A Research On American Anti-Vietnam War Literature From The Perspective Of Feminist Criticism

The Vietnam War(1965-1975),which aroused nationwide anger and resistance throughout the country,was a controversial war in the United States.Since the late 1950 s,the domestic situation in the United States has been turbulent and the civil rights,feminist,and anti-war movements began one after another.The second wave of the American feminist movement had pushed the feminist literature and literary criticism to the climax.Literary creation with the theme of Vietnam War emerged in the1960 s.Among the rich literary achievements,the works of male novelists were the mainstreams of the Vietnam War literature,but little was known regarding female writers.Thus,this dissertation takes the female in marginalized positions on the Vietnam War as the research target,and tries to excavate and explore the covered female roles by an in-depth interpretation of the works of female writers on the subject of anti-Vietnam War.Combining the anti-war works of women writers to refine the views of women writers,it echoes the feminist movement in the target background,exposes the essence of the Vietnam War and American political doctrine.The research revolves with the following questions: What roles did women play in the Vietnam War? What kinds of Vietnam War literature have been created by female writers? How did the historical backgrounds reflect in the views of female writers and their literary works? Are there any enlightening thoughts echoed among those female writers?The main findings of this dissertation are listed as follows:First,we realized that there are many anti-Vietnam War literary works created by women under the interweaving of the feminist and anti-war movements in the United States.Under American patriarchy and hegemonic politics,female writers raised sharp criticism towards gender and racial discrimination.After the end of the Vietnam War,although female literary works have achieved national literary achievements and big social influence,their social attention still could not match that of male writers.Second,though a small proportion of women was involved in the Vietnam War,they still made outstanding contributions to the war.For instance,American women mainly played the role of medical assistance,and saved lives in harsh battlefield conditions like brave soldiers.Vietnamese women defended their homeland and country,and occupied an important position in the Ho Chi Minh trail and guerrilla warfare.Women organizations in these two countries communicated frequently during the war period and resonated under common motherhood,which played a certain role in promoting the end of the war.Third,by in-depth analysis of the female works and comparison with male writers,the dissertation argues that war has always been regarded as an exclusive domain for men,not women.This dualism has plagued the gender differences in American society and it is ultimately due to the dominant ideology and gender structure of American patriarchy.The essence of this social structure is to conquer,then to enhance the the dominant role of the white upper-class males.This dissertation mainly focuses on female writers and their works,and takes four literary works as the targets,including the memoir of Lynda Van Devanter’s Home Before Morning: The Story of an Army Nurse in Vietnam(1983),Bobbie Ann Mason’s novel In Country(1985),Susan Jeffords’ literature review The Remasculinization of America: Gender and the Vietnam War(1989),and a battlefield journalist Gloria Emerson’s Winner and Losers: Battles,Retreats,Gains,Losses,and Ruins from the Vietnam War(1976).By analyzing the Vietnam War and equality of the feminist ideas in American female writers,combining the practical background of the American society and culture,this dissertation tries to untangle the essential question of gender and war,and to highlight the importance of equality and harmony.The main finding of this research is that the preconceived gender structure in the United States is a major obstacle that affects the development of women’s potential.Most of the female roles and literary works were subjected to be covered.However,a lack of attention does not mean no contributions nor achievements.Women in the Vietnam War took the initiative to break the gender-based conventions,and actively explored and echoed from the war on women values.Under the influence of the second wave of the feminist movement,the numbers and identities of American women on the battlefield have changed significantly compared to the wars before,and the social status of the domestic women had undergone major changes during this historical period.Although the American patriarchy experienced a period of shakes under the aftermath of the defeat,it finally returned to the social essence of patriarchal capitalism,and women’s rights movement would be continued.From the perspective of feminist literary criticism,combining with the cultural background of the second feminist movement,the dissertation explores the marginalized characters and works.It has a certain innovative significance in exploring the feminist views embodied in the works of female writers,and researching the thinking dimensions of feminism in literary practices.In addition,this dissertation systematically studies the relationship between war and women from the perspectives of history,culture,society,etc.,combines with feminist criticism theory to explore the hidden social gender issues behind the Vietnam War,it would show the historical and ethical values.Meanwhile,the research also has a certain practical significance in promoting gender equality and international peace.