英语论文On Female Images in Little WomenWord文档格式.docx
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英语论文On Female Images in Little WomenWord文档格式.docx
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SomescholarshavestudiedaboutimagesinLittleWomen.Theylayparticularemphasisonself-dependenceandself-disciplineinLittleWomen(许绮,2004:
122).Fromthestudies,wecanfindoutthatdifferentpersonalitiesreflectdifferentoutlooksonvalueandlife.ThestudiesonlydescribewhatthefemaleimagesinLittleWomen,whilethisthesisistoexplorethewaytobuildupfemaleimagesinLittleWomen.
BeforeanalyzingofthefemaleimagesinLittleWomen,tostudythetraditionaldefinitionoffemaleandfeministdefinitionoffemalethatinfluenceonfemaleimages,isthefirststepofanalysisthetheme.Then,throughtheanalysisofcharactersofthefemalesinLittleWomenandwhattheyhaveexperiencedandthought,wecanfindthewaythathowtheybuilduptheirfinefemales’images.WomeninmodernsocietyshouldtaketheircharactersinLittleWomenasexamplestobuilduptheirimages.
1.1Traditionaldefinitionoffemale
ReligionhasgovernedthethoughtsofWestandBibleaffectswesterncountriesdeeply.ThestoriesinBiblebringaboutthegenderstereotypethatprovidessocietyandmalesabasistosetupfemales’imagesandlimittheirstatus.
“Fromnowonyou'
llhavetoscratchalivingfromthesoil.
You'
llneedtomakeclothesandgrowfood.
Nothingwillcomeeasily--notevenchildbirth.
Andoneday,youwilldie”(Net.1)---GodsaidtoAdamandEvefortheirsins.
TheconstructedsocialrelationshipbetweenwomenandmenintheWestisrootedintheGenesisstoryofAdamandEve.Forthelast2,500yearsithasunderpinnedourperceptionofsexandgenderandtherebyinfluencedhowwomenandmenarerepresentedinart.AnydiscussionofimagesofwomenandmenmustthereforebeprefacedbyanexaminationoftheopeningchaptersofGenesis.
Godcreatedmaninhisownlikenessthatwasgivendominionover“everylivingthing”,equallysignificantistheprominencegiventomen;
Godismaleandhismostimportantcreationismale.Thestorystressestheprimacyofmanandthecentralityofhisplaceintheuniverse,whilemakingitclearthatwomenplayasubordinaterole.ThroughouttheChristianperiod,thestoryofEvehasprovidedmenwiththereasonwhytheyshouldrestrainandrestrictthesocial,sexual,religious,political,andeconomicfreedomofwomen.Ithasalsogivenmenthejustificationtoholdwomenresponsibleforallthemisfortunessufferedbymankind.AllwomenarelikeEve,andtheironlychanceofredemptionistobecomeapersonliketheVirginMary,anotherpatriarchalfantasy,whorepresentsabsoluteobedienceandpurity.
ThestoryofEveanditsmanymisogynisticinterpretationshaveoverthecenturiesdefinedtheimageofwomaninWesterncivilization.Weak,subordinate,andobedientthesewordsaretheadjectivestodescribethetraditionalimageoffemale.Theydon’twanttobetherepresentativeoftheseadjectivesanymore.Undertheinfluencesofthemaledominatedsociety,females’statusisinhibitedandsubordinatetomen.Therefore,theywanttochange.
1.2Thefeministdefinitionoffemale
Sincetheword“Feminism”appearedfirstinFranceinthe1880s,GreatBritaininthe1890s,andtheUnitedStatesin1910,Feministmovementhashadmorethanonehundredyearshistory(Bartkowski,1989).
Femalestelltheirdemandthroughspeechesandarticlestoallovertheworldandletothersheartheirvoices.
“Thatmanovertheresaysthatwomenneedtobehelpedintocarriages,andliftedoverditches,andtohavethebestplaceeverywhere.Nobodyeverhelpsmeintocarriages,orovermud-puddles,orgivesmeanybestplace!
Andain'
tIawoman?
Lookatme!
Lookatmyarm!
Ihaveploughedandplanted,andgatheredintobarns,andnomancouldheadme!
Icouldworkasmuchandeatasmuchasaman-whenIcouldgetit-andbearthelashaswell!
Ihavebornethirteenchildren,andseenmostallsoldofftoslavery,andwhenIcriedoutwithmymother'
sgrief,nonebutJesusheardme!
”(Truth,1851)
Inequalitybetweenmenandwomenistherootcauseoftherighttoprivateownershipandmalesocialrepression(Chapman,1976).Inthe19thcentury,withthedevelopmentofmodernwesternindustrialcivilization,society,economyandculturegraduallychange.Inthissocialcontext,womeninthefamilyrequestequalstatuswithmenincreasing,thefeministmovementbegantogrow.
Forbuilding-upfemales’images,Feminismisanewdirectionwhichprovidesabasisforwomentobeself-setup.Femaleimagesarenotlimitedbytheirstatusanymore.
