A Study Of The Role Morality Of The Characters In Dickens' Novels

As three representative works of Charles Dickens in different creating periods, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations offer a comprehensive reflection of people's moral outlook of England society in the early and middle Victorian Age. Based on a close reading of the texts, the thesis adopts sociological theories of role and role morality to analyze the role morality of the characters in the novels. Through the study of the moral values of the expectancy role, practical role, and their role maladjustment, the thesis attempts to demonstrate that the characters play different roles and assume different role moralities corresponding to their roles, and in essence the roles of characters are the unity of sociality and individuality.This thesis is composed of four chapters along with an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction as the first part of the thesis introduces the previous achievements in the moral studies on Charles Dickens'works as well as the research purpose, method and significance of this thesis. The first chapter expounds the sociological theories of role, role morality, role classification and role maladjustment in order to lay a solid foundation for the coming research. The second chapter analyzes the expectancy role and practical role of the gentlemen and their role moralities in Dickens'novels to illustrate the unity of sociality and individuality of role. The third chapter analyzes the expectancy role and practical role of the ideal women and their role moralities in Dickens'novels to affirm sociality and individuality as the double attributes of role. The fourth chapter discusses the phenomena of role maladjustment and the corresponding troubles of role morality in the novels. Through the study of the reasons of the problems, it intends to emphasize the importance of integrity of sociality and individuality of role. The conclusion part summarizes the arguments on the moralities of the expectancy role, practical role, insight role and role maladjustment in the previous chapters. It emphasizes that characters assume different roles and role moralities, and further proves that characters'roles are the integrity of sociality and individuality, and the analysis of role morality specifies and deepens the understanding of the characters'morality.