Submission,Internalization And Compromise:Women And Patriarchy In Three Lives

Gertrude Stein(1874-1946)is an outstanding American novelist,poet,dramatist,theorist and collector.Stein is committed to literary creation,and her bold experiments in the field of literature make her a giant in modernist literature.Because of her special growth environment and life experience,Stein expresses great concern for women in her first novel Three Lives.With simple but profound narration,Stein successfully shapes three ordinary but representative females oppressed by patriarchy.Based on Beauvoir's theory of "the Other",this thesis explores the three women's different reactions towards patriarchal oppression-submission,internalization and compromise,and further analyzes the deep reasons behind their choices.Through analysis,the author reaches the conclusion that:there is no shortcut for women to seek real liberation.Under the circumstance that women are both materially and spiritually controlled by men as the "second sex",Stein proposes that it is possible for women to achieve self-liberation if they can form a sister union to help each other to get rid of the bondage of femininity,and to maintain the integrity of female subjectivity and economic independence.The thesis consists of four parts.The first chapter includes the introduction to Gertrude Stein and Three Lives,the domestic and foreign reviews on the studies of Three Lives,an overview of Beauvoir's theory of "the Other",and the structural arrangement of the dissertation.The second chapter analyzes different reactions of the three tragic women in face of patriarchal oppression.The obedient Lena succumbs to the identity of "the Other" as an aphasic daughter and the slave of marriage;the conservative Anna completely internalizes the "Other" identity as "an angel in the house" and the patriarchal defender;the indecisive Melanctha bravely pursues herself,but finally makes compromises to the "Other" identity because of emotional bondage.The third chapter analyzes the deep reasons for three women's marginalization as the Other.As Beauvoir puts it,the fundamental reasons for women's becoming of the second sex are firstly the oppression of patriarchal culture and secondly some women's internalization of traditional patriarchal values.Under the patriarchal culture,on the one hand women are economically dependent on men because of the division of labor and gender discrimination;on the other hand,women are deprived of their subjectivity due to restrictions from femininity.Women's spiritual and material reliance on men can lead to their marginalization both in family and society.In addition,on the first half of the twentieth century and time before that,the American society was dominated by the patriarchal culture,within which women were scattered among men,which may not only lead to the vulnerability of sister union,but also can weaken the force of female solidarity and further aggravates the degree of women's otherness.The fourth chapter summarizes the main content of the thesis.The three women's experience of being marginalized as the Other under the control of the patriarchal culture provides a reliable way for women to seek liberation.In the light of Beauvoir's theory of "the Other",this thesis analyzes the tragic fate of three ordinary women at the bottom of society and reveals the root causes of their miserable destiny.This study is expected to enrich researches on Three Lives at home and abroad as well as to stimulate women's spiritual awakening,to encourage more women to reexamine their own living conditions and work together to achieve their final emancipation.