Analysis Of Characters In Martin Eden And Jack London's Attitude Towards Women

Martin Eden is one of the representative works of Jack London, a famous American realist and naturalist who is regarded as father of the proletariat literature of America. In the novel, the writer has created a lot of vivid images, among which is Martin Eden, the hero of the book. The creation of this character is so outstanding and successful that he becomes the focus of most of the critics of Martin Eden. They make comments on the development of the personality or the mind of the character. However, most of the other characters, especially the female characters, seem to have been neglected.The author of the thesis argues that, although Martin Eden is obviously the chief character of the novel, the development of this character is closely linked with the other characters, especially with the female characters. Unilateral points of view, or even misunderstanding of the book, are likely to occur if we analyse the hero without exploring those characters around him. Therefore, if we analyse the book from the angle of feminist criticism, the study field of the book can be broadened and readers of the book will have a more complete understanding of it.The thesis explores the book from the feminist perspective, and a large part of it focuses on the character analysis of the female images in the novel, especially Ruth Morse, the heroine of the story, who is closely related to the hero. In addition, the relationship between the hero and the other female characters, as well as the attitude of the hero towards women, is also analysed in detail. Although there are some positive respects in the hero's attitude towards women, it is, on the whole, quite traditional and conservative. Although he shows great concern and compassion for his lover, his relative and the other women in his life, the way he treats them constantly reflects the hero's thinking of "male supremacy".After that, the thesis analyses the writer's attitude towards women by exploring the writer's experiences as well as his woks. It seems to the author of the thesis that Jack London, like most male writers, ha been greatly limited by his gender when writing Martin Eden, although he does show deep compassion for women oppressed, admiration on women who are kind and stout-hearted, and attack and satire on women who are hypocritical and timid. In the novel, the writer has created the ideal images of women in his mind: pretty, tender, virtuous, and ready to devote herself to the one she loves. In themeantime, the writer attacks ruthlessly those females whom he is objected to. Besides, his expectation of women, like that of the hero, is traditional and laggard. The range of these female characters' activity is generally confined within love, marriage and family. Their roles are just lover, wife and mother. According to Jack London, the career of a woman is to take care of the family, of her husband and children. The writer seldom talks about women's career in society, even if he occasionally does so, it is, to the woman, a way of making a living instead of a career.Based on the above analysis, the thesis finally arrives at the conclusion that Jack London, as a male writer, has been greatly influenced and limited by his gender. His works, as well as his own thoughts, reflect the conservative and laggard aspects of the writer's attitude towards women.