2.TheSocialCircumstancesofLittleWomen
2.1LouisaMayAlcott’sthoughts
LouisaMayAlcottisanAmericanwriterinthe19thcentury.Alcott’sthoughtsaresubjecttoRalphWaldoEmersonandHenryDavidThoreau’influences,whoaretheclosestfriendsofherfather.InBostonandConcord,theAlcottswereintimatesofthegreattranscendentalistthinkersandwritersoftheday(Brook,1984).EmersonencouragedLouisatospendhoursinhislibrary.OnexcursionsatWaldenPond,shestudiedbotanywithThoreau.TheHawthorneslivednextdoor.ThetwogreatthinkerswouldbetheobjectsofteenageLouisa'
sintenseromanticyearnings.Herchildhoodwouldbepeopledwiththemostimportantactivistsoftheabolitionmovementaswellastheera'
sleadingintellectuals(Ednah,1889).Alcott'
schildhoodpovertywastemperedbyfamilyunityandintellectualriches(Brook,1984).Shewastaughttocultivateanopenmindandasocialconscience,andtoreverenatureasGod'
sbestwork.
Louisa'
sfirstearningscamefromendeavorsfarlessglamorousthanactingorwriting.Byherlateteensshehadworked,forpitifulwages,asagoverness,teacher,seamstress,laundress,andlive-inhouseholdservant.
WhentheCivilWarbrokeoutin1861,Louisafoundanewpurpose,reportingtoConcord'
stownhalltosewUnionuniformsandbandages.Assoonassheturnedthirty,oldenoughtoenlistasanarmynurse,sheprevaileduponfamilyfriendDorothyDixtowaivethebanonadmittingsinglewomen(Brook,1984).
Sheoncecampaignedforwomen'
ssuffrage,successfullypetitioningdoor-to-doorforthevoteintheConcordschoolcommitteeelectionof1879(Ednah,1889).Shewaspoliticallyactiveandcareddeeplyaboutthesocialandethicalissuesofhertime.Sheincludesonlythesubtlestofreferencestowomen'
ssuffrage,abolitionofslavery,thetemperancemovement,educationalreform,andsocialwelfareprograms.
Therefore,wecanfindoutthatAlcottisasthepioneeroftheearlyfeminism.Shethinksthatworkwasimportanttowomen,whichisnotonlythewaytoprovidemoneyforfamily,butalsothepresentationofself-respectandindependence.AlcottgivestheidealimagestoMrs.MarchandtheMarchsistersinLittleWomen,andcreatesunusualcharacterfornineteenth-centurydidacticfiction.Alcott’sfeministsympathiesareexpressedthroughthecharacterofJoMarchinLittleWomen.
2.2BackgroundofLittleWomen
In1868,AlcottusedhermemoriesofchildhoodandstoriesaboutsistersandherselfasabaseforhernovelLittleWomen.Thereisthesamesocialcircumstancebetweenthetimeofthestoryandthetimethenovelwaswritten.
AtthetimewhenAlcottcomposedthenovel,women’sstatusinsocietywasslowlyincreasing.Aswithanychangeinsocialnorms,however,progresstowardgenderequalitywasmadeslowly.Undertheinfluencesofthemaledominatedsociety,thetraditionalbeliefwasthatwomenwereinferiortomennotonlyinphysicalpartbutalsoinpsychologicalaspect.Theywereconsideredlackinginconsciousnessofleadingtheirownlives.Inadditiontothis,inanerawhenmarriagewastheonlysanctionedframeworkforthefulfillmentofromanticlove(Ednah,1889),asawifewomancouldhavenoeconomicorlegalidentityandmotherhoodwasincompatiblewithearningaliving.
LittleWomenisa19thcenturynovel,itreflectsthetimewhenthefirstfeminismmovementstookplaceinAmerica.ThesocietybuiltbythePuritanswassternandrepressive,withnoindividualismforWomen.Forwomen,theymustturntobetheso-calledgoodwomenandmettheneedofthesocietyandtakecareoftheirreputation.Atthatperiod,womenwerejuststartingtonoticehowtheycangaintheirdeservedrights,equalitiesandfreedom.Theystartedtodosomesimplefightingfortheirrights.
ThestorybeginsduringtheAmericanCivilWarintheeighteensixtieswiththedevelopmentofmodernwesternindustrialcivilization,society,economyandculturegraduallychange.WhenmanymalesinAmericantookpartinthearmyandfoughtforthiswar,andthenfemalestookonmuchoftheburdenoffamiliesandearnedfortheirliving.
Inthisspecialsocialcircumstance,femalesinLittleWomenattempttobreakfreefromtheseconstraintsandwalkthewaytonaturalizetheirindividuality.
3.FemaleimagesondifferentrolesinLittleWomen
LittleWomenhasshowntousfemaleimagesinthe19thcenturyAmericansocietyinwhichwomen’sstatuswasslowlyincreasingandletusknowwhatkindofimageswomenshouldhave.BasedontheanalysisofthecharactersJo,Meg,BethandAmy,thethesiswillexplorethewaytheybuilduptheirimages.
BeingthemaincharacterofLittleWomen,Joisanoutspokentomboywithapassionforwriting.HercharacterisbasedinlargepartonLouisaMayAlcottherself.Jo
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