An Analyze Of Women’s Way Of Living In Runaway

Runaway is a later work of Canadian writer Alice Munro, which includes eight stories and tells six women’s self-exploration by "runaway". Each story is not just parallels but has a process of growth from self-deception, anxiety, self-construction to ideal existence, which manifests women’s various way of living. Munro’s judgments about the protagonists’ way of living is hide in the text and sub-text, by this, she responds the Canadian critical views about existence and expresses her identical views.Until now, this subject has not been fully discussed. So this essay attempts to discuss the text in detail, to probe the protagonists’ way of living and the book’s intertexuality with other classic novels as well as Canadian critical views, in order to explore Munro’s identical views about existence.The introduction briefly presents the work Runaway and summarizes the previous researches on all of Munro’s works and Runaway both in China and Other countries.The thesis of this essay and the research methodology are also presented.The first chapter mainly introduces Munro’s views about existence and discusses the relationship between Runaway’s Runaway theme and female writing tradition, survival theme and Canadian critical views about survival, existence theme and Existentialism, thus makes a conclusion that Runaway is a special book that suits to probe Munro’s views about existence.The second chapter analyzes the characters Carla, Robin as well as their archetypes scapegoat and Hedda Gabler, concludes that they are in a state of self-deception.Munro denies their way of living by implying that Carla is killed and Robin commits suicide.The third chapter analyzes the protagonists Grace, Lauren and their archetypes, presents they are in a state of anxiety. Munro thinks they have sober minds and get many possibilities in the future.The fourth chapter talks about Juliet and her archetype Venus. Juliet’s way of living is approved by Munro, but Munro also notes the dilemmas of this way, because it affects other people’s social morality and faith.The fifth chapter explores the doubly archetypes behind the protagonist Nancy----Dante and Beatrice. Nancy succeed to make a balance between self-construction and taking responsibilities given by others. She also has a androgynous mind which has no prejudice and a gift of writing. Nancy’s way of living is ideal in Munro’s mind.The last chapter makes a conclusion that Munro denies self-deception and says farewell to Atwood’s victim way of living. Nancy’s way of living combines the feature of "victim" and "self-construction", which is an ideal way of living approved by Munro. This way reflects Munro’s identical views about existence.