TheNewWomanIdeologyinLittleWomen

1、新女性獨(dú)立精神在小婦人中的體現(xiàn)the new woman ideology in little women摘要：露易莎. 梅. 奧爾科特，美國(guó)十九世紀(jì)后半期著名女作家， 以其長(zhǎng)篇小說小婦人而聞名于世。這部以19世紀(jì)中葉美國(guó)內(nèi)戰(zhàn)時(shí)期的新英格蘭小鎮(zhèn)為背景，生動(dòng)地體現(xiàn)出美國(guó)社會(huì)的變遷和文化的傳承的小說， 以家庭日志的形式，講述了馬奇家四姐妹的成長(zhǎng)經(jīng)歷，給讀者留下了極為深刻的印象。小說中充分體現(xiàn)了時(shí)代新女性的獨(dú)立精神，小說女主人公們不滿足家庭主婦式的生活， 要求走出家門、步入社會(huì)、追求經(jīng)濟(jì)上的獨(dú)立， 渴望通過發(fā)揮自己的才智以實(shí)現(xiàn)自我價(jià)值。除此之外，小說通過馬奇姐妹藝術(shù)才華的展示、梅格和喬外出工作以補(bǔ)貼

2、家用、馬奇姐妹組織俱樂部創(chuàng)立自己的報(bào)刊、 喬違背傳統(tǒng)的婚姻、丈夫們參與家務(wù)事等片段揭示出女權(quán)主義興起和新女性主義的體現(xiàn)。 論文的第一部分主要闡述女性主義的萌芽，包括美國(guó)文化中的女性主義，女權(quán)運(yùn)動(dòng)，新女性主義等。第二部分著重于女性獨(dú)立精神在婚姻和家庭生活中的改革，分別從喬和艾米這兩個(gè)人物加以論證描述。第三章是論文的結(jié)論，概括總結(jié)了小婦人中體現(xiàn)出的新女性獨(dú)立精神。 關(guān)鍵詞：新女性；自我依靠；自我獨(dú)立the new woman ideology in little womenabstractlouisa. may. alcott, american woman writer in the latte

3、r half of the 19th century, is famous for her warmly-received novel little women. in the form of domestic diary, the novel tells the growing- up experiences of the four march sisters. set in a small town in new england during american civil war in the mid-nineteenth century, little women impresses r

4、eaders with the social changes and cultural traditions of the american society at that time. the story presents the new woman ideology in great sense, such as the four march sisters cannot stand their poor life and go out to work, earn money for the family in order to lessen the pressure of their pa

5、rents and pursuit their economic independence, realize their self-value. besides, the march sisters show their artistic talents, meg go out to work and earn money for lessen the family burden, they run their own newspaper club, jo go against with the traditional marriage, and husband takes part in t

6、he household things are all present the new woman ideology.the first chapter of this thesis introduces the initiation of feminism, including the "true women "ideology in american culture, women's movement, the new women ideology. the second chapter mainly describes the feminist reform

7、of marriage and family life, especially about jo and amy in this perspective. the third chapter is the conclusion, which summerizes the new women ideology in little women.key words: new woman; self-reliance; self-individualism contents中文摘要iabstractiiacknowledgementsiiiintroduction2i.the initiation o

8、f feminism4a.the” true women” ideology in american culture4b.womens movement7c.the “new woman ideology9ii.feminist reform of marriage and family life11a.self-reliance and individualism in jos writing pursuit121.self-reliance in jos writing pursuit132.individualism in jos writing pursuit13b.self-know

9、ledge and individualism in jos marriage151.self-knowledge in jos marriage152.individualism in jos marriage16c.self-assertion and self-reliance in amys artistic pursuit161.self-assertion in amys artistic pursuit172.self-reliance in amys artistic pursuit183.individualism in amys marriage19conclusion21

10、works cited22the new women ideology in little womenintroductionlittle women is a novel published in 1868 and written by american author louisa may alcott. the story concerns the lives and loves of four sisters growing up during the american civil war. it was based on alcotts own experiences as a chi

11、ld in concord, massachusetts with her three sisters, anna, may, and elizabeth.this is a story about love, faith, fortitude, and devotion. the story of march happened in massachusetts during the american civil war. it includes most problems which probably happen in the growth of young girls, such as

12、the problems in first love, friendship between teenagers and the gap between our dream and the reality. little women is the story of the marches, a family used to hard toil and suffering. although father march is away with the union armies, the sisters meg, jo, amy and beth keep in high spirits with

13、 their mother, affectionately named marmee. however, despite their efforts to be good, the girls show faults: the pretty meg becomes discontented with the children she teaches; boyish jo loses her temper regularly; while the golden-haired schoolgirl amy is inclined towards affectation. however, beth

14、, who keeps the house, is always kind and gentle. after certain happy times winning over the laurences, dark times arrive as maumee finds out about her husbands illness. worse is to come as beth contracts scarlet fever in her samaritan efforts for a sick neighbor and becomes more or less an invalid.

