| Doris Lessing (1919--) is considered the greatest English woman writer after Virginia Woolf. She is of extreme prolificacy in writing which lasts over half a century since she began her literary career. The Grass Is Singing is Lessing's maiden work and made her famous as soon as it was published in 1950 in London. The novel laid sound foundation for her long writing life. It depicts the protagonist Mary's transitory life journey from sorrowful and painful childhood to poverty-stricken and spirit-splitting married life and finally being killed by her black servant Moses. The themes span post colonial issues, individual and collectives, the depression that the female suffers from patriarchal privilege, gender problems, psychological schizophrenia and relationship between human and nature etc.The scholars abroad and at home have studied The Grass Is Singing from multi-perspectives by employing various literary theories and achieved penetrating exploration of the work, including feminism, post colonialism, eco-feminism, psycho analysis, the deconstruction of binary opposition, and Jacque Lacan's mirror theory perspective. The present thesis examines the protagonist Mary's character by applying alienation theory, involving the ways that Mary is alienated, revealing the causes of her alienation and finally revealing that Mary achieves recognition of self after she fights against alienation in virtue of various factors.The thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter briefly introduces Doris Lessing and the studies both abroad and at home regarding The Grass Is Singing. It also includes the methodology, purpose, and significance of the present research. The following three chapters comprise the main body of the thesis. The last chapter is the conclusion of the thesis.The second chapter analyzes Mary's alienated behavior. The life that Mary has been leading is a kind of self-isolated one, resisting sincere communication with other people and remaining very lonely. Due to the deep-boned abhorrence to marriage, she is apathetic toward family and love, although she is married. The most serious alienation Mary suffers from is that she is not wiling to accept the humanity of the black people. However, Mary breaks into pieces in mind when the sharp contrast appears between the resuscitation of instinct and reality, relapsing into abyss with despair and losing her true nature. The third chapter reveals the causes of Mary's alienation. Moreover, the patriarchal oppression induces illusion for Mary, since she put all the hope of prosperity on her husband Dick no matter how incompetent he is. Furthermore Mary internalizes the colonial ideology, so she violates her human nature and finally loses self and is spirit-splitting. Third, the community imposes discipline which consolidates Mary's patriarchal and colonialist ideology.The fourth chapter focuses on a series of fights that Mary fights against alienation. Discerning the inability of her husband Dick and his fatal shortcoming, Mary determines to liberate herself out of the patriarchal prison to enjoy free new life, although she fails at last. When Moses as Mary's houseboy lives with her, she perceives Moses's noble spirit and is fascinated by his masculine beauty and as a result her love is awakened. At the end of her life, forced by the colonial discipline, Mary abjects Moses and betrays her real will once again. On the eve of her death, Mary shakes off her numb mood and begins to reflect on herself for the first time. After disillusionments, Mary experiences de-alienation and realizes restoration of humanity.The last chapter summarizes Mary's long distressing and hopeless struggle against alienation. The development of Mary's character reveals the English colonists'experience and sufferings in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). From the female perspective of Mary, Lessing penetrates and exposes how colonial and patriarchal ideological violence robs and damages humanity and brings tragedy. Taking on her responsibility as a serious and upright writer, Lessing urges the readers to make retrospection of the society in which Mary suffers bitterly, and delivers her ultimate care for human beings, so this novel validates the recognition of her Nobel award as,"that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilization to scrutiny".
|
PDF Full Text Request