从迷茫的玛尔特的悲剧看女性存在的社会价值

Abstract

In the novel Red and Black, the heroine Mathlide is deeply influenced by French Revolution, which brought her self-awareness as a woman. However, she couldn’t find out a right way to certify her social value of existence, which at last caused the tragedy of her love and all of her life. Mathilde’s tragedy indicates that women’s self-awareness would be killed under the patriarchy culture. This paper points out that as independent individuals in society, women have their own social values. They are equal with men in the gender world. Through the analysis of the tragedy of Mathlide, and the statement about women traditional values which effect on their social values of existence, this paper tries to explain how women find out their social values of existence.

Key Words

Tragedy; female value; self-awareness; existence; patriarchy

摘 要

小说《红与黑》中，女主人翁玛尔特受法国革命的影响，有了朦胧的女性自我意识，但她却找不到证实自我存在的正确道路，最终导致了她的爱情乃至一生的悲剧。玛尔特的悲剧预示着在父权的世界里，女性自我意识的出现最终会被扼杀在父权这个巨大的阴影下。本论文的观点是女性作为一个独立的社会人，她们有其自身的社会价值，并且应该同男性一样平等地生活在这个两性的世界里。论文通过对玛尔特的悲剧性的分析，对女性传统价值对其社会价值影响的陈述，试图说明女性怎样寻找其社会存在价值。

关键词

悲剧性；女性价值；自我意识；存在；父权

Introduction

The French Revolution broke out in the 18th century. Its aim was to weed out feudalism. In order to realize this intention, French nascent bourgeoisies declared: “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity”. But that slogan excluded women. At that time, Olympe de Gouge, a French woman leader published her famous Declaration on the Right of Female citizens in 1791, which is regarded as the beginning of Women Movement. From then on, women have been fighting for their rights again and again all over the world.

This paper will try to explain and discuss the women social value of existence from the following three aspects. First, the paper is to analyze the tragedy of Mathlide. Second, it is about some effects of women’s traditional values on their social value of existence. The third part is about how women win their social value.

I. Analysis of the Tragedy of Mathild

A. Some Effects of the Women’s Thoughts of French Revolution on Mathlide

The French writer, Saint-Real has said, “A novel is a mirror you turn this way and that as you go down a path."(Si Tangda, 2002, 23) .That means different people have different views about a same novel. Because of this, people always like to find a correct “mirror” from a novel. A contradictory human nature of a man is represented in the novel Red and Black and many people know about it, while a woman in an agony of soul of Mathilde in it is ignored.

Mathilde is the daughter of marquis of De La Mole. It seems that she has everything, but actually she is a tragic woman. On the one hand, she wants to find out her social value of existence that is to own Julien’s love. On the other hand, she doesn’t have Mrs. De Renal’s “feminine delicacy” defined by men. She has an obscure woman’s self-awareness which makes her be an independent individual rather than a man’s subsidiary’s stuff. Living in the 19th century, Mathilde was deeply influenced by the French Revolution in the 18th Century, in which she wished to live because people could fight for something that they wanted at that time. As she said:

“The wars of League were France’s heroic age, at that time everyone fought to get the particular thing he wanted, to make his party triumph, and not just to win a boring class like in the time of your emperor. You must agree that there was less egoism and petty-mindedness, I love that century.”(Si Tangda, 2002, 772)

In the novel, Mathilde’s personality is shown very clearly. Living in Bourbon Restoration, she prefers Mrs. Roland an evil woman in men’s eyes to Mrs. De Stael a character in the novel who owns “feminine delicacy” that men enjoy. Women’s self-awareness has sprouted in her. Mathilde was different from other women who obediently submit in the Bourbon Restoration. She appreciates women’s thoughts of Napoleon’s time. “One day, her eyes shinning with the pleasure which denotes sincerity, she told Julien admiringly about a woman who lived in Napoleon’s century: finding her husband unfaithful, she had stabbed him to death.”(Si Tangda, 2002, 890). That makes her be a particular woman. As the word written in the novel says,

Mathide’s lively, trenchant and picturesque way of looking at things ruined her style, as you can see. Often one of her expression was felt to be a blot by her exquisitely polite friends. They would almost have admitted to themselves, if she had been less in fashion, that her speech was just a bit too colorful for feminine delicacy” (Si Tangda, 2002, 777)

