卡斯特桥市长中伊丽莎白杰恩性格剖析.docx

1、卡斯特桥市长中伊丽莎白杰恩性格剖析ANALYSIS OF ELIZABETH-JANE IN THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE 1. IntroductionThomas Hardy, one of the most prestigious realistic writers in Victorian Age, wrote many great works whose influence is far-reaching. Of all of his novels, his “Novels of Character and Environment” are the most f

2、amous, among which The Mayor of Casterbridge is a typical one. It has a subtitleA Story of a Man of Character, which obviously tells us this novel is about how character affects a mans life. In this novel, Hardy wants to present us the theory of Novalis, a German romantic poetcharacter is fate.The M

3、ayor of Casterbridge tells a tragic story about Michael Henchard, a hay-trusser. He makes a severe mistake unintentionallyafter getting drunk, he sells his wife and child for five guineas to a sailor, Newson. When sober, he repents and vows to start anew. Working hard, he accumulates wealth and wins

4、 peoples respect, and eventually he becomes the mayor of the town of Casterbridge. Eighteen years later, his wife, Susan, returns, with her daughter, Elizabeth-Jane, who is actually Newsons daughter but Henchard wrongly supposes as his. Through a combination of unhappy circumstances, troubles accumu

5、late. Henchard quarrels with his capable young assistant Donald Farfrae; Susan dies and Henchard learns the truth about Elizabeth-Jane; Farfrae marries Lucetta, who is Henchards lover. Soon Henchards business is ruined, and the story of the sale of his wife is revealed. Farfrae now takes his busines

6、s, his house, Lucetta and becomes the new mayor, while Henchard works as a laborer in his yard. Having weathering so many events, he regards Elizabeth-Jane as his only comfort, which, however, is deprived of him when Newson, Elizabeth-Janes biological father, returns to claim her daughter. Henchard

7、is afraid of losing her companionship and tells Newson she is dead, which leads to her indifference to him on her wedding. Henchard is once again impoverished, and, as soon as the twenty-first year of his oath is up, he starts drinking again. By the time Elizabeth-Jane, who months later is married t

8、o Donald Farfrae and reunited with Newson, goes looking for Henchard to forgive him, he has died wretchedly in a hut on Egdon Heath. And he leaves a will requesting no funeral or fanfare.When The Mayor of Casterbridge was first published in serial form, Hardy wrote that it is not improbabilities of

9、incident but improbabilities of character that matter. This is the basic theme of the novel, which has the additional title The Story of a Man of Character. Fate may create the situations for the characters, but in the end their personalities determine how they will react. Michael gains a true confi

10、dant in Farfrae, but his quick temper and mercurial ways only serve to push the young man away. Michaels pride keeps him from confessing whatever secret he has at the time. Lucettas reckless nature causes her to do dangerous things for love. The gossiping nature of the townspeople is responsible for

11、 the skimmity ride that kills Lucetta, and the gossip that ruins Michaels career. Even Elizabeth-Janes prudishness pushes Michael away for the first and last time. Character is just as responsible for the foibles of mankind as Fate is.The focus of this paper is not Henchard but Henchards step-daught

12、erElizabeth-Jane. This story happens in a society of economic transition which means that many conventions and traditions will undergo great changes; meanwhile, humans inevitably should make changes, or rather self-improvement as well to adapt to the new environment. Elizabeth-Jane sets a good examp

13、le to improve her constantly to cater to the need of the new society which strikes a sharp contrast with the hero of this novelHenchard, who is stubborn and refuses to change.2. Literature ReviewThe Mayor of Casterbridge is not only one of the representative works of Thomas Hardy, but also an undoub

14、ted treasure of the world literature. Therefore, it has aroused enormous interest and has been studied from various kinds of aspects. Since this novel is regarded as Hardys first novel to depict a person. Many scholars and researchers put their focus on the analysis of its hero Henchard as well as t

15、he influence of the novel itself. For example, in the book A History of the 19th Century British Literature by Wang Zuoliang and Qian Qing, this novel is considered to be an elegy of the demise of old social and economic system in the countryside which means it has profound social significance. Also

16、, in the book A Brief History of English Literature by Wang Shouren, Hardys skills of depicting people is thought highly of and the reasons of Henchards tragedy are summed up. With regard to the related study abroad, Lord David Cecil remarks in Hardy the Novelist :“In all his fictions, chance is the

