Abstract The Grass Is Singing is written by Doris Lessing, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2007. Published in 1950, it is Lessing’s first novel. The heroine of the novel, Mary Turner, is oppressed and trampled all her life , but her brave rebellion and the indomitable spirit shown during the process deserve to be praised. Based on close reading, this paper focuses on the rebellion of Mary Turner as well as the result of it, and tries to explore the personal and social significance of the rebellion.43819
Mary Turner’s living predicaments are also the reasons for her rebellion.Under the oppression of the patriarchal system, Mary Turner’s low social position makes it hard for her to get rid of men’s control, she unavoidably becoming the belonging of men; racial discrimination restrains her from loving Moses and her final violating against it brings the fear that gradually destroys her. Faced with these predicaments, Mary rebels bravely. Not to repeat her mother’s tragedy, she sticks to her true self and avoids marriage; to live back the previous carefree life, she, regardless of gossips, runs away from the farm; to fill the emotional blanks caused by the emptiness and loneliness of marriage, she develops a human relationship with her black servant Moses. It is Mary’s rebellion that shows the most glorious side of her human nature.
In the end, Mary’s rebellion becomes a shame of the white civilization and never thoroughly saves Mary from her predicaments, indicating the failure of her rebellion. While looking into the causes of Mary’s failure, we will find that it is caused both by the social factor and the personal one: the unshakable social systems and her own submission to the irrational social rules. But it is worth pointing out that Mary’s rebellion has its personal and social meanings. Personally, the process of Mary’s rebellion is also the process of her self-inpiduation. Socially, for one thing, it strikes the irrational social systems; for another, it betrays the fatal weakness of the white civilization. However strict the social rules are, they cannot defeat human nature. By the analysis on Mary Turner’s rebellion and its significance, this paper aims to specify the direction for any woman rebelling in similar predicaments. That is only thorough rebellion may lead to success.
Key words: The Grass Is Singing Doris Lessing predicaments rebellion
摘要《野草在歌唱》出版于1950年，是2007年诺贝尔文学奖得主多丽丝·莱辛的处女作。小说女主人公玛丽·特纳虽一生饱受压迫、任人践踏，她在困境中如野草般拼死反抗、顽强不屈的精神却令人称颂。本文在文本细读的基础上，着眼于女主人公玛丽·特纳在困境中的反抗及其反抗的结果，试图探究玛丽·特纳反抗的个人及社会意义。
玛丽·特纳的生存困境正是她反抗的原因。父权制度压迫下玛丽低下的社会地位使她难以挣脱男性的控制，不可避免地沦为男人的附属品；种族歧视限制了她对真爱摩西的追求，违背种族歧视制度带来的恐惧又使她惶惶不安，内心逐渐崩溃。面对这些困境，玛丽·特纳进行了勇敢的反抗优尔^文`论*文-网www.youerw.com。为了避免重演母亲的悲剧，她遵从本心，逃避婚姻；为了回到婚前无忧无虑的城市生活，她抛开世俗的眼光，逃离农场；为了填补寂寞空虚的婚姻生活中情感生活的空白，她甚至与黑人男仆摩西发生暧昧关系。玛丽的种种反抗正是她人性中最光辉一面的体现。
最终，玛丽的反抗成为白人社会的耻辱，也无法帮助玛丽真正摆脱困境。这预示着玛丽反抗的失败。探究其反抗失败的原因，主要有两大方面，即不可动摇的社会制度和玛丽本人对不合理社会制度的屈从。但值得指出的是，玛丽的反抗虽失败，却有着它的个人和社会意义。就玛丽个人而言，她的反抗之路也是她不断寻求自我之路；就社会而言，一方面，玛丽的反抗虽无法推翻根深蒂固的社会制度，却在一定程度上对其造成了冲击，另一方面，她的反抗也暴露了“白人文明”的致命弱点——再严格的制度也无法压制人的本性。最后，本文通过对玛丽·特纳反抗及其意义的分析，旨在为同处困境中的女性的反抗指明方向——反抗唯有彻底才有可能成功。 《野草在歌唱》 玛丽·特纳演唱:http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_44854.html