B. Mathlide’s Value of Existence

C. The Conflict Between Julien’s Traditional Values and Mathlide’s Contradictory Women’s Awareness.

Rousseau says in his novel Emile: “Both men and women exist for each other, but their inter-dependence is different. If there are no women, men still exist. But if there are no men, women’s existence will become a problem. Women rely on men’s feelings and their awards”. (Si Tangda, 2002, 74)

That is Rousseau’s standards about women, which is men’s too. Julien has a very strong pride, but it cannot say he also has the same strong personality. On the contrary, he is weaker than Mathilde. When Mathilde’s self-awareness appears, he becomes scared. He needs all energies to keep himself from sinking into despair when he faces to Mathlide. That is very difficult to him. His ideal woman should be Mrs. De Renal who submits men’s power. But it is a pity that Mathilde is not this kind of women, she is a contradictory lady. On the one hand, she longs for owning her self-awareness and independence because of the affects of French Revolution. On the other hand, she whishes she would be under control of Julien. In chapter 9, after having a wonderful night with Julien, she is at her window saying to Julien when Julien leaves: “This is what your servants send you, it’s the sign of eternal obedience. I reoccur these of my reason, be my master.”(Si Tangda, 2002, 665) While in chapter 20: The Japanese vase, this contradictory lady’s thinking is very different,

Mathide’s heart is awash with gloating pride, so she has been able to break it off irrevocably forever! Triumphing so totally over such a power attractive would make her perfectly happy. As things are, this little gentleman will understand once and for all that he doesn’t have ever had any hold over me.”(Si Tangda, 2002, 912).

That is Mathild’s contradiction, and the most sadness of her is she could not find out a right way to certify her social value of existence. Opposite to it, she hopes to choice a stronger patriarchy to control her. “I’ve got myself a master!” said Mathilde to herself, “He has a tremendous hold over me, since he reigns through terror and can inflict a dreadful punishment on me if I push him too far!”(Si Tangda, 2002, 673). But Juline can’t meet her needs, what he can do is backing to Mrs. De Renal’s arm.

Mathilde’s tragedy is also female’s tragedy. When female’s self-awareness opposes against their traditional value defined by male, there are only two ways for them to go. That is to obliterate their self-awareness or to meet to male’s value standards.

II. Analysis of the Effect of Women’s Traditional Values on Their Social Values of Existence

A Women’s Traditional Values

Mrs. De Renal owns Julien’s love while Mathilde loses it. That means a victory of the patriarchy. Through the ages, women always live in a strange situation. Their images are praised in many literary works, but in fact they are not allowed to be written into history and are not paid attentions seriously by society. In real life, when their parents force them to put on a ring, they become their husband’s property. And their social existence shows men’s social position. Women are considered as anything except themselves. They belong to men, living under the Patriarchy and are not admitted to own their self-awareness. As it is mentioned before, Mathilde lost Julien’s love because of her self-awareness conflicts with patriarchy. Patriarchy is absolutely against Mathilde’s self-awareness, just as Simon De Beavvoir, a French feminist writer, says,

That is women’s traditional value. For women to study in society is to learn how to please men. What they have learned in society is how to be men’s substitutes. Therefore, in their thoughts and status, women cannot be equal with men.

B. The Discrimination in Women’s Work and Living Conditions

1. Gender Discrimination in Work

Not surprisingly, women’s advocacy groups are today wishing repeal these restrictive policies, thus putting pressure on policy maker to justify the exclusion of women. These policies maker commission study after study to document the elusive differences between men and women, exploring everything from women’s upper body strength, to their moral in integrated combat units, to their femininity in order to justify excluding them from combat specialties. An air force captain who was a subject in a study-evaluating woman in pilot training school said this of her instruction.

“It was a test program; they wanted to monitor how the women were doing. The first class had it bad, which causes bad feelings between the men and women because the women were treated special. Headquarters monitored everything they did. It was almost like they were treated different so they had to act different.” (William, 1989, 64).

