昌吉学院 论文（设计）分类号：
本科毕业论文（设计） 密 级：
The Comparison of Life Attitudes between Traditional Women in Gone with the Wind and Modern Women
（现代女性对待生活的态度和《飘》中传统女性对待生活的态度的对比）
系 院 外语系
学科门类 文 学
专 业 英语教育
学 号 0625804020
姓 名 李齐齐
指导教师 姜 华
教师职称 副教授
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本人郑重声明：所呈交的论文是本人在导师的指导下独立进行研究所取得的研究成果。除了文中特别加以标注引用的内容外，本论文不包含任何其他个人或集体已经发表或撰写的成果或作品。本人完全意识到本声明的法律后果由本人承担。
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美国现代女作家玛格丽特·米切尔所著的长篇小说《飘》是一本成功的商业通俗小说，发表其实多年来，一直深受读者欢迎。这部米切尔生前所发表的第一部也是唯一一部小说，曾于1937年获普利策奖，至今仍是全世界最畅销的小说之一。而其改编后的电影《乱世佳人》也随之风靡全世界，到今天还有大量的观众为它的经典魅力所折服。小说中描写了两位性格截然不同的女主角坚韧顽强，勇于面对生活不退缩的生活态度。特别是斯佳丽不懈的拼搏奋斗，给人以极大的心灵震撼和精神鼓舞。
本论文由三个章节及一个引言和结语组成。引言部分在综述国内外批评界对《飘》评论的基础上提出本论文的中心论题。第一章对作者和作品进行了简单的介绍。第二章对比了现代女性和《飘》中传统女性对待婚姻和家庭的生活态度。第三章对比了现代女性和《飘》中传统女性对待事业和教育的生活态度。
论文结语部分总结了本论文的主要观点并指出，女性不要妄自菲薄，要自强自立，顶住来自社会不公平的歧视和传统观念的束缚，保持健康良好的心态，勇敢地生活在世界上。只有不断调整自己来适应社会，在梦想和现实之间找到自己的平衡位置，才能在日新月异的社会中得以生存。个人如此，国家亦如此。
关键词：女性;生活态度;主人;独立
American modern woman writer Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind is a successful commercial novel. It has been popular among the readers since its first publication more than seventy years ago. As Mitchell’s first and only work, Gone With the Wind won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize in fiction, and keeps as one of the best-sellers until today. Even the film that adapted from the book is so fascinating too that it has also become a world popular classic. The writer eulogizes the two main female characters whose kidneys are completely different in diligence, pertinacity as well as positive attitude towards life when they encounter difficulties. Especially, the pains-taking strive of the indomitable and unyielding Scarlett shakes our hearts and inspires our spirit.
This thesis comprises three chapters with one introduction and a conclusion. The introduction scans the previous studies on Gone with the Wind at home and abroad and then the author puts forward the central argument of the thesis. The first chapter of the thesis gives the background of the author and the summary of the novel. The second chapter would like to compare women’s life attitudes toward marriage and family between Traditional women in Gone with the Wind and Modern women. The third chapter would like to compare women’s life attitudes toward career and education between Traditional women in Gone with the Wind and Modern women.
The conclusion summarizes the views of this thesis and points out that women should not underestimate their own capabilities. They ought to try to withstand the unfair discrimination from the society as well as the traditional bondages, and live bravely with the maintenance of positive attitude for life. In order to survive, we should constantly adapt ourselves to the changing competitive society, and find the balanced point between dream and reality. This is also the way for a society to survive in the world.
Key Words: women; life attitude; master; independence
Contents
摘 要 I
Abstract II
Introduction 1
Chapter One Brief Introduction to the Author and the Novel 4
1.1The Background of the Author 4
1.2The Summary of the Novel 5
Chapter Two Women’s Attitudes toward Marriage and Family 7
2.1 Women’s Attitudes toward Marriage 7
2.1.1 Traditional Women’s Attitudes toward Marriage 7
2. 1 .2Modern Women’s Attitudes toward Marriage 8
2.2 Women’s Attitudes toward Family 9
2.2.1 Traditional Women’s Attitudes toward Family 9
2.2.2 Modern Women’s Attitudes toward Family 10
Chapter Three Women’s Attitudes toward Career and Education 12
3.1.1Traditional Women’s Attitudes toward Career 12
3.1.2 Modern Women’s Attitudes toward Career 12
Conclusion 17
References 21
Acknowledgements 22
As time goes by, world is changing day by day at an amazing speed. Each field is developing and bettering. This is a highly developed society; everything here is quite different from that of the past. Gone with the Wind has been hailed as a triumph of American literature and film. In1937, Margaret. Mitchell won Pulitzer Prize, for her sweeping portrayal of the crumbling of the Old South. Since then, the novel has sold millions of copies. Even today, Gone with the Wind, despite its many historical inaccuracies, forms the basis of American popular memory of the Old South in the years since the Civil War, but Margaret Mitchell’s tale is the one that is most deeply embedded in American culture.
