The Return of the Native.doc

摘 要还乡是托马斯哈代“性格与环境”代表作之一。该论文讲述了小说女主人公游苔莎反叛的原因和特征。一方面，人的本性促使主人公与命运对抗, 想要离开荒原过上幸福生活，这是她反叛的动机; 同时在她坚决地反抗时，又具有软弱性, 这一切导致了她的毁灭。在这里我们看到，作者哈代将其宿命论贯穿全文，同时对人物命运有着非常大的影响，这也正是这部作品的主题和价值所在之处。游苔莎的反叛不仅让读者感受到那个时代女性所受的压迫与反抗，而且提示当代女性不能默默屈服于命运,但更为重要的是如何有效地反抗才能取得成功。因此，从这一视角对还乡所展开的研究必定会对哈代及其小说提供更为深刻的理解和诠释。关键词：还乡；反叛；颠覆性；妥协性；启发AbstractThe Return of the Native is one of Thomas Hardys “Novel of Characters and Environment”. In this paper, the author tries to analyze the reasons and characteristics of Eustacias rebellion. On the one side, the humans instinct and the nature cause her revolt against fate; Eustacias desires simply to be away from the Egdon Heath and be happier are the sources of her rebellion. Moreover, the cowardliness accompanies with the resolution in her rebellion, which leads the destruction of Eustacia. Here we can see the fatalism in the novel which plays an important role on peoples fates at the same time，all of these manifest the theme and values of the novel. The analyses on Eustaces rebellion leaves the reader inspirations that one cannot yield to the fate silently, but what important is how one rebels effectively to gain the success. Therefore, the study on The Return of the Native from the perspective of rebellion would affirm the academic significance with consequent practices providing more comprehensive understanding of Hardy and his novel The Return of the Native.Key words: The Return of the Native, rebellion, subversion, containment, inspiration 13Contents摘 要IAbstractII1. Introduction12. Reasons of Eustacias Rebellion in The Return of the Native22.1 Internal Causes - Humans Instinct and the Nature22.2 External Causes - Social Ideology32.2.1 Traditional Social Morality32.2.2 Conflict of Civilization and Feudalism42.2.3 Womans Awaking43. Features of Eustacias Rebellion in The Return of the Native53.1 Subversion of Her Rebellion53.1.1 Rebellion on the Mind53.1.2 Rebellion on the Action63.2 Containment of her Rebellion73.2.1 The Weakness in her Character73.2.2 The Influence of Hardys Fatalism94. Inspirations from Eustacias Rebellion in The Return of the Native104.1 Recognizing the Reality Wisely104.2 Fighting with the Fate Effectively105. Conclusion11Bibliography13Acknowledgements151. IntroductionThomas Hardy was born on June 2, 1840 and died in 1982. He is a critical realism novelist as well as a poet in the history of English literature. Hardy studied at local schools before he was 16 years old and then he learned his career at night, he also practiced architecture at the same time. We can divide his works into three groups: Romances and Fantasies, Novels of Ingenuity, and Novels of Character and Environment. Among his works, Tess of the DUrbervilles, The Return of the Native, and The Mayor of Casterbrige are the famous ones, and someone regards The Return of the Native as a symbol of beginning of his fatalism.The Return of the Native is a tragic story. The heroine, Eustacia Vye, is a nineteen-year-old girl; she wants to marry a man worthy of her and be away from Egdon Heath to Paris .Damon Wildeve is the keeper of a village inn, a former civil engineer who failed in his profession, although he loves she, Eustacia does not satisfy with him. Clym Yeobright, whose business is in Paris. In order to get Clym, Eustacia catches every opportunity to access to him. Finally, they marry without his mothers approval. When she realizes Clym will never go back to Paris, she is despairing. When Clyms mother knows the bad conditions about this couple, she decides to call on them. But by a mistake, Clyms mother can not see the couple, and she dies. Clym gets the truth and drives Eustacia back to her grandfathers house. In a rainy night, Eustacia and Wildeve prepare to escape together, but unfortunately, Eustacia falls into the water. At the end of the novel, Eustacia and Wildeve die, Clym to be a missionary.This paper is studied on The Return of the Native from the womens rebellion. As recorded, in Victorian time, male dominate of female, woman is the slave and private property of husband. Their social statuses were so low and didnt change for a long time. However, the females minds was influenced by the modern civilization, their self-consciousness was awaking, they realized their bad conditions and wanted to change them, so they rebelled the traditional concept and their fate. Eustacia is a representative of the females, she is brave, and she can fight with her fate and rebel the old traditions. We can see clearly Eustacia can rebel the unequal of the society, and she wants to realize her values.From the point of womans rebellion, I try to analyses the heroine in two aspects the reasons and the features of her rebellion. Eustacias own instinct and nature cause her rebellion; she is a proud and noble, she can not stand the backward of Egdon Heath, and the Suppression of the Social Ideology is another reason led to her rebellion.The containment accompanies with subversion in her rebellion. She divides into two steps in subversion of rebellion. Firstly, is on mind, and secondly, is on action. In other words, she makes a good plan for her revolt from mind to action. But the weakness in her character and hardys fatalism causes her revolt failed. All of these factors led to her a tragic life.From Eustacias rebellion, the womans conscious is awaking; they see the backward of social morality and civilization, and try to break up the traditional constraints on females and pursue the self-value, making a change on right, status and life. They want to realize their dreams by their efforts and prove their ability.2. Reasons of Eustacias Rebellion in The Return of the Native2.1 Internal Causes - Humans Instinct and the Nature The main reasons that cause Eustacias rebellion are added to her nature. As the Hardy says, “Eustacia is a raw material of a divinity” (Hardy, 55). She has the passions and