The Theory On The Characters In The Works Of Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton was American realistic writer at the beginning of the 20 th century, her novels are mainly regarded as the transition period of the social conditions in the United States as a background, depicting all levels of people’s living conditions and life choices. This article is mainly about Ethan Frome, The House Of Mirth, The Age Of Innocence as the research object, analyze the living conditions of the main characters in countryside and New York as the presentation. The novels aim to show people’s self-realization in the transforming period of society and the realistic difficulties or spiritual difficulties through their processes of pursuing their own and freedom.Heroines in the works have experienced a lack of self consciousness of being survivors to have self-awareness awakening struggle, and also experienced the processes of pursuing rebel self-awareness which show the living condition and their verfallen, struggle and resistance under the bondage of traditional customs. In the collision between tradition and modern age, men began to show their inner-self choices in the transforming period of society. The tragedy endings of the heroes and heroines foreshadow the struggles between traditions and emerging social rules will not success, and also reflect the author’s own attitude about the identity crisis between New York traditions and the emerging bourgeois society rules, which indicates that the spirit of freedom in America can not be changed.This paper is divided into five parts in total, with preface introducing the writer and her works, as well as the research both at home and abroad and put forward the topic of this article and the topic selection basis In the. first chapter, these three main female characters in the novels – "Ethan Frome " "The House of Mirth " "The Age of Innocence" are explored and discussed their hardships of emotional pursuit journey for different life environment. They all reflect the females’ aspiration to find themselves in the spiritual pursuit of the real meaning of life and their effort on it in reality, even though they end up with leading to different life. Male characters in these novels are discussed in the second chapter. They have different life choices when facing marriage, love and money problem in the transformation of the whole society. The third chapter discusses the individual life status of difficulties in traditional custom in the social transformation. The conclusion part is mainly about the summary and stratification of the whole thesis.In these three novels of Edith Wharton,the characters have reproduced the real society state from different aspects both in the end of 19 th and 20 th century, specifically reflecting the individual survival state in the change of the whole society, in which the characters could not struggle against the powerful social reality and they are also unable to get rid of the fetter the old custom put on them, which leads to fail in this fight. Although Edith Wharton also has no idea about where the individual liberation road will lead to, she sincerely expects that any struggle for freedom could find their own better way out in such social changing process.