Time went back to the American Civil War, conditions were fairly terrible, but before the starting of the war people there lived a happy and luxurious life. When the Civil War broke out, and after a long time of fighting, a number of soldiers were dead, buildings were destroyed. All those belonging to the tranquil nation were changed beyond recognition. People had no house to live in, no food to eat, even no clothes to wear. What a terrible situation one can imagine! Many of the noblewomen in the south chose a way to be degraded. But there was a young and great woman fighting against these difficulties, and she firmly lived though life was awfully hard. There had always been many disputes as to who should be responsible for women’s happy life, and it has become the focus topic in today’s society. The traditional viewpoints hold that man should account for women’s happy life. A successful man can give a woman what she wants. Another point of view is that the society should be responsible for women’s happy life and every class of the society should pay more attention to women’s happy life. In this respect, women are regarded as a weaker group. But another fact also deserves people’s attention that women are sometimes lowered down by themselves; they are likely to rely on men. Today we advocate that there should not be gender discrimination, women should be responsible for their own happy life.
This novel was regarded as the eulogy of the Old South. The British encyclopedia (volume10, 1974) says that it’s a novel of Civil War and reconstruction, totally from the view of the Old South. The former Soviet Union Encyclopedia (1974) praises the tremendous artistic force but thinks that the author idealizes the life style of plantation. Other critics presented different views. Marlom Colly, one of the American critics, called it the encyclopedia of plantation legend. Furthermore in 1991 the sequel of this novel, Scarlett the Sequel to Margaret Mitchell Gone with the Wind was published and the sales reached more than 500,000 copies. All these indicate that this novel possesses everlasting charm and popularity.
Shakespeare’s influence on Margaret has also become a focus. In “The Old and New South: Shakespeare in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind” (2005), Darlene Ciraulo studies Shakespeare’s influence on Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind”. The author argues that Margaret Mitchell uses Shakespeare to represent ideals of the Old South and the initiative of the New South. As the representative of the western culture, Shakespeare stands for the ideals of the Old South---based on the knightly spirit of the antebellum South and gentlemanly manners. However, the contradiction is the plantation aristocracy links Shakespeare with the Knight’s temperament and elegance. In the aspect of characterization, Margaret drew from the characterization of Mrs. Macbeth to depict the spirit of the New South, which can be clearly seen from the ambition and unsexing of Scarlett O’Hara.
In “What Else Could a Southern Gentleman Do？”：Rhett Butler, Quentin Comparison, and Miscegenation(2003), Ben Railton compares these two novels which were published in the same year. However, the comparison goes beyond the study of genre of the works and the time of publication, it also deals with the two male protagonists, who are an epitome of the past and two opposing viewpoints of the southerners towards the past racial problems and the history.
“Gone With the Wind” is one of the most popular American novels in China. From 1940 when its edition of Chinese version was published, Gone With the Wind has gained an enthusiastic reception and has been the focus of the study of many scholars.
Some scholars compare Scarlett O’Hara with the other protagonists in the famous works.（梁亚茹，2006，8（3）：269-271）She compares Scarlett O’Hara with Jane Eyre. Both Scarlet and Jane are brave, strong-minded, independent and rebellious against the restrictions which set against the females by the society of their own time. Both of these two female images are rich in unique personalities and they both possess the awareness of Women’s Awakening. Since both of these two novels---“Gone With the Wind” and “Jane Eyre”----are filled with the author’s own experiences of their lives, the study and analysis of these two protagonists will provide us with a better understanding of the literary images of western literatures.
Other scholars focus their attention on the comparison between Scarlett O’Hara with protagonists in Chinese literature. The most popular parallel study is on the comparison and contrast of Scarlett O’Hara with Wang Xifeng, a main female character in “A Dream of Red Mansions”. (柴欣，2006，（1）：111-115)In her opinion, since “Gone With the Wind” and “A Dream of Red Mansions” were written in different times and the survival backgrounds and cultures of the two authors--- Margaret Mitchell and Cao Xueqin---differ greatly, it is quite remarkable that the two images-- Scarlett O’Hara and Wang Xifeng—the two authors molded demonstrated a remarkable similarity in origins and background, skills self-awareness, and pragmatic spirit. However, despite the similarities between them, they differ greatly in historical backgrounds, values of love and personalities.
To sum up, the above critical reviews on Gone with the Wind may represent the major achievements of the studies of this novel in the recent decades. These studies have effectively advanced the exploration of the novel, broadened our vision as well as deepened our comprehension of it. However, according to my survey, these studies have not exhausted all the aspects of the significance in Gone with the Wind. There is one phenomenon in Gone with the Wind slips their attention, namely, the close relationship between nature and females. The intertwined relationship between nature and females demonstrate that nature serves as the haven for females while females are the caretakers and preservers of nature. They are mutually dependent and represented realistically as well as symbolically, which leads to the deconstruction of the dichotomy such as men\women, nature\culture, rational\irrational.
