TheAnalysisofFemaleCharactersinTheThornBirds荆棘鸟中女性人物分析

1、XX 大学本科生毕业论文 （设计 ）题目 : The Analysis of Female Characters in The Thorn Birds 荆棘鸟中女性人物分析学 号 : 姓 名 : 院 （系 ）: 专 业 : 完成时间 : 指导老师 :ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSI would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have given me much help in my pursuit of the bachelor s degree and in

2、my thesis writing.First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Mrs. Li, who has offered me her insightful comments and enlightening suggestions in the whole course of my thesis writing. Without her patient instructions, I could hardly have completed my thesis.Second, I

3、 wish to express my sincere thanks to professors and teachers at the Department of English, who have instructed and helped me a lot in my English learning. I also owe my sincere gratitude to my roommates and my fellow classmates who gave me their help and times in listening to me and helping me work

4、 out my problems in these four years.Last but not least, my thanks would go to my beloved family for their understanding and support which have relieved me of a lot of anxieties and tensions that have accompanied my studies all through these years.摘要荆棘鸟为澳大利亚著名女作家考琳 麦卡洛所作，它于 1977 年问世后便在全球范 围内引起极大的轰动，

5、被誉为澳大利亚的飘。在澳大利亚独特的文化背景中，该书以 爱情和命运的主题，展现了克里利家族三代女性的坎坷的人生经历与丰富而复杂情感历 程。本文首先对这部小说和作者及荆棘鸟的含义做了介绍， 然后对小说中四位女性： 玛丽卡 森、菲奥娜、梅吉及朱丝婷的人生历程进行剖析，探讨她们不懈地追求各自的爱情和对传 统女性命运勇敢反抗的精神，以及在特定的时代中女性自我意识的觉醒。由此通过分析得 出结论：女性只有树立正确的爱情观，勇于追求爱，挑战命运，坚持不懈，才能获得幸福， 实现自我价值。关键词 :荆棘鸟;女性角色; 爱情观;命运; 自我意识ABSTRACTThe Thorn Birds written by

6、Australian famous woman writer Colleen McCullough has caused tremendous sensation throughout the world since it was published in1977 and is called Australian Gone with the Wind. Based on the unique background of Australian culture, the novel unfolds life experiences and emotional journey of the fema

7、les of three generations in the Cleary family. First ，this thesis includs a brief introduction to the writer, the novel and the symbolism of the thorn and the thorn birds. Afterwards it makes a deep analysis of the life course of the four female characters of three generations- Mary Carson, Fiona, M

8、eggie, Justin, and explores the spirit of their untiring pursuit for love and brave resistance of traditional female fate, as well as the awakening of female sse lf-consciousnessi n a certain period. A conclusion is drawn that women can gain happiness and realize self-value, as long as they establis

9、h correct love views and are brave enough to pursue love and challenge the destinies.Key words: The Thorn Birds; Women images; Love view; Self-consciousnessiiCONTENTSAcknowledgements iAbstract in Chinese iiAbstract in English ii1. Introduction 1 1.1 Introduction to the novel1.1.2 Introduction to the

10、 author and her works 1 2. Analysis of major characters in the nov e.l2.2.1 Fiona silenced, constraining, obedient 2 2.1.1Fiona s Subversive Love for Pa k.e.h.a2.2.1.2 Fiona s Submits to the . .F.a.t.e2.2.2 Mary Carson subversive, scheming, unsympathetic 3 2.2.1 Mary Carson s crazy and selfish love

11、for .R.a.l.p.h3.2.2.2 Mary Carson s Fight against the. .F.a.t.e4.2.3 Meggie brave, persistent, stubborn4.2.3.1 Meggie s forbidden love for R.a.l.p.h5.2.3.2 Meggie s resistance to Catholism an d. .f.a.t.e5.2.4 Justine rebellious, independent, passionate 6 2.4.1 Justine s harmonious love with Ra.i.n.e

12、.r6.3. The causes of their different fat.e7.3.1 The causes of Mary Carson, Fiona and Meggie .s. .t.r.a.g.i.c. f.a.t.e7.3.2 The reasons of Justine s success in resis ti.n.g. .f.a.t.e7.4. Conclusion 8 Bibliography9 The Analysis of Female Characters in The Thorn Birds1. Introduction1.1 Introduction to

