On The Ethical Identity And Ethical Selection Of Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair is a masterpiece of William Makepeace Thackeray who is a famous novelist in Victorian England.It tells a story of the protagonist Rebecca Sharp who uses all her skills and tricks in order to enter the upper class.Given the historical context of “the innocence of Rebecca Sharp”,the thesis tries to decode Becky's ethical identity and ethical choice based on ethical literary criticism of Nie Zhenzhao.The thesis aims to probe into the change of Becky's spiritual world in order to excavate the ethical teaching of this novel.The thesis makes an analysis upon the identity confusions of Rebecca and argues that the predicament in ethical environment and ethical identities awake the animal factors in her.As a consequence,she finally submits to the animal factor and develops a radical opinion upon money and fame.The predicament of ethical environment is embodied in the fact that she can't achieve her life goals in the Victorian class hierarchy and patriarchy.The chaos of her ethical identities is mainly embodied in her predicament of the identity as a daughter,a friend,a wife.Her radical opinion upon money is embodied in the fact that she surrenders to her animal factors and attributes all her mistakes and miseries to poverty.Meanwhile,this thesis also mainly discusses three ethical selections which Rebecca makes under her human factors,namely she helps her friend Amelia get rid of emotional charges at the cost of her own reputation;she supports her husband Rawdon in finance and psychology;her complicated feelings towards her son makes him to be a real gentleman.In a word,the moral innocence of this character should be determined by both her human factors and animal factors rather than be understood partially.The struggles between human factors and animal factors make the character of Becky so vivid and attractive in literature.In light of the analysis of the ethical identity and ethical selection of Rebecca in Vanity Fair,this novel contributes not only to providing warnings in the relationship of man and others,but the harmonious himself and vanity.Until now,in the era of various kinds of values,it is still instructive to the development of one's mentality and morality.