The Justification Of Women's Existence

In the history of American literature, the female image of Sister Carrie created by Theodore Dreiser has always been a controversial character. Many critics regard Carrie as a "fallen woman", and there are also some critics regard her as a "New Woman". The author's own opinion is also contradicting. In the history of Chinese literature, Jia Pingwa's novel The Defunct Capital encounters the similar circumstances. During the process of publishing, scare buying and forcing out, the birth of The Defunct Capital is full of twists and turns. The female images in this novel is also the most controversial issue in the society. Some critics consider these women are loose in their morals while there are also critics regard them as lifelike and we should look at them with sympathy. After comparing the contradictions of the female images in these two novels, we can't help asking, in the so called equal society, how should woman exist? Or in both societies, eastern and western, how should woman have a better life in the society which is still dominated by man? Through reading the book The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir, we will try to make a comparison between Sister Carrie and The Defunct Capital. From narcissist to the woman in love and the independent woman, we will analyze Carrie and Liu Yue's various states of existence and try to reinterpret the female images in the two works. At the same time, we find that, in the comparison, although both Carrie and Liu Yue exist in the society at the object position, Carrie is independent in her love feelings, while Liu Yue has always been attached to man. This shows that the traditionalChinese patriarchic culture has been deep-rooted in Jia Pingwa's life, and this also shows Chinese women's incapability to surpass the patriarchic culture. We will make an explanation to the authors' contradictory view of female images through the feminist way, and try to find out the justification of woman's existence.