William Faulkner is one of the greatest American novelists of the twentieth-century. A Rose for Emily is the masterpiece of his short story; William Faulkner shows a great sympathy to the tragic life of the female protagonist Emily in the novel A Rose for Emily. This paper gives a profound analysis about the causes that lead to the tragedy of the heroine, Emily, from 3 aspects— social background, family atmosphere, and personal character. At the same time, the author compares them with the causes that lead to the tragedy of “3s Lady”, from the same views, the purpose of this thesis is to stimulate people to think about women’s fate, social status and their values in the process of understanding the artistic image—Emily.
Keywords: Faulkner, Emily, 3s Lady, causes that lead to tragedy, women’s social statusContents
中文摘要.Ⅰ
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………Ⅱ
Contents……………………………………………………………………………………Ⅲ
Introduction………………………………………… ……………………………….………1
1. Causes of Emily’s Tragedy………………………………………………………………. .3
1.1 Social Background……………………………………………………………………….3
1.1.1 Oppression of Traditional Customs and Puritanism in Southern America…………….3
1.1.2 Influence of Town people…………………………………………….…………….….4
1.2 Family Atmosphere.….6
1.2.1 Oppression of Paternalism…………………………………………………………6
1.2.2 Oppression of Love…………………………………………………………………….7
1.3 Personal Character……………………………………………………………………….8
2. Causes of 3S Lady Phenomenon …………………………………………………….12
2.1. Social Background………………………………………………………………………12
2.1.1 Change of Women’s Status.12
2.1.2 Unrealistic Comparison on Psychology of Spouse Selection………………………….13
2.2 Family Atmosphere………………………………………………………………………14
2.2.1 Traditional Customs on Families of Equal Standing…………………………………14
2.3 Personal Character……………………………………………………………………….15
2.3.1 Criteria of Spouse Selection and Self-expectation Value……………………………15
2.3.2 Psychological Maturity……………………………………………………………….16
3. Similarities and Differences of Tragedy Causes between Emily and 3S Lady………17
3.1. Status of Women ………………………………………………………………………17
3.2. Family’s Criteria on Women’s Spouse Choosing…………………………….…17
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………19
Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………21
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………….22
