The Multiple Interpretation of Feminism in The Thorn Birds.docx

本科生毕业论文（设计）题目The Multiple Interpretation of Feminism in The Thorn Birds 姓名 学号200910201141 院系 外国语学院 专业 英语 指导教师 职称 讲师 曲阜师范大学杏坛学院教务处制The Multiple Interpretation of Feminism in The Thorn Birds A ThesisSubmitted toCollege of Foreign LanguagesXingtan CollegeQufu Normal UniversityIn Partial Fulfillment of the RequirementsFor the Degree of Bachelor of ArtsBy Zhang HuipingUnder the Supervision of Fang Ping ACKNOWLEDGMENTSI am deeply indebted to Fang Ping, my supervisor, who has read my drafts meticulously and offered incisive comments on them. Without her help, the thesis could never have reached its present form.I am also greatly indebted to all the other teachers and professors in Foreign Language College, Qufu Normal University Xingtan College. Their resourceful lectures and enlightening ideas help me to have a better understanding about literature, and impel me to go forward in my study.I own particular thanks to those students who kindly and seriously wrote the compositions, which were used as the corpus in this study. Without their writings, this research wouldnt have been able to be conducted.Last but not least, I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to my parents for their continuous support and encouragement.ii摘 要 荆棘鸟是澳大利亚当代著名女作家考琳麦卡洛的代表作。该小说出版于1977年，一经问世即在全球范围内引起了巨大反响，被誉为“澳大利亚的飘”和十大经典时代作品之一。小说中四位女性人物不同的命运和经历成为澳大利亚女性主义发展的真实写照。本文将多重解读荆棘鸟中的女性主义的发展。荆棘鸟向我们展示了女性寻求平等与解放的真实经历。为了实现自身的解放，女性必须勇敢地反抗男权的压迫，但我们更应该看到的是，实现两性的平等和融合才是女性抗争的最终目的，也只有两性的和谐才能使女性在今后的道路上更加健康地成长。关键词：荆棘鸟；女性主义； 多重解读； 女性反抗iiiABSTRACTThe Thorn Birds, published in the year of 1977, is the masterpiece of contemporary Australian writer Colleen McCullough. Since its first publication, it has caused great stir in the world, and is reputed as the Gone with the Wind of Australia, and one of the ten modern classics. The different experiences and fates of the four female characters in the novel become a true reflection of the development of feminism in Australian. This thesis aims to analyze the multiple interpretation of feminism in The Thorn Birds. The Thorn Birds shows us the true experiences of womens pursuit of equality and liberation. In order to achieve liberation, women have to fight bravely against male oppression. But we should see that the final goal of womens fighting is to realize the equality and harmony between genders. And only when the harmonious relationship has been realized can women grow healthily in the future.Key Words: The Thorn Birds; feminism; The multiple interpretation; womens rebellionivCONTENTS 0. Introduction.11. Theoretical Basis: Feminism.11.1 Womens Situation in Australia.21.2 Development of Australian Feminism.22. Oppression and Awakening.32.1 Fiona: Womens Awakening in the Bud.32.1.1 The Perfection of Womanhood.32.1.2 The Vague Female Consciousness.42.2 Mary Carson: Womens Fighting in the Extreme.53. Rebellion and Growth.63.1 Maggie: Womens Transformation in Hardships.63.1.1 Rebellion against Fate.63.1.2 Rebellion against Traditional Marriage.73.1.3 Rebellion against God.83.2 Justine: Womens Growth in Harmony.93.2.1 The Anti-traditional Woman.93.2.2 The Realization of Harmony between Males and Females.104. Conclusion.12Works Cited.13v0. IntroductionColleen McCullough is a world-famous contemporary Australian female writer. She was born in 1937 in a Catholic family in Wellington, New South Wales. Right after the publication of The Thorn Birds in 1977, it became an immediate success, and drew the attention of millions of readers in the world scope. It led the bestsellers lists of New York Times for fifty-two weeks. There also appeared a TV miniseries adapted from The Thorn Birds in 1983, and a film in 1996, both are starring by Richard Chamberlain. Besides those, it also was translated into more than twenty languages and published around the world. It was reputed as “the Australian answer to Gone with the Wind” by The Guardian. The Thorn Birds is Colleens most influential work, which based on her whole life experiences and expressed with her most sincere feelings. It is a world-famous saga novel, and it sets its background in Drogheda, a vast sheep station which full-fills typical Australian color. Paddy Cleary receives a letter from his lonely, old but rich sister, Mary Carson, who is the richest woman in Australia now, and he decides to accept her invitation to move his family from New Zealand to Australia to live and work for her on Drogheda. It tells the life experiences and emotional courses of the three female generations of Cleary. Then I will analyze the development of Feminism in detail.1. Theoretical Basis: FeminismFeminism has become one of the most active thoughts in the western