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An Analysison Marys Tragedy inThe Grass is Singing《野草在歌唱》中玛丽悲剧命运的分析nothing abouthis wife,his childrenor evenhis self-esteem.He is not abig man,on thecontrary,from hisbehavior,he is a flatterer.Marys motheris aqualified mother.Although shedidnt havemuch money,shetook careof threechildren herself.Unfortunately,she could not successfullyfight againstfate.She could notwork formoney becausehaving threechildren couldwaste allof herenergy.She needsa better,morequalified husband to shareher materialas well as spiritualburden.We canimagine thatshe doesall thehouseworkwith threechildren tofeed.Its noteasy.In addition,because her husband was alcoholic,she andher husband alwaysargue formoney issues.When she was veryyoung,she was already atall,skinnywoman.This isevidence thatshe hasexperienced ahard lifewhich wascaused by her terriblehusband.Mary grewup under the pressureof her parents.She wasinstinctively afraidof menbecause herfathersbad deedshurt her and her mother.The memoryof Maryschildhood influencedher the whole time,itcould easilybe seenin herlater life.For example,her mother9s attitudetowards Marydeeply influencedMaryand Dicksmarriage.She feltextremely disgustingwhen Dickwanted children.Because shelooked atherself,very painful.She didntwant to have a child andbecome anotherMarys mother.But many years later,shetalked toDick aboutwhether theycould have a child,but Dick refused.She believesthat havinga childis thelife-saving strawin her life.Dicks reasonis thatshe wants a childto satisfyher ownselfish desires,not toloveher husband.We cansee that“child doesnot meanthe crystallizationof love“to Mary.This couldbea risk.We canimagine thatif Mary had ababy,she couldbe Mary9s shadow.She musttake on theresponsibility of being amother,as Marys mother didmanyyearsago.In such a family environment,children willhave traumafor theirwhole life.
4.2Patriarchal SocietyAccording to feminists,women shouldbe treatedas individuals.In Simone de Beauvoirs words,awoman is a creaturewithout desireand self.But when the storyhappens,it isstill a male-dominated society.Women areactually the other halfof men.In The Grass isSinging,the patriarchalsociety alsolead to Marystragedy.It can be analyzedfrom thefollowing aspects.
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2.1Victims of patriarchyWomen arealways thesecond sexin front of men,which hasexisted for a longtime.Beauvoir9s bookelaborateson womens status in amale-dominated world:This secondarystatus is not imposedby naturalfemininecharacteristics,but by the powerfulenvironmental forcesattached topurposeful controlof menseducation and society.In The GrassisSinging,Mary experiencedoppression fromDick as well asthe whitesocietywhich madeher to be typicalwoman at that time.Marys motheralso experiencedher father9soppression.Even Charlie9s wifewas theobject ofoppression.All thesecanbeused asexamples toillustrateBovovas words:One isnot born,but ratherbecomes,a woman.It isobvious thatMary is a victim ofpatriarchy.
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2.2Low socialstatus of womenIn apatriarchal colonialsociety,there isno status or freedomfor poorpeople,woman andblacks.Theyare terriblymarginalized.Under the patriarchal system,women9s tragedieshave beenon theplanet forthousandsof years.The articlementions thatfrom theday Marygot marriedand livedin atin house,shefound thatthere was no ceilingin thehouse.So Mary had askedher husbandto installceiling of the housemanytimes,but because of the lack ofliving expenses,Dick couldntafford itand soon,he couldntrealizeMarys dream.The ceilingof thehouse waslike Marysexpectation ofDick.Mary raisedher hopesagain andagain,but in the endshe endedup disappointed.Finally,she had no expectationof theman infront of her.This kind of femaleslavery causedMarys tragedy.On the one hand,due tosocial,historical andreal lifefactors,womensstatus was low,and Mary was onlya poorwoman atthat time.But on the otherhand,she isa white employerwho oppressesblacks.