instincts which make a model goddess. She has a noble and proud nature, and the noble and proud are inherited from her parents. Moreover, her pagan eyes and the flame-liked soul are incompatible to the old tradition. “No matter who you are, you must want a better life; you may do everything you can for this goal as you can, this is our nature and instinct.” Eustacia is a womens representative in Hardys works, she is beautiful and clever, with an artistic temperament and maverick. Because the proud and aggressive in her nature, she has a courage to take risks and fight. When she moves to Egdon Heath with her grandfather, the unsatisfied situation arouses her rebellion. She thinks the backward mode of production and cultures here are not good enough for her dignity because of her self-respect. On Egdon, no one recognizes and appreciates of her knowledge and passion; she seems like an outsider, Egdon likes her cross and suppresses her character and dream, making her have a poor life. As I have said, she is a proud woman, she can not let her have an unsatisfactory life, her ideal life is in Paris, so she has to rebel it and realize her dream and values.2.2 External Causes - Social Ideology 2.2.1 Traditional Social Morality The development of the Victorian era in the history of the United Kingdoms “golden age”, the society and economy developed rapidly, but that age also was an advocating morality of the time, especially on womens morality, no one can escape the fate of being ethical review.In Victorian time, although the queen ruled the country, the womens social statuses werent upgrade. As the traditional concept, men are the subject in the development of society while the women are the second ones in the edge of the history. Living in the time of “male domination of female”, there is no equal; woman is the slave and private property of husband. In mens eyes, the women is subordinate in the household, they should love their husband forever and obey them. By this ideology, the absolute God the supreme patriarch is seen to be imaged in the absolute monarch of the state and in the husband and father of a family. Accordingly, a womans subjection were first to her father and then to her husband. Also, that period saw an outpouring of repressive overtly misogynist sermons, tracts and plays, detailing womens physical and mental defects, spiritual evils, rebelliousness, and nature inferiority to men. At that society, both men and women generally consider the female as a weak part; they can not live without mens support. Even though you are a capable woman, they can agree with it in their minds.The traditional concept on the marriage is it is the gift from the God, and it is holy, undestroyed. But from Eustacias action, we can see clearly she betrays this conception, the fidelity in love seems have no attraction for her, she wants marriage because she has a desire to be loved and get out of the Egdon Heath.Being dominated by men, the womans social and economical status is not independent. Men make all the decision, women can not do anything except to obey them, in the society like this, women can not realize their values. Eustacia is a woman who is incompatible to the old tradition, which is a rebellion of accepting fate.2.2.2 Conflict of Civilization and FeudalismThe conflicts between capitalism and feudalism are increasing with the development of social economy. The increased of the capitalism leads to the bankruptcy of farmers and makes them be workers. In the novel of The Return of the Native, Egdon Heath represents the old, feudalism society while Paris which Eustacia longs for represents the civilization, capitalism one. As the novel says” Civilization was its enemy” (Hardy, 6), Egdon is merely a miniature of Englands country life, it is untouched by the industrial revolution and still a feudalism, the human inhabitants there keep their old customs. Paris a symbol of modern civilization, is influenced by capitalism, it is a luxury, enthusiastic big city with modern culture and productivity. So the fight between Eustacia and Egdon represents the conflict between capitalism and feudalism. When the invisible wind of civilization through the closed door of the original natural environment blows to Egdon, in order to keep the feudal tradition, Egdon shows its strong force to against the civilization. Eustacia wants to escape Egdon and runs to capitalism, so she will be hit and destroyed by wilderness inevitably.2.2.3 Womans AwakingWomans awaking is another important reason. In 19th century, social economy developed and the modern culture influenced people at the same time; women were influenced by it on a certain extent. “The pursuit of the freedom of the spirit and beyond the traditional moral values, which reflect the womens consciousness, is awaking. Women want to break up the traditional constraints on females and pursue the self-value, making a change on right, status and life.”4In this novel, Eusracia is born in a fashionable city where you can find all features of modern civilization. She has a good education and adores conquerors. In her minds, the female should be equal to male, and women can be independent of social role and economy. She has a strong womens self-consciousness, she is not willing to be resigned to bad conditions and submits to the environment, so she rebels the condition and social morality by her own ways. Because of her awaking, she sees the backward of economy and culture on Egdon, and knows this background will stop her to realize her dreams. “She is independent and uninhibited, pursuing of individual liberation, despising the traditional virtues and the Chris civilization, wanting a civilized romantic life, and she is incompatible with religious and leagued Egdon Heath.”7 3. Features of Eustacias Rebellion in The Return of the Native3.1 Subversion of Her Rebellion Hardy considers Eustacia