Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to all those who helped me during the writing of this thesis.
My profound gratitude first goes to Associate Prof., my supervisor, for her constant guidance and encouragement in the process of my writing. She has walked me through all the stage of the writing of this thesis. Without her help this thesis could not reach its present form.31037
Second, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the teachers who have ever taught me throughout my college years, especially Dr. Cheng Qinghua, whose teaching of the British and American Literature course has inspired me a great deal. I am also very grateful to all other teachers of the School of Foreign Languages who taught me and helped me in the past 4 years.
I am also grateful to my classmates and roommates for their encouragement, support, comments and wise advice. My thanks are also extended to my beloved family for their loving considerations.
Abstract
Canada’s short story writer Alice Munro is generally regarded the most influential novelist in the world for her nuanced portrayal of ordinary women. This thesis selects a story of her short stories collection Runaway, which describes a woman’s life under the control of patriarchal society. Because of a prolonged oppression, the protagonist intends to realize her self-liberation by escape, a process which stands for the growth of female consciousness. At the same time, it also justifies Munro’s viewpoint: women need to recognize their social value and realize self aspiration. Munro’s novel is about ordinary people’s daily life. Indeed, the heroine of it is sensitive, intelligent and full of trouble in her spiritual life. This thesis deeply analyzes the heroine’s self-consciousness and the process of her growth. In the male centered society, the scene that men and women live in harmony, and have equal rights in all respects is always a distant myth. Under the oppression of patriarchal order, women make great endeavor to establish consciousness of female subject to get rid of their tragic fate. The novel gives a keen and genuine description of women’s hesitation and helplessness, and reveals contemporary women’s deep understanding of life.

This thesis approaches the development of female consciousness from the feminist perspective. It includes three parts: each part is based on the analysis of the heroine’s behavior and psychology which can reflect where the heroine is on the development of female consciousness. The awakening and development of female consciousness are not achieved overnight. On the contrary, it is a slow process, which is influenced by environment, family, and all kinds of figures, and every factor plays an indispensable role in the formation of female consciousness.

The research of this paper shows that female consciousness is the inner motivation for women’s pursuit of independence. It is a dynamic process for  the awakening, exploration and establishment of female consciousness. The ultimate significance of feminism can be obtained in the modern gender harmony.
Key Words: Female consciousness, Feminism, Alice Munro, Runaway
摘要
加拿大短篇小说家爱丽丝门罗以其对普通女性细致入微的描写被称为世界上最有影响力的小说家之一。本文挑选了她短篇小说集中的一个故事，描写了在男权社会统治下的女性生活。因为长期处于压迫状态，女性想通过逃离来实现自我解脱，这是一个女性意识成长的过程。同时也表现了门罗的主张：女性需要认清自我的社会价值并且实现自我诉求。门罗的小说写的是常人俗事，女主角敏感、聪颖、精神生活充满烦恼。本文深入地分析了故事中女主人公的女性意识从觉醒到成长的过程。在以男性为中心的社会里,男女和谐共处、女人得到自由与平等的权利总是个遥不可及的神话。女人在这种男权秩序的压迫下,做了各种各样的努力,试图确立女性的主体意识,摆脱她们的悲惨命运。小说细致地刻画了平凡女性面临选择时的彷徨与无助，揭示了当代女性对人生的深刻认识。 从女性主义角度看爱丽丝门罗的《逃离》:http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_27055.html