesanddiscriminationsoftheunderworldcauseherpersonalitiestobecomedistorted.Inordertomakealiving,shedoesn'tgiveupanyopportunitiesandtriestoreachherpurposethroughmarriages.Shelikestoshowherfaceinpublic.Infact,thelifepursuedbyherisfilledwithfameandwealthaswellastheendlessdesires.Sheisevil,butsuccessful.Sheisanoutcomeofthedualfunctionoftheeraandsociety.Onthecontrary,Ameliaisaprettyandsimplewomanwithgoodcharactersandpurelove.Shecomesfromarichmerchantfamily,lookingforwardtotheidealloveandtryingtoweaveherownlifewithlove.Sheispoor,buthappy.Beingdeeplyattractedbythesetwoheroines'distinctpersonalitiesanddifferentfates,theauthortriestoexploretheimpliedsocialreasonsfortheirdifferentencountersandviewsofloveandmarriage.
ThroughanalyzingBeckyandAmelia'sdifferentcharacters,viewsonloveandmarriageaswellasfatesinthisnovel,thispaperaimsatsummarizingthecoremoralconceptsoftheVictorianwomenandexploringtheimpliedsocialreasons.Hopethispapercannotonlybeasupplementtothepreviousstudies,butalsohelpthereadersbetterunderstandthedeepconnotationsofthisnovel.
2.ComparisonofBeckyandAmeliainVanityFair
BritainatthattimeisnothingshortofVanityFair.Therefore,tosurviveinsuchacruelsociety,onemusthavecertainlifeskills,especiallypeopleborninpoorfamilies.SodoBeckyandAmelia.Inthispart,thecharacters,attitudetoloveandmarriage,aswellastheirfateswillbecompared.
2.1DifferentCharacters
IntheVanityFair,thetwoheroines,BeckyandAmelia,appearfullblown,especiallyBeckywhoisoneofthemostsuccessfulandtypicalcharactersinnovels.Inthefollowingpart,theirdifferentcharacterswillbediscussed.
2.1.1Becky---BreakingtheTraditionalImageofWomen
Beingdoughtytopursue:
IntheVitoriatimes,socialcultureandeconomicstatusdeterminethestatusofwomen.InVictorianBritain,“womenhavenoopportunitytogetknowledgethrougheducationorwork;theyareonlytoldtowhatkindoftheirbehaviorsareinconformitytonorms,whichboundthefemale'scharacters(H”agan,1975:
479).Rebeccaisapoororphan,butshewantstowintherespect,andobtainstheeconomicstatusandsocialstatus.Herindependentpersonalityisinconflictwithherstatusconferredbythesociety.
Herdesireofrespectderivesfromherchildhoodexperience.Herfatherwould
beathiswifeanddaughterwhendrunk,andcomplainedthesociety'sinjustice.Her
father'pusnishmentintensifiedheranger,andherchildhoodexperiencemadeherrealizeshewaslivingininacageofpatriarchalsociety.Shewantstohaveadifferentchildhoodlife,butthesocietyimposedrestrictionsoffemalesonher.Therefore,inthatsociety,tolivewithyourowngoalsanddesiresisagreatchallengeforher.IntheVictoriantimes,onlywomenintheupperclasshavetheopportunitytoaccepttheeducationaboutmanners;foragirllikeRebeccasuchagirlfromthebottomofthesociety,lifeismorebound.Rebecca'ssocialstatuscondemnshertorelyonherownbutnootherway.Shewillneveraccepttherestrictionsofgenderandstatusimposedformthesociety,andshehasherownplansandtriestorealizeheraspirationsbyherself.