In this thesis traditional women represent southern women who lived in the era of American Civil War. They shouldn’t do the household by themselves. In their girlhood, they just need to learn to be a gentlewoman by abiding by the rules of the traditional southern culture, so as to catch a decent and wealthy husband; and after the marriage, they take the responsibility of cultivating their daughter into a gentlewoman. While the Modern women represent those women who live in the present days. And they are almost well-educated. They also can work outside as they like. They could get married for twice even more, if they don’t gain happiness from their marriage.
This thesis would like to compare women’s attitudes toward life between Traditional women in Gone with the Wind and Modern women. And the comparison will from the respects of marriage, family, career and education. This thesis attempts to encourage readers especially women to be the master of themselves
Margaret Mitchell, an American woman writer in the South, was born on November 8, 1900 in Atlanta, Georgia. Both of her parents were born in the period immediately following the Civil War. The couple’s lives and the lives of their children were deeply influenced by the effects of the Civil War. Her parents stressed the importance of their children’s education and insisted that the children should be distinguished from their peers in Atlanta.
In her youth, Margaret she adopted her mother’s feminist leanings which clashed with her father’s conservatism. After graduation from the local Washington Seminary, a school for young ladies of the gentility, she began in 1918 to study medicine at Smith College. Her mother’s death in 1919 caused her father to suggest that she return and become the head of the house. Her father wished her to become a proper Southern lady, so at the age of 19, she became the mistress of the house and began to make her formal entrance into Atlanta society.
Soon Margaret made the people in Atlanta dumbfounded when she and a young man performed the scandalous Apache dance at a ball. A rebellious and independent girl with disregard for social convention, she scorned the aristocratic pretensions of her own family and decided to choose her against the will of her parents. Her first marriage was a disastrous one and was annulled in 1924 because of spousal rape. At that time divorce was unthinkable to the stubborn-headed people in her hometown. Fleeing the stormy marriage, she started her career as a journalist in 1922 under the name Peggy Mitchell and did fairly well in her work. Again her unprecedented choice surprised Atlanta, because she shattered the gender decorum of the day and became the only female in the male-dominated field. During her slow recuperation from a badly sprained ankle in 1926, she was forced to stay at home but went on with her study of Southern history by reading the books her husband John Marsh had borrowed from the library. Out of her interest and with the encouragement of her husband, she began work on a novel about the South during the Civil War and the Reconstruction. It is not difficult for us to imagine what a large amount of frustration and despair she must have suffered in the course of the writing of the great novel.
Margaret Mitchell was involved in several car accidents and was badly hurt. It was a serious accident that confined her in her house, so she had enough time to begin the writing of her great novel. It was also a fatal accident that ended her life in 1949.
A careful look at her life may help us to draw a conclusion that Margaret Mitchell was not only a woman writer in the South but also a strong-willed new woman. In a sense, she was a feminist with a strong sense of survival even in hard times and was always struggling to aver her own ideas and trying her best to throw away the constraints of Southern Womanhood. Mitchell was a strong woman who would not let social rules dictate her behavior or control her life, though she was very familiar with the Old South and its people.
In the summer of 1936, American publishing industry witnessed a miracle: a book by an unknown writer sold more copies in its few weeks than many major authors did in their lifetimes. Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind ，the most popular novel in American fiction, is said to be the fastest-selling novel in the history of American literature. With a sales record of 50000 copies in one day and approximately 1500000 during its first year, it won an immediate and unprecedented popularity throughout the U.S. And from the time of its publication in 1936 to the present day, this long historical romance of the American Civil War and Reconstruction era has outsold any other hardcover book with the exception of Bible, also has been translated into 30 languages to be appreciated by the whole world. Praised as the first Civil War novel to be told entirely from a Southern woman’s point of view, Gone With the Wind won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize in fiction. Three year after its publication, Mitchell’s novel was adapted into a lavish film that has also become a world popular classic.
Mitchell employs a simple narrative style to combine a sentimental account of “Old South” with historical facts of an era that experienced immense social and economic change. From the threat of war between the states to General Sherman’s fiery march on Atlanta，and through the Reconstruction period, Gone With the Wind depicts tribulations of Scarlett O’Hara，Rhett Butler，Ashley Wilkes and Melanie Hamilton—four of the best known fictional characters in American literature—as they attempt to adapt to the changing circumstances of their homeland. However, only the willful heroine Scarlett and the roguish Rhett emerge as survivors in the “New South”, while the ineffectual dreamer Ashley is defeated in spirit and the docile “Southern Woman” Melanie dies.
