Fascination Of Male Power Consciousness-Analysis Of Characters Of The TV Series "Living In A Snail's Shell" At The Socio-Gender Angle

The conception of Social Gender was first mentioned by Joan.Scott in 1970s. It is used to expound and prove that social gender is constructed by social culture. Louis Althusser, a structuralistic Maxist from France, once said, gender consciousness was not a natural born. It was constructed by the special history and culutre,especially by Male Power Culture,which held a leading post in history for long. The views of Essencialism that the difference between sexes was natural were just a seeming legalization of ideology.TV programs, as a kind of Mass Medium, possess the function of constructing social gender. The collective characteristics and pattern of behavior of men and women in TV reflect the power relationship between them and the values male chauvinist society. Essentially speaking, male power consciousness, as a hidden and potential social collecdtive unconsciousness is the key factor which influences the Characterization of programs.TV series, the important part of TV programs, inevitably take use of dominanti consciousness to construct meanings and models when representing gender images. In the course, the deep psychological influence of patriarchy-centered culture was unadvoidable. In fact, the portrals in TV plays don't demonstrate but the real feature of men and women's lives and affect the gender recognization and behavior of audience.The deviation of screen images often includes several facets, as follows:1. Deviation of gender temperament and gender relations. Successful men on screen are often marked with patriarchal male consciousness, such as strong, decisive, ambitious, holding responsible for earning money for family, and detaching housework. While popular females are usually beautiful, soft and gentle, obedient and dependent. If there are persons not consistent with respective gender features, they will be smeared in the series.2. materialize female. Women are materialized as gusets of beauty appreciation and consuming objects. TV cameras always focus on women's bodies, which are considered as symbols of desire, so as to attract audience's attention. Women are not subject any more. They are taken used as a measure in purusing high ratings and commercial values.3. Distortion of females' values. In TV series, women always immerse themeselves in pursuit of love, fashion and joy. They put too much attention to outapperence such as looks, age and figure. They are narcissistic,or self-abased, depending on whether they looks beautiful and admired by men.4. Advocation of patriarchal male cousciousness. Women are considered ascorporal possession of men. Women should respect their husbands and would like to sacrifice themselves for husbands. In gender relationships, women are demanded absolutly pure. Chastity means everything to women.5. Men's degradation must be caused by some promiscuous weomen. In a male-centered society, men would never be self-indulgent and they must be lured by some bad women. Although as a matter of fact, women are just projection of men's desire, they have to be accountable. Moreover, men would punish those women by the hands of some other women who defend Male Chauvinism.In this paper, the analysis of Living in a Snail's Shell will be lauched from those five facets aboved. In the first part, the construction of patriarchal male temperament will be discussed. Siming Song, the hero, characterized as a representative of success, is a typical man traditonally.The second part focus on women temperament and gender stereotype. Haiping, Haizao,and Song's wife are forged with stereotype normed by male power consciousness. Men often like weaker women, such as Haizao and mother such as Song's wife. Although Haiping was capable and contributed much to her family, she was uglized in the story.In the third part, the relationship between female and material, female and comsumption, and women's body are focused. In this play, women are considered as men's corporal possession. Women's satisfaction is closely related to materials. The outcome of this TV series will be discussed in the fourth part. Haizao, the Pandora, blamed for causing Song's indulgence by his wife, was at last severely punished.The concluding part will explain the negative influence on audience transmitted by the play, basing on the knowledge of medium communication and medium construction. I hope by this paper, the disseminators and others will pay more attention to gender equality.