浅析《小妇人》中主要的人物性格.docx

1、浅析小妇人中主要的人物性格Analysis on the Character in Little Women浅析小妇人中主要的人物性格 ABSTRACT Louisa May Alcott was an American writer who was born in 1832 and died in 1888. She was the daughter of A. Brousen Alcott. At early time she lived in the environment of senior intellectual and literati. So it was natural fo

2、r her to begin to do writing when she was young. Little Women is a novel published in 1868 and written by American author Louisa May Alcott. The story concerns the lives and loves of four sisters growing up during the American Civil War. It was based on Alcotts own experiences as a child in Concord,

3、 Massachusetts with her three sisters, Anna, May, and Elizabeth. By describing the four girls being mature experience and life experience brought different fates, this paper analyzes the different characters of the four March girls and also analyzes the factors that influence their characters. Throu

4、gh the paper, we can see the kindness, loyalty, selflessness, generosity, respect, tolerance, perseverance and courage promoted in the book. They are also the virtues and beliefs that people always respect and pursuit. Key Words: characteristics, life experience, mature experience摘 要易莎.梅.奥尔科特，是美国作家，

5、生于1832年，卒与1888年。她是“康科德的圣人”A.布朗森奥尔科特的女儿。早期生活在一个高级知识分子和文人的环境中，很自然地在她还很年轻的时候就从事了写作。小妇人是美国作家路易莎梅奥尔柯特的作品，也是她最著名与最成功的作品，描述南北战争期间一个家庭的生活与4位女儿的成长故事。这本书是根据路易莎梅奥尔柯特自己和三个姐妹的真实的故事改编而成。本论文通过对马奇家四姐妹在走向成熟过程中的种种感情体验和生活经历的所带来不同命运的描述,分析了她们不同的人物性格；同时也提出了影响她们性格的因素。通过本论文的分析，我们可以看到小说中所提倡的善良、忠诚、无私、慷慨、尊重、宽容、坚韧、勇敢。这些也是人类永远尊

6、崇和追求的美德和信仰。关键词：人物性格；生活经历；成熟过程1. Introduction1.1Literary reviewLittle Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (18321888). The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. It is one of the

7、most agreeable juvenile novels in America history and has been popular for over 100 years. There are dozens of versions of this book in different languages all around the world. The novel follows the lives of four sisters and is loosely based on the authors childhood experiences with her three siste

8、rs. The first volume was an immediate commercial and critical success, prompting the composition of the books second volume titled Good Wives, which was successful as well. The publication of the book in the form of a single volume first occurred in 1880. Alcott followed Little Women with two sequel

9、s, also featuring the March sisters, Little Men (1871) and Jos Boys (1886). Little Women has been popular ever since its first publication; after more than 140 years, it still appeals to readers young and old, female and male although, admittedly, the majority of the novels lifelong lovers are femal

10、e. Little Women has been adapted as a play, a musical, an opera, a film, and animation. 1.2 The introduction of the novelThe book mainly talks about lives of four girls in the March family during the Civil War. The four girls are: Meg who takes care of her three little sisters maternally and chooses

11、 to live a poor life with her beloved one; boyish Jo who is brave and decisive and has her own dream; Beth who is angelic and sweet but unfortunately dies of scarlet fever; Amy who is delicate and tender and later becomes a true lady. Their lives are not so easy as they face crisis and roughness. Bu

12、t they manage to make life meaningful and beautiful. And through all the difficulties they build themselves up as perfect, elegant ladies. 1.3 The focus of the thesisLittle Women is a novel about Marchs sisters at the background of American Civil War. It shows us the four girls. During the year, lit

13、tle women learn to give up their bad habits, and they made different friends. In this paper, I will discuss the different characters of four girls growth during the American Civil War. It was based on Alcotts own experiences as a child in Concord, Massachusetts with her three sisters, Anna, May, and

14、 Elizabeth. By describing the four girls being mature experience and life experience brought different fates, this paper analyzes the different characters of the four March girls and also analyzes the factors that influence their characters. Through the paper, we can see the kindness, loyalty, selfl

15、essness, generosity, respect, tolerance, perseverance and courage promoted in the book. They are also the virtues and beliefs that people always respect and pursuit. 2. Different Characters of Four March Girls2.1 The first Daughter Meg Marchs Character2.1.1 Her general descriptionMeg, short for Marg

