pipes《名利场》中两位女主人公的对比分析

A Comparative Analysis of the Two Heroines in

Vanity Fair

《名利场》中两位女主人公的对比分析

Abstract

Vanity

Fair

is

a

famous

novel

and

masterpiece

written

by

William

Makepeace

Thackeray, and

it is

a famous work of

critical

realism.

In the novel,

Thackeray

has

created

two

female

images

---

Becky

and

Amelia,

who

are

fresh

and

plump.

They

respectively stands for

two types

of female

images:

one is

the

“

bad woman image

”

represented

by

Becky

who

breaks

the

tradition

ones;

and

the

other

is

the

typical

traditional

“

family

angel

image

”

represented

by

Amelia.

However,

both

the

bad

woman and angel have the dual natures in Thackeray?s eyes. In this paper, it makes a

comparative analysis of the two female images shaped by Thackeray in

Vanity Fair

, to

discuss

the

similarities

and

differe

nces

between

two

females

images?

characters,

values, and destiny, and probe into the deep reasons for such differences.

Through this novel, the 19

th

century English society can be seen at all levels and

how different people survive in the cruel society. Researching this topic has important

significance in understanding and becoming familiar with the society and culture of

the 19th century British capitalism.

Key words

: characters; Becky; Amelia

1

中文摘要

《名利场》是

19

世纪英国著名小说家威廉·梅克比斯·萨克雷 的成名作也

是其代表作，

是一部著名的批判现实主义作品。

小说中塑造了两位女主角——蓓

基和爱米丽亚，形象鲜活丰满，栩栩 如生。她们分别代表了两种女性形象：一种

是蓓基所代表的打破传统女性形象的“坏女人 ”

；一种是爱米莉亚所代表的典型

传统家庭天使形象。

然而，

不管是坏女人还是天使，

在萨克雷的眼中 都是有其两

重性的。本文就萨克雷在《名利场》中所塑造的两位女性形象进行对比分析， 分

析二人性格、价值观及命运的异同，并探讨导致这种差异的深层原因。

透过这篇小说，我们可以看到

19

世纪英国上流社会的各个层面，以及不同

的人怎样在社 会中谋得他们的一席之地。研究此课题对了解和熟悉

19

世纪英 国

资本主义社会文化具有重要的意义。

关键词

： 性格；

蓓基；爱米丽亚

2

Outline

1. Introduction

2. Comparison of Becky and Amelia in

Vanity Fair

2.1 Different Characters

2.1.1 Becky --- Breaking the Traditional Image of Women

2.1.2 Amelia--- A Typical Traditional Female Image

2.2 Different Attitude toward Love and Marriage

2.2.1 Becky --- A Tool Leading Her to the Upper Society

2.2.2 Amelia --- Devoted Herself to Love

2.2 Different Fates

2.2.1 Becky

?

s Destiny

2.2.

2 Amelia?s

Fates

3. Reasons for Their Different Fates

3.1 Living Environment

3.2 Social Situation in Victorian Era

3.3 Traditional Female Morality

4. Conclusion

3

1. Introduction

Vanity Fair

is a masterpiece of the British novelist Thackeray. It mainly depicts

the encounters and destinies of two beautiful girls --- Becky and Amelia who live in

the

British

upper

class

in

the

early

time

of

the

19th

century.

Becky

is

a

typical

adventuress

in

the

capitalist

society.

The

influences

and

discriminations

of

the

underworld cause her personalities to become distorted. In order to make a living, she

doesn

?

t

give up any opportunities and tries to

reach her purpose through

marriages.

She likes to show her face in public. In fact, the life pursued by her is filled with fame

and

wealth

as

well

as

the

endless

desires.

She

is

evil,

but

successful.

She

is

an

outcome of the dual function of the era and society. On the contrary, Amelia is a pretty

and

simple

woman

with

good

characters

and

pure

love.

She

comes

from

a

rich

merchant family, looking forward to the ideal love and trying to weave her own life

with

love.

She

is

poor,

but

happy.

Being

deeply

attracted

by

these

two

heroines

?

distinct personalities and different fates, the author tries to explore the implied social

reasons for their different encounters and views of love and marriage.

Through analyzing Becky and Amelia

?

s different characters, views on love and

marriage as well as fates in this novel, this paper aims at summarizing the core moral

concepts of the Victorian women and exploring the implied social reasons. Hope this

paper can not only be a supplement to the previous studies, but also help the readers

better understand the deep connotations of this novel.