This long romantic tale centers in the twelve years of Scarlett O’Hara from the eve of the Civil War through the Reconstruction period. This beautiful, but spoiled, high-spirited and strong-willed Southern belle lives an idyllic life at a North Georgian cotton plantation called Tara before the war is broken. She is the eldest daughter of a well-bred Creole mother and Irish immigrant who is a rich self-made planter. Sixteen years old at the outbreak of the war, and in love with their neighbor Ashley Wilkes, Scarlett learns that Ashley plans to marry his cousin, the gentle Melanie Hamilton. Out of spite, she marries Melanie’s brother Charles, who soon dies in the war. The Civil War sweeps away the life for which her upbringing has prepared her. In the struggle to survive after the war, Scarlett must carry the load of supporting her own family and also Ashley’s, for her mother has died, her father has lost his mind, and Ashley, an idealistic aristocrat, is unable to adjust himself to the harsh reality of New South. Scarlett is determined to keep Tara and to won financial security at any cost. She woks in the field, does other menial task, and, to get money for taxes, marries Frank Kennedy，her sister’s fiancé. With Frank’s money and her own unscrupulous determination, she establishes a lumber business in Atlanta, and forces Ashley to become the manager of one of her mills. Frank is killed in avenging an insult to her, and Scarlett, now 27, marries the war profiteer Rhett Butler, who loves her deeply, also attracts her by qualities similar to her own. However, her selfishness and continuing infatuation for Ashley destroy Rhett’s love. Before the book is over, when Melanie dies and Rhett leaves her, Scarlett realizes finally that it is not the weak, idealistic Ashley but counterpart-dynamic, opportunistic Rhett is the one man she has ever really loved.
Based on its success in reappearing the picture of society at war time, creating lively, vivid characters and the clarity, vitality and sheer readability of the story, together with its original point of view, Gone With the Wind appeals to all kinds of readers—to men and to women, to old and to young, to the romantic and to the realistic, to sophisticated readers and to uninitiated readers. There are few other novels about which that claim could be made. And since its first publication more than sixty years ago, it has kept this popularity all along to the readers not only in the U.S. but also throughout the world.
Southern girls suppress their normal desires and just passively accept their husbands arranged by their parents. “Now, none of your pouts, Miss. It doesn’t matter who you marry, as long as he thinks like you and is a gentleman and a Southerner and prideful. For a woman, love comes after marriage.” (Margaret, 2007:37).
To the traditional women in Gone with the Wind marriage determines of her whole life，so she is taught the principles of gentlewoman and the art of catching a decent and wealthy husband from childhood. Before marriage, she is under the protection of her father, who regards her as his sacred property and marries her off according to his own will. After marriage, she is again under the protection of one male-her husband. After marriage, she is expected to remain at home and devote all her energy to supervising housekeeping and caring for her husband. Soon motherhood comes naturally. Again she is confined in her domestic affairs, such as the boring housework and the care of children. All the work outside the house, including business, is the husband's domain, which the wife can not touch. Any woman who dares to enter the men's domain is regarded as an unladylike person and will be severely criticized by stubborn-headed people, especially the male. If she happens to succeed in the man’s field, her success will be an insult to every man who has not succeeded.
The worst that can be happen to a woman is the life when she is widowed. Since a widow might easily get herself talked about, therefore, the conduct of a widow must be twice as careful as that of a housewife. The requests on what they dress, how smile and how they react towards gentlemen’s interest are strictly laid down that, to Scarlett, life is over once a woman becomes a widow. The rules of a widow are best exemplified in this paragraph:
A widow had to wear hideous black dresses without even a touch of braid to enliven them, no flower or ribbon or lace or even jewelry, except onyx mourning brooches or necklaces made from the deceased’s hair. And the black crepe veil on her bonnet had to reach to her knees, and only after three years of widowhood could it be shortened to shoulder length. Widows could never chatter vivaciously or laugh aloud. Even when they smiled, it must be a sad, tragic smile. And most dreadful of all, they could in no way indicate an interest in the company of gentlemen. And should a gentleman be so ill bred as to indicate an interest in her, she must freeze him with a dignified but well-chosen reference to her dead husband. (Margaret, 2007:128)
However, Scarlet violated her mother and Mammy's cultivation. She was unwilling to eat like a bird. She liked flirting with every man and became the focus and the eye-catcher. Her first husband Charles died in the army, only two month after their wedding, which made her a widow. So she had to wear black dresses without even a touch of braid to decorate them. Widows could never chatter voraciously or laugh aloud. Then she moved to Atlanta with Melanie, her sister-in -law. Latter, she really wanted to attend the bazaar. At the party, Scarlett thought about the cause. The cause didn't seem sacred to her. The war didn’t seem to be a holy affair, but a nuisance that killed man senselessly and cost money and made luxury hard to get. So she had such treacherous, blasphemous thoughts. What was more it was at the party that she danced crazily and merrily with Rhett Butler .This certainly aroused people’s indignation and gossip. She laughed with him, danced with him. She was eager to be the center again, to be the most highly desired girl presented. She whispered, “I don’t care; I don’t care what they say!” (Margaret, 2007:179). Later on, Aunt Pity ever cried over her bold and unconventional behavior. The reason was that she was too young to endure the tedious and boring widow life. Wearing black dresses, and there was no laughter, no man, which was the repression of humanism and ethic moral. The other reason was that she inherited her father’s personality, the blood of Irish, who loved freedom and did what they wanted.
From the analysis we know that the traditional women in Gone with the Wind have no freedom. They also have no rights to choose their husband and what kind of life they like. Women were not the master of their happy life and marriage life. Whether women can live a happy life or not was totally dependent on men.
