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History is made up of incidents, so it is with the life of a human being. “All the world's a stage and all the men and women are merely players” said Shakespeare four hundred years ago. In this sense, the relationship between men and women is one of the major factors that decide the quality of life. Tolstoy once said “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” As one of the protagonists on the stage of life, the female play various roles. Some are dependent upon others, some are independent, and some are tamed and gentle while some others are rebellious and rude. So which kind is much happier? Of course, that’s just depends.
This feeling is strengthened after I have finished reading The Moon and Sixpence, written by William Somerset Maugham. It tells a story about a great painter Charles Strickland. He is a bourgeois city gent whose dull exterior conceals the soul of a genius. Compulsive and impassioned, he abandons his home, wife, and children to devote himself slavishly to painting. In a tiny studio in Paris, he fills canvas after canvas, refusing to sell or even exhibit his work. Beset by poverty, sickness, and his own intransigent, unscrupulous nature, he drifts to Tahiti, where, even after being blinded by leprosy, he produces some of his most extraordinary works of art. Apart from his uneven life, what impressed me most is the three major female characters who at the same time are the wives or lover of the protagonist. Their happiness may attribute to the distinct personalities which are the products of their own nature and the social background.
Now that we are talking about women, it is necessary to mention a literary theory here, that is, feminism. Feminism is an intellectual, philosophical and political movement aimed at equal rights and legal protection for women which has been in existence for nearly a century. Various movements, theories, and philosophies that concerned with the issues of gender difference, women’s rights and the advocate equality for women are involved. The feminists first fight for women’s rights, then for the campaign for legal and social equality. As these movements move on, women’s social status has been improved gradually, especially in the developed areas. In this novel, the three women belong to different countries and different economic backgrounds. As a result, their state of right-awareness may differ from each other.
Before I express my opinion on the three women, I would like to give a brief introduction of the protagonist Strictkland first. The archetype is one of the representatives of French impressionism called Paul Gauguin (1848-1923). Strictkland is neither handsome nor humorous, but he seems to be very attractive to women while he himself shows little interest in them. He may be considered as an alien in the modern society. During his first forty years, nothing abnormal is observed. At the very age of forty, he suddenly abandons his happy family and goes to France. To my surprise he does not even show any shame about what he has done. In England and France, he is just the square peg in the round hole. Then he is forced to leave for Tahiti where a primitive tribe inhabits. He has no friends, no sympathy nor love for others, no gratefulness for those who help him. Everything seems to be nothingness to him. No one is more single-minded than him, and no one is less self-conscious. It is just amazing that he reaches such mastery over his art as he ever acquired. Therefore, being associated with such a strange man, these three women attract my attention fast through out the reading. Next, I’ll talk about them one by one.
Mrs. Strickland is his first wife. She is a woman of character. The house and the children are well-attended; parties are held regularly to keep in touch with the nobles; the relationship with the neighbors is well-kept. Day by day she establishes her reputation as an able woman. Once being asked “Why do nice women won’t marry nice men?”, she replied, “Because nice men won’t marry nice woman.” That is a wise answer and indicates her intelligence as well. When Mr. Strickland goes away, she shows much concern about her own reputation rather than her husband’s conditions. From this point of view, we can tell that she does not know Mr. Strickland very well, or she wouldn’t have suspected his unfaithfulness. On the other hand, she takes an upper hand over her husband in all these years. Small wonder Mr. Strickland leaves her despite of so many years’ marriage and the comfortable home. I cannot deny that Mr. Strickland leaves her out of many other reasons, but this is an indispensable cause. At first, on thought of the woman that Mr. Strickland elopes away with, she decides that she will never divorce him. Then knowing that he leaves for France on his own, she gets that off her chest and plucks up to begin a new life. Supposing Mr. Strickland elopes with a bar girl, the life of Mrs. Strickland would have changed completely. Having made a success many years later, the lapse of time does not wipe out her vindictiveness at all. Still she says, “He might have been died.” We may have a conclusion that the independent woman will never forgive any assault or hurt.
