Keep The Heart Unwrinkled

The plight of the aged, for so long neglected, has recently come to be regarded as a major social problem all over the world. The proportion of the aged members is increasing in most of the countries of the world after the improvements of the living level and the health-care standard. The problem of aging population is attracting more attentions.The aged have always been neglected. They are offered a sick role-the role of the infirm person who has outlived his or her usefulness to society. Quite a number of the elderly not only suffer from the illness and poverty, but also face the ignorance, prejudice and loneliness. Few people know their plight and request. This kind of social problem has been improved a lot since 1980s, and more and more people start to realize the plight of the aged. Apart from the sociologists and gerontologists, there are also a lot of literary writers who are deeply concerned in the fate of the elderly, and Doris Lessing is one of the representatives.Doris Lessing has been a renowned and talented British novelist. Her works has a profound influence not only in Britain but also in the whole world. Her books have been translated into various languages and have been worldly known. Having won numerous prizes all over the world, she also has been nominated for Literary Nobel Prize for many years. Her works has deep and lasting influence on both the old and the young.Though the novel The Diaries of Jane Somers which combined with The Diaries of a Good Neighbour and If the Old Could is not the most outstanding works among her famous books, it has also been regarded as an important book coming back to Realism during the latter period her creation. The readers sense Doris Lessing's deep and special concern for the humanity. Her concern for the humanity forms the framework of the three chapters of this thesis.The first chapter mainly analyzes the plight of the aged faces such as thehealth problems, the economic problems and loneliness. Unlike the elders in a traditional society, the British aged can no longer lay automatic claim on their kin for support and social participation. On the contrary, they are more likely to have to try not to be a "nuisance" to they now independent adult offspring.2 Maudie is an old woman whom Janna, the protagonist meets in a chemist's shop. She is proud and strong-willed though she lives in poverty. It's hard to find the real friendship in the rich and fast-developing society. On the surface, the chasm between the two women is enormous, Janna: elegant, pushy, middle-aged career woman; Maudie: slow, old, troublesome and needy. But an extraordinary relationship between them grows from this chance encounter and they change each other's life. It is a big mock at the contemporary society. Lessing always tries to find some merits on the humanity though it is hard to find them in reality.The second chapter presents several youngsters' different characters, ambitions and their attitudes toward life. Young people are the hope and future of the world. They are less willing to accept the values of the society unquestionably than the youngsters in the past. They are more concerned with self-fulfillment and preserving personal privacy than youth were then3. Lessing depicts several different young people in this book. We have a clear idea of the younger generation's characteristics. If there is any word that fits the present youngsters, it might be " anxious." Young people are eager to do well in school, to get started on careers, to lend a hand in solving the country's problems. But they are also filled with anxiety, fearing that they won't be given a chance to show their talents.The third chapter discusses the intergenerational relationships and influences among the three generations. Being obsessed with her work, Janna has taken her husband and mother for granted all the time. Only after their death does she realizes her ignorance and indifference to them. After the chance encounter in the chemist's shop, Janna and Maudie become friends. The relatioship between them is more like kinship. In some way, Janna takes Maudie as a mother and Maudie also finds her long-lost lovefrom Janna. Her relationship with Maudie exposes Janna to many aspects of herself that have previously remained buried and leads her to look with fresh eyes at our society's callous disregard for the loneliness, deprivation and suffering of the old.Janna's two nieces Jill and Kate are the typical representatives of the two kinds of young people. Jill is smart, considerate and ambitious. She works hard and takes Janna as her model. Janna sees her younger self on Jill. On the contrary, Kate isolates herself from the real world with alcohol and music. She wishes to be as excellent as Jill while she is too self-indulgent to work hard. She is anxious to get the help from her senior adults but she is unwilling to show it. Janna tries to save Kate but in vain. Lessing gives the readers confidence at the end of the book.. Kate has been taken care by Janna's colleague Hannah. We see hope from Kate's letter to Janna.The relationship between two generations is both ordinary and delicate. The old need support from their offspring and the society, and the most important thing is that they should face the reality of the declining health and mentality that will come sooner or later in a reasonable way. They should not live in memories, in regrets for the good old days, or in sadness about friends who are dead. Their thoughts must be directed to the future, and to things in which there is something to be done. The younger generation is ambitious, energetic and fearless, and they are eager to do well. They still need the directions of their adults though it is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe, and because mistakes are an essential part of education.