2. Comparison of Becky and Amelia in

Vanity Fair

Britain at that time is nothing short of Vanity Fair. Therefore, to survive in such a

cruel society, one must have certain life skills, especially people born in poor families.

So do Becky and Amelia. In this part, the characters, attitude to love and marriage, as

well as their fates will be compared.

2.1 Different Characters

In

the

Vanity

Fair

,

the

two

heroines,

Becky

and

Amelia,

appear

full

blown,

especially Becky who is one of the most successful and typical characters in novels.

In the following part, their different characters will be discussed.

2.1.1 Becky --- Breaking the Traditional Image of Women

Being

doughty

to

pursue:

In

the

Vitoria

times,

social

culture

and

economic

status

determine

the

status

of

women.

In

Victorian

Britain,

“women

have

no

opportunity to get knowledge through education or work; they are only told to what

kind

of

their

behaviors

are

in

conformity

to

norms,

which

bound

the

female?s

characters”

(Hagan, 1975:

479). Rebecca is

a poor orphan, but

she wants to

win the

respect,

and

obtains

the

economic

status

and

social

status.

Her

independent

personality is in conflict with her status conferred by the society.

Her desire of respect

derives from

her childhood experience. Her father would

4

beat his wife and daughter when drunk, and complained the society?s injustice. Her

father?s

punishment

int

ensified

her

anger,

and

her

childhood

experience

made

her

realize she was living in in a cage of patriarchal society. She wants to have a different

childhood life, but

the society imposed restrictions of females on her. Therefore, in

that society, to live with your own goals and desires is a great challenge for her. In the

Victorian

times,

only

women

in

the

upper

class

have

the

opportunity

to

accept

the

education about manners; for a girl like Rebecca such a girl from the bottom of the

society, life is more

bound. Rebecca?s social status condemns her to rely on her own

but no other way. She will never accept the restrictions of gender and status imposed

form

the

society,

and

she

has

her

own

plans

and

tries

to

realize

her

aspirations

by

herself.

Resisting Spirits:

After his father died, Rebecca is allowed to stay in school, but

has to teach other girls French. Rebecca is angered by other students

?

discrimination,

and she begins to desire for prestige extremely. The school life makes her more aware

no one else can rely on but herself, so she begins to plan for her own future. She can

not bear other

?

s discrimination any more, so she determines to enter the upper society.

However, before

graduation, she finds the challenge to

the traditional concepts

will

only

hurt

herself,

so

she

gets

her

own

anger

and

ambition

hidden,

and

pretends

to

surrender. She has learned from Amelia that being submissive and naive will be more

popular to people. And the huge differences in Miss Pinkerton

?

s treating on Amelia

and

her,

makes

she

realize

that

she

has

to

hide

her

natural

instincts,

but

to

show

elegant and polite manners. Innate rebellion dooms her won

?

t change her behavior to

achieve

the

social

expectations

of

women.(Hammond,

2002:

26)

She

socializes

carefully

with

people

around

her,

and

then

laughs

at

them

behind.

Lord

Steyne

?

s

humiliation lets her get the sense of satisfaction, because his noble status symbolizes

for the cage set by her childhood social system.

Wit

and

Capability:

In

Victorian

patriarchy

traditional

society,

women

can

not

leave

the

man

alone,

but

the

men

only

thinks

themselves.

Rebecca

has

transforms

woman

?

s inferior role through her intelligent manipulation or deceive men around her.

As

a

governess,

she

break

the

rules

restricted

by

the

society

for

women

through

becoming indispensable figures. In the master

?

s home, although she is only a family

teacher, but she finds herself actually dominating the family business to a great extent.

Rebecca

?

s

words

and

deeds

under

the

cover

of

innocence

are

very

persuasive.

She

controls others through her words and actions to make them believe she a woman like

Amelia: obedient, and childlike innocent.

2.1.2 Amelia--- A Typical Traditional Female Image

Amelia

complies

with

the

requirements

of

being

“

an

angel

in

the

house”

.(Hammond, 1992: 663) She not only acts as a qualified mother, but also acts

as a docile wife and a filial daughter.

The

social

gender

is

not

only

determined

by

the

physiological

sex,

but

also

constructed by the society. Throughout the Victorian era, for most of the middle-class

women,

their

life

is

shaped

by

both

their

family

roles

and

the

idea

of

what

feminization

is.

And

their

sense

of

self-concept

is

determined

by

their

social

status

5