分析“曼斯菲尔德的孝女” Analyze Mansfield’s‘the Daughters of the late colonel’
In order to answer the question, it is necessary to analyze how the writer describe the pair of sisters’ grief after the death of their father, under the patriarchal culture, the situation of women has a serious problem on suppressing a aspect of women to seek self-identity, .in corresponds to the novel there are symbols of this kind of image of ‘suppress’. From the ‘stick’, ’the close drawer’, ‘watch’ and the ‘father room’ and other imagery, it is conceivable in the male community, these objects of man means women’s prison . At the same time people can get a glimpse under the influence of patriarchal culture, female feels lonely and hope been destroyed. However, it can also be noticed that the ‘sea’, ‘moon’ and ‘music’ can represent hope symbolic image for women.
First of all, for the sisters, there are symbols of the authority of his father, on behalf of the a long time repressive influence form their father. Among these symbols, ‘stick’ is a symbol of the darkness of patriarchal power, whenever the colonel feels not happy or impatient, he will slam the ground by his stick. Hence the sounds will hit the sisters’ heart deeply and left them an indelible impression. ‘watch’ means the sisters’ weak character, it always associated with the time. However, elusive for the sisters. The novel described that Constantia and Josephine decided to send their father’s watch to nephew, shows that the sisters have no concept of time, even after their father’s death, they had never wish to get the time (or opportunity of life) from their father’s hand. Then ‘mouse’ shows the sisters’ economic dependency. Through a serious of pressure suppression the writer describe the sisters’ burst dream, and shows that the sisters will live under the shadow from their father forever. The author described that when Constantia saw the foraging rats, her heart melts with compassion , what a pool little thing, if it can find a remaining cookies leaving in the make up stage should be fine. In fact, the sisters are victim like the rat who have to rely on others.
Secondly, in the last part of the novel, when Constantia and Josephine heard the organ music floated out of the windows , they were used to bounce up to close the window, so as not to disturb their father. However, suddenly they aware of this action is no longer necessary because the father had gone. They can go outside to enjoy the piano or the sound continually, here, the music seems to tell them a week since their father ‘s death, it (
www.dxlwwang.com/thesis/ the stick ) will never thump again. The author used the "sea" and "Moon" as symbols of feminine consciousness emerged. " Sea "represents the desire for the freedom of women’s world, The "Moonlight" on behalf of her yearning heart, the soul of the conversion paradise. These symbolic imagery implicitly expressed the sisters desire of freedom and independence.