16、aret, is the oldest and (until Amy grows up) the prettiest of the four March sisters. She is very pretty, being plump and fair, with large eyes, plenty of soft brown hair, a sweet mouth, and white hands, of which she was rather proud. Shes also the most typical of the sisters we think of her as ever

17、ything that you might expect a nineteenth-century American girl from a good family to be. Meg runs the household when her mother is absent. 2.1.2Her character: fond of luxuryFrom the works we can be found that she has a small weakness for luxury and leisure. That is vanity. At the beginning of the b

18、ook, she claimed that:“Its so dreadful to be poor! sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.（3; ch.1）When Meg received a regular note of invitation, she was so excited. She waved the precious paper and then proceeded to read it with girlish delight. You must have gloves, or I wont go, cried Meg dec

19、idedly. Gloves are more important than anything else. You cant dance without them, and if you dont I should be so mortified.（3; ch.1）Those words can be best illustrated by her this characteristic. As she said, she was fond of luxury, and her chief trouble was poverty. She found it harder to bear tha

20、n the others because she could remember a time when home was beautiful, life full of ease and pleasure, and want of any kind unknown. She tried not to be envious or discontented, but it was very natural that the young girl should long for pretty things, gay friends, accomplishments, and a happy life

21、.Her dream is to be wealthy once more, and have a huge mansion with lots of servants and expensive possessions. Shes also a bit of a romantic; when she has to tell a story to amuse her sisters, its about love and marriage, and Jo starts to suspect pretty early on that Meg might have a real-life Prin

22、ce Charming in her thoughts. Meg is sweet-natured, dutiful, and not at all flirtatious in fact, shes unrealistically good and proper. Perhaps thats why shes so alarmed by her sister Jos rambunctious, tomboyish behavior. Each of the March sisters has at least one major character flaw that she struggl

23、es to overcome, and Meg is no different. Megs problem is, well, avarice, greed, envy, wanting stuff that other people have. Whatever you call it, shes got it in spades. Meg tries to set aside her materialism, and gradually learns to value simple things more because of the hard work that it takes to

24、earn them. Before she gets to that point, however, she spends many, many hours envying the fortune and leisured life of her friends Sallie Gardiner and the Moffat girls. In fact, at one point Meg allows the Moffats to dress her up in fancy clothes, covering her in makeup and jewelry and making her s

25、how far more cleavage than a demure, protestant, nineteenth-century girl really should. She even we know youll be horrified here drinks champagne at one point! It only takes Meg one bout of this kind of vanity and wealth-worship to realize that the people shes trying to impress are unbelievably shal

26、low. She doesnt feel like herself, and when she hears someone at the party say that shes dressed up like a doll, she realizes thats exactly what shes turned herself into, and she never does it again. Even at her wedding, Meg wears a simple dress that she makes herself by hand.2.1.3Her unusual virtue

27、 In spite of her small vanities, Meg had a sweet and pious nature, which unconsciously influenced her sisters, especially Jo, who loved her very tenderly, and obeyed her because her advice was so gently given.As she is the eldest of the four, she knew her responds. When her sisters met troubles, she

28、 is always willing to help them. As the oldest daughter, she has always shouldered a fair amount of responsibility, particularly with not having her father at home. Shes also the most typical of the sisters we think of her as everything that you might expect a nineteenth-century American girl from a

29、 good family to be. Shes the only sister who can really remember when her family used to be wealthy, and she feels nostalgic about those good old days.2.2 Boyish Jo Marchs Character2.2.1Her general descriptionJo March is the second daughter of Mrs. March. She had a decided mouth, a comical nose, and

30、 sharp, gray eyes, which appeared to see everything, and were by turns fierce, funny, or thoughtful. Round shoulders had Jo, big hands and feet, a flyaway look to her clothes, and the uncomfortable appearance of a girl who was rapidly shooting up into a woman and didnt like it. Jo loves writing, dre

31、aming of being a famous writer and making money to have her family live a better life. She looks like a boy, and reacts with impatience to the many limitations placed on women and girls. Her character is based in large part on Louisa May Alcott herself. Jos character is outstanding other girls. 2.2.

32、2. Her unusual character-boyish The reason why Jo stood out can be best illustrated by her characteristic. It was her characteristic that made her different from all the other girls in the family. Unlike other girls who behaved like quiet water, Jo was neither soft nor gentle. She was just like a vigorous flame giving endless happiness and energy. And she was always optimistic and brave to share the burden of the family. She acted like a boy and determined to be like a man. In the beginning of the book, she claimed that:I hate to th