Maudie Fowler's Predicament

Doris Lessing(1919-2013)is one of the most influential writers in Britain.In2007,Lessing was awarded Nobel Prize in literature.Her representative works include The Golden Notebook,Children of Violence,and The Grass is Singing.In1982,Lessing published The Diary of a Good Neighbour under the pseudonym Jane Somers.This novel is regarded as an important work which marks Lessing's return to realism.Written in the form of diary,it displays the relationship and interaction between middle-aged woman Jane Somers and old-aged woman Maudie Fowler,and reveals the harsh reality faced by the old people.Based on the shame theory of contemporary psychologist Gershen Kaufman,this thesis analyzes The Diary of a Good Neighbour,explores Maudie's psychology and probes into sources of her shame in order to cast light on the predicament of old people in modern society.Besides “Introduction” and “Conclusion,” there are three chapters devoted to the textual analysis from the perspectives of personal living condition,interpersonal relationships,and social culture.The introduction starts with the contemporary aging phenomenon and combines it with Lessing's reflection on old age.After the literature review which foregrounds the research gap,the thesis summarizes the recent development of shame theory which constitutes the framework for this research,and briefly outlines the thesis structure.The first chapter focuses on Maudie's personal living condition,and analyzes the direct sources of her shame.Because of the lack of family support and her choice to give up career development after the marriage,Maudie is caught in poverty in her old age.The sharp contrast of financial conditions between Maudie and Jane leads to Maudie's feeling of shame.At the same time,due to Maudie's deteriorating health condition,she has to rely on others in her daily life,which indicates the loss of her independence and dignity.Also,the shadow of death coming along with aging leadsto Maudie's compliance with the other people's arrangement.In the fight against death,she is tortured by the sense of powerlessness and failure.The second chapter examines Maudie's shame from the perspective of her interpersonal relationships.Maudie seeks identification in her friendship with Jane,but her needs are never fulfilled.She desires for acceptance by her family but is always abandoned.In her relationship with doctors and social workers,Maudie as an old woman is frequently negated.Defective relationships block Maudie's need for equal communication and identification,and lead to a diminished self in Maudie which generates shame.The third chapter explores the invisible bias against the aged in light of the contemporary social culture.In success-driven culture,the elder like Maudie are not welcomed because of their old age and labour incapability.They are devalued and regarded as burden of society.And in a youth-dominated society,people like Maudie are segregated and banished in terms of welfare policy and living space.They are deprived of right to speak and participate.At the same time,because of the fear of aging and discrimination against the aged,people tend to neglect the existence of the elder and make them an invisible group.The gerontophobia culture strengthens Maudie's shame.Based on the detailed analysis,the thesis points out that Maudie's shame comes from not only her personal living condition,but also attitudes of people around her.Ageism as well as discrimination against the elder in the success-driven,youth-oriented society is also an important source of her shame.Helping the aged like Maudie out of the plight and removing their sense of shame require not only sufficient social supports,strengthened interpersonal and intergenerational connections,but also a dramatic change in our perception about the old age.