Women and men are working out a new concept of marriage, an ideal often called “companionate marriage”（ In this relationship, husband and wife perceived each other as equals, sharing joys and responsibilities in a partnership）. The characteristics of this new type of marriage, replacing the patriarchal marriage of the former centuries, were more private, more affectionate, and less authoritarian. The new ideal of marriage life was one based on sympathy, affection, friendship, and mutual obligation, as opposed to the hierarchical mode of traditional marriage.
With the development of the society, changing attitudes among middle-class women found expression in gradually shifting ideas about marriage. Many women welcomed the new female commitment to independence and self-sufficiency. They wanted to live their life to its fullest. They wanted adventures, excitement and mystery. They wanted to see, to know, and to experience.
As we all know that today woman can choose what kind of man she loves and what kind of man she wants to get married. If they find their marriage life is not happy, she can divorce her husband. And latter she can get married with other man who makes her happy. As for widow, life is more freedom. If she lost her husband, she just needs to wear mourning dress during the mourning period. And after the mourning period, she can take part in all kinds of activities and get married with the second husband, the third husband even more.
We know that marriage is based on love. From the analysis we know that modern women are the master of their happy life and marriage life. Whether women can live a happy life or not is totally depending on women themselves. They have rights to choose what kind of marriage life they like or not.
Representative of the traditional southern women who accept their roles without any complaint, Scarlet’s mother Ellen feels that it is a man’s world and that she has to accept it as such. The different roles are best exemplified in this paragraph:
Ellen’s life was not easy, nor was it happy, but she did not except life to be easy and, if it was not happy, that was woman’s lot. It was a man’s world, and she accepted it as such. The man owned the property, and the woman managed it. The man took the credit for the management, and the woman praised his cleverness. The man roared like a bull when a splinter was in his finger, and the woman muffled the moans of childbirth, lest she disturb him. Men were rough of speech and often drunk. Women ignored the lapses of speech and put the drunkards to bed without bitter words. Men were rude and outspoken; women were always kind, gracious and forgiving. (Margaret, 2007:57)
It is better for women in the traditional family to stay at home and not to work outside. What a woman needs to do is to take good care of the child, to educate the child and to protect the child from going astray.
Since the South is a society based on plantation economy family is the center of the society，and the plantation owner-father is the dominant king in his family territory. Besides the economic reasons，Christian culture is also responsible for the inviolable status of father in the family. According to American scholar Truxal Andrew, “the Christian doctrine has melted into the fam1ily convention，and what’s more，just like god father of heaven reigns nature father of a family should have the whole family under his control”(Andrew，1947:52). In the traditional family husband is just riding，hunting，and gambling etc，wife stays at home，running the household.
From the analysis we know that in Gone with the Wind, the husband is the master of the family, while the wife, the children and the slaves are all his property. He is the doer and actor, while she is the passive, submissive and docile responders. Slaves have no rights to do anything in the family, and the wife’s position is not much better than that of the slaves. To some extent, they are in the same boat.
Women began to play an active role in public in the late nineteenth century. In their eyes, family life seemed less interesting than grappling with outside objects that demanded their zeal and learning. They believed that women’s role needed not be confined to the domestic domain. As a matter of fact, at the very time that domesticity and true womanhood were being expounded as an American ideal, an increasing number of middle-class women were leaving their homes. By the final decade of the nineteenth century the contours of young adulthood had been remolded for those native-born, middle-class women who adhered to the traditional path of marriage and motherhood.
In the latter part of the 19th century when industrial revolution was greatly transforming America, childbearing and household responsibilities taking less of a woman’s creative energies as the birth rate declined and labor-saving devices proliferated, many middle-class women could have more time of their own. As this paragraph says:
At the turn of the 20th century, middle-class women, with great interest and enthusiasm, devoted themselves to the wave of social reform. Never before in American history had so many middle-class women played such an active role outside their family life. They voluntarily organized various social groups. Some engaged in charity activities, offering food, clothing and housing to the poor; some formed voluntary organizations, focusing on finding ways for those poor women who lived on prostitution; some took pity on those miserable immigrants and asked the government to provide help; some considered excessive drinking harmful to family life and called on the whole society to prohibit the selling of alcohol; some appealed to authorities to protect the interests of children and improve the working conditions for the workers. (Lois W. Banner, 1984:147)
What was more important, talk about the new morality was translated into action. Men and women went out in public places, such as going to the theater, visiting the cinema, dancing and strolling in the park. This gradually became a landscape of the urban life and a symbol of middle-class family life.
Besides, industrialization and democracy intervened, diminishing the father’s control over property and reducing his control over the family. Home and family became the emotional receptacle for all the sentimental values and feelings middle-class men increasingly felt inhibited from exhibiting. In these altered conditions, the traditional family could not survive. A new style of family was emerging bound not by financial ties and autocratic rules, but by affection.
In a word, modern women’s family life is more colorful. Today childbearing and household responsibilities are taking less of a woman’s creative energies. It is no longer the whole family life of females. They have more time of their own.
3.1Women’s Attitudes toward Career
The traditional women in Gone with the Wind were not allowed to act as a businesswoman or work outside. For at that time it would be considered as something which lost their men’s face. Yet, the protagonist Scarlet broke the tradition, she managed a timber store and she even managed it better than her husband. Compared with women in the past, modern women are in a more stable and free society, they can grasp every opportunity to show themselves and there will be more chances for them to be outstanding.
