An Interpretation Of The Blind Assassin In Gothic Feminism

Margaret. Atwood, known as “the Queen of Canadian Literature”, is one of the women writers in Canada. She is a productive writer, so far 14 collections of poems, 11 full-length novels, 5 short stories and 3 literary reviews have been published. Several novels of Atwood are very famous, such as The Edible Woman, Cat’s Eye, Oryx and Crake, The Blind Assassin and so on. The Blind Assassin which won the British Booker Prize in 2000 is one of her most popular novels.The Blind Assassin is well-analyzed by critics and scholars from various perspectives, such as intertextuality, narrative structure and female consciousness and so on. However, it is a new attempt to study the novel systematically from the angle of the Gothic feminism. This thesis aims to bring a new point on the understanding of Atwood’s novel from the perspective of the Gothic feminism. The heroines of the novel The Blind Assassin, they make a frightening journey from the outside world to their own interiors, they also confront another danger: the cruel oppression of the men in their lives.The thesis is divided into four chapters, except for the introduction and conclusion. In the introduction part, it illustrates the life and achievements of Atwood and her works in brief. At the same time, this part also presents current researches’ situation on Atwood’s works and its research value at home and abroad, This thesis also presents the academic research value and the unique interpretation of the text of The Blind Assassin, in order to prove the great significance and value of the research on her creative narrative structure and vivid purposes.The first chapter is mainly about theoretical narration which includes the Gothic theory, the Female Gothic theory. This chapter also introduces the history and features of the Gothic theory and the Female Gothic theory in brief.The second chapter, the elements of the female Gothic in The Blind Assassin is discussed from the aspects of female Gothic. The novel takes some traditional Gothic patterns to express female themes and women aspiration. This chapter aims to analyze these settings and images such as the horrific atmosphere, spooky castle to highlight the subjugation of women. It also reveals female consciousness of rebellion and women expectations by analyzing those supernatural elements such as the invisible left hand and fuzzy shadow.One of Atwood’s themes of this novel is related in the third chapter. It narrates the bitter experiences and intensely oppression of the female in patriarchal society. Atwood described this novel with the female Gothic aspects in order to tell readers that women suffered all kinds of oppression and insults. Meanwhile, she also focused on women miserable situation at that time.The fourth chapter is mainly about the awakening and resistance of the female characters in The Blind Assassin. The adverse circumstance of life and society destroys and distorts human’s body and personality. Female characters aware and resist the patriarchal society in their thinking and behavior. All of these phenomenons present women independence and strong will after experiencing all kinds of bitter experiences.Atwood is not only an excellent genius in literary writing, but also a creative ideologist in contemporary works. With a widespread and open horizon, Atwood pursues to write a multi-angle production with high research value. Margaret Atwood’s writing of the female Gothic novel The Blind Assassin has aided in constructing a mode that can shape the terrors presented in women’s life with the assuring and organizing logic of genre writing.