A Study Of Women’ S Marginalization In The Golden Notebook

Doris Lessing is one of the most influential female writers in the history of English literature,and she also occupies an important position in the world literature.In 2007,Lessing’s novel The Golden Notebook won the Nobel Prize in Literature for“writing an epic of female experience”.Not only that,Lessing’s masterpiece has also been used as an independent textbook for women by millions of people around the world.Lessing boldly exposed the sensitive issues between race and gender;Moreover,she truly reflected the inequality and conflicts between colonists and African colonies,as well as between men and women.Lessing expressed her concern about the living conditions of marginalized women in society through The Golden Notebook,and hoped that through her work,she could call on people to protect and respect marginalized blacks,women,and the weak.This article analyzes the marginalization plight faced by women in The Golden Notebook from the perspective of marginal people.Combining the character and experience of the characters in the novel,this article will make a specific analysis of the marginalization of Anna and Marion in different aspects.The main body of this article is divided into four chapters.The first chapter mainly analyzes the marginalization dilemma faced by the protagonist Anna as an independent woman in politics,the relationship between the sexes and in writing.The second chapter uses the theory of marginal people to analyze the three dilemmas faced by “marginal women” Marion.Unlike Anna,as a representative of traditional housewives in The Golden Notebook,she is under the management and oppression of her husband.However,male oppression and restraint are not the only form of traditional female marginalization.As a mother,the attitude of Marion’s children towards her also exacerbated her marginalization.Finally,under traditional education,Marion never think of awakening her self-awareness or changing her traditional concept of identity.The lack of self-awareness and the combined effect of identity has completely pushed traditional women to the edge.Based on the analysis of the above two chapters,Chapter 3 mainly analyzes the reasons for the marginalization of the “new woman” Anna and the traditional woman Marion.First of all,the capitalist patriarchal society in which Anna and Marion live is the main external cause of their marginalization.At the same time,there are other internal reasons,that is: the conflict between Anna’s thoughts and era and the influence of Marion’s femininity.The fourth chapter of the main body of this article analyzes how Anna regains her self-confidence and moves toward inner integration and unity,and how Marion successfully break through herself and become a true “free woman”,and propose that the necessity of women pursuing freedom and realizing women’ s liberation in a patriarchal society.This leads to the conclusion that if women want to get rid of the predicament of marginalization,even in a patriarchal society,they must bravely pursue freedom as well as establish their own independence and subjectivity.In fact,if it is possible to achieve true harmony and mutual respect between the sexes,then it is only a matter of time before the establishment of a harmonious society with equality between men and women.