13、the novelThe Thorn Birds is a saga novel about three generations of an Australian family -the Clearys from 1915 to 1965, and is also a beautiful love story that takes place in the outback of Australia with a tale of a strong bond that turns into the strongest love. Hate, pain, love, and happiness al

14、l involved in this beautiful tale of Meggie Cleary and Ralph de Bricassart.The epic begins with Meggie Cleary, a four-year-old girl living in New Zealand in the early 1920s. Meggie lives together with her father Paddy, an Irish farm laborer, and Fee, her harassed but aristocratic mother, and three e

15、lder brothers in New Zealand. The large, poor family lived a hard life until one day when Paddy s sister, Mary Carson, one of the richest womeAustralia, who lives on an enormous sheep station called Drogheda mail a letter in which she promises to offer Paddy a job on her estate. Paddy accepts the in

16、vitation with delight. Then the whole family moves to the Drogheda.Here Meggie meets Ralph de Bricassart, a good friend of Mary Carson, picked up the Clearys from the station. He is a young, intelligence. and ambitious priest who as punishment for insulting a bishop, has been relegated to a remote p

17、arish in the town of Gillanbone, near Drogheda. Then Ralph and the family become good friends, while he and the ten-year-old Cleary daughter Meggie become very close. Ralph takes Meggie to school at the convent next to the church he works at and gives her a pretty room in the rectory so that she can

18、 stay with him. Gradually, Meggie grows up to be a stunning young lady and falls in love with the handsome and considerate priest. Ralph loves Meggie, too. However, he is far too self-absorbed and ambitious to show some humanity and admit his love to Meggie, so he is torn between his love for Meggie

19、, his love for God and his ambition to rise in the Catholic hierarchy.The Thorn Birds composes a melancholy and miserable but also solemn and stirring symphony by four characters (the Cleary women: Mary Carson, Fiona, her daughter, Meggie, and Mgegie s daughter, Justine) who are very brave to fight

20、against their fate and social custom for their faith. The enchantment of this book first lies in its subjectlove and destiny, and its symbolthe thorn bird. It shows profoundly the impermanence and the weird twist of the fate. By describing the Clearys penetrative, frustrating love journey, the autho

21、r tries to show a truth that the true love and the beauty should be attained with incredible pain and unimaginable cost. This thesis will discuss the differences among the three women and analyze the women spirits toward their love and fate.1.2 Introduction to the author and her worksColleen McCullo

22、ugh was born on June 1st, 1937, in a Catholic family in Wellington, New South Wales, Australia and married Ric Robinson, on April 13, 1984. She graduated from University of Sydney and University of South Wales, B.S.(With honors)and got her M.S. from Institute of Child Health of London University. Fr

23、om 1958 to 1963, she was a founder of andworker at the Department of Neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney. And then from 1967 to 1977 she worked at Yale University, School of Internal Medicine,in New Haven, CT, associate in research neurology department. Since 1976, she has al

24、so worked as a teacher, a library worker, a bus driver in Australia s Outback, and in journalism.His working experiences constitute the major background of several of her fictions. McCullough has strong interests in reading since she was a little girl and she was said toe b “ the only bookish person

25、 in an athletic family” . The books she read covered from romances to science fictionshelped her to get very well prepared for her later literary career.Nowadays she is well-known for her fictions .She is the author of several extraordinary novels such as : Tim(1974), An Indecent Obsession(1982), A

26、Creed for the Third Millennium (1985), Fortunes Favorites(1993), Caesar sW omen(1995), The Song of Troy(1998), Morgans Run(2000), The October Horse(2002), The Touch(2003), and Antony and Cleopatra(2007). The books she read covered from romances to science fictions that helped her to get very well pr

27、epared for her later literary career. Besides novels, she also writes prose, biography, and even melodrama. As far as her writing of fiction is concerned, she writes a variety of sorts of fiction, consisting of historical novel, love story, so on and so forth, and above all, the worldwide bestseller

