| Alice Walker, a famous black writer, makes great contribution to the world womanism literature. Her womanism not only encourages black women to fight against sexual and racial oppression, but drives white women to pursuit independence and freedom. The Color Purple is just the embodiment of her womanism theory. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in1982and the National Book Award in1983, which is the first novel by African-American women to win this award.Li Ang is the famous writer of Chinese womanism movement. Being called "the rebellious woman", she is a controversial women in Taiwan literature. The Butcher s Wife was published in1983, which reveals woman’s tragedy and reflects women’s miserable condition. Being her masterpiece, the novel discusses the inequality of genders in patriarchal society, and makes us think about women’s problem.On the surface, the two female heroines-Lin Shi and Celie, whose living environment and life situation are different, but they have the same situation-they all live in the patriarchal surrounding and blocking. Although one lives in Lu Cheng of Taiwan and another in the United States, Lin Shi and Celie live in the male centered patriarchy society. Their life is full of oppression and hardship. In the same age, being representatives of women who are repressed, they have similar confrontation, but different endings. From the perspectives of Marxist Feminism and Modern Feminism, this thesis attempts to explore their experience from awakening to rebellion, and find their difference as well as causes for their different destinies. Through the analysis of their different awakening road, we can understand the importance of gender harmony and the instructive significance for modern women.This thesis consists of five parts. The introduction is made up of the brief introduction of Alice Walker and Li Ang and two novels, literature review at home and aboard, the brief description about womanism, Marxist Feminism, and Modern Feminism. Chapter One presents us the same sufferings and different destinies about the heroines. Chapter Two digs the deep root about the contrast from the angle of social trend, exterior assistance, economical reason and individual reason. Marxist Feminism explains the economical reason. Based on the above chapters, Chapter Three discusses Modern Feminism and its instructive meaning to modern women and calls for modern women to live in a harmonious way with men. The conclusion part concludes the purpose of this thesis that is women should live harmoniously with men, and also points out the key meaning of harmony to both genders. And it also tries to correct the misunderstanding that feminism aims at provoking fighting between genders. |
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