Foxfire: Confessions Of A Girl Gang, A Female Initiation Story

Theory of female initiation story is now a popular methodology in literary field. Joyce Carol Oates's Foxfire:Confessions of a Girl Gang, as a representative of female initiation stories, provides a perfect text for the study of this theory, for its concern about obstacles and solutions to female initiation. This thesis attempts to interpret Oates's Foxfire:Confessions of a Girl Gang through the approach of female initiation story.This thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter One introduces the humiliation and discrimination that girls endure in the patriarchy society, and the resistance and revenge triggered at the same time. In terms of three essential elements of an initiation story (initiation protagonist, initiation companies, initiation rituals), the stage of establishment during a girl's initiation journey is going to be analyzed. Chapter Two discusses the second stage-stage of epiphany, analyzing the initiation guides, initiation isolation and initiation epiphany in Foxfire. Under the influence of initiation guides, the initiation protagonist encounters obstacles, conquers difficulties and then becomes stronger and smarter after epiphany. In Chapter Three financial problems that girls encounter are concerned. Besides, relationships between male and female, female themselves, and the rich and the poor are going to be tackled with, for every one plays a significant role in a girl's life. Last but not the least, according to the open ending of Foxfire, we can expect a mature woman warrior, independent and respectable.Applying theory of female initiation story to the study of this story provides readers a chance to have a view of Oates's concern with female initiation. Foxfire now and then reveals the pursuit of female initiation story theory, women's independence and dignity.