28、, saga novel The Thorn Birds, soon after its publication, it became an international bestseller in over 20 languages. Time Magazine equals it to The God Father , Love Story and seven other stories, all of which are famed as modern ten classics. Musical, films and TV series adapted from it also have

29、everlasting charm to the audience.Colleen McCullough is familiar with Australia. In The Thorn Birds she gives a vivid description of it. The picturesque settings of the story enable readers to enjoy the unique Australia scenery. With this novel, readers can visit the far corners of the Australia out

30、back and feel the love and yearning that Meggie and Ralph experienced.2. Analysis of major characters in the novel2.1 Fiona silenced, constraining, obedientAs the first generation of Clearys, Fiona is a very beautiful, graceful but taciturn lady from a noble family. However, her fate is an undoubted

31、 tragic because she falls in love with an impossible man-Pakeha. But she forced to marry someone unknown because of family s reputation. After marriage, she resigns herself to the unfair fate and regards it as predestinate. She pained for retrospection and could not step out of the circle of waiting

32、 for someone in nowhere. As a woman, her value is stipulated by the patriarchal society.2.1.1Fiona s Subversive Love for PakehaFiona lives in the 19th century, and she is graceful lady and the only daughter in a noble family of Newlands. In such a traditional family, her fate has already been determ

33、ined since she has no independent position or economic incomes. She has no freedom to choose her own life, what she can do is to follow her father-a trip st oid tehae old country, a debut at court, the righthusband. However, her father plsa n goes broke because Fee falls in love with Pakeha, apoliti

34、cian who has already got married. In The Thorn Birds, Fiona s lovre P foakeha is described in the following way:“I love that man! Perhaps it was the call of our blood, I donwas handsome, a big man with a mop of black hair and the most brilliant, laughing black eyes. He was everything Paddy wasnt cul

35、turedis,t iscoaptehd, very charming. I loved him to the pointof madness. And I thought Idn ever love anyone else ”(P. 243, 18) After the marriage, she becomes indifference to anyone or anything, all her enthusiasm is put on her first son, Frank. The child stole from her beloved man and becomes her s

36、piritual existence. When Frank left home, Padddy ever said to Father Ralph:“Ive always known she loved Frank more than the restput together, she must love his father ” (p256,8). In the rest of Fee has forgostt elifne , she ne Pakeha.In a patriarchal society, only a good marriage can prove womens exi

37、stence in theand reflect their value in society. It is an unbearable thing for women to strive for their love on their own will, as women are subordinated to men. As a result, when Fiona gives birth to Pakeha s son, she was thrown away by her family and Pakeha.2.1.2 Fiona s Submits to the FateIt is

38、said that women are blind before love. To Fiona, it is true. At the age of sixteen, Fee falls in love with Pakeha who has already got married and much older than her. Fee thinks he will divorce for her, but Pakeha is an important politician, who has a big influence on that area, if he choose fee, he

39、 has to give up career and fame. Finally the man chooses his career and leaves Fee .Fee is brave in the times when virginity was regarded as womens greatest treaspregnancy, she is immediately abandoned by her family and force to marry Paddy-a man from underclass for the family reputation. When facin

40、g all theses situation, she never tried to struggle with her fate.After marriage, in others eyes, Fee is a perfect wife. She is beautiful, hard-working and submissive. In her mind“The house was women s work. No male member of the family wasput his hand to a fe male task ”. To be a housewife, she has

41、 submitted to the rule imposed upon women and think female is inferior to male. On the other hand, she becomes indifferent to anyone or anything except the eldest sonF-rank. She always follows her husbands itd ae a withouword and never shows her true feelings and emotions. After Frank s leaving, “ T

42、here had not a flicker of emotion in those soft grey eyes, not hardening nor accusation, hate or sorrow as if she had simply been waiting for the blow to fall like a condemned dog for the killing bullet, knowing her fate and powerless to avoid it. ”Alt hough she loves Frank more than others all toge

43、ther, she accepts his leaving with quietness. She resigns herself to the unfair fate and don want to revolt it. Just like she once said:“I can never be free, and I dont want to be fr14) No matter to man or to fate, she has become a totally obedient woman.2.2 Mary Carson subversive, scheming, unsympa