Morally Scarlett lost something compared with Melanie, who was a weak image falling behind the historical course. From other aspects Scarlet was regarded as the representative of new bourgeois by means of individual struggle and competitive consciousness. Her individual struggle was approved by the American society, which demanded the individual struggle. Scarlet was engaged in business like men in order to make more money instead of going back to Tara. She tried all means to stand among the competitive market and succeeded.
As a woman, from the traditional point of view, Scarlet should be a good wife and mother, staying at home and caring for her husband. Quite different from other women, she was shrewd enough and bold enough. She managed the small store very well, getting back the debt and making it profitable.
People scold Scarlet for breaking the tradition. People also scold her for being a businesswoman. From these attitudes of Southern people, we can see that wife and mother was the role of traditional women in Gone with the Wind. What was more, staying at home and caring for her family members were their all career.
From the year when the women’s movement broke out to today, women have really won their freedom. They can do what they want to do within the permission of the law, they can go to the society if they like. Occupations and professions, schools, clubs, associations, and governmental positions that were by tradition or law previously reserved for men only are now open to women. Women are found in increasing numbers among lawyers, judges, physicians, and elected officials.
Nowadays, in the field of politics, women won the right to vote. they are also being elected to public office at all levels of government. They have successfully changed thousands of local, state, and federal laws that had limited women’s legal status and social roles. In the world of work, large numbers of women have entered the professions, the trades, and businesses of every kind. They have opened the ranks of the clergy, the military, and the newsroom.
The associations in which women activists were prominent included Women’s Trade Union League and the National Consumer’s League, which worked to educate the public on issues of wages, hours, and working conditions. Anyhow, middle-class women began to play an active life in public arena. They took jobs and joined numerous women’s organizations.
Limited by social convention, discrimination, and family pressure in their pursuit of the careers that attracted their brothers, educated middle-class women often forged their own careers. Statistics suggest that many of the women who might have become lawyers or doctors became teachers, writers and journalists, or turned to the new helping professions of librarianship, clinical psychology, and, especially, social work. Increased opportunities for education allowed women to become teachers and nurses, and increased industry brought opportunities in white-collar employment for women as secretaries and assistants.
Modern women’s independence is best exemplified in this paragraph:
By the early 20th century middle-class women had been active in different kinds of jobs. They took all sorts of responsibilities in medicine, law, journalism, science, business, the arts and education. Their performance in these jobs not only granted them economic independence, but also fostered in them a sense of independence. Some of modern women even made up their mind to choose a career instead of marriage. More middle-class women worked outside home. Some middle-class families even encouraged their daughters to work rather than to jump into unwise marriages. Many women became teachers. Others worked in offices and factories. (Clarence L. Ver Steeg, 1982:546)
In short, with the development of the society, more and more women are getting rid of the traditional concepts. Modern women are living in a free world. They are the masters of themselves. They can choose what they like to do and what they dislike to do.
3.2 Women’s Attitudes toward Education
3.2.1Traditional Women’s Attitudes toward Education
In the past, in china´ s traditional family, women were not allowed to receive education or take exams as men did. At the same time, seldom did women in other countries have the chance to receive education. Or even if they had such chance, some of them would refuse to accept education. As scarlet in Gone with the Wind, though she had a good opportunity to be educated, she was not willing to study at college or else where, she did not like to learn things that were printed in the books. She had little knowledge but she was still noblewoman because she was born in a noble family.
Lack of political knowledge is another heavy problem burdened on women. They know little about current affairs and important events taking place in the world they live. Accordingly, they will be in a mess as the danger comes. They do not know how to deal with the danger or they can not accept the fact that danger had come. Scarlet was an good example of this, when men talked about the forthcoming war she did not believe it and she hated men to talk about the war, and when the war really broke out, she was in a flurry and had no way to deal with the remains of the war. Provided that she knew more about situation at that time, she would have a good preparation for the war and would not be so nervous when difficulty came.
Deeply rooted in Western culture is the assumption that a woman’s energies are properly devoted to the chores of her family. Talking about women’s education, Jean Rousseau, the French revolutionist who contributes much to the French Revolution, says (quoted in Kate Millett), to our surprise, in rather reactionary terms,
The whole education of women ought to be relative to men. To please them, to be useful to men, to make themselves loved and honored by them, to educate them when young, to care for them when grown, to counsel them, to make life sweet and agreeable to them—these are duties of women at all times, and what should be taught them from their infancy.( Millett, 1970：74)
In the South, little attention is paid to women’s education and educational opportunities for girls are more limited than those for boys. In Sexual Politics, Millett says,
In keeping with the inferior sphere of culture to which women in patriarchy have always been restricted, the present encouragement of their “artistic” interests through study of the humanities is hardly more than an extension of the “accomplishments” they once cultivated in preparation for the marriage market. ( Millett, 1970：43)
Scarlett is not offered enough education and she has not opened a book since she left the Fayetteville Female Academy at the age of fifteen. However, the door of education is much wider for the boys. All of a girl’s education, if there is any, is reduced to the arts and graces of being attractive to men. It is universally acknowledged that Scarlett eventually becomes a belle in the neighboring countries after years of the combined efforts of her mother and Mammy. She does not feel sorry for her lack of education.
