Spiritual Confusion And Identity Crisis

Doris Lessing (1919—), one of the most prominent and energetic writers in contemporary English literature, appeals to a large reading public all over the world with her prolific writing of various thematic exploration, distinctive perspectives and creative experiments in narration. Her masterpiece, The Golden Notebook, is generally considered a "bible"for feminism. Lessing claims never to have embraced feminism, yet, as a writer with realistic inclination, most of her works concentrate on women's lives and fortunes --one of the fundamental motifs in literature. In her works, women's spiritual confusion and identity crisis, particularly their anxiety, depression, frustration, fear and despair, are well displayed in general and in detail. For her extensive coverage of women's problems, Lessing is regarded as one of the most prominent representatives of feminist writers. The present thesis concentrates on some of Lessing's works, such as The Grass Is Singing, Martha Quest, A Proper Marriage, The Summer Before the Dark, and the short story "To Room Nineteen", for a thematic study. The heroines are examined and analyzed with reference to their lives, characteristics, environment, destiny, strife and struggle, setbacks and misfortunes, and even the tragic end, aiming to interpret the significance in ideology, sociology and culture reflected in these characters. The thesis is made up of four parts. In Introduction, the first part, a brief survey is done on Lessing's life and experience, her writing, the themes in her works, the significance of her works and her influence on literature. Chapter Two introduces the major content of feminism, the development and changes of feminist movement, and feminist literary criticism --taken as a theoretical support for the analysis. In Chapter Three, the heroines in the above-mentioned works are studied in the perspectives of Marxist feminist criticism and psychoanalysis, concentrating on the environmental impact on their lives internally and externally, their psychological confusion and identity crisis, their responses to the society and struggle against the dominant establishment, trying to demonstrate their painful efforts in acquiring self-consciousness, seeking self identity, and making self salvation. In Conclusion, a category of the heroines is provided and accordingly, an inquiry is done into the causes of women's destiny and a solution is proposed in light of feminist theory. It is held that women's liberation can not be realized by claiming one or two equalities in rights between men and women but by changing the patriarchal culture.