as Prometheus who is against the fate in Greek mythology story, so “her rebellion is practical, holy, revolutionary and tragic to a certain extent.”33.1.1 Rebellion on the MindEustacia is born in a fashionable seaside resort Budmouth, after her parents die, she and grandfather move to Egdon Heath. Because she experiences the prosperous city, so she can not adapt to the darkness, wild environment and hates the backward mode of production. She is hostile to Egdon after arriving in. In Volume One, the author writes “you could fancy the colour of Eustaces soul to be flamelike”, (Hardy, 56) “Egdon was her Hades”, “inwardly and eternally unreconciled thereto” (Hardy, 56) She is like a denizen and out of tune with the environment. Egdon is ugly for Eustacia, she hates it and wants to escape from it.She adores William the Conqueror, Strafford, and Napoleon Buonaparte. In her subconscious, she wants to conquer others, but at that age, the morality is women should obey the men absolutely. She is against the tradition; she wants to conquer the boys, making them be her salvers. Men are like the tool for her, she uses them to fulfill her desires. We can see the dignity from her body, because she is isolate from the outside world, she always shows her dignity and indifference to others. As for the people on Egdon, Eustacia is a strange woman even is a wizard; moreover, they dont like her either.The queen of night Eustacia makes a plan to leave Egdon by marrying Clym. Although the plan fails, we have to admit the plan is a wonderful one, the authors word is right,” when she did scheme, her plans showed rather the comprehensive strategy of a general than the small arts called womanish, (Hardy, 60)”. Eustacia is very eager to love, her great desire is to be loved to madness, but she seems doesnt care purity and holy of the love, she pursues a man intentional, only to get or prove something, as she knows her lover is going to marry another woman, she does not get too angry and still dates with him.3.1.2 Rebellion on the ActionHer actions can be divided into three processes: walking on Egdon, seeking for a lover and escaping from Egdon.Eustacia often wanders at will on Egdon day and night, but it doesnt mean that she likes the scenes; she walks on there, only to avoid boredom and wants to pass the time, because the inanimate environment lets her feel that she is an exiled person who is in a darkness of mood and disappointed. Moreover, she has a more important aim of her wandering, which catches every chance to acquaint with guys and plans to escape from Egdon together.One of her wishes is seeking for an ideal lover. Wildeve is her first lover and he owns a bar, but Eustacia is not satisfied with him, because his appearance, status, wealth and other aspects are not qualified, and Wildeve seems not like a one-woman man, he dates with another woman Thomasin at the same time. The good men are very rare on Egdon, yet Eustacia has a strong desire to be loved, “On Egdon, coldest and meanest kisses were at famine prices; and where was a mouth matching hers to be found?”(Hardy, 58).So, to avoid the boredom, she has to keep the love relationship with Wildeve and makes him ideal try her best. Moreover, the heroine inquires about the news around, waiting to know a better guy. At last, her ideal lover comes out Clym who is very prosperous jewelry merchant in Paris. Now he goes home to spend Christmas day, when she knows this, she is very happy and wants to catch this opportunity to get him. Eustacia has a strong confidence that no one can resist her beauty. They get to know each other by her efforts, quickly they fall in love and get married without Clyms mother blessing. The reason why she chooses this man is that she thinks he can take her to Paris and let her have a bright life. But the decision Wildeve makes surprised her; he never goes back to Paris, preparing to run a school on Egdon and lives here forever. Clyms eyesight is worse because he reads too much, so he has to mow, which lets Eustacia realize he can not give the life she wants. From then on, their contradictions increase, because Clyms mothers death, she leaves him and moves to her grandfathers house.Now is her last processgetting away from Egdon Heath. She has no hopes on Clym, so she turns to her first lover Wildeve. Wlideve is not the former that he was; he gets the inheritance and becomes a richer. They decide to meet at twelve oclock at night near the bar and go abroad. Sadly, it rains heavily at that night, she fells the God is against her and isnt known her action is right or wrong. As she hesitates, she falls into the water by accident; Wildeve jumps into water and saves her, but he is not good at swimming too, maybe this is the fate, they both die in the water. So far, Eustacias action is end, and she and Wildeve lose their lives for her rebellion.3.2 Containment of her Rebellion Although Eustacia devotes her rest life to rebel Egdon Heath and fate, it seems useless, finally, she compromises with the fate, although she dies, it is a relief for her. When Eustacia is drowning, her physical expression is very peaceful. Her lips are beautiful with a nice shape and hair falls perfectly around her face. At this moment, she realizes the reality and gives up resistance. In her rebellion, cowardliness accompanies with the resolution, in authors view, there are two factors causing the containment - the heroines personality and Hardys fatalism. 3.2.1 The Weakness in her Character In this novel, fatalism decides the heroines fate to a certain extent, but the weaknesses in character are the main causes to her failure. Eustacia is born in Budmouth, a fashionable seaside resort; her father is a fine musician. In her education, her families try their best to support her. Many years later, Eustacia comes to Egdon Heath, living a totally different life, but she doesnt adapt to it ,