world recently. It influences various aspects, including philosophy, social theories, politics, anthropology, literature, etc. Although not a feminist writer, Colleen McCullough, as a female writer, often shows great concern for the fates of women, their situations and tragedies. The Thorn Birds is just a good case in point. Setting on the outback of Australia, it shows us how Australian women struggle for their freedom and rights as independent individuals. Therefore, before the analysis of The Thorn Birds begins, it 1is necessary to discuss feminism and feminist theories, especially the Australian case.1.1 Womens Situation in AustraliaThe special background also led to Australian womens subordinate position. In the early history of Australia as a British colony, the number of the female convicts is much smaller than that of male convicts, so womens feelings and experiences are often ignored by the public. The particular feature of Australias natural environment is characterized by the unpleasant bush. Men, as well as women, have to suffer from the severe environment and to fight against it. However, because of the ignorance of women, womens contributions to the exploitation of the virgin land are often neglected. Womens position in the society and in Australian culture is marginalized correspondingly.When the western feminist movement broke out, Australian womens desire to gain equal rights and to find their own self got a theoretical support. Influenced by the western feminist movement, Australian womens movement emerged at the end of the 19th century.1.2 Development of Australian FeminismAustralian feminism sowed its seeds at the end of the 19th century, when Australia ushered in a brand new era of nationalism. During this time, Australian people began to fight for the nations independence and build up their own national identity.The first wave of Australian feminism then came into being. According to Macintyre, the movement sought to advance women and reform society.The second wave of Australian feminism dated back to the 1960s. In politics and social life, the second-wave feminism fights for womens equal rights as men in order to eliminate sex discrimination. At the end of the 20th century, Australia experienced the third wave of feminism. Although having gone through several decades of the struggles of womens 2 equal rights, Australian women still could not have full access to the public sphere during this time.2. Oppression and AwakeningThere is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. And, dying, it rises above its own agony to out carol the lark and the nightingale. But the whole world stills listen and God in his heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of great painOr so says the legend. (McCullough 1) McCullough tells the legend at the beginning of the novel, which has a significant symbolic meaning. In fact, the four female characters can all be seen as the thorn birds. In order to get the true love, they all make great sacrifices in their life. Although born in the same age, the characteristics and attitudes of Fiona Cleary and Mary Carsonthe first two women in the novelare totally different. This chapter will make an analysis of those two women to reveal their oppression and early awakening.2.1 Fiona: Womens Awakening in the BudFiona Cleary, called Fee for short is the first important female image of the Cleary family. She is a girl of noble birth, but finally marries Paddy Cleary, a humble sheep shearer. From the feminist perspective, her life-long story is in fact a paradox of obedience and awakening.2.1.1 The Perfection of Womanhood3As the female parent of the Cleary family, Fee obeys those obligations without any complaints. She does the housework from dawn to dark, rarely stopping to have a rest. She has several sons and a daughter whom she takes care of everyday. Her husband Paddy is a poor sheep shearer who has to work very hard every day to raise the family. Therefore, except the heavy burden of the housework and the children, Fee also has to take care of her husband when he is back from work. Fees whole world is within the domestic sphere, but she is busier and more tired than those who work outside. Fee was born in the 19th century, the famous Victorian age in Britain. At that time, the popular Victorian image of an ideal and perfect woman is the angel in the house. The woman is expected to be devoted and submissive to her husband. She must be passive, graceful, self-sacrificing and silent. From the above analysis, it can be concluded that, except for her loss of purity, Fee is such a perfect woman, an angel in the house, just as she once said to Frank, “I can never be free, and I dont want to be free.”