An Analysis of Female Characters in The Handmaid's Tale from the Perspective of Feminism_英语论文

摘要

电视剧《使女的故事》是改编自加拿大作家玛格丽特·阿特伍德的小说，讲述了一个反乌托邦的故事。主要讲述未来世界遭遇严重污染，人口出生率骤降，美国部分地区经历血腥革命后建立了男性极权社会Gilead，当权者实行一夫多妻制，女性被当作国有财产，有生育能力的女性称为使女，被迫作为统治阶级的生育工具。 本文通过从女性主义角度解读剧中的女性形象，分析探讨剧中代表角色的反抗和觉醒，深化人们对《使女的故事》中人物的认知，使人们更深入地了解《使女的故事》这部作品深刻的女性主义思想，从而可以更进一步的挖掘该剧的艺术特点与深层主题意蕴和文学价值。

关键词：《使女的故事》   女性主义  经济独立  反抗

Abstract

The Handmaid's Tale is TV series adapted from the novel of the same name written by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, telling a story of dystopia. It mainly talks about the serious pollution in the future world, and the birth rate has plummeted. After the bloody revolution in some parts of the United States, the male totalitarian society Gilead was established. The authorities in power practice polygamy, women are regarded as state-owned property, and women with fertility and served as reproductive tools are called Handmaids. By interpreting the female images in the TV series from the perspective of feminism, this paper analyzes and discusses the resistance and awakening of the representative characters in the TV series, deepens people's cognition of the characters in The Handmaid's Tale and enables people to understand the feminism thoughts more deeply in The Handmaid's Tale. Therefore, the artistic characteristics of the TV series and the deep topical meaning and literary value can be further explored.

Key words：The Handmaid’s Tale  Feminism  Economic independence  Resistance

Contents

Chapter One  Introduction 1

1.1  A Brief Introduction to Margaret Atwood 1

1.2  A Brief Introduction to The Handmaid's Tale 2

1.3  Purpose of the Thesis 4

1.4  Structure of the Thesis 5

Chapter Two  Literature Review 6

2.1  Previous Studies on The Handmaid's Tale Abroad 6

2.2  Previous Studies on The Handmaid's Tale at Home 7

2.3  Summary 9

Chapter Three  Theoretical Framework 10

3.1  Development of Feminism 10

3.2  Simone de Beauvoir's Feminism Theory 12

3.2.1 Beauvoir's "Other" Thought 12

3.2.2 Beauvoir's Ways to Get Rid of "Other" Thought 14

Chapter Four  Analysis of Female Characters in The Handmaid's Tale from the Perspective of Beauvoir's Feminism 17

4.1  Introduction on June Osborne, Serena Joy and Moira 17

4.2  Analysis on June Osborne, Serena Joy and Moira Based on Beauvoi's Feminism Theory 19

4.2.1 Characters Analysis from the Perspective of Economic Independence and Social Status. 19

4.2.2 Characters Analysis from the Perspective of Independence in Love 22

4.2.3 Characters Analysis from the Perspective of Achieving Mature Personality. 23

4.3  Summary 28

Chapter Five  Conclusion 29

5.1  Major Findings 29

5.2  Limitations And Suggestions for Future Study 30

Bibliography

Acknowledgments