3.2.2Modern Women’s Attitudes toward Education
But nowadays, even one is born into a noble family one must study. With the development of science and technology, people in all walks of life need more or less, this or that sort of knowledge, especially women. They have to master lots of knowledge so that they can not be washed out by the society, and have some room to stand in this competitive society. However, majoring in one field is not enough for women. In the past, it was good for women to be stupid in some professional field. Now the society is in a good needing of talented person, so women should grasp every chance to enrich themselves in every possible field. They had better know something more or less, and continue to study in any place at any time. As the old saying goes, it is never too old for people to learn.
So as a modern woman, one should always adapt oneself to the changes and accept the new ideas and receive more education. (Here ‘education’ does not only refer to receive education in university but also in society and daily life.) Only by doing like this can women be competitive and have a stable social status in the society. Finally, they can own real happiness.
With the development of science and technology, people in all walks of life need more or less, this or that sort of knowledge, especially women. They have to master lots of knowledge so that they can not be washed out by the society, and have some room to stand in this competitive society.
The traditional women in Gone With the Wind were confined to the strict gender ideology. They had fewer legal rights and career opportunities. Wifehood and motherhood were regarded as their most significant professions. However, modern women gained the rights to vote and increased their education and job opportunities. Women insisted on the rights to live and breathe as a separate human being and formed personal ambitions. Now large numbers of married women would like to give up the roles of full-time mother and housewife to go into the labor market. Women are getting out of home more frequently, taking a more active and personal interest in local and national affairs and finding their voices. All the experiences “led many to become more conscious of and less satisfied with traditional values and behaviors expected of women.” (Manning, 1993:41)
As the following paragraph says,
Before the Civil War, social class in the South was just like a pyramid; at the top of which was a slaveholding planter class, while at the bottom were the slaves. Following the War, a new class system arose. Certainly the demise of slavery played a big role in the appearance of new classes. After the Civil War came the expansion of commercial agriculture, the growth of towns and industrialization. In middle and upper class families, women still did not work outside home in the early twentieth century, but that changed, too. Increased opportunities for education allowed women to become teachers and nurses, and increased industry brought opportunities in white-collar employment for women as secretaries and assistants. (http://wwww.oit.vgcc.cc.nc.us∕hum122∕section4.htm)
According to the analysis above all, we can see that the differences between traditional women in Gone With the Wind and modern women reflected different historical backgrounds and different cultures. They lived in different historical period and experienced differently. So their different destinies were determined by the time they lived.
Through the comparison of life attitudes between traditional women in Gone With the Wind and modern women toward marriage, family, career and education. we can identify that although they have great differences in some aspects，they are almost the same in another aspects, Such as the role of wife and mother, the choice between family and career.
Both traditional women in Gone With the Wind and modern women will get married when they are of the right age. Only a few women will not get married when they are old enough to get married. Meanwhile, it is very important for both traditional women in Gone With the Wind and modern women to win their parents’ benediction and permission. As for roles, almost both traditional women in Gone With the Wind and modern women will be wives and mothers when they are of the right age. Moreover, both of them have to spend some energy on housework and looking after their kids. Family is more important than career to both traditional women in Gone With the Wind and modern women. In another word, in order to live a happy family life, both of them will give up everything. In this matter both of them usually place the family above all else.
From the analysis of chapter two and chapter three, we can see that there are a lot of differences between traditional women in Gone With the Wind and modern women.
The traditional women in Gone With the Wind had no rights to choose their spouse, their marriage was determined by their parents, they must follow the man they married, no matter how bad and evil he was. However, today we own an equal era, in which woman can choose what kind of man she loves and decide how to live a happy life. Modern women are likely to treat themselves better and better. The traditional women in Gone With the Wind do not have real freedom; she has to do what her husband asked her to do. However, today with the development of economy and science as well as the improvement of the law, the social status of women has been improved a lot.
The traditional women in Gone With the Wind were not allowed to act as a businesswoman or work outside. At that time it would be considered as something which lost their men’s face. Compared with women in that time, modern women are now in a more stable and free society, they can grasp every opportunity to show themselves and there will be more chances for them to be outstanding. Large numbers of married women would like to give up the roles of full-time mother and housewife to go into the labor market.
The traditional women in Gone With the Wind were not allowed to play more social roles. Women must to be good wives or mothers. They have no chance to take part in any social activities. They have to spend so much time on church work that they do not have time for activities outside their home. However, industrialization and urbanization opened for women a window to the outside world, and provided many channels for them to step into the outside world. Modern females want to play more social roles, and try to realize their own values through joining in various social activities.
