The Incomplete Conscious Self-Salvation Of George Eliot And Her Heroines

As a famous realist woman novelist in the Victorian Age, George Eliot has devoted her whole life to her conscious self-salvation in the patriarchal world through her own and her heroines'extraordinary struggles for equality and independence in education, occupation, family and marriage, although it is a pity that they finally compromise by returning home and marriage. This thesis is going to analyze their incomplete conscious self-salvation from the perspective of feminism.Firstly, this thesis analyses George Eliot's and her three heroines' aspiration for equality and independence under the influence of the rising feminism in the Victorian Age. Women's low social status forces them have to depend on men and manage their "natural occupation"—full-time housekeeping, while at the same time they yearn for equality and independence under the influence of the feminism. George Eliot longs for equality and independence in education, occupation, family and marriage, so do her heroines. Dinah Morris thirsts for defending her unconventional occupation—preaching in the male-dominated world; Maggie Tulliver aspires after equal right and independence in education and love in her family mastered by her father and her brother Tom; Dorothea Brooke yearns for the ideal marriage through which she can realize her great ambition—leading a meaningful life through acquiring knowledge and sacrificing for something great.Secondly, in order to implement their aspiration for equality and independence, George Eliot and her three heroines complete their incomplete conscious self-salvation through rebellion and compromise. George Eliot rebelled and compromised in education, occupation, family, marriage. Dinah tries to maintain her vocation, but compromises by giving up preaching after marriage. Maggie does her utmost to prove the same ability in receiving formal education as Tom, but never gets recognition. Her love affairs with Philip Wakem and Stephen Guest come to an end under Tom's repression. They are reconciled when swallowed by the big disastrous flood. Dorothea Brooke persists in marrying Edward Casaubon, a famous scholar, who is about her father's age, to fulfill her great ambition. However, things go contrary to her wishes; he only wants a submissive housewife and disdains to teach her anything. She fails to realize her great ambition in her first marriage. After it, she marries again with Will Ladislaw, Casaubon' nephew, in bemusement by giving up her great ambition, becoming a full-time housewife. The three heroines' struggle for equality and independence often challenges the authority of tradition; nevertheless they compromise under the influence of sexual discrimination and the author's ambivalent view of feminism.Lastly, this thesis analyzes the incompleteness of their conscious self-salvation results from sexual discrimination and the author's ambivalent view of feminism. In the Victorian Age sexual discrimination forced women to compromise. In addition, on the one hand, George Eliot was in favor of women concerning the equality in occupation, education, family and marriage. On the other hand, she endorsed women's submission, renunciation, self-sacrifice and devotion. Her ambivalent view of feminism also influenced her heroines' compromise.From the discussion above, it can be concluded that, as a realist novelist, George Eliot reveals vividly before us women's aspiration for equality and independence, their conscious self-salvation and compromise. The incompleteness of their salvation results from both sexual discrimination and the author's ambivalent view of feminism.