4.3Social PrejudiceThetragedy ofMary9s lifelies not only in the persecutionofpatriarchyand thelow status of women,but alsoin theprejudice of thewholesociety.Mary9s formercompany rejectedher,and marriedwomen werenotaccepted elsewherein the city.In peopleseyes,her socialidentity haschanged from an economicallyindependentwoman to a poorcountry woman.So she could onlyfollow Dickback to the farm,who waslookingfor herin adespondent way,and returntoalife almostidentical to her mother9s fate.The ideaofdemocracy andequality influencedhera lot in her secondaryeducation,and wasinfluenced by the ideaofdemocracy andequality.When shefirst heardDick calledblack workersold beasts,she was also angryaboutDick was not beingeducated.However,due to the socialenvironment atthat time,the blackstubborn anduntrustworthy“racial discriminationconcept wasdeeply rootedin herheart,making herinstinctively hostiletoblack people and warningthem.
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3.1Sexual discriminationMary was torturedby her husband,neglected byher parents,and isolatedbythesociety.As a woman,she shouldbe asubmissive personwithout her own thoughts.She mustabide bythe rulesimposed onher bysociety.Mary heardher friendstalk abouther privatelife.Shes nolonger fifteenyears old.Its ridiculous!Even in the eyesofwomen,it isabnormal not to marry.To avoidgossip,Mary had to finda manto catertosociety,nottokeep herfeelings.Mary foundDick and her cannot matcheach othersince theirmarriage was a hurriedone.Dick earnsverylittle moneyand theylive inpoverty.She nolonger toleratedthe hardshipsof life and returnedto thecityto liveagain,but she was refusedbecause shewas amarried woman.There isno place in townfor marriedwomen.In such a society,she couldnot findher place.If she isnotmarried,she isan individual.But whenshegot married,she becameher husband9s property.She losther right to work and livealone.Mary hadlittlechoice.Marys deathwas neverdiscussed atall.Because theythink Mary and theblack personis justinsultingto South African society.As amarried woman,she shouldbelong toher husband,even ifhe isa weakman.Its immoralfor Mary to havesex with a blackman.After Marywas murdered,shewastreated simplyas abadwoman,and noone wouldfeel sorryfor her.
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3.2Racial discriminationMary,asawoman,has adistinct markof racial discrimination,but in her subconscious,she stilllongsfor comfort,caress andstrength.So whenshe couldn9t helpcrying andlosing hervoice infrontof Moses,shecould nothelp acceptingthe blackskindness toher.Later,Marywasattracted byMoses strongphysique andcalmattitude,and Mosesseemed tohaveaspecial feelingfor Mary.Moses alwaystried totake careof Maryinhis life.In thecourse of the subtlechanges in their relationship,Mary hasmade achoice betweenDick andMosesinherheart,although she isnotconscious of the choiceand itsconsequences.Mary followedMosesall day,but atthe same time shewas afraidof herfavor forMoses Maryresisted andlonged forit.She hatedwhyMoses wasa blackman.The relationship between Maryand Moseswas terriblein Southern Africa atthattime.Lessing notonly touchedon thissensitive issueboldly,but alsopointed outthe factthat thisrelationshipcouldnot escape classnature inessence.On theone hand,Mary needsMoses physically andemotionally,but on theotherhand,she neverforgot theracial differencesbetween themand stillregardedMoses asa blackslave.They havenot escapedform racial discrimination.Tony,a youngman fromEngland,discovered theirsecret.He thoughtMaryhad a relationship with thebeast.Tonys strongracist attitudeseemedto arouseMarys whiteconsciousness,and sheimmediately stoodup toTonys positionand callouslytoldMoses toroll away.Later shecried withregret,and thisduality doomedher tragic ending.Racialdiscrimination directlylead to Marys tragedy,but Marys own weaknesscould alsobe afactor.Narrow racialconsciousnesshinders herthinking aboutsociety,which acceleratesher tragedy.V.The PracticalSignificance of Marys TragedyThe Grass Is Singing isoften interpretedas racistoppression of black people.However,asawhitewoman,in thephysical spaceof racismand patriarchalculture,Mary constantlyrealized the contradictionbetween the two.She lingeredontheedge of thetwoand couldnot choosebetween them.Marywasunable torecognizeher identity,which ultimatelyled toher tragic fate.
