英语本科毕业论文-A Study of the Becky Sharps Character and Image in Vanity Fair.doc

2011届毕业生毕业论文题 目: A Study of the Becky Sharps Character and Imagein Vanity Fair 院系名称： XXXXXX 专业班级： 英语XXXXXX 学生姓名： XXXX 学 号： XXXXXXXXXXXXX 指导教师： XXX 教师职称： XXXXXX 2011年5 月 26 日河南工业大学毕业论文A Study of the Becky Sharps Character and Imagein Vanity FairXXXX XXXXXSchool of Foreign LanguagesOfHenan University of TechnologySupervisor:XXX XXXXMay 26, 201113AcknowledgementsMany people deserve my sincere thanks for helping me in various aspects and at various stages of completing this paper. First of all, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, XXX, who has generously given me so much of her time to read through the whole thesis and has offered me warm support and great encouragement. I cannot thank her enough for her constructive suggestions, word- for-word scrutiny, and other expert guidance. Without her painstaking instruction, the completion of the present thesis would not have been possible.My thanks also go to the scholars who have done a lot of research work on the comparison of different family values, and to the authors whose works I have quoted directly and indirectly.Last but not the least, my thanks would go to my beloved parents for their loving considerations and great confidence in me all through four years. Without their understanding and mutual support, I do not think I could enjoy the four-year university life. I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends who supported me and accompanied me during the difficult course of the thesis.AbstractBecky Sharp, from the day of the birth in Vanity Fair, has been the concern of critics and scholars. She is one most the most successful figures shaped by Thackeray. Different people showed their different attitudes and various interpretations for the image and character of Becky. In some peoples opinion, she is a careerist and also a loser; but to the others, she is an active and independent practitioner and a winner. Becky lived in an era that money talks and rules, which definitely affected the development of Beckys character and image. Through a series of comprehensive research and analysis, this paper aims to find out the other side of Beckys character and image which is still hidden in the darkness, to make people have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of Becky.The first part of this paper makes a brief introduction of the main content of Vanity Fair; The second part of the paper should briefly introduce Thackeray and his well-known Vanity Fair as well as the fruitful researches of this novel made by the domestic and overseas scholars; The third part simply makes an analysis and comparison of their attitudes towards love and marriages, ways of treating their children and similar and different fates from the vantage of two womens character and image; The fourth part mainly does some research work on the positive sides and the negative sides of Becky Sharps character and image, and tries to figure out the reasons for Becky Sharps character and image from three levels of the factors of her family education, school education and the social background, from which draw out the practical significance of studying Becky Sharps character and image; The fifth part sums up the whole paper and again points out the important significance of paper project.Key words: Vanity Fair; Becky Sharp; character; image内容摘要萨克雷的名利场中的蓓基夏普从诞生下来的那天起，就受到了评论界的关注和学者们的重视。蓓基夏普是性格和形象在不同的人眼中有着不一样的诠释。她是一个女野心家、阴谋家和失败者，同时也是一个勇往直前的独立的实践者和一个成功者。蓓基夏普所处的那个时代，是一个金钱至上的年代，蓓基性格和形象的形成和发展受到了深深地影响。本论文旨在通过一系列的研究和分析，把蓓基夏普这个人物深入的剖析，把她的性格和形象全面的呈现在人们的眼前，使人们更加深入的了解和认识这个人物形象。本论文的第一部分概括介绍名利场的主要内容；第二部分简要介绍萨克雷和他的成名作名利场，以及国内外学者对这篇小说的研究成果；第三部分分别从对待爱情和婚姻的态度，对待孩子的方式和既相同又不同的命运来对比分析名利场中两位女人的性格和形象；第四部分主要分析名利场中蓓基夏普性格与形象的优点和缺点，尝试从从家庭教育、学校教育和社会背景角度分析造成名利场中蓓基夏普性格与形象的原因，并从中得出研究蓓基夏普性格与形象的现实意义；第五部分总结全文，再次指出本论文研究课题的重要意义。关键词：名利场；蓓基夏普；性格；形象； ContentsAcknowledgements. iAbstract (English). ii Abstract (Chinese) 1. Introduction.12. A brief analysis of W.M. Thackeray and his masterpiece Vanity Fair .2 2.1 The background of Vanity Fair2 2.2 Researches on Vanity Fair .33. Comparison of Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley in Vanity Fair.4 3.1 Attitudes towards love and marriages 4 3.2 Ways of treating their children5 3.3 Similar and different fates64. A Study of the Becky Sharps character and image in Vanity Fair 7 4.1 The positive sides of Becky Sharps character and image7 4.2 The negative sides of Becky Sharps character and image 8 4.3 The reasons for Becky Sharps character and image8 4.3.1 The impact of family education.9 4.3.2 The impact of school education.9 4.3.3 The impact of social background10 4.4 The practical significance of studying Becky Sharps character and image115. Conclusion.11Works Cited.131. IntroductionW.M. Thackeray was once a writer famous for writing satirical articles. After he had written his great novel Vanity Fair, a most enduring novel that mocked the aristocracy and people in the middle classes, he was so famous that his name became household word in western world. At first, this novel was serialized in message, and a new piece of this novel would come out one month. People just wondered what would happen to the characters in the next chapter. Ironically, it was an old version of the English Daily in the 19th century.Its the story of two women In Vanity Fair who lived in and out of English society. The story is based on a busy life of British middle and upper classes in the 19th century. At that time England was a powerful country with prosperous industry and commerce, labors and slaves were exploited and dominated by colonists and rich merchants of that society. Meanwhile Britain and France were at war for more power. All kinds of characters