The Process Of Kate's Self-Development

Doris Lessing is one of the most influential writers in Britain.She kept writing all her life and was prolific.With her unique and varied writing styles,profound thoughts and keen insight,she had a global reputation.As a female writer,Lessing was particularly concerned about the living circumstances of women.The female bildungsroman The Summer Before the Dark,published in 1973,tells the story of how a housewife who is suffering a mid-life crisis,after leaving home,discovers the absence of self through recollection,then explores self and understands the real self and finally returns home.In this thesis,the heroine's process of self-development will be analyzed from the perspective of Sufism.The full text is composed of six parts.The introductory part includes four sections: a brief introduction of Doris Lessing and her novel The Summer Before the Dark,Shah's Sufism and four important concepts which will be employed to interpret the four stages of Kate's self-development,literature review,and a short introduction of the research significance and research methods of the thesis.Part two is the first stage of Kate's self-development,knowing the commanding self.The socially-constructed false personalities that Kate displays only bring pressure to her family and herself.Thus begins the process of self-exploration of the crises-overwhelmed Kate,which will be analyzed in part three.Part four analyzes how Kate understands her real self.Lessing offers Kate guidance through tale-like dreams.The dreams imply that as a traditional woman oppressed by patriarchy,Kate is bound to return home.Part five is about return.Kate realizes that what she cares most is still family,and the real self and the commanding self harmoniously coexist finally.Part six summarizes the whole process of Kate's self-development.Kate eventually realizes her self in a mild way,conveying the author's intention: to inspire people to use intuition properly,to pay attention to their real selves but not to break away from reality.