On The Hemingway's Viewpoint Of Women

Ernest Hemingway, the spokesman for the "Lost Generation", was written into the annals of history for his outstanding contributions to the development of American literature. However, his attitude towards women and his viewpoint of women has been the focus in the field of commentary. Quite a lot of critics regard him as a male power principle for his loathing women, but many scholars think that he was a man of feminine consciousness who supported the women's movement and sympathized the misery of women. The essay made a systematical and careful analysis of the women figures in Hemingway's works whose female can be divided into three kinds: the pitiful one, the ideal one and the competitive one. By analyzing his female figures and his time and experience, the author can make a more fair and objective research of Hemingway's complicated and contradictory viewpoint of women.During his time Hemingway saw the deterioration of the patriarchy culture and the growing-up of women rights, so he sympathized the women who were repressed and discriminated, supported women to gain their rights to be independent, to get education and to take part in election. He also respected and admired those women who were independent, brave, strong and gifted. However, he was a writer of strongly masculine character and immaterially influenced by, just like other men in the society, the patriarchy culture. The independence of women he had advocated was limited by the men and it should not threaten the dominant position of the men. Because of his own parochial masculine viewpoint, Hemingway limited his care and thinking for the living conditions, feelings and values. Formed by the influence of the then cultural background and life experience, his contradictory viewpoint of women had a tremendous influence on his life and artistic creation.