in the middle and upper classes fought among themselves for power and positions, and they all went after fame and money. There is saying goes “everyone fastens where there is a gain”, therefore, it makes sense that fame, power, wealth and position are connected and interlinked mutually.The story is based on a busy life of British middle and upper classes in the 19th century. At that time England was a powerful country with prosperous industry and commerce, labors and slaves were exploited and dominated by colonists and rich merchants of that society. Meanwhile Britain and France were at war for more power. All kinds of characters in the middle and upper classes fought among themselves for power and positions, and they all went after fame and money. There is saying goes “everyone fastens where there is a gain”, therefore, it makes sense that fame, power, wealth and position are connected and interlinked mutually.Protagonist is a clever and even shrewd beautiful girl. She tasted the bitter life of poverty and she determined to take control of your own destiny and broke away with her plight. She secured advantages through influences or attempted at flattery in order to fly onto the high branches, one way or another. As a foil character, Amelia Sedley is her schoolmates and the daughter of a rich businessman, who was gentle but meek, and troubled by the twist of fate.However, the access from the poor to the rich is never flat and smooth! The path that rich girl chose was also a bumpy one. The unusual experience of both of them made up a very caring and moving story and thus deserved our constant attention.2. A brief analysis of W.M. Thackeray and his masterpiece Vanity FairAs mentioned in the introduction of the above, Thackeray is a renowned critical realist novelist of the 19th century, and Vanity Fair is his masterpiece that helps him win money and fame as a first-class novelist. The novel is filled with all kinds of characters with vivid descriptions and expressions. Thackeray is good at using witty words and good satire, so Vanity Fair is so funny and eye-opening through all the times that it has put into the sacred temples of the literature.2.1 The introduction of Thackeray and his Vanity FairThackeray is the son of a taxes collector who was a member of the East India Company, and he received better higher education gained no property. He had undergone a series of a failure experience in laws and drawing, which only made him familiar with people in the middle and upper classes. The background and characters in Vanity Fair were all familiar to him. He was not reconcile to write novels that were only for recreation or deliberately teaching in entertainment, on the contrary, he thought his novel should advocate benevolence be authentic. Portraying the reality is to reveal relentlessly the seamy side in Vanity Fair and make people have a sense of shame. At the same time, he depicted truthfully those who pursued fame and wealth in vain and those who racked their brains in struggles and internal strife and came to nothing. Though they got what they wanted, they were not as happy as they thought. Advocating benevolence is to write someone who is of a kindly disposition and is so ready to help others that he or she forgets themselves, thus get rid of personal troubles and worries to have a touch of the true meaning of happiness.Thackeray would like to mock all kinds of people in all walks of life, like dirty old men, corrupt politicians and jokers of every stripe. Right before writing Vanity Fair, Thackeray wrote funny articles about the way people in the low classes are envy of those who are in the upper classes, hating those who are climbing beyond them, and boasting about the relationship with them. Today we have a good term Thackeray invented in Vanity Fair we can use to describe those who are annoying, status-seeking and climbing the social ladders.When we take a close look at Thackerays masterpiece Vanity Fair, we will find out that this novel is made up of nothing but some people forming cliques to pursue selfish interest; sophisticated rules about who is allowed to talk to whom, when, where; small gradations of popularity divided into different types; and a group of people who are persistently trying to climb up the top of the heap and avoid being reduced to poverty. 2.2 Researches on Vanity FairBecky Sharp, from the date of birth in Vanity Fair, it has been the concern of critics. She is the most successful character shaped by Thackeray. She has many different images and characters. In some peoples opinion, she is a careerist and also a loser; but to the others, she is an active and independent practitioner and a winner.Scholars showed a different attitude for the image of Becky. It was said that her turpitude and scheme in moral made her the most typical representative of British society snobs. Becky Sharp was intelligent, witty, beautiful and generous, and she was desperate to use all of these advantages to find a stable position in the higher society, it was said that her life culminates in a cynical, wary and cunning mercenary habits. Of course, some people adopt a completely different perspective: She is not only active, full of strong vitality and in a special social environment, a vulnerable but not pessimistic, find the strength of the personal attack on the social objectives.”China scholar Jiang Li and her partners conducted a comparative study of Sharps character and image from the environment of her growth. She said that Sharps character was selfishness and greed, fickle. Her study was not comprehensive, she only from the part of Sharps growth. When Becky was a child, her mother had died, she could only live with her father, but her father was deeply