An Existentialist Feminist Interpretation Of The Heroine Kitty In The Painted Veil

William Somerset Maugham is a famous novelist and playwright, renowned both at home and abroad. Maugham who is known as the “Charles Dickens in modern British” writes a lot of works in his life, which make great contributions in various literary fields. His works are famous for their clear unadorned styles and a shrewd understanding of human nature. Some works of Maugham set the background in the Orient, representing love, marriage and colonial domination under the conflicts between eastern and western civilization, including Travelogue on a Chinese Screen, The Painted Veil and East of Suez. The Painted Veil is the most popular work to readers among his numerous works, which has been translated into many languages, and even has been shown on the silver screen. Based on the creation background of China in the 1920 s, the novel represents the emotional and moral conflicts and sharp irony of human nature, and is known as the classic of female spiritual awakening.This thesis aims to apply the existentialist feminist theory of Simone de Beauvoir to analyze the heroine Kitty in The painted Veil and to elaborate the underlying causes of Kitty’s status as the Other and her efforts during the process of getting rid of otherness. The thesis consists of six parts. The introduction part makes a brief introduction of William Somerset Maugham and his novel The painted veil as well as the general researches at home and abroad. Chapter One is the theoretical foundation giving brief information of the development of Existentialist Feminism and its main contents: female survival situation, the Other, free choice and responsibility. The next three chapters elaborate the process of Kitty’s changes from the Other to the Self according to the above mentioned three main contents. Chapter Two mainly analyzes the gender division, family pattern and marriage system in the British society at the beginning of twentieth century, then discusses Kitty’s survival predicament. Chapter Three expounds Kitty’s transformation from the Other to the Self during the process of pursuing freedom. Under the double oppression of social doctrine and mother, Kitty is forced to play the role of the Other. With the awakening of her female consciousness, Kitty begins to revolt the shackles of traditional female roles in the patriarchal society as well as the bondage of loveless marriage gradually. Kitty’s service in the convent makes her rethink the kinship and love and realizes the meaning of female existence. Chapter Four presents Kitty’s choices to get rid of the Other status in the construction of self-identity, including women’s desires and the choice between life and death, furthermore, it explores the relationship between choice and responsibility.The Conclusion part gives an overall summary of the thesis. After experiencing numerous tribulations, Kitty grows into a strong woman who pursues freedom and independence. Thus concludes that women have the ability to refuse the traditional roles defined by the patriarchal society, and become free and independent female subjectivity. Therefore, by applying the Existentialist Feminism to interpret the novel, it not only helps us comprehend the novel fully and broaden the views of the researches on The Painted Veil but also arouses our concern on female issues.