Analysis Of The Female Characters In D.H.Lawrence's Novels From The Feminist Perspective

This thesis is an attempt at textual analysis of Lawrence's novels from the feminist perspective. Key terms on feminism such as "gender politics", "patriarchy" and "otherness" are adopted as the guiding theories to frame the work. And the most important consulting source comes from two great works on feminist criticism: one is The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, and the other is Sexual Politics by Kate Millet. The general view goes like this: our society is a male-dominated world and women suffer from male-dominance in both domestic life and social life. Hence the term patriarchy. Feminists hold that gender politics is the customary rule and also a historical problem in the world which consists of men and women. Women may be biologically weak, but it does not mean they are psychologically or culturally fragile. Thus sex and gender are different concepts. The former is a biological word while the later is a psychological and cultural one. It is men who attach the mark of weakness and inferiority to women and see themselves as superior. Women are subordinate, an object to satisfy men's needs; as objective as natural things, they are the "other" to men. In feminists' eyes, even the Great Bible is the doctrine of male supremacy.The thesis focuses on the main female characters in Lawrence's eleven fictional works and tries to classify them into different categories of image. Concentrating on their fate and their own attitude and choice, it attempts a new study on Lawrence.Generally speaking, the female images in the thesis are victims, intellectuals and pilgrims. Firstly, women are victims in Lawrence's works like The White Peacock, Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, The Lost Girl, and Aaron's Rod. In this category, the author tries to show that there are some failures in domestic life such as Lettie, who is criticized for the tragic marriage of both her own and George's. Mrs Morel, whose ending of life is not in proportion with what she devoted to the family during her life either, thus adding to the victimized circle. Women's role in the patriarchal society is that of the housewife. In Sons and Lovers, all the three women related to the male protagonist are actually confined to the domestic work and service to men. Mrs Morel seems like a chamberlaine of her husband. Miriam falls into the waitress role in the sense of always preparing for the men's needs in daily life. Clara is pitiable too because she falls from a radical feminist to a submissive lover. In The Rainbow, the female protagonists of the first two generations-Lydia and Anna are described as playing no role but that of wife and mother in the family, living like baby-sitters. The Lost Girl also shows a girl's being lost from a maternity nurse to a housewife. Still, Aaron's wife, Lottie can do nothing but stay at home as a concierge after Aaron's leave without saying goodbye. Women's victimization is also embodied in their symbol as the destructive force. Mrs Morel seems to be responsible for Paul's failure in love and marriage while Lottie, Aaron's wife, Aaron's escape from family life.Secondly, there is a kind of positive image in the novels too, such as the sisters in Women in Love, and Connie in Lady Chatterley's Lover. All of them are intellectuals; they not only get liberation from the dull house chore, but also successful in marriage. Their common characteristic is the experience of education although they grow in different family background. They do not accept the role of a housewife, but go out by using their academic knowledge. In choosing a husband, they prefer an equal relationship between two sexes based on true love. In fact they change women's historical status of otherness and transform it into a reciprocal one in marriage.The last image the author explores is a bold one since it's difficult to associate pilgrim with feminism. The image of various gods should be taken into consideration. According to feminist criticism, the image of God is a male Almighty, and Genesis story also confirms the female subordination to males by recording Eve's birth from one strong rib of Adam. Other gods, no matter a Christian one or pagan ones, are also the representatives of male power. They give women a hope of eternity, a future promising land, or a free world full of peace. Miriam's puritan spirit can be found in her total withdrawing from the realistic world to the religious realm; the priestess of Isis is actually an oblation to Jesus Christ; Alvina is attracted by the pagan twilight and feels content in a primitive world; Harriet in Kangaroo finally sets for America-the promising land, with biblical sight in her back view. And lastly, in The Plumed Serpent, the Irish woman Kate chooses to stay in Mexico, following the old gods- Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli.In a word, it is proper to apply feminist criticism to the analysis of Lawrence's women characters. In the so many characters with different names but the same sex-woman, feminists can always find what they want. They are simply the oppressed in the patriarchal world, searching for a way out. Some fail and become victims of the society; some succeed through constant strife to become stronger; also there is a way to escape from reality-to worship some super-power without knowing the truth-what they follow is just the twisted image of a male character.