ResistingSpirits:
Afterhisfatherdied,Rebeccaisallowedtostayinschool,buthastoteachothergirlsFrench.Rebeccaisangeredbyotherstuden'tsdiscrimination,andshebeginstodesireforprestigeextremely.Theschoollifemakeshermoreawarenooneelsecanrelyonbutherself,soshebeginstoplanforherownfuture.Shecannotbearother'sdiscriminationanymore,soshedeterminestoentertheuppersociety.However,beforegraduation,shefindsthechallengetothetraditionalconceptswillonlyhurtherself,soshegetsherownangerandambitionhidden,andpretendstosurrender.ShehaslearnedfromAmeliathatbeingsubmissiveandnaivewillbemorepopulartopeople.AndthehugedifferencesinMissPinkerton'streatingonAmeliaandher,makessherealizethatshehastohidehernaturalinstincts,buttoshowelegantandpolitemanners.Innaterebelliondoomsherwon'tchangeherbehaviortoachievethesocialexpectationsofwomen.(Hammond,2002:
26)Shesocializescarefullywithpeoplearoundher,andthenlaughsatthembehind.LordSteyne'shumiliationletshergetthesenseofsatisfaction,becausehisnoblestatussymbolizesforthecagesetbyherchildhoodsocialsystem.
WitandCapability:
InVictorianpatriarchytraditionalsociety,womencannotleavethemanalone,butthemenonlythinksthemselves.Rebeccahastransformswoman'sinferiorrolethroughherintelligentmanipulationordeceivemenaroundher.Asagoverness,shebreaktherulesrestrictedbythesocietyforwomenthroughbecomingindispensablefigures.Inthemaster'shome,althoughsheisonlyafamilyteacher,butshefindsherselfactuallydominatingthefamilybusinesstoagreatextent.Rebecca'swordsanddeedsunderthecoverofinnocenceareverypersuasive.ShecontrolsothersthroughherwordsandactionstomakethembelievesheawomanlikeAmelia:
obedient,andchildlikeinnocent.
2.1.2Amelia---ATypicalTraditionalFemaleImage
Ameliacomplieswiththerequirementsofbeing“anangelinthehouse”.(Hammond,1992:
663)Shenotonlyactsasaqualifiedmother,butalsoactsasadocilewifeandafilialdaughter.
Thesocialgenderisnotonlydeterminedbythephysiologicalsex,butalsoconstructedbythesociety.ThroughouttheVictorianera,formostofthemiddle-classwomen,theirlifeisshapedbyboththeirfamilyrolesandtheideaofwhatfeminizationis.Andtheirsenseofself-conceptisdeterminedbytheirsocialstatusandeconomicconditions.Femalesaredescribedascaring,simpleandignorantgroups.AccordingtotheVictoriansociety,theidealwifeshouldbeloyal,obedient,passive,self-denyingandandpureandsoon.Ameliaissucharepresentative.Shedesirestobean“Victorianangel”whichisconsistentwiththerequirementsofthetimes.However,thesocietydoesn'tsupporthersenseofself-conceptandlimitsallherindependentawareness.Beauvoirhaseversaidthatwhenfemalesrelyonmalestomakealivingandenjoysuchakindoflifestyle,theyarewillingtobeothers.(Zeng,2006:
149)AndthisisaveryexactdescriptionforAmelia.
DuringthesixyearsofstudyinginPinkertongirls'school,Ameliahasbeenalsopraisedandlovedbypeoplearoundher.Whenshefinishesherstudies,theheadmasterMissPinkertonsaysthat:
“AmeliapossessestheuniquepersonalitiesthataqualifiedBritishwomanshouldhave.Shestudieshardandhasmoderatetemperament,winningthepraiseofteachersandclassmates.Thus,everyoneintheschool,youngandold,lovesher”.AmeliaregardsBeckyashermostintimatefriend.Once,afterBecky'sstayingatherhomeforaweek,shestillwantshertostayatthereforanotherweek,whichsoundsextremelyincredible.ThesentimentalAmeliainherentlytendstodependonpeoplearoundher,makingherbeinasubordinatepositioninthepatriarchalsociety,butshedoesn'tmindatall.Shetakesloveandmarriageasalifelongcareer.Sheistheembodimentofangelsandhercowardandgentlepersonalitiesareinaccordancewiththesocialno