5.1The Influenceof RacismAs a victimof colonialrule,African slavesrepresented byMoses arelike weedsin thewilderness.“The sunis burningand thesnow isflourishing/9Under thearbitrary massacre,oppression anddestruction ofthecolonists,they perseveredand struggledto resistand shout.Moses,the slave,first appearedtothereaderin theseventh chapterof the novel.Mary9s husband,Dick,suddenly fellill forother reasons.In orderto makea living,Maryhadno choicebut togo downstairs to bein chargeof theslaves.Moses is one ofthe typicalexamplesofthebloody scenesin the novel,which tookplaceinthe1950s,whentheindigenous people ofSouth Africawere abusedby white people.In the1950s,racialdiscriminationwas rampantinthevast landofAfrica.The situationof indigenousblacks isvery tragic.Black peopleare regardedbytherulers asdirty,lazy,brutal,violent andinferior.Like Mary,the protagonistofthenovel,blacks areaccused ofbeingshameless“because ofstink”.In thiscolony,blacks cantrade freelylike animals,without therighttospeak,and withoutthe basicrights anddignity ofhuman beings.Black peopleare forbiddento eatin whiterestaurantsand takebuses withwhitepeople.However,where there is oppression,thereisresistance.When Moseswas whippedby hismistressMary,Moses raisedhis powerfulhand andwiped theblood offhis face.There wasa gloomand hatredin hiseyes,and alook ofcontempt embarrassedMary.In asimple andpowerful way,he askedMary tothrow awayherhegemonic weaponand treathim asa person.As theend ofthenoveltells us,Moses willno longertoleratethe mistress9s repeatedinsults,oppression anddestruction.Instead,he tookup thesteel knifeandended Mary9s life,achieving thegoal ofrevenge.Moses killedMary.Accordingtocommon sense,heisamurderous devil.However,in Lessing9swords,there wasno convictionofMoses,more praiseandaffirmation ofhim.Marys tragedyand allthis isdue tothe social background of racism.
5.2The Influenceof MaleChauvinismMarys namein Englishmeans thatlife ishard andunresponsive.It alsomeant thatshewasdestined tosufferpoverty andloneliness allher life.Her name,like Mary,the motherof JesusChrist,implies thatshe hasagreat natureto raisechildren likeMary.In Chapter8,when Maryrealizes that her lifewith her husbandDick isdesperate,she asksher husbandand hertohaveachildto comfortthe emptyspiritual world.However,Dickrefusedher requestonthegrounds thatshe couldnot raiseher childrenbecause ofthe limitationsof herlife.From theperspective ofworks,notonlycan thebirth ofthe Saviornot savemankind,but eventhe mostbasicmothers rightsof anordinary womanhave beendeprived.Then she couldnotresist.Mary isawomanworthy ofsympathy andhatred.She grewup inSouth Africawith astrong senseofmale chauvinism.Although shewas white,she grewup ina poorfamily.Her parentswere atodds.For alongtime,Mary hatedmen andmarriage.She runaway from her familyand livedan independentlife inthecity.She wantedto continuethis freelife,and finallyshe chosemarriage becauseof secularprejudice.Aftermarrying poorfarmer Dick,she foundthat theirmarriage hadfailed.Until the marriage wasdestroyed byMaryherself.In thissense,sheisa victimof racismas wellasavictimofmale chauvinism.She hatedsillyracism,but shewas oppressingblacks herself.In thissense,her deathwas self-inflicted andnot regrettable.VI.ConclusionFrom thediscussion above,it isobvious thatwe systematicallyanalyze Marys tragic fatefrom theexternal and internalcauses.Male chauvinismand racismare themain causesof Marys tragedy.Apart fromtheseobjective socialbackgrounds,Mary isan independentindividual insociety.Because ofthe poorchildhood and familyenvironment,these growthfactors leadto Mary9s weakcharacter and unhappymarriage.These factorsdistorted manyof herconsciousness andhindered