浅析简爱的双重性格.docx

浅析简爱的双重性格.docx

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浅析简爱的双重性格

Abstract

CharlotteBronte’sJaneEyreisfarmorepopularthanherotherbooksbecauseinsuperficiallevelthisnovelpresentsusaCinderella-typelovestory.TheonlydifferenceisthatJaneEyreisashort,plainandorphangirlwithlowsocialstatus,butsheisnotfailingapartwithself-esteem,self-respect,andself-reliancewhenshefacesdifficultiesinlife,economyandlove.Duetoherrebelliousspiritandrichinnerworld,shefightsagainstherfatesuccessfullyandgainsherhappinessatlast.

ThesepositivecharactersmakeJaneEyreanadvancedwomaninthehistoryofwesternliteratureandtherepresentativeofpersonalcharminaprolongedperiod,butshealsoshowshernegativesidetousonherroadsoflifetofighting:

self-abasement,weaknessandconservativepersonality.

Thisthesiswillbreakthetraditionalthinking,analyzingJaneEyre’sdoublecharactersboththepositiveandnegativesides.Itcanhelpustohaveabetterunderstandingofourgreatheroinefromanewangleandnewways.

Keywords:

JaneEyre;doublecharacters;analysis

中文摘要

夏洛蒂勃朗特的《简爱》因其灰姑娘似的爱情童话故事而一直享有广泛的读者群。

与灰姑娘不同的是，简爱是一个身材矮小，地位低微的孤儿。

在面对生活，经济，爱情方面的困难时，她展现出自尊，自重，自强的一面。

也由于她的反抗精神和丰富的内心世界，让她成功地战胜了命运，并赢得了最后的幸福。

简爱积极的特性使她成为了西方文学史上的先进妇女和具有经久不衰魅力的人物代表。

但在她人生道路上，她也表现出了她自卑，软弱和保守的一面。

本论文将打破传统观念，简析简爱的双重性格——正面和负面。

这有利于我们从新的角度和新的途径更好地了解主人公的性格特征。

关键词：

简爱；双重性格；分析

1.Introduction

1.1Abriefintroductionoftheauthor

VeryfewCriticsofCharlotte’sworkswillbeauthoritativeiftheyjustchoosetoignoretheauthor’sgrowingbackgroundandpersonalexperienceandfocusonlyonthenovelsthemselves.Asforseeminglysemi-biographicnovelJaneEyrethattheauthorhasattachedmuchofherownselftothemainprotagonist,abriefreviewoftheauthor’spersonalexperienceisverynecessary.ItwillenableustoknowthefactthatnotonlyCharlotte’sowntimecontributedtotheportrayalofthemainwomenimages,butalsoherownexperiencewasindispensabletothedevelopmentoftheplotandthepassionsofJaneEyre.Soasummarizedaccountofsomeofthemostimportantanecdotesisnecessary.

CharlotteBronte（1818-1855）wasthethirddaughterofapoorcountryclergymanatHaworth,Yorkshire,innorthernEngland.ItwasafamilyofsixsmallchildrenthatMr.BrontemovedtotakeuphispositionasperpetualcuratethereinFebruary1820.Atherageof8,Charlotteandherfoursistersweresenttoacharityschoolwheretheywerecruellytreated,andtwoofhereldersistersdiedtherebyhavinglungdisease.Attheageof19,sheworkedasaschool-teachertoaffordoneducationforherbrotherandsisters,andlaterasagoverness.In1846appearedavolumeofverseentitled“PoemsbyCurrer,Ellis,andActonBell”,thepseudonymsofCharlotteandherlittlesistersEmilyandAnne.Inthesameyearherfirstworkoffiction,TheProfessorwassenttodifferentpublishersandwasrejectedbythemall,anditwasnotpublishedtillafterherdeath.Shewentonwritinganothernovel,JaneEyre,whichwaspublishedin1847andachievedanimmediatesuccess.Inthenextyear,TheWutheringHeightsandAgnesGreybyhersisterEmilyandAnnerespectivelywerealsopublished.Butsorrowcametoherwheninthatyear,heronlybrotherandhersisterEmilydied,andAnnediedinthefollowingyear.Charlottewrotetwomorenovelsafterthat,Shirleyin1849andVillettein1853,stillunderthepseudonymofCurrerBell.In1854shemarriedherfather’scurateA.B.Nicholas,andshediedthenextyear.Anothernovel,Emma,appearedasafragmentafterherdeath,in1860（Chen,2006:

258）.

1.2ThebackgroundinformationofVictorianfemininewriter

InCharlotteBronte’stime,themiddle-classideologyofthepropersphereofwomanhood,whichdevelopedinpost-industrialEnglandandAmerica,prescribedawomanwhowouldbeaperfectlady,anangelinthehouse,contentedlysubmissivetomen,butstronginherinnerpurityandreligiosity,queeninherownrealmofthehome.

Womenbeginningtheirliterarycareersinthe1840swereseekingheroine–bothprofessionalrolemodelandfictionalideal–whocouldcombinestrengthandintelligencewithfemininetenderness,tact,anddomesticexpertise.Atthesametime,theyperceivedthemselvesandtheirfictionalheroinesasinnovatorswhowouldproviderolemodelsforfuturegenerations.Thefemininewriterswerethuslookingfortwokindsofheroines.Theywantedinspiringprofessionalrole-models;buttheyalsowantromanticheroines,asisterhoodofsharedpassionandsuffering,womenwhosobbedandstruggledandrebelled.ItwasverydifficultfortheVictorianstobelievethatbothqualitiescouldbeembodiedinthesamewoman.Thesimplestresolutionwouldhavebeentofindtherolemodelinlife,theheroineinliterature,butitdidnotworkthateasily.