This “search for difference” belies the military’s fundamental unwillingness to accept women into its ranks. Not one of these studies has found that women as a group are either in capable or “substandard” compared to men as a group. Yet the discrimination policies remain. The discrimination in work also reflects in women’s salaries. Most women in the world are working in lower jobs, such as a maidservant, a nurse and so on, which are called “pink slum”. They work for longer time than men but have lower salaries. In most parts of the world, the salaries of career women are 30%-40% lower than that of career men on average. The rate of women’s employment is only 34.5% in the world. That means it is likely for women to suffer discrimination and be caught in poverty in anytime because of no independence income.

2. Gender Discrimination in Living

Here is a chat for Asian families’ attitude to females. The discrimination in their living conditions is embodied in their high death rate when they are born.

Countries or regions The actual percentage Expect percentage

★ Women’s figures(million) The percentage of women missing Missing women

★Based on the born rate and death rate in a stable population level.

Source: Ansley J Coale: Too many deaths in women and gender balance in the population “The estimated number of mission women”. Population and Development Review

C. Searching for the Cause of the Women’s Tradition

Women’s traditional values have such a great influence on their social values. To trace back to women traditional social value, religions play a very important role in women history. Generally speaking, religious beliefs are the causes in the form of human beliefs, values, and mode of behaviors. And sex is an important part in religions theology, cultural value, and ceremony. Searching for the roles of sex in the religions, we will understand the root of the sex /gender system. Take an example of Puritans’ attitudes about women.

Puritans’ foundation view about women is on the basis of the Old Testament and Hebrew’s patriarchy value. They think female’s living purpose is to be a male’s helpmate and bear lots of babies. Females should submit their husbands and their husbands should be the author of female’s moral. Women’s bearing pain is considered as a punishment because of Eve’s treachery. “I will greatly multiply the sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow houl shalt bring forth children…” (Ke Laini,2006, 375).

Puritans find out more warns to prove women should submit their husband in the New Testament,

“Fundamentally speaking, men didn’t come from women, but women were created from men. The wife should obey their husband as did obey masters. Just like Jesus Christ is the head of the church. Just like Jesus Christ is the head of the church. Man is the head of women.” (Ke Laini, 2006, 384).

In their mind, Eve should be a sermon of all of women. Women must under male’s control, if men let them along, women will be crime to lure men, and women will follow the same old disastrous road. The chief view of religion is to suppress women’s self -awareness .It tells women that their responsibilities in society are to be good wives and mothers, what’s more, they should keep their traditional value especially their modest and courteous obediently.

III. The Way to Win Social Values

A. Rejection of the Unfair Images

Religion expands the inequality images to women. At the same time it supports men to treat those women in unfair ways, who crossed their gender rifle designated by men. The religion expands Patriarchy and denies to women’s self-awareness, moreand more women think it is necessary to certify these thoughts in religions are discrimination in their social positions. In 1848, the representatives of Seneca Fall conference judged unequal treated for women in church, which considered as the beginning of American women’s Movements. More and more women feel the change of the gender situation in the church is very important. They think the majority of female priests show stronger feminist perspective. For women in the church, more and more evidences testify some effects on the congregations of the female priests are different from male priests. A middle-aged female Catholics says in her letter because the priest is a female, her worship becomes different. She thinks she can do what the female priest do. In her life, this is the first time she feels she also can learn those prayers, study law and do worship .Being aware of this fact, she feels better on the worship, and can focus on the Christ.

B. Independence in Economy

Simon De Beauvoir thinks if women want to own an equal position, they must have a job and knowledge, for these, they can become independent. But society uses various ways to prove women not to suit to independent, meanwhile, it restricts women own their freedom. It wants to prove that women must depend on men’s economy and spiritual. Thus these women who are in such positions want to change it and survive themselves, first they must strive to extricate them from economy dependence. Only accessing to the equal economic status, women can really become the subject rather than just the men’s existence object. Meanwhile, Marxist theory also considers the economy is a very important decisive part of human life. It thinks that economic fundamentals have a decisive role for the superstructure. Although economy and cultural development have an imbalance process in the development of the state, economy plays a final decision role. Woolf in her novel A Room of One’s Own House believes if a woman wants to write, she must own a house and enough money to maintain her life.