herpursuit ofa happyand normallife.She couldnot controlherowndestiny.She wassuspicious of marriage becauseof herfamilyenvironment,so thatshe developedsuchacowardly character.When thesefactors werecombined with thesocial environment,racial awarenessand patriarchalawareness atthat time.The emergenceof thesedeadlyexternal forcesled toMarysfinal tragedy.Marystragedy is analyzedinthenovel.Racial prejudiceand patriarchalsociety underminedMaryshappy life.Mary cantpursue ahappy lifeindependently.If Marywantsanew happylife,it isessential tohavethe environmentofblackand whiteAfricans9harmonious relationship.Through thetypical descriptionofthe tragicfate ofthe heroineMary,this paperreveals the essential relationshipbetween differentnationalitiesand classesunder therule,and analysesthe reasonsfor the tragicendingofthe heroine.There isno futurefor Mary,but onlyemptiness andloneliness.She livesundertheSouth Africansystem,which allowsnormal peopleto dieand isphysicallyandpsychologically boundby thesesystems.Herhumanity wasdistorted.Maybe deathisarelief for her.ReferencesThe SecondSex,
1.Beauvoir,Simonede,New York:Vintage Books,1974What IsFeminism,
2.Delmar,Rosalind,New York:Pantheon Books,1986The Grass Is Singing,
3.Lessing,Dori s,London:Michael Joseph,1950The Poeticsof Change,
4.Greene,Gayle,Ann Arbor:University ofMichiganPress,1994The Sufis,
5.Shah,I dri es,London:The OctagonPress,1964艾周昌,《南非现代化研究》,上海华东师范大学出版社,
6.2000陈才宇,《多丽丝.莱辛-金色笔记》,南京译林出版社,
7.2008多丽丝,莱辛,《野草在歌唱》,南京译林出版社,
8.1999王丽丽,《二十世纪英国文学史》,济南山东大学出版社,
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88.Researchers haveexplored Lessingand hisfirst novelThe Grass Is Singingfrom variousperspectives,such asfeminism,Marxism,psychological perspectiveand ecologicalperspective,etc.However,this paperwill tryto providea comprehensiveanalysis ofthe forcesthat causeMarystragedy fromboth theexternaland the internalperspectives,which consistsof exteriorsocialcircumstances as wellas her innerweakness.Under the socialbackgroundatthat time,male chauvinismand racismwere theobjective causesof Marystragicfate.At thesametime,becauseofthe badchildhoodandfamilyenvironment,these growthfactors leadtoMary9sweak personalityandunhappy marriage.Through thenarration ofthis article,we willsee thatMary9sownreasons arealso themain reasonsfor hertragedy.When thesefactors arecombinedwith racismand patriarchalconsciousness,they arefatal toMary.The GrassIs Singingnot onlydescribedthecontradictionbetween thewhite colonistsand theblack natives,but alsorevealedthe obviousexploitation amongthe whitesand suggestedthe hypocrisyof colonialism.Key words:The GrassIs Singing;external reason;internal reason;tragedy多丽丝•菜辛是当代受到最广泛认可和最受欢迎的女作家之一年,莱辛获得文学领域的最高奖项一一诺贝尔文学奖,成为诺贝尔文学奖历史上2007最年长的得主,她这个时候已经岁,并且已多次与这个奖项擦肩而过对于莱辛和88第一部小说《野草在歌唱》,研究者们已从多个角度对其进行了探析,例如,女性主义,马克思主义,心理分析角度,生态女性角度等然而,本文将从外因和内因两个角度,全面而深层次的探讨女主人公玛丽的悲剧命运,探索导致女主人公玛丽悲剧命运的社会环境原因和个人性格原因本论文认为,在当时社会背景下,男权制度和种族主义是玛丽悲剧命运的客观原因同时由于童年和家庭环境恶劣,这些成长因素导致玛丽性格软弱,婚姻不幸福通过本文的叙述我们将会看到,玛丽的自身的原因也是她最后走向悲剧的主要原因当这些因素与种族主义和父权意识相结合时,对玛丽来说是致命的《野草在歌唱》不仅描写了白人与黑人之间的矛盾,还毫不留情地揭示了在南非殖民制度统治下,白人之间也存在着赤裸裸的掠夺与被掠夺,提示了种族主义的虚伪关键词《野草在歌唱》;内因;外因;悲剧命运I.IntroductionDoris Lessingisavery creativefemale writer.SouthAfricais thefirst placeto cultivateher,whichgives herrich lifeaccumulation andcreative inspiration.The Grassin Singingtouches upon Lessingsrepeated themes:the influenceof womensliving environmentand socialstatus,racialdiscriminationsystemand culturaland historicalbackground ontheir personallives.By describingthetragicfate ofMary,theheroine,the bookprofoundly revealstheessentialrelationshipbetweenpeopleofdifferent racesand classesunderthe colonialrule system,and analysesthesocialroot of Marystragicending.Mary