(McCullough 110)2.1.2 The Vague Female ConsciousnessFemale consciousness is a term usually used by feminist critics. It generally refers to womens awareness and experiences as human beings, especially as autonomous female individuals. It is an awareness which goes against the patriarchal tradition. Female consciousness asks women to struggle against the chains and fetters imposed by male authority, to get rid of their situation as mens subordinations, and to find their true self. The perfect female consciousness leads women to develop their human nature in a full and healthy way.Fee was born in a patriarchal, noble family in which women cannot love freely. But she falls in love with Pakeha. The love is so natural and strong that she once says to her daughter, “I loved that manI loved him to the point of madness.” (McCullough 475) The love affair obviously breaks the rules set by the patriarchy, but she does not give up. She takes an active attitude and pursues the love directly and 4courageously. The fruit of this love is the birth of her first son Frank. This action is good evidence that deep in Fees heart, she wants to be an independent individual, one who is able to control her own life and fate. From this point of view, we can see Fees female consciousness in its embryonic form.Besides, the part which obviously shows her limitations is perhaps the conversation between Fee and her daughter Maggie at her old age. Fee saysI loved him to the point of madness. And I thought Id never love anyone else; I wallowed in that delusion so long I left it too late, too late! I have a lot to answer for, Maggie, believe me. “For one reason or another Ive been unhappy since the day I met Pakeha. I loved him, but what he did to me shouldnt happen to any woman. And there was Frank” (McCullough 475) it is the first time in years that silent Fee feels like talking. Talking about her unhappy experiences, Fee puts the blame down to herself and to the fate. She does not realize that it is the social system which has led to her tragedy. Although illustrations can be found to show her budding female consciousness, it never blooms because she leaves no room for it to grow and finally surrenders to the destiny and to the patriarchal system.Fiona Clearys awakening as a female individual represents the first step of womens growth and self-perfection. Her efforts, though far from being enough, foreshow a course of womens growth which will be more mature in the future.2.2 Mary Carson: Womens Fighting in the ExtremeMary Carson was born in a humble family in Ireland. At her time, womens fixed role is to stay at home and to be the subordination of men. Due to the lack of a noble background, she cannot marry a man from the upper class. But she has a strong will to break the social bonds and to change her fate. So she went to Australia and married a wealthy man. After her husbands death, she immediately becomes the richest woman in the outback of Australia. With her courage, self-confidence and wisdom, she gains the great treasure and a high social status. And all those material conditions have helped her a lot in changing fate and becoming the master of her own. 5For Mary Carson, another marriage will become an obstacle of her freedom and independence, so she decides to continue her widowhood. But Mary Carson has never given up her love. In her strong love and emotion towards Father Ralph she is brave and passionate, never concealing her feelings.In this love affair, Mary Carson completely subverts womens gender role. As a female, Mary Carson has been able to love actively and openly. Whether Mary Carsons way to pursue love is right or not, she has moved an important step in womens liberation.3. Rebellion and GrowthBoth Fiona and Mary Carson have struggled, though in different ways, for their freedom, but the prices are heavy, and the results are not satisfactory. Entering the 20th century, under the influence of the development of Australian feminist movement, Australian women become more and more conscious of their position, power and independence. In Cleary family, women of the second and third generationsMaggie and Justineare a good case in point. Although both of the two have once gone astray on their way to liberation and growth, they have accomplished womens growth and metamorphosis to form a harmonious male-female relationship.3.1 Maggie: Womens Transformation in Hardships Maggie is the heroine of The Thorn Birds who has experienced a lot of sufferings since her childhood. All of these tragic stories are mainly due to the patriarchal traditions in Australia. However, as time goes on, Maggie gradually realizes that being a female, she also has the right to pursue her