| Doris Lessing is one of the most important writers in contemporary British literature,known as “the greatest female writer after Woolf”.In 2007,she won the Nobel Prize for literature.The Summer Before the Dark is also Lessing’s work with great research significance,which is called the best novel after Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude by The New York Times.The novel mainly tells,the 45-years-old heroine,Kate’s self-actualization process before the end of summer through her journey of reality and dream.At the same time,she also has a new understanding of herself,marriage,responsibility and so on.This thesis mainly adopts Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory to analyze Kate’s self-actualization process in The Summer Before the Dark.It mainly includes three parts:introduction,body and conclusion.The first part is the introduction,which briefly introduces the contents of The Summer Before the Dark and the literary contribution and status of the author Doris Lessing.Later,it presents the research status of The Summer Before the Dark at home and abroad.The second part is main body.It is divided into three chapters.Chapter one uses the basic value needs to analyze the initial stage of Kate’s self-actualization journey from the physiological needs and safety needs,and concludes the precursor of Kate’s self-awareness awakening,which is mainly reflected in Kate’s needs for physical desire and her redefinition of the need for stable life.Chapter two uses developmental value needs to analyze Kate’s journey of self-seeking from the esteem needs,love and belonging needs.Then concludes that Kate’s journey of self-seeking is doomed to be a result of multiple twists and turns.It also highlights that the growth of women is more tortuous and difficult.Chapter three analyzes the self-actualization journey of the heroine Kate based on the theoretical basis of the self-actualization needs of problem-solving and accepting the reality.Kate’s self-reconstruction means that Kate really knows herself and then achieves self-actualization.The third part concludes the whole thesis,points out the research significance,and offers the conclusions of Kate’s transformation from self-lost,self-seeking to self-actualization.Through the analysis of Kate’s self-lost,self-search and self-actualization in The Summer Before the Dark,the thesis hopes that readers can get a better understanding of self,marriage and social responsibility,and point out the direction for the development of modern women’s self-awareness,self-actualization and personality balance,and arouse people’s awareness of women in marriage,better understanding and attention of internal needs.Based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory,the thesis analyzes Kate’s psychological state,development motivation and self-actualization needs in different periods,in order to improve the growth theme of The Summer Before the Dark. |
