An Analysis Of Winnie’s Tragic Fate In The Secret Agent From The Perspective Of Spatial Theory

Joseph Conrad is a pioneer of the British modernist novel and his works shock people’s hearts with their tragic qualities.The Secret Agent,officially published in 1907,is not only one of the first two spy novels in the modern history of European and American literature,but also Conrad’s only novel set in London.It tells the story of the Verlock family falling apart because of the failure of a special mission.Scholars at home and abroad have interpreted it from different points of view,including ethics,narrative and other perspectives.However,few scholars have studied it from the perspective of spatial theory.Therefore,this thesis uses the spatial theory to analyze the tragic fate of the main female character in The Secret Agent.It aims to arouse people’s understanding and care for the female tragic character by interpreting the novel from the perspective of spatial theory.This thesis is divided into three parts: Introduction,main body and conclusion.The introduction expounds the basis of this thesis and summarizes the research status of Conrad’s The Secret Agent both at home and abroad.It also briefly introduces the spatial theory and then raises the purpose and meaning of this thesis.The body of the thesis is divided into three chapters.The first chapter mainly reveals the connection between physical space and Winnie’s tragic fate.Physical space is an objective space,carrying the material activities of characters and affects people’s mind and manner.The first section mainly reveals the influence of family space on Winnie.The dullness and depression of the family space continue to destroy her inner world,she becomes obedient,numb and eventually loses her enthusiasm for life.The second section mainly reveals the influence of public space on Winnie.Under the shackles of patriarchal concepts,excessive dependence on men eventually leads her to lose the subjectivity and independence in the personal activities.Finally,she chooses to end her life.The second chapter mainly reveals the connection between social space and Winnie’s tragic fate.Social space is the product of social activities,composed of various relationships and has a significant impact on material objects.The first section mainly reveals the impact of the original family on Winnie.She chooses to sacrifice her own happiness and freedom in exchange for the recognition her families and a stable life,which is because of the improper family education and the lack of families’ affection.The second section mainly reveals the impact of the marital relationship on Winnie.The indifferent and tedious married life and the distorted martial relationship make her lose her expectation of future life and live in a muddle.The third section mainly reveals the influence of the lover’s betrayal on Winnie.She is supposed to start a new life after escaping from the tedious marriage.However,she loses everything under the betrayal of her lover.In the end,the disintegration of social relations makes her lose the will to live.The third chapter mainly reveals the connection between mental space and Winnie’s tragic fate.Mental space is a relatively stable emotional state occupied by human beings,constructing a suitable mental space can promote individuals to adapt and integrate into the surrounding environment better.There is always a struggle between freedom and reality in her inner world.The first section reveals the effect of the conflict between freedom and family ethics on Winnie.Under the dominance of free will,she has never been able to accept her husband completely in her marriage while the shackle of family ethics forces her to rely on him.Eventually,she resolves the conflict in such an extreme way as killing her husband.The second section mainly introduces the effect of the conflict between patriarchal ideas and freedom on Winnie.Her dependence on patriarchy eventually frustrates her desire for freedom,what she could do is to obtain eternal spiritual freedom through the extreme means of death.The conclusion summarizes the research results and points out the influence of space in shaping the tragic fate of characters.At the same time,it points out the research significance of this thesis.In the contemporary era where remarkable results have been achieved in building a harmonious society,contradictions and conflicts between the sexes are still widespread.On this basis,it is particularly important to build a harmonious sexual relationship.