AsthefirstgenerationofEnglishVictorianfemininewriters,inordertomeetthestandardsofthesocietyandbeacceptedbythereaders,manyofthemusedpseudonyms.Victorianfemininenoveliststhusfoundthemselvesinadoublebind.Theyfelthumiliatedbythecondescensionofmalecriticsandspokeintenselyoftheirdesiretoavoidspecialtreatmentandachievegenuineexcellence,buttheyweredeeplyanxiousaboutthepossibilityofappearingunwomanly.AswecanseewhentheauthorofJaneEyreturnedouttobeayoungmaid,therewasasuddenchangeoftoneincritics（Yang,2003:

23）.Undersuchkindofenvironment,CharlotteBrontehasbothrebelliousspiritandconservativepersonalitythatreflectedinhermasterpiece–JaneEyre.

1.3Abriefintroductionofthenovel

JaneEyreisbyfarthebestknownofCharlotteBronte’snovels.ThestorybeginsatGateshead.Apennilessorphangirl–JaneEyre,abouttenyearsold,isbroughtupbyheraunt,Mrs.Reed,aharshandunsympatheticwoman.Shereactsstronglyagainstheraunt’sbadtreatmentandsheissenttoLowoodAsylum,acharityschoolforpoorgirls.TheschoolteacherBrocklehurstishereportrayedasaverysevereandhard-heartedpersonwhonotonlykeepsthechildrenhalf-starvedbutpreventsthemfromhavingnormalmentalgrowth.QuitedifferentfromHelen,whoisathoroughlyobedientchildundertherigiddisplineoftheschool,JaneEyrestrivesforindependenceandinherthenovelistexpressesherhumanisticanddemocraticprotestagainstthesuppressionofpersonalityinVictoriansociety.

AfterheryearsofmiseryinschooltheheroinegoestoThornfieldHalltobeagovernesstopursueadifferentlifeinadifferentenvironment.ThelittlegirlsheteachesisthenaturaldaughterofMr.Rochester.LifeatThornfieldwasthemostromanticexperiencefortheprotagonistbutitalsobroughtJanetothemostseverepsychologicalinnerconflicts,becauseheretheauthortakesupanewtheme-loveandmarriage.InspiteofJane’splainness,Rochesterisfascinatedbyherwitandcourageousspiritandfallsinlovewithher.TheirmarriageispreventedatthelastminutebytherevelationthathehasmarriedBerthaMasonfifteenyearsbefore.ItturnsoutthattherealimprisonedwomanintheatticishiswifewhoischargedbyGracePooleandwhoisnowaravingmaniac.

JanethengoesawayandafternearlyperishingonthemooristakeninbyaclergymanSt.JohnRiversandhissisters.Theclergymanalmostsucceedsinmakingheragreetomarryhim-notbecausehelovesher,asheadmits,butbecauseheadmiresherandwantsherserviceasanassistant,butshefinallydeclineshisofferandgoesbacktolookforRochester.UponherarrivalatThornfieldHall,shefindsthattheplacehadbeenburntdownbyBerthaMasonandthatRochester,attemptinginvaintosavehismadwifefromdeathinthefire,becomesblind.Shemarrieshiminspiteofhismisfortuneandrestoreshimtohappiness.TheauthortriestoshowherethatJaneEyre,differentfrommanyotherwomeninthemammon-worshipsociety,considersmarriagenotasabargainbutasaunionofkindredsoul.

JaneEyreisagreatpieceofwork,fullofprofoundintention,complicatedplotsandsincereemotion.Italsoshowsitsuniqueartisticcharmandliteraturevalues,thoughithasenjoyedpopularityformorethanoneandahalfcentury.

1.4Literaturereview

JaneEyreisoneofthemasterpiecesinEnglishliteratureforitsuniquecontentsandexquisitemethodsofimpression.Ithasbeenanalyzedfromdifferentanglessinceitwaspublished.Peopleconstantlystudyitfromdifferentperspectives,suchasrealism,modernism,feminismandsoon.Thethesis–WomenImagesofJaneEyrewrittenbyYangHongyan,revealsthespecialfemininesexualrealityandawarenessoffemalesexualityfromrealisticperspective（Yang,2003）.HuChunlingfrommodernistwayregardsJaneEyreastheprecursoroffeminismonhermasterthesis–theModernityofJaneEyre（Hu,2002）.LiShuyanexploreswomen’sliberationinJaneEyreonherpaper–GenderAwarenessofJaneEyre,whichisbasedonfeminism（Li,2005）.Scholarsstillkeepondiggingitspotentialintentions,delicateskillsandwritingstyle.

Mydiscussionofthenovel,basedoncharacters,doesnotonlyfocusontheanalysisoftheprotagonist’spursuitofequalityandindependence,butalsofocusesontheheroine’ssenseofinferiority,conservativepersonalityandweakness.AnalyzingJaneEyre’scharacterinboththepositiveandnegativesidecanhelpustohaveabetterunderstandingoftheheroineandthetheme.

2.AnalysisofJaneEyre’sDoubleCharacters

IntraditionalEnglishnovels,theheroinesareusuallybeautifulwomen,andtheirlovestoriesaredescribedasmodestandsincere,richinpoeticflavor.Againsttraditionalstyleofwriting,Charlottediscardsalltheestablishedstandardsinnovels,andboldlycreatesaheroineasherself,shortandordinarylooking,butcanarouse