卡斯特桥市长中伊丽莎白杰恩性格剖析.docx

卡斯特桥市长中伊丽莎白杰恩性格剖析.docx

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卡斯特桥市长中伊丽莎白杰恩性格剖析

ANALYSISOFELIZABETH-JANEINTHEMAYOROFCASTERBRIDGE

1.Introduction

ThomasHardy,oneofthemostprestigiousrealisticwritersinVictorianAge,wrotemanygreatworkswhoseinfluenceisfar-reaching.Ofallofhisnovels,his“NovelsofCharacterandEnvironment”arethemostfamous,amongwhichTheMayorofCasterbridgeisatypicalone.Ithasasubtitle—AStoryofaManofCharacter,whichobviouslytellsusthisnovelisabouthowcharacteraffectsaman’slife.Inthisnovel,HardywantstopresentusthetheoryofNovalis,aGermanromanticpoet—characterisfate.

TheMayorofCasterbridgetellsatragicstoryaboutMichaelHenchard,ahay-trusser.Hemakesaseveremistakeunintentionally—aftergettingdrunk,hesellshiswifeandchildforfiveguineastoasailor,Newson.Whensober,herepentsandvowstostartanew.Workinghard,heaccumulateswealthandwinspeople’srespect,andeventuallyhebecomesthemayorofthetownofCasterbridge.Eighteenyearslater,hiswife,Susan,returns,withherdaughter,Elizabeth-Jane,whoisactuallyNewson’sdaughterbutHenchardwronglysupposesashis.Throughacombinationofunhappycircumstances,troublesaccumulate.HenchardquarrelswithhiscapableyoungassistantDonaldFarfrae;SusandiesandHenchardlearnsthetruthaboutElizabeth-Jane;FarfraemarriesLucetta,whoisHenchard’slover.SoonHenchard’sbusinessisruined,andthestoryofthesaleofhiswifeisrevealed.Farfraenowtakeshisbusiness,hishouse,Lucettaandbecomesthenewmayor,whileHenchardworksasalaborerinhisyard.Havingweatheringsomanyevents,heregardsElizabeth-Janeashisonlycomfort,which,however,isdeprivedofhimwhenNewson,Elizabeth-Jane’sbiologicalfather,returnstoclaimherdaughter.HenchardisafraidoflosinghercompanionshipandtellsNewsonsheisdead,whichleadstoherindifferencetohimonherwedding.Henchardisonceagainimpoverished,and,assoonasthetwenty-firstyearofhisoathisup,hestartsdrinkingagain.BythetimeElizabeth-Jane,whomonthslaterismarriedtoDonaldFarfraeandreunitedwithNewson,goeslookingforHenchardtoforgivehim,hehasdiedwretchedlyinahutonEgdonHeath.Andheleavesawillrequestingnofuneralorfanfare.

WhenTheMayorofCasterbridgewasfirstpublishedinserialform,Hardywrotethatitisnotimprobabilitiesofincidentbutimprobabilitiesofcharacterthatmatter.Thisisthebasicthemeofthenovel,whichhastheadditionaltitleTheStoryofaManofCharacter.Fatemaycreatethesituationsforthecharacters,butintheendtheirpersonalitiesdeterminehowtheywillreact.MichaelgainsatrueconfidantinFarfrae,buthisquicktemperandmercurialwaysonlyservetopushtheyoungmanaway.Michael’spridekeepshimfromconfessingwhateversecrethehasatthetime.Lucetta’srecklessnaturecauseshertododangerousthingsforlove.ThegossipingnatureofthetownspeopleisresponsiblefortheskimmityridethatkillsLucetta,andthegossipthatruinsMichael’scareer.EvenElizabeth-Jane’sprudishnesspushesMichaelawayforthefirstandlasttime.CharacterisjustasresponsibleforthefoiblesofmankindasFateis.

ThefocusofthispaperisnotHenchardbutHenchard’sstep-daughter—Elizabeth-Jane.Thisstoryhappensinasocietyofeconomictransitionwhichmeansthatmanyconventionsandtraditionswillundergogreatchanges;meanwhile,humansinevitablyshouldmakechanges,orratherself-improvementaswelltoadapttothenewenvironment.Elizabeth-Janesetsagoodexampletoimproveherconstantlytocatertotheneedofthenewsocietywhichstrikesasharpcontrastwiththeheroofthisnovel—Henchard,whoisstubbornandrefusestochange.

2.LiteratureReview

TheMayorofCasterbridgeisnotonlyoneoftherepresentativeworksofThomasHardy,butalsoanundoubtedtreasureoftheworldliterature.Therefore,ithasarousedenormousinterestandhasbeenstudiedfromvariouskindsofaspects.

SincethisnovelisregardedasHardy’sfirstnoveltodepictaperson.ManyscholarsandresearchersputtheirfocusontheanalysisofitsheroHenchardaswellastheinfluenceofthenovelitself.Forexample,inthebookAHistoryofthe19thCenturyBritishLiteraturebyWangZuoliangandQianQing,thisnovelisconsideredtobeanelegyofthedemiseofoldsocialandeconomicsysteminthecountrysidewhichmeansithasprofoundsocialsignificance.Also,inthebookABriefHistoryofEnglishLiteraturebyWangShouren,Hardy’sskillsofdepictingpeopleisthoughthighlyofandthereasonsofHenchard’stragedyaresummedup.