addicted to alcohol. She always wanted to live a better life and thought about how to make money. All of these factors play a great impact on her character development.But in their study, they ignore a very important thing that was the background of that period. In the earlier period of 19th century, Capitalism has entered a mature stage. In peoples minds, money was the first important thing. In that special social environment, Becky attacked the society with a special way on her own initiative. The way she attacking the society is reasonable and inevitable to some extent. She is a social critic and activist. With a persistent spirit, Becky Sharp is very clear about what she was doing and finally she succeeded.3. Comparison of Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley in Vanity FairVanity Fair mainly tells a story of the fates of two girls of entirely different personalities. When she was a child, Becky was exposed by the influence of the lower society had received a good higher education, however, in different life environment her personality was distorted. Although Becky was among celebrities finally, she was utterly isolated without any friends or relatives and she was rejected and distained. Becky is the most successful figure Thackeray has ever shaped; who was also the character he abominates. The other figure is a beautiful girl called Amelia; instead, Amelia is a simple and innocent woman. She is pathetic but happy. Eventually, Amelia wins her a sweet love and happy marriage. In this novel, Becky and Amelia are the representatives of the two extremes. Their fates have been written according to their different characters. This paper tries to make an analysis and comparison of their attitudes towards love and marriages, ways of treating their children and similar and different fates from the vantage of two womens character and image, so that we can have a good grasp of their destiny path in contrast.3.1 Attitudes towards love and marriagesThe superior growth environment and her mothers care help shape Amelias tender and soft character; and gave her love for the selfless devotion to the pure feeling. She put bets of all her love and fate on George Osborne. Amelia entrusts all her dreams to him, but Osborne is impossible to give her this kind of happiness. As Amelias hero is just a playboy who adores vanity, George Osborne gambled around a lot and played for fun unscrupulously. Sometimes, she felt that she was left out.Finally, out of the disappointment of George and the search for happiness in life, she threw herself on Durbin who loved her secretly for so long. Sentimental Amelia tended to rely on people around her too much. She considered love and marriage as a lifelong career to run. She is a vulgar idealist who firmly believes that love transcends anything else.Becky was born with a poor family. Since she was young, she had taste the bitterness of life. Plus her father exerted some negative effects on her later life path. In Amelias home, Becky showed her plastic love to Amelias stupid brother Joseph. Then she targeted Crawleys nephew Lorden and she secretly married him, but her humble identity angered Crawley, so her beautiful dream of inheriting wealth destroyed. During the time when her husband headed for the frontline in Brussels, she played the coquetry with every man she met and showed around various social occasions. So much so that she put a move on Amelias brother Joseph, and even seduced Amelias husband. After the battle of Waterloo, Becky wormed her way into the upper society in Paris committing the crime of swaggering and swindling under the guise boldly. Back to England, Beck used sexual service to her advantage to get precious introduction of Lordens brother, came into the palace and was received by the king. Duo to the fickleness of human friendships, the fate of Becky took a turn and plunged and she was more and more isolated and got mixed up together with cheaters and gamblers.3.2 Ways of treating their childrenThackeray believes that a mothers love is the most wonderful arrangements of god. Amelia had an ideal image as an understanding wife and loving mother. After her husband died, the son became the only spiritual fulfillment in her latter part of her life; she put all hope and painstaking efforts on her son. Because economic difficulties and consideration for future her son, Amelia decided to send her son to back to his grandfathers after her bankruptcy. Facing with the fact that she had to give up her custody, she passed down half the city of London just to see the lights of her sons window. Because there were no financial resources, finally Amelia could do nothing but break up with her son. But she has been always looked on her son as her idol and her pride.Becky had a child who was the same age as Amelias with totally different attitudes: after she gave birth to little Lorden, she entrusted him to the care of a family in the suburb of the village in Paris. She should not distinguish her childs age and hair color. Until little Lorden was expected to become the heir of his uncles property, Becky wrote to son a letter full of love. Against the image of Amelia, Becky could never have been called a great mother. Though he paid a sum of money to her when her son grew up, but he refused to have contacts with her. Eventually, she paid a price for what she did.Although to love child is womens nature, two ways of treating their child of two heroines also have their deep reasons. Especially for Becky, her childhood was deprived of motherly love, is caused by the environment. She did not do the housework and no did take responsibility of her child. She was believed to have no maternity and a bad image for a mother. Therefore, she was not t