15、 the novel tells of their progress into young womanhood with the additional strains of romance, beths terminal illness, the pressures of marriage and the outside world. this is the story of their growing maturity and wisdom and the search for the contentedness of family life. it was written in 1867

16、and is a fictionalized biography of alcott and her sisters. it has become a much loved classic tale and, while some of its issues seem outdated, many of the trials of the sisters are all too relevant today as evidenced by its continued following.i. the initiation of feminism little women is a multif

17、aceted novel with alcotts subversion of the storys traditional doctrine and on the other hand her compromise with her cultures norms. it preaches domestic containment while it explores the infinity of inward female space and suggests an unending rage against the cultural limitations imposed on femal

18、e development. women in the march family bear conventional feminine features preserved by the 19th-century true woman ideology, but meanwhile carry distinctive new womans spirits of that time. these self-contradictory messages in little women show two highly polarized views as regards womens role in

19、 the american culture. the more prevalent of these two views, the conservative or traditional one, relied especially on the biblical story of eves ordained subservient status. the opposing view, “equalitarian feminism” to use cot s phrase, admitted womens “shared weakness relative to men but questio

20、ned “whether this weakness was natural or artificial, biological or cultural（qtd. in davidson,126).accord to this view womens supposed natural inferiority was really imposed by custom and culture ,then it could largely be remedied through many ways.a. the” true women” ideology in american culturebas

21、ed on the traditional ideologies, a term and concept of “true women” pervaded in antebellum 19th-century american culture, defining the proper role for middle class white women. “the cult of true womanhood”, as barbara welter named in her influential essay of the same title, involves “the attributes

22、 of piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity”. (qtd. in ross, 887-888)piety, a virtue of “true womanhood”, requires a devout belief in christianity, stressing that woman is mans helpmeet, not his equal. a womans duty is to serve her husband. religious women are not expected to question their su

23、bordinate status, which is believed to be ordained by god. megs engagement years and marital life clearly prove this point. when megs engagement to john brooke is fixed, meg resolves to learn the domestic chores so as to get herself ready for marriage when brooke works outside to earn the material b

24、asis for their marriage. precisely speaking, megs preparation for marriage is to train her to serve a man.purity, a second virtue, demands of womens chastity before marriage and fidelity afterwards. when mr. march leaves home to take part in the war, mrs. march waits for him to come back faithfully.

25、 when meg is engaged to mr. brooke, she with fidelity waits three years for him to earn enough means for marriage. these show female loyalty to husband of fiancé.submissiveness, the next virtue, requires that a woman obey her parents and later her husband without question. womans passivity, dep

26、endence, self-effacement and self-abnegation ensure that the patriarchal myth of male supremacy will remain in force. although submission brings suffering to many women, they are schooled to vie suffering as part of their lot and obediently accept. the four march girls, following the suggestion of t

27、heir mother as well as in response to their fathers expectation in a letter, determine to begin their self-improvement in journey. they are obedient children. mrs. marchs advice to her daughter meg on her marriage-”watch yourself, be the first to ask pardon if you both err, and guard against the lit

28、tle piques, misunderstandings, and hasty words that often pave the way for bitter sorrow and regret”. (263). shows the former obedient child is turning to a docile wife. amys utterance in the novel-”women should learn to be agreeable”, - echoes womens submissive status. women will not be tolerated u

29、nless they are agreeable. they can justify their existence and assuage the guilt deriving from being useless only through a life of cheerful service to others. women must watch themselves because they are economically dependent on mens income and emotionally dependent on their approval.domesticity f

30、avors the doctrine of separate spheres, emphasizing that womens sphere is the home while mens sphere is the world. men are the supporters of families, and should go out to earn the bread. women should center their lives on the home, immersing themselves in domestic tasks of housekeeping, child reari

31、ng, and providing comfort to their families. in the novel, mrs. march represents such an ideal domestic woman in the 19th-century america. mrs. march, the mother of the four march sisters, is the center of the household. her voice is “the first sound in the morning- and the last sound at night”. whe

32、n her husband is away as a union army chaplain during the civil war, she leads her daughters through their troubles and faults with her calm bearing, selflessness, and wisdom. throughout the novel she is a reliable source of loving wisdom, strong as an imperturbable rock. she is the guide for the gi

33、rls when they are confused, their confessor when they have done wrong, and their confidante when they are troubled. she is always compassionate, always there when she is needed, always strong and loving, and always knowing what to do. mrs. march is a model domestic woman for all her girls to follow.

34、 married meg is a duplicate of her model mother. she does all the domestic chores and takes care of two small children in her little cottage, while john, the single wage-earner spends more time working away from home. these instances exemplify womens role in their domestic sphere.while alcotts littl

35、e women still celebrates womens domestic role, its heroine jo march carries with her the image of the financially, physically, and emotionally independent “new woman”. it seems clear that the traditional messages about female dependency gradually did not serve the needs of the 19th century women. al

36、cott in a certain sense openly violated the boundaries of womens sphere. the reason is that at that time, american social reformers such as susan b. anthony and elizabeth cady stanton fought to achieve social and political equality for women, especially through the right for women to vote, and alcot

37、t was definitely affected by this womens rights movement.b. womens movementwomens movements, according to lisa fine, occurred during three separate periods in the history of the united states. they roughly coincided with the antebellum period (18301860), the progressive era (approximately 1900-world

38、 war1), and the civil rights movement and the student activism of the 1960s and early 1970s (933).at different times during alcotts childhood, the alcott family had influential feminists as acquaintances such as margaret fuller, elizabeth peabody and so on. surely alcott was affected by the initiati

39、on of womens movement.the first period of womens movement in the united states occurred just as the existence of the womens sphere seemed to be limiting womens range of activates. the intellectual and organizational progress women made during the antebellum period grew out of the antebellum reforms.