44、theticIn The Thorn Birds, Mary Carson is another women character who is embodied with female subjectivity. She is a very sophisticated character. From a mans point of view in a psociety, she is a devil. But from a feminist posi nt of view, she is a respectable rebel, an unfortunate woman. When first

45、 appeared in the novel, Marry Carson was already 65 years old. A lady at such an age was supposed to be kind, tolerant and sometimes slow in thinking. But she was harsh and very quick-witted. People around her hate her; calling her “ab id spider ” , meanwhile, they admired her as she was so capable

46、of scheming. She chose to marry a man she doesn t love in order to make a fortune, but she fell in love with a priest in her sixties and left all her property to him, to the church. Her action and choice were very subversive.2.2.1 Mary Carson s crazy and selfish love for RalphMary Carson takes posse

47、ssion of a large amount of property and lives in Drogheda, a great pasture. She has been a widow for so many years, but she refuses to marry again. She was not born into money or is not so charming, but besides her genius, the great effort makes her lead a fruitful life. When she meets Ralph, she wa

48、s at her sixties, but she crazily falls in love with this remarkable appearance. Once Mary realized he love for Ralph, she began to take actions. She provided Ralph with all the luxurious living conditions and created a lot of time for their togethering. She even frankly told Ralph:“ I have loved yo

49、u. God, how much! Do you think myears automatically preclude it? Well, Father de Bricassart, let me tell you something. Inside this stupid body, I m still young, I still feel, I still want, I still dream” (P324said and what she did break the stereotype that women have always been passive when facing

50、 love. A kind of both vigorous and valuable female consciousness was expressed. But the female consciousness shown in Mary s personality brought her no happiness of love. On the contrary,after refused by Ralph, she turned her love into envy and revenge. The love between Meggie and Ralph made Mary ex

51、tremely envious that she even wanted to kill Ralph for his not wanting her. Finally, Mary came up with an idea. She left two wills, one to her lawyer and the other to Ralph. According the two wills, all her wealth would be left to her brother or Ralph. Mary left a letter to Ralph, letting him make a

52、 decision and choose between his love for Meggie and the money.In her love for Ralph, Mary found a way of action and self-expression, and her scheme of putting Ralph into a dilemma proved to be effective. However instead of bring her satisfaction and happiness, her false expression of female conscio

53、usness ended her life in envy and misery.2.2.2 Mary Carson s Fight against the FateMary was from a very common family of Ireland. When she was a young girl, she was aware of the social reality she faced: A woman who wants to select a good husband must have enough background or breeding in Ireland. T

54、his was accepted by most women of that age. But Mary tried to break this fetter. She believed that “ the greater the scope for action, the greater the potential for fulfillment” . This principle was proved to be true in her marriage and career as ssuccessfully married a rich man and possessed her ca

55、reer through activities. In order to acquire the equal position as men, Mary neither showed any mercy to people nor showed any weakness of her. Her success was at the cost of sacrificing her emotion of the individual as a woman. Although she becomes the richest woman in Australia, she was unhappy. S

56、he paid the price for what she had got: living lonely for the rest of her life.2.3 Meggie brave, persistent, stubbornMeggie is the second female of Cleary and the core of the story. In describing this character, the author uses the third-person point fo view, In Ralphs eyes, “ Meggie is the sweetest

57、, the madorable little girl he had ever seen; hair of a color which defied description, not red and not gold, a perfect fusion of both ”(P 88, 3). In the story, since her childhood, Meggie appearst o be persistent and vulnerable. Meggie doesnhta ve a happy childhood and has suffered countless miseri

58、es in the growth. She was obedient to that male-centered society and never thought of resistance of the mode of life and her fate. Just as Ralph had ever said, she was not a rebel. All her life she would obey, move within the boundaries of her female fate.” On the firgoes to school, she is caned by Sister Agatha, but she chooses to endure all those punishments. When her mother gave birth to more babies she gave up schooling to help her mother with the housework without any complaints.In the early stage of Meggies life, it seemed that there was