There is no doubled that economy independence is very important for women. Women should have jobs to earn money to realize their independence in economy. The most important qualification for the emancipation of women is all of them back to their jobs. The way for the women who want to be independent is to own their jobs, meanwhile, their household duties only capture their little time. Here is an interesting thing for women today. A new kind of post-feminist is emerging that would have the suffragettes turning in their graves. They are highly educated, have massive earning potential and were brought up to believe that sexual equality was their right. But the new-conservative housewife has given up her high-status job, grown out her power bob and stays at home with the children and the vacuum cleaner. An American writer, Danielle Crittenden, is a champion for this reinvented breed of homemaker in her new book Amamda Bright@ Home. Crittenden’s novel started as a hugely popular fictional column in The Wall Street Journal. The protagonist Amanda, a sassy, middle-class Washington mother who has given up her job to look after her two young children, struck a chord with thousands in the same position. Amanda misses the status and the beige suits that went with her job and struggles chaotically, like a grown-up Bridget Jones, with shopping and household chores. Ultimately, however, Critttenden’s theory on staying home has put her at the top of the feminist’s hate list. Betty Friedan says Crittenden is an anti-woman.

Setting out in Amamda Bright @Home Crittenden writes “Her grandmother’s World War Two generation had embraced motherhood and rejected careers, her mother’s postwar generation rejected motherhood and embraced careers. And Amanda’s?” This is Amamda’s bewilderment, also is all modern women’s perplexity. Crittenden helps Amamda choose back to home. But according to a recent poll on the site showed that only a few women favored back to home but a large minority would like to work.

C. Freedom of Thoughts

When women can reject the unfair imagines given by religion to work to get their independence in economy, they are able to have their thoughts free.

Discussing women’s social value, we should concern about, under the control of Patriarchy, the freedom thoughts of women’s are also controlled. Women are forced to think in the way of men’s value. The most different between human beings and animals is human beings can think. Because of human thoughts, we can own the scientific, artistic and culture’s achievements. Freedom thoughts are the most essential impulse to the development of human civilization. The most brutal punishment to human beings are not thrown into the prison, but forbid people to think with their own minds. In 1791, French bourgeoisie announced Declaration of Rights of the Citizens. The eleven item of this declaration had clearly ruled: Freely convey ideas and opinions is one of humankind’s most precious rights.

Therefore, Freedom thoughts cannot and should not be given up. When a person gives up his/her freedom of thoughts, which also means he/she gives up his/her value and the dignity. Women’s thoughts should not always submit their husband and their kids or how to please the men. Women should know what they really want to do .If they want to write, just go ahead. Why they must sacrifice much of time to care about their husbands and kids? Why they must feel sorry when they use some time to do their own things?

D. Getting Rid of Patriarchy

In 1791, French women leader Olympe De Gouges published the famous Declaration on the Right of Female Citizen, which awaked women’s self-awareness. But under the patriarchy culture, women’s self-awareness becomes a tragedy. In order to get rid of the “object” position, women fight for their social value again and again. They want to live equally with men in the gender world, and own freedom thoughts. Feminist’s purpose will arouse the Revolution of society and culture. It is a long a way to go and a difficult mission to complete.

Conclusion

Through the analysis of the tragedy of the confused Mathlide, this paper points out Mathlide’s tragedy doesn’t come from her lost love from Julien, but her obscure women self-awareness has filed. Mathilde’s tragedy is a tragedy of whole women history. To trace back history, women have been despised because of their inferior social positions. In the developing of the human history, women have suffered a lot. Now, women are beginning to be aware of their existence in society. However, their traditional values make them more confused. Such as either to be a good house wife stay at home or go out to work.

In the view of traditional values, how to please men and to be their substitutes is an important thing for women to do. In that way, women couldn’t be equal with men in their thoughts and status. However, women’s positions are not innate, but defined by the patriarchy society.

This paper has tried to find out some ways to show women’s social values.

Feminist’s purpose is to improve the self-awareness of most of women. In the strong patriarchy society, feminists strive to struggle for their rights.

Women should reject the unfair images given by religion to win their independence in economy and go out patriarchy. Those efforts can help them get rid of the terrible inferiority which is imposed by men, and be independence individual living in society.

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