The Female Internalization Of Patriarchal Ideology In Tess Of The D'Urbervilles And Jude The Obscure

As two of Thomas Hardy's most renowned works, Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure have always drawn enormous attention of both academic critics and common readers for various reasons. One of the focuses of these two novels is laid on the heroines that win applause for their unconventional character but at the same time both end up in tragedies. Previous critics would tend to attribute their tragedies to the external causes such as the environmental factors, while literally, these women's internalization of patriarchal ideology plays a much more important role in determining their own fates.The purpose of this thesis is to make a detailed investigation of the impact of patriarchal influence on women so as to obtain a better understanding of the hidden oppressive function of patriarchal ideology. Form a comprehensive research of the three heroines Arabella, Tess, and Sue; the reader can perceive the concealed techniques employed by the patriarchy in controlling women's mind. My efforts are to prove that through the impact of the prevailing patriarchal influence in gender identity, sexuality and marriage, women would easily become men's subjects. In most cases, women who obey the patriarchal laws can lead a much better life than women with rebellious spirits, for such behavior is greatly encouraged in a patriarchal society. But women of this kind could never gain independence from men. Theories or thoughts are chiefly driven from feminism, gay theory and psychoanalysis.