A Comparative Study Between Gertrude And Qiqiao In The Patriarchal Society

Both English author David Herbert Lawrence (1885-1930) and Chinese authoress Zhang Ailing (1920-1995) were awarded worldfame. They have focused on women's status of survival and had unique depiction of women's psychology. Sons and Lovers and The Golden Cangue as their masterpieces respectively have received widespread popularity among the readers. However, few researchers make equivalent comparison between the two heroines of the novels—Gertrude and Cao Qiqiao respectively. In spite of the two heroines from different cultural backgrounds——-Gertrude from the Occident whearas Cao Qiqiao from the Orient, yet they share the same spiritual essence. By depicting the two heroines'many resemblances and analyzing the two heroines, Gertrude and Cao Qiqiao from the feminist perspectives, this thesis has attempted to explore their different cultural vestiges embodied in the tranformation process from innocent and romantic girls to abnormal mothers. Furthermore, the conclusion that the evils of the patriarchal society caused the two heroines'tragedies will be driven in a historical and political way.The first part of this thesis will depict that the patriarchal society caused the distortion of the two heroines and accordingly the unfortunate marriages in that kind of society should be responsible for human nature's distortion and abnormality. Then by comparing and analyzing the transformation of the two heroines from innocent and romantic girls to abnormal mothers, different cultural vestiges will be displayed. Disobedient though they were, they ended up with failure and became the victims of the patriarchal society. Thus different cultural vestiges accompanied their distortion, that is, Gertrude's bigoted narcissism embodied in controlling her son's spirits and Cao Qiqiao's abusing others in abnormal possession of money. Three main reasons underlie the vestiges, the first one due to the two heroines'different social surroundings, the second one due to Lawrence's and Zhang Ailing's different growth environments and experiences and the third one due to Lawrence's and Zhang Ailing's different feminist points of view. Hereby Gertrude's and Cao Qiqiao's tragedies have revealed that one of the measures for social civilization and progress lies in the women's liberation degree and the gender equality not only lies in political and economic position but also in personalities and spirits which mean women must have self-esteem and independence to cultivate psychologically independent personalities.Gertrude and Cao Qiqiao are two artistic figues in two different cultural traditions, yet in the patriarchal society both confronted similar survival dilemma. Only by breaking the patriarchal social structures and promoting the equal position of women in the politics, economics and other fields can the harmonious relationship between two sexes be achieved and the road for women's liberation movement be paved.