Abstract:

Colleen McCullough is a versatile contemporary writer in Australia. She wrote the novel with rich personal experience and many efforts. Her famous family saga The Thorn Birds caused tremendous sensation after publication in 1977. There is not only lavish words about daily life, but also complicated plots. This essay mainly focused on the analysis of Maggie. The reason for shaping Maggie’s character, Maggie’s attitude toward love and marriage, and Maggie’s influence on her children are the crosswise line, while the chronological order is the lengthways line. From the analysis above, we could easily see a flesh-and-blood and dares love dares hate female image.

Key words: Maggie’s character;  exterior reason;  interior reason;  love and marriage;influence

摘要：

考琳·麦卡洛是当代澳大利亚一位多才多艺的女作家。1977年，她以自己全部的生活积累，创作出版了呕心沥血之作，著名的家世小说《荆棘鸟》。该书问世后，引起了极大的轰动。本课题主要研究的是《荆棘鸟》中女主人公梅吉的形象。横向以梅吉的性格形成原因，梅吉的爱情观婚姻观以及梅吉对其儿女戴恩和朱丝婷的影响构成主线，纵向以梅吉四个不同的年龄阶段穿插在主线之中，通过对梅吉各个年龄段成长经历、性格以及坚贞的爱情观的分析，感受一个有血有肉敢爱敢恨的女性形象。

关键词：梅吉的性格; 内因; 外因; 婚姻观和恋爱观; 影响

Introduction
The Thorn Birds is written by the Australian female writer Colleen McCullough, who was born in Wellington, New South Wales, Australia on June 1, 1937. In 1977, she made painstaking efforts to write the novel The Thorn Birds on the basis of her entire life experience. At the beginning of the novel, there are the words: There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in his life, more sweetly than any other creatures on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest, it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one. Then singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the largest, sharpest spines. And dying......But the whole world still listens, and God in his heaven smiles. 
The Thorn Birds is a saga novel, with Dregheda of the blueprint, portraying the broad pastures, the primitive and magnificent forest scenery of Australia and the vivid family life.  It records the influence on people ascribing to the developed animal husbandry, wool industry and religion, and witnesses the great depression, World War II  in 1930, as well as the backstage combat of the Church of Rome. Love and hate of three generations were stretched in the brisk and fluent words. The Thorn Birds exaggerates the grief at separation and joy in union, as well as the interchange of sea and land, which also reflects the menial family status of women in Australia. It is the half-century’s poignant love song of Maggie and Ralph that strings all these messy details. It caused a sensation immediately after its publication.