A Study Of The Female Bildungsroman The Summer Before The Dark

As the main writer of world literature and the winner of Nobel Prize, most ofDoris Lessing’s works describe her attention to women’s survival, and describe herthought about women’s fate. In her works, the female consciousness develops fromconfusion to awakening; from passivity to struggling and fighting against. This courseof resistance also reflects Lessing’s own process of female consciousness fromgermination to maturity. The Summer before the Dark is written during Lessing’smiddle age. In this novel Lessing illustrates the hard process of the heroine’sself-examination and initiation with a unique point of view. Using the protagonist’sexperiences and feelings, Lessing explores the spiritual crisis of the middle-agedwomen in British society. Bildungsroman is mainly based on the growth of thecharacter, which focuses on the protagonist’s psychological growth from innocence tomaturity. The author of this thesis attempts to analyze the growth process of theprotagonist in The Summer before the Dark from the perspective of femaleBildungsroman. Growth is an essential stage, as “the other” in patriarchal society,women’s growth is destined to be difficult. The thesis attempts to explore the hardprocess of the protagonist’s growth through the basic plot pattern of theBildungsroman: innocence---departure---ordeals---epiphany, which means the stagesof self-realization. The present author expects further understand of the problems andmental predicaments faced by middle-aged housewife and arouses the whole society to deeply think about how women should live for a meaningful life.There are three chapters in this thesis. The first chapter firstly analyzes theprotagonist’s innocence in the family and the reason for her departure. This innocencemeans the blind worship for the male-dominated society, which is influenced by herfamily tradition leads to losing self in marriage life. Because of the temporary job, theinfluence of social environment and the house which has been rented out by herhusband, the protagonist run away from home in time. The second chapter mainlyanalyzes the ordeals which the protagonist has encountered with. Kate feels confusedin the work, and she fails to challenge male chauvinism, finally she loses selfhoodagain in stereotyped motherhood, as “the other”, women’s growth is destined to behard. The third chapter focuses on the protagonist’s epiphany evoked by solitude, herbreak from the painful past and reconstruction of new identity with Maureen’s help.Epiphany is the indispensable part of the initiation and is significant for theprotagonist’s growth. The reconstruction of new identity means the protagonist’sself-realization, and her real initiation comes true. Through the analysis of theprotagonist’s self-discovery journey, hoping readers can have a better and correctunderstanding of ego, marriage, and responsibility.