Withregardtotherelatedstudyabroad,LordDavidCecilremarksinHardytheNovelist:

“Inallhisfictions,chanceistheincarnationoftheblindforcescontrollinghumandestiny.Ironicallytheblindforcesof‘Hap’seemtofavourcertaincharacterswhiletheyrelentlesslypursuethosewhodeservebetter,suchasTess,aswellasthosewhoseendswemightregardasproofofNemesisorPoeticJustice（SergeantTroyinFarfromtheMaddingCrowd,LucettainTheMayorofCasterbridge,andAlecinTessoftheD’Urbervilles）.（LordDavidCecil25）

Asseeninthelibrary,unlikeHenchard,theanalysesofElizabeth-Janearefewandfarbetween.MostresearchersjustmentionherwhenstudyingalotofotherfemalesinHardy’snovels.However,thereexistthreedifferentopinionsaboutherinsomenewspapers:

oneisthatsheisatypicalexampleofthetraditionalfinelady,asXiaoJinmentionsinthearticle“AnalysisofFemaleCharactersinHardy’sNovels”（XiaoJin29）,whostampsherasafairlypassivecharacter;anotheroneisthatsheremainsatraditionalwomaninspiteofheraspirationtobecomearefinedlady,whichisrepresentedbyChuPing;thelastoneisthatsheisworthstudyingandherwisdomandquickadaptationtothenewenvironmentsetsusthinkingofthosewhoarenowinasocietyfloodedwithfiercecompetition,asHeRuithinksinherarticle“AnalysisoftheFemalesinTheMayorofCasterbridge”（HeRui31）inLiteratureStudy.

Basedontheaboveliteraturereview,theauthorofthisthesishasnotfoundanysystematicanddetailedaccountforElizabeth-Jane’scharacter.Thus,thispaperattemptstomakesuchasystematicresearch.Elizabeth-Janeisthecombinationofthetraditionandmodernwomen—kindandbenignasatraditionalwoman;sensible,far-sighted,firm-willedandperseverant,aswellasindependentandquicklyadaptedtotheenvironmentasamodernwoman,henceherfinalsurvivalandtriumphalrealization.This,fromtheotheraspect,provesthetheorythatcharacterisfateandsurvivalofthefittest.ThefollowingparagraphswillelaborateonthecharacterizationofElizabeth-Janefromaspectsofbothtraditionalfactorsandmodernfactors.

3.TraditionalFactors:

finetradition—kindnessandbenignity

Inhisworks,ThomasHardysuccessfullydepictsmanylifelikeandunforgettablefemales.Asamalewriterunconsciouslyinfluencedbytheideaofthesocietyinthatagethatwomenareonlyappendagesofmenandinthesubordinateposition,manyfemalecharactersdonotfallintothe“angel”and“monster”ofthesetwoextremestereotypes,butfollowthetraditionalwomen’sweakandsubmissivecharacterswhoarebeautiful,soft,sensitive,submissive,dignifiedandhumble,andalsoaspiringtoa“proper”loveandmarriage.

BroughtupbySusan,astereotypeofthetraditionalfinewoman,Elizabeth-Janeinevitablyinheritshermother’skindnessandbenignity.SuchqualitiesarefullyreflectedinherattitudetowardsHenchardandLucetta.

3.1.Elizabeth-Jane’sgreattoleranceandloveforHenchard

WhenHenchardlearnsfromSusan’sletterthatElizabeth-JaneisactuallynothisrealdaughterbutNewson’s,hefeelsupsetandangry.Atfirstheestrangeshimselffromheronpurpose:

“theynevermetexceptatmeals”（Hardy145）,andthen“thecoldnesssoonbrokeintoopenchiding”（Hardy145）.Hescoldsherabout“heroccasionalprettyandpicturesqueuseofdialectwords—thoseterriblemarksofthebeasttothetrulygenteel”（Hardy145）.Inaword,hewillfindanychancetoreprimandhertoventhisangerandrevenge.ThepoorElizabeth-JanecannotunderstandHenchard’sbehaviorandfeelsverysadandhurt.Butshedoesnotthinkheisabadperson.WhenshemeetsLucettabesidehermother’stomb,shetellsLucettaaboutHenchard“no,certainlynotbad.Hehasnotbeenunkindtometilllately—sincemotherdied.Allisowingtomydefects,Idaresay;andmydefectsareowingtomyhistory”（Hardy153）.Shedoesnotcomplainofhisfatherbuttriesherbesttodiscardherdialectwords.Sheissokindtothinkthatsheshouldtaketheblameinsteadofherfather.Thisisthemosttypicalthoughtofthetraditionalwomen,likehermother,whooftenbearwhatsheconfrontsalthoughitsometimestakessomuchtobearit.

HerdemeanorinfaceofHenchard’smiserableandconfoundedsituationwellbearsoutherkindnessandhumanity.Afterthefailureofhisbusiness,Henchardalmostloseseverything—hisbusiness,hishouse,hisreputation,etc.Althoughhedoesn’ttreatherverywellorevenhatesherafterhermother’sdeath,yetsheneverhateshim.Instead,shecaresforhimandloveshimverymuch.Wheninformedofhisbankruptcy,shecan’thelpcryingandiseagertoseehim.“Shebelievedinhimstill,thoughnobodyelsedid;andhewantedtobeallowedtoforgivehimforhisroughnesstoher,andtohelphiminhistrouble.”（Hardy244）Notwithstandinghiscoldshoulderatthefirstfewtimes,Elizabeth-Jane’sfrequentpresenceandsincereconcerngraduallymatteralot.AfterLucetta’sdeath,shebecomeshisonlycomfort.Lovealonecanwakenlove.Henchardisnotthesortofpersonwhoiscallousandheartlesstoadegreethatwillmakea