The traditional women in Gone With the Wind were regarded merely as the tool of reproduction. Married women could not enjoy individualism and a higher status, without special legal efforts, own property, and their earnings belonged to their husbands. But now husband and wife enjoyed a harmonious relationship at home. The primary relationship in a woman’s life was no longer to be with her children but with her husband. A couple was like companions or partners; they showed equal respect to each other. No one was completely dominant over the other. Wives now could enjoy individualism and a higher status. Meanwhile, the door of education is as wide as it for men.
Unlike the traditional women in Gone With the Wind who suppress their normal desires and just passively accept their husbands arranged by their parents, modern female has a persistent pursuit of her love. The traditional women in Gone With the Wind believe that “For a woman, love comes after marriage” (Margaret, 2007:37). However, modern women’s attitude isn’t like that. For modern women love comes before marriage. They would like to get married with the men they love before marriage.
In a word, Scarlett completely rebelled against traditional civilization, life style and ideals of marriage. Her braveness, independence, diligence, optimism and the spirit to pursue happy life embodied American characters, she was a heroine who is adept in building new life on the wasteland of the old world. She has independent personality and dares to rebel against the tradition. She pursued the freedom of personality and equality of gender. All these characters deserve to be studied by modern women. Scarlett once says, “I believe women could manage everything in the world without men's help except having babies.” (Margaret, 2007: 604-05) .Women can do absolutely anything that men can do. A woman can reach any height in any discipline if she works hard enough. In order to realize their dreams, they should stay determined, work hard and do everything in one’s power to make it a reality. Especially, women in this century, they have become the focus of the era. If women can manage these well, they can live a happy life.
As a feminist writer, Margaret Mitchell created this novel to support and spread the idea of an independent woman who works for herself, thinks for herself and acts of her own accord. Women in Gone With the Wind were repressed, and had little if any stature. They had a very few rights and few options open to them for self-support. So the writer encourages women to fight for their own rights, women’s position and equality between men and women. Women should have their own voice.
Through the analysis we can conclude that the spirit and courage which the women show when they are facing the hardship are great and respectable and should be learnt by people. Pinning her hope on tomorrow is the fundamental stone of Scarlett’s confidence. She always says “After all, tomorrow is another day” (Margaret, 2007:960). When the society is moving forward，both men’s powers and women’s powers are indispensable. Unilaterally emphasize and exaggerate the importance of men’s role in the society is not correct. Paying enough attention to the role of women and let them exert a1l their powers will make the society develop in a better way.
A popular saying goes like this, money is not everything, but you can do nothing without money. In order not to go stray, it is time for women to think of way to be independent in economy, but not to always believe that marrying a rich man means living a happier life. Happy life is usually given by oneself but not by marriage or by others. We know clearly that women are the very master of their own destiny. They can decide what they want to do or not by their own.
. As the old saying goes, it is never too old for people to learn. Lack of political knowledge is another heavy problem burdened on women. As we know; in today’s society the competition in all walks of life is becoming more and fiercer. So as a modern female, one should always adapt oneself to the changes and accept the new ideas and receive more education. Only by doing like this can women be competitive and have a stable social status in the society. Finally, one can own real happiness.
Women should not underestimate their own capabilities. They ought to try to withstand the unfair discrimination from the society as well as the traditional bondages，and live bravely with the maintenance of positive attitude for life. No matter how hard the lives are，women should use different ways to adjust themselves to have an optimistic attitude towards life. And women had better not complain about the fate. It is no use and a waste of time to be practical and solve the thorny problems which women meet ca1mly is what the women usually do in real life. Women should take positive attitudes to face the reality and never give up.
Not only people，but a1so societies encounter the same problem: how to survive in changing society? In order to survive，we should constantly adapt ourselves to the changing competitive society，and find the ba1anced point between dream and reality. This way is also the way every country or community should take so as to survive in the changing world. By reading or watching Gone with the Wind, people would draw some courage to face the reality.
In conclusion, this thesis is not the complete comparison of life attitudes between traditional women in Gone with the Wind and modern women. In fact, women’s attitudes toward material and spiritual life could also be compared. Yet due to limited time and space, the author is not going to further studied the life attitudes between traditional women in Gone with the Wind and modern women. With the hope that in the future it will become the author’s potential object of study.
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I would like to acknowledge my indebtedness and gratitude to a large number of people who have given me boundless assistance and support without which this thesis would not have been possible.
First of all, I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, instructor JiangHua, for giving me guidance and constant encouragement in my academic study, for reading, polishing, and commenting on my thesis, and for the great care she has never hesitated to give me. Her earnest attitude towards work and academic research has promoted me to better my work and study.
I am also extremely grateful to associate Professor Xue Yahong, Professor Guo Wenhai; Professor Luo Rong; Professor Zhang Jingci; Professor Mao Huaizhou; Professor WangYi; Professor Yang Mei; Professor Chen Weiguo and Instructor Xue Heng; Qu Xiaomei; Luo Fangchun; Zhang Junling and all the other professors.
Moreover, my numerous thanks go to my dear friends who helped me collect data from other parts of our country.
Finally, I would like to offer my heart-felt gratitude to my parents, my classmates and those who spent their precious time in reading my thesis.
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