isawhitenative ofSouthernAfrica.When Marywasakid,her fatherwas sickof hisjob andgavevent toemotion athome.Mrays motherendured thedouble oppressionof povertyand herhusband.Mary grewup ina warmth-free environment,full offear ofsex.She thoughtthat havingsex withsomeonewas akindofpunishment thatevery womanhadtoaccept.After working,her lifeimproved fora time,but aftershe marriedunder socialpressure,she foundherselfhopelessly backtohermother sold way.Her husband,Dick,was devotedto ruralworkandwas veryindifferenttoMary.The acquaintancewith Moses,a blackhired worker,totally brokeher numband messylifeand gaveher newpower tosurvive.She wasattracted toMoses andhad arelationshipwithhim.However,the stigmaofracismis deeplynailed oneveryones mindin SouthernAfrica,which doomsthem togo toatragic end.Marys relationshipwith Moseswas discovered,and shewas forcedby socialpressure toabandonMoses.Moses killedMary angrilyand surrenderedcalmly.II.Literature ReviewThe GrassIs Singing isLessings firstnovel beforeleaving Rhodesia.The booksoon becamea successafterpublished in
1950.Five monthslater,thenovelwas reprintedseven times.Later itwas translatedintoseveral languages.Lessing readTolstoy,Stendhal,Balzac andmany otherclassical literaryworks,which hadagreat impactonthewriting ofThe GrassIs Singing.In China,the studyof Doris Lessing didnot beginuntil thepublication ofTheGrassIs Singing.In1956,TheGrassIs Singingwas translatedinto Chineseby WangLei andpublished byShanghai NewLiteratureaswellas ArtPublishing House.The responseof Sovietcritics toLessing9s TheGrassIsSingingis that,withthechange ofdomestic situation,DorisLessing9s translationand introductionbecome lessandless,and finallydisappeared completelyfrom China.But more than twentyyears later,with DorisLessingscontinuous achievementsandtheimprovement ofthe internationaland domesticsituation,her workshavereturned tothe Chineseperspective.Lessings workswere studiedat theirheyday after
1990.From1980sto1990s,more thantentranslations ofTheGrassIsSingingappeared indomestic magazines.Wang Jiaxiangmainly studiesLessing9s works.In LessingsTheGrassIsSinging,he paysattention notonly towomens life,but alsotothesurvivalof contemporarypeople.In general,the researchonLessingbefore1990swasscattered andunsystematic.Despite Lessingsresearch achievements,there aremany.So manycritics realizedthat whatwe reallyneedto studyis thatwe shouldtotally putLessing inthe environmentofthehistoryofBritish fictionas wellasthe traditionof womenscreation.This isthe onlyway toreveal Lessing9s conceitof contemporarywomen9s lifefromabroad perspective.III.The EmbodimentofMarysTragedyOne ofthe manifestationsofMarystragedyisher growingenvironment,a colonialsociety dominatedbywhite men.In thissociety,the poorand womenaswellas blacksare reallymarginalized,they areliving inalife withoutstatusorfreedom.As apoor whitewoman,Mary couldnotescapethe shacklesof socialtraditionand environment.Since inthepatriarchalsociety,women aregiven anotherworld-family.Shewas destinedto enterthe palaceofmarriageand repeather motherslife.Although shenever regardedDick asherhusband,she said,“Now thatshe hasirrevocably marriedDick,she canonly hopethathewill becomeanindependent personand succeedby his own efforts.In anycase,Mary alwaysregards herhusband asthepillar of her life,andherduty isto obeyherhusband,to serveherhusbandandtodo housework.A manissupposed to be abreadwinner.Despite hercowardly temperamentand oftendoing thingshalfway,Dick cantsatisfyher materialand spiritualneeds.Marys latermarriage oftenrecalled hermothers walkingaround her.Mary thoughtthat hermarriage pathnow seemedtobetheonehermotherhad setforherinher childhoodeducational environment.
