Changing Life, Unchanging Fate

them is the masterpiece of Joyce Carol Oates, who is famous for her prolificacy and different writing techniques. In her works, city, violence and naturalism are always the focus of the critics. In recent years, people begin to analyze her works in different theoretical frames, such as psychoanalysis, feminist criticism, etc. She is not a feminist writer, but she creates too many women images in her works, which are realistic and vivid and deeply impress readers. In her novel them, Oates describes many women images. This thesis, based on the novel, analyzes the women images in the theoretical frame of Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, and indicates that women are not born to be women. They are greatly influenced by many factors during their growth. Their life is changing with their growth, but their fate of being women never changes.This thesis includes an introduction, four chapters and a conclusion. The introduction offers the literature review of the study on Joyce Carol Oates'them. It also briefly presents the author's life story, her childhood and days she spent in Detroit, which inspire her writing. This part also touches the introduction of the characters and plots of the novel them.Chapter One generally combs feminist theory with its focus on Beauvoir's feminist ideas in her The Second Sex.Chapter Two analyzes the childhood of the two generations Loretta and her elder daughter Maureen in them.Chapter Three mainly deals with such women images as Loretta, Maureen, Betty----Loretta's younger daughter and Nadine—the girlfriend of Maureen's elder brother Jules in their adolescence.Chapter Four carefully interprets the adulthood of Loretta, Maureen, Nadine and Loretta's mother Mrs. Botsford, especially all kinds of tastes after their marriage.The last chapter analyzes the old age of Loretta and her mother-in-law Mama Wendell. Both of them are lonely because they have no husband, no sons and daughters around them to depend on, nor do they have a career to pursue their independence.In conclusion, the thesis reiterates the topic of the study—women are not born to be women. Their life is changing with their growth. However, in the patriarchal society, their fate as women cannot be changed. They always regard men as their only protectors no matter how deeply they are hurt by men. The pioneers of them sacrifice a lot to seek their own freedom and life. However, the result is also being an appendant of man. This is an inrooted social problem and cultural phenomenon. Nowadays, women have gained some rights and franchise, but their situation has not being changed a lot. Men and women should get together to focus on this issue and work hard on it.