According to the discussion above, Mrs. Strickland may be grouped as a liberated modern woman, well-educated, independent, and is able to support the family even without the help of her husband. But unfortunately she is deserted by her husband who is not so excellent. This image is like the woman on the roof under Doris Lessing’s writing. Both are middle-class households and have received good education. If one should say that the family will definitely lose its balance if the wife surpasses the husband in some aspects, I will put up with Robert Browning’s experience as an example. Elizabeth Browning was more famous than him at the beginning, but he loved her and established his own name in the end. The key is not in either part, but in both. In this case, men should improve themselves while woman should be attentive to their husband. Anyhow, it is the mutual love that really counts, not the social status. As for the modern females, they have got equal rights, but the obligations can’t be neglected.
The second is Mr. Strickland’s lover Blanche in France and also the wife of Dirk Stroeve. Dirk is a coward man. Though he has sacrificed a lot for Strickland, he gets nothing in turn but loss of his dearest love. Mrs. Stroeve is afraid of Strickland and predicts that something disastrous will happen if he moves into her house. She gives up the present happiness for the unpredictable future, which leads to her life tragedy eventually. As expected, Mr. Strickland gets tired of her very soon. Committing suicide becomes the only way out under such attack. On her dying, the doctor once said, “Women are constantly trying to commit suicide for love, but they take care not to succeed. It’s generally a gesture to arouse pity or terror in their love.” Of course, that is the doctor’s one-party’s version, at least it is not applicable in Blanche’s case. Faced with two kind of happiness, we can not possess both. As far as I am concerned, wanting is far better than having. Once we obtain it, all the beauty may goes away. This is especially true when it comes to a man.
Generally speaking, Blanche is a half-liberated French woman. She is controlled by the spirit-forged menace and has given love too much importance. Liberated by her former husband, she can not grasp her happiness. As a result, she gets nothing from life itself. This reminds me of Jane in Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austin. She could have pursued her own future as her sister Elizabeth did, but she just did not know what to do when the opportunity came. Then I learn a lesson from this, one should know what he/she needs and whether it is possible, if not, just turn to another direction. Maybe something precious is around the corner. Another lesson is that women who are too eager to love will be hurt at last. What they should do is to ignore some crucial moments and keep cool in crisis. That’s the wisdom of life.
Papeete is his last wife. They get married at Tahiti in the South Pacific, where people are very primitive and the industry is far behind. Papeete is a native in this island. She is too simple-minded to think of being superior to her husband and to dominate his mind. She does everything as been told to do. They live a happy life with two children.
Judging from this, the third one seems to be a popular one for her obedience and tameness. But with the development of the society, such women are becoming fewer and fewer.
Female unbounded are independent at present, but new family problems occur at the same time. In comparison, the traditional females are more tamed and may have fewer family problems. So while we see the bright future forehead, we must notice the shadows afterward. Because every coin has two sides, there is no exception.
All the three women serve for the theme well. Their personalities reflect the protagonist’s by presenting the different relationships with him. Reading this novel is reading a real person’s uneven life. Meanwhile, I have gained some experience and lessons from it. The novel is also about the conflict between genius, personality, and the modern civilization. In some people’s mind, the modern life is a confusion of ridiculous, sordid happenings, and yet it makes men sorrowful to laugh. Dramatic events are staged every day. The modern society provides us with all kinds of convenience. Whether to accept it depends largely on our own heart. Some even can’t distinguish what is suitable for them and are drowned in the stream of life. To follow the suit or to pursue our own interests, that’s really a question. Only very few succeed by choosing the latter. However, it doesn’t mean that only few choose the latter one. Because there are other factors lead to their success. They stand up the test of poverty, keep straight their backbones under great pressure and are still firm in mind from beginning to the end. Since money can not be brought to the grave, leaving a pure space for our own interests seems more important. If we understand this point, the reason Albert Einstein made himself a great scientist out of a staff member is obvious. Every one is unique. Although the whole world is against us, we must keep on striving for our dreams. It is a universally acknowledged truth that God help those who help themselves. In a word, great minds are the followers of the heart not the mouth nor eye.
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发表于 2012-8-29 17:39:43
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