3.1Unfortunate MarriageAnotherimportant rolewhich couldeffect Maryscharacter isher unhappymarriage.In Marysmind,she doesntneed so-called familyor man.It hasalways beenthe feelingsshe triedto avoid.When shewasthirty,she overheardher friendstalking abouther unmarriedlife,so sherushed intothemarriagewithapoorfarmer whose name wasDick.Her marriageisanightmare especiallycompared with her decentjob andcomfortable life.MaryandherhusbandDick aretwo completelydifferent people.He loves the farmand livesfromhisownhands,while Marylovesthecity whereshe cango tothe cinemaand enjoythe cosmopolitanwayof life.She hasso manyfriends andearns goodmoney.Asaresult,she couldlead acomfortablelife.What isworse,he cannot maintainhis focusand keepon doingsomething frombeginning toend.During hismarriagewith Mary,Dicks severalattempts suchas bee-keeping,raising pigs,raising turkeysand openingshopall endin failure.Because ofthese failedenterprises,he owesalotof money,which sharpenstheroughness ofhis life.From Dicksperspective,Marys improperdealing withnatives arousesDick9sdissatisfaction.Due toMarys badtemper,Dick losesmorethantwenty workerswhich makehis farmin shortsupplyof laborers.The servantsin theirhouse comeand gofrequently.
3.2Tragic DeathDickfailed tomeet Mary9s materialneeds,no speakofherspiritual desires.At last,Mary turnedto ablackservant intheir familywhose nameis Moses.Moses gentlenessand concerndirectly ledMary tofall,but inthe racistand patriarchalsociety atthattime,they neverallowed sucha thingto happen.Mary refusedMosesbecause theirrelationship wasdiscovered bya manwhosenameis Tony.Moses felthumiliated andendedMarys lifeonathunderous night.IV.Reasons forMarys TragedyMarywho istheheroineinthetragic story,did herbest forthe lifeshe wantsto live in.For example,she triesto getrid ofthe memoryof childhoodand striveforahappymarriage.But shecan9t choose her owndestiny.During hermarriage,the memoryofher childhood hasalwaysbeenher nightmare.Finally,she foundthatherlifewas exactlythesameashermothers.Her husbandcant satisfyher.The whitesociety deprivedheronly happymoment withMoses.Marys deathwasnotcontrolled byherself,but bysociety asa whole.InSouth Africa,Mary isa symbol,representing asharp contradictionbetween whitepeopleandindigenouspeople andcolonists.The causesofMarystragedy willbe analyzedfrom thefollowing points.
4.1Cowardly CharacterMaryscowardly characteris formedbyherideal oflifeandcold reality.Because shehadasingle lifeandhadnofamily troubles,she hopedshecouldliveinsuchalife forever.But whatis tragedyis thatshe livesina horriblemale-dominated society,and therewasnochance forMarytochooseherown life,shecouldnotchoose herown familyeither.To besure,the pooreducation ofherchildhoodand desperatefamily effectedalot inher characterformation.
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1.1A poorchildhoodMarys fatherwas alcoholicand carednothing abouthis familyand children.The wholefamily5s lifewasborne byMarys motheralone.But awife cando nothingabout itwithout money.Mary9smotherhad toliveinavery poorand shabbyenvironment withher childrenand shewas sodisappointed withherhusband.Mary feltno warmthfromherparents inherchildhood.On thecontrary,the tensionbetween herparentsdrove herto escape.She sympathizedwithhermother andhated herfather.In Marysmind,home meansquarreland tears.She darednot faceherparents.Because ofthelackof fatherslove andmothers love,thememory ofchildhood effectedMary9s wholelife.Mary doesnot havethe abilityofbeinglove ortobeloved.
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1.2Family educationChildrenare familyties.They arethe hopeof theirparents.A harmoniousfamily playsa veryimportantrole forchildren togrow up.But Marysfather doesnot tryto makealiving.He spenthis meagersalaryon hisown business.He cared。