17、 incarnation of the blind forces controlling human destiny. Ironically the blind forces of Hap seem to favour certain characters while they relentlessly pursue those who deserve better, such as Tess, as well as those whose ends we might regard as proof of Nemesis or Poetic Justice (Sergeant Troy in

18、Far from the Madding Crowd, Lucetta in The Mayor of Casterbridge, and Alec in Tess of the DUrbervilles ). ( Lord David Cecil 25)As seen in the library, unlike Henchard, the analyses of Elizabeth-Jane are few and far between. Most researchers just mention her when studying a lot of other females in H

19、ardys novels. However, there exist three different opinions about her in some newspapers: one is that she is a typical example of the traditional fine lady, as Xiao Jin mentions in the article “Analysis of Female Characters in Hardys Novels” (Xiao Jin 29), who stamps her as a fairly passive characte

20、r; another one is that she remains a traditional woman in spite of her aspiration to become a refined lady, which is represented by Chu Ping; the last one is that she is worth studying and her wisdom and quick adaptation to the new environment sets us thinking of those who are now in a society flood

21、ed with fierce competition, as He Rui thinks in her article “Analysis of the Females in The Mayor of Casterbridge” (He Rui 31) in Literature Study. Based on the above literature review, the author of this thesis has not found any systematic and detailed account for Elizabeth-Janes character. Thus, t

22、his paper attempts to make such a systematic research. Elizabeth-Jane is the combination of the tradition and modern womenkind and benign as a traditional woman; sensible, far-sighted, firm-willed and perseverant, as well as independent and quickly adapted to the environment as a modern woman, hence

23、 her final survival and triumphal realization. This, from the other aspect, proves the theory that character is fate and survival of the fittest. The following paragraphs will elaborate on the characterization of Elizabeth-Jane from aspects of both traditional factors and modern factors.3. Tradition

24、al Factors: fine traditionkindness and benignityIn his works, Thomas Hardy successfully depicts many lifelike and unforgettable females. As a male writer unconsciously influenced by the idea of the society in that age that women are only appendages of men and in the subordinate position, many female

25、 characters do not fall into the “angel” and “monster” of these two extreme stereotypes, but follow the traditional womens weak and submissive characters who are beautiful, soft, sensitive, submissive, dignified and humble, and also aspiring to a “proper” love and marriage. Brought up by Susan, a st

26、ereotype of the traditional fine woman, Elizabeth-Jane inevitably inherits her mothers kindness and benignity. Such qualities are fully reflected in her attitude towards Henchard and Lucetta.3.1. Elizabeth-Janes great tolerance and love for HenchardWhen Henchard learns from Susans letter that Elizab

27、eth-Jane is actually not his real daughter but Newsons, he feels upset and angry. At first he estranges himself from her on purpose: “they never met except at meals” (Hardy 145), and then “the coldness soon broke into open chiding” (Hardy 145). He scolds her about “her occasional pretty and pictures

28、que use of dialect wordsthose terrible marks of the beast to the truly genteel” (Hardy 145). In a word, he will find any chance to reprimand her to vent his anger and revenge. The poor Elizabeth-Jane cannot understand Henchards behavior and feels very sad and hurt. But she does not think he is a bad

29、 person. When she meets Lucetta beside her mothers tomb, she tells Lucetta about Henchard “no, certainly not bad. He has not been unkind to me till latelysince mother died. All is owing to my defects, I dare say; and my defects are owing to my history” (Hardy 153). She does not complain of his fathe

30、r but tries her best to discard her dialect words. She is so kind to think that she should take the blame instead of her father. This is the most typical thought of the traditional women, like her mother, who often bear what she confronts although it sometimes takes so much to bear it.Her demeanor i

31、n face of Henchards miserable and confounded situation well bears out her kindness and humanity. After the failure of his business, Henchard almost loses everythinghis business, his house, his reputation, etc. Although he doesnt treat her very well or even hates her after her mothers death, yet she

32、never hates him. Instead, she cares for him and loves him very much. When informed of his bankruptcy, she cant help crying and is eager to see him. “She believed in him still, though nobody else did; and he wanted to be allowed to forgive him for his roughness to her, and to help him in his trouble.

33、”(Hardy 244) Notwithstanding his cold shoulder at the first few times, Elizabeth-Janes frequent presence and sincere concern gradually matter a lot. After Lucettas death, she becomes his only comfort. Love alone can waken love. Henchard is not the sort of person who is callous and heartless to a degree that will make a