40、 many of the early activities on behalf of womens rights such as elizabeth cady and susan b. anthony participated in one or more of the great causes of the day, such as abolitionism, educational reform, temperance, and labor reform because these reforms and intellectual currents of the day also led

41、women to expressions of the desire for a change in gender roles. scottish frances wright scandalized in her new york city audience not only by being one of the first women to speak in public but also by tackling such subjects as labor reform, the gradual emancipation of slaves, and womens emancipati

42、on. margret fuller, intellectual, writer, and one of the new england transcendentalists, also challenged all barriers to the fullest development of women. invoking assumption about natural rights, fuller claimed, “we should have every arbitrary barrier thrown down. we would have every path laid open

43、 to woman as freely as to man”.the beginning of the self-conscious and organized efforts on behalf of womens rights usually dated from 1848 to the famous womens rights convention at seneca falls, new york. this meeting marked the beginning of the struggle for womens movement. in the meeting antebell

44、um reformers elizabeth cady stanton and lucretia mott led the call for a womens rights convention. stanton and mott believed that women confronted the power of men in seeking political, economic, and legal tights. the meeting identified most of the important activists for the 19th century, and also

45、produced one of the most important documents of the womens movement. the declaration of sentiments and resolutions. the authors rewrote the declaration of independence:” we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with cer

46、tain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.(fine,935).after the civil war, leaders of the womens rights movement looked to a new source to improve their status：the united states constitution. they maintained that voting was a basic right shared by all

47、citizens, men and women, white and black.according to boorish, the national woman suffrage association (n by stanton and anthony in 1869 and the american woman suffrage association organized later by lucy stone and her husband henry blackwell in the same year were two influential organizations of th

48、at time(860861).although suffrage was the cornerstone of american womens campaign for political, social, economic equality, it was not the only cause for which they fought. suffrage fighters also aimed to create more fulfilling lives for women. they challenged the traditional notion that womens dest

49、iny lay in full-time homemaking. they praised the value of homemaking but urged women to seek employment outside of the home. women needed a purpose, a definite pursuit in which they were interested, if they expected to gather from it vigor, either of mind or body. they encouraged women to pursuit t

50、heir careers in industry, science, art, religion, and the conduct of the government of the state. they thought women should not be overwhelmed by household obligation and husbands should share housework and childcare responsibilities.in other ways, women were making their voices heard and were aimin

51、g to achieve self-consciousness and autonomy. the postwar era was an extraordinary rich one for women speakers, writers, and artists. famous writers appeared including louisa may alcott. in her masterpiece little women, the march sisters self-reliance artistic attempts along with the novels minor th

52、emes such as education, dress reform temperance movement, womens legitimate will etc. embody some emerging feminism ideas and reflect the influence of womens movement of that time.c. the “new woman ideologylittle women reflects the spirit of the new woman of that time. the new women defined by the m

53、ainstream media, was a revolutionary social ideal in the later half of the 19th century that defined women as economically independent, physically adept, and mentally acute, and able to work, study and socialize on a par with men(rudrick,630-631).the popular image of the new woman was connected with

54、 dress reforms, with the rising pressure from womens movement, with gains that women had made in their access to higher education, and with expanding service and public sector occupations. women writers of the era produced challenging works of fiction and drama about womens lives that explored the n

55、ew social and psychological possibilities. the new woman images in literature of that time depicted women who challenged traditional “true woman” values and viewed things from the feminist perspectives. early feminist ideology is most apparently embodied by the character jo march. her hot temper, he

56、r literary ambition, her active approach to life, her boyish enthusiasm, her fervent desire to be a boy and her struggle against the bonds of domesticity are not at all in harmony with the social convention. her wishes that she could enjoy the freedom of boys in clothing, manners, and career are in

57、contrast with the “true woman” ideology mentioned before jos lifestyle is a departure from the traditional feminine role, and to some extent she is happy and successful in her endeavors as a writer. she enjoys an exciting life because she refuses to fit the conventional mold of a traditional woman,

58、though eventually she does conform in some way to the expected norms by uttering “i may be strong minded, but no one can say im out of my sphere now, for womans special mission is supposed to be drying tears and bearing burdens”(448).jo asserts herself, and creates new and subversive for herself as

59、a member of a community and as a professional in her own right. ht, so her model suggests the possibility of female autonomy.in the novel, the march sisters show talents and intellectual capacities which might lead them to careers-meg as an actress, jo as a writer, beth as a pianist, amy as an artist. this is evidence of w