英美小说赏析-The-story-of-an-hour-绝对完整-高分

黑龙江外国语学院2012-2013学年第1学期Term12012-20123AcademicYearHeilongjiangPAGE1第4页共6页AStudyintoFeministConsciousnessofTheStoryofanHourAbstract：AccordingtointerpretationofthesocialbackgroundoftheAmericanSouthattheendofthe19thcenturyandtheKateChopin’slifeexperienceintheillustrationofthetextandanalyzethehistoricalbackgroundoftheleadingrole’sselfconsciousness,uncoveringAmericansocietyignoredthevalueofwomenandtheshacklesofafreespirit.Withthehelpoftheanalysisofthewritingtechnique,wecanbetterunderstandthethemeoffreedomanddeathinthestory.Keywords:Women’sconsciousness;KateChopin;TheStoryofanHour=1\*ROMANI.IntroductionKateChopinisoneofAmerican’smostimportantwomenwritersofthe19thcentury.Hisrepresentativework“Awakening”isrecognizedforperformancepioneeroffeministthought.“TheStoryofanHour,”publishedin1894,isaboutiqueinChopin’sshortstory.Inthisnovel,ayoungwomanlearnedthatherhusbanddiedinarailwayaccident.Sheweptreturnedtotheroom.Slowly,shebegantorealizetheirsoulchanges:“shewhispered,‘free,free,free!’...sheknowinspentalongtimeafterthepain,shewillcompleteherown.”Then,withoutwarning,shedidnottakethetrain’shusband,openthedoorcamein.Whenshesawhim,herheartstopsbeating.Aroundhereveryonethinksshewashappywilllikethis.Isshereallyhappytohearthenewsthatherhusbandisdead?Thisarticleisafeministnovel.Malechauvinistledtosexualinequality,feminismadvocatesalsoshouldavoidtooextremetendency(suchasnoveltranscendenceofmalefantasy).Weevenwesternsocialfeminismandtheultimategoalofequalityforall(realsenseofequality).Notanypartysurpassedandsuperior.=2\*ROMANII.ThesocialbackgroundofFeministConsciousnessOverall,theUnitedStatesinthe19thcentury,legal,religiousandtraditionalpracticesstrictrestrictionsonwomen,especiallySouthernwomen’srights.Theycouldnotvote,cannotmaketheirvoicesheardinthepoliticalsphere;mostoftheworkrefusedtohirefemalestaff,themajorityofwomencanonlyperformhouseholdchores;proportionofeducatedwomenisfarlowerthanthatofmen.Ethical,Southernwomenaremoreboundandrepressed.AccordingtoSoutherntradition,womenaretheincarnationofvirtue.Theyarefullofcompassion,tolerance,patience,loyaltyobedience.Theyareboundinthemoralparadigmthrone,worshipedbyothers.Formarriedwomen,thesocietyhasgiventhemmorebondage.Forexample:manystatesexpresslyprovidethatmarriedwomenhavenorighttosigncontracts,andcannotownproperty,cannotevendisposeoftheirownincome.Whateverthereason,ifthecoupledivorce,thewifecannotgetcustodyofthechildren.Theperfectwifeshouldbesubmissive,gentle,pious,andthereforenotsuitableforthecomplexandvolatilepoliticalandbusiness,thebestchoiceisawife,mother.Fromthemid-19thcentury,Americansocietyhasexperiencedethnicconflicts,theCivilWar,theabolitionofslaveryandthehighlydevelopedcapitalisteconomy,people’sthinkinghasalsohappenedunprecedentedtransformation.Thewomenbeganquestioningtraditionalpracticesimposedontheroleofawoman,issuedachallengetothevalues​​ofthepatriarchalsociety.Northernwomenfirstbegantofightforequalrightstowork,education.Theybelievethatwomenandmenshouldbeequalaccesstopolitical,economic,religiousstatus,whichcompletelychangedtheideologicalbuiltinthemaledominatedsociety.TheCivilWarandtheabolitionofslaverygreatlychangedpeople’sideology,thenortherngrowingfeministmovementgraduallypenetratedintothepoliticalandeconomicactivitiesintheSouth,Southernwomenalsobegantodemandworkandeducation.Theycalledforsocialreform,togetridoftheshacklesofwomen’sstereotypesinapatriarchalsociety,againsttherulesandprohibitionsimposedbysociety.Moreandmorewomenwithhighsocialstatusareknockingatthedoortothecareerwhichamanwhoonceruled.Womenbegantomoveoutoftheshadowoftheman,inallaspectsofsociallifeasanindependentindividual.KateChopinisawriterofthisera.Ofcourse,herfeministideologyisinextricablylinkedwithher​​familyenvironment.Shewasbornin1850inSt.Louis,Missouri.HisfatherisIrishdescentandhismotherwasFrenchdescent.Whenshewasfiveyearsold,hisfatherthiscase,theauthordescribes:“Shecouldseeintheopensquarebeforeherhousethetopsoftreesthatwereallaquiverwiththenewspringlife.Thedeliciousbreathofrainwasintheair.Inthestreetbelowapeddlerwascryinghiswares.Thenotesofadistantsongwhichsomeonewassingingreachedherfaintly,andcountlesssparrowsweretwitteringintheeaves.”Suchacheerfulvoice,freshsmellandvividcolorposedpicture,withtheLouise’sphysicallyandmentallyexhaustedinstarkcontrast.Therefore,recoverywithanewlifeinnatureimpliestheawakeningoffeministconsciousness,likenaturecannotresistthespring.Forfreelifedesiretobreakthroughher​​struggleandrepression,controlofhermindandbody,toheroverandoveragainissueda“free”crooning.Atthismoment,theshadowofdeathhasvanished.Usherinabrightfuturewhichgetsridoftheshackles,thedesireforfreedomoflife,aswellasprayforthenewlife.Whenthisdisillusionmentduetoherhusband’sunexpectedreturn,tragedywillinevitablyoccur.3.2.UseironytorevealthepriceofthefemaleconsciousnessChopinuseironytorevealthethemeoffreedomhigherthanlifetwiceinhisnovel.Firstofall,Louiseforherhusband'sdeathfromsadnesstojoy,emotionschangefrommourningfromhappinessforherhusband"backfromthedead"constitutestheironyoftraditionalmorality.Earlytohearthebadnews,herreactiondoesnotlikethevastmajorityofwomeninsocietyas“immediatelycollapsed,unabletoacceptthereality”,butimmediatelycried,thenpourinthearmsofhersister.Later,Louiseinsistedgoingbacktoherroom.WhenLouisewasfacedwiththenaturalworldthatisfullofvitality,sheinitiallyfilledwithfear,andtheninfinitejoywaitingforfreetime.Finally,facedwiththeunexpectedherhusband’sreturn,Louiseemotionsonceagainintogreatsorrow.Authorthoughtheleadingrole’slocationchange,portrayheremotionalworld’schanges,ironicallyprevailingsocialandmoraloppressionforwomen.Moreironicisthedoctor’sdiagnosisofthecauseofdeathofLouiseheartattackcausedbyahugesurpriseattheendinthenovel.Thus,inadditiontotheleadingrole,theothercharactersinthestory,withoutexception,thatLouisehadtohaveahappyfamily.Thegreatsorrowofthelossofherhusbandhasmadeherunabletoextricateherself,thesuddenlyregainedheragainbearastrongstimulus,bittersweetemotionschangekillher.ThisconclusionisagreatcontrasttotheLouiseinnerworld,wonderfulsatiretheruthlesssocialreality.IV.ConclusionKateChopin'sshortstoriesinacreativeapproachgreatlyinfluencedbythecontemporaryFrenchwriterMaupassant,storyshort,concisetext.“Atfirstglance,thenovel’slanguageandnarrativecontradictions,andtheplotofthestoryisusuallysuddenreversalattheend,givingunexpec