Abstract

William Makepeace Thackeray was one of the greatest representatives of the English critical realistic writer in the 19th century. He was famous for the novel Vanity Fair, which was generally considered as a world classic. In the Victorian Age, although people had realized they should be given democracy, freedom and equality in the new bourgeois society, gender discrimination still could not attract their attention. With no social status and economic income, women must rely on marriage to change their fate. Meanwhile, the earthly ethics and morals ruled that they must submit to their husband and served for family. The author of the thesis expanded a discussion on the main character of the novel - Rebecca Sharp. For some people, she was indifferent to her friends. She turned a blind eye to her friend when Amelia was in need. Besides, she was a disloyal wife. She betrayed her husband and flirted with Lords Steyne. Moreover, she was a crazy money worshiper. She viewed love and marriage as nothing but a green passage to be the rich. To get money and status, she tried to seduce dull Jos Sedley; to marry a man she did not love at all.
For others, however, she was a courageous strategist. We need to accept the fact that Sharp had to adopt some sneaky tactics, if she wanted to have a position in vanity fair, considering her poor family background and the corrupt public morals. Therefore, when she took measures to realize her goal-- to be a lady in the upper class, we found she was a smart strategist. Firstly, she set a clear goal at the very beginning and never gave it up no matter how difficult it was. Secondly, she was good at attracting men by her charm and took advantage of them to help her. What deserved to mention was that not only Sharp was a talented beauty but a good companion. Though she never loved Rowdon, she pretended to be submissive. So her husband was willing to help her, like a loyal servant.
Therefore, women in modern society should be more independent than ever before, both in spirit and material, considering the facts that female can receive better education and earn much money now. At the same time, female should also be as positive as Sharp when they encounter any difficulties. A positive and courageous woman is able to win a position in the society at any time.

Key words:  negative image   strategist   Victorian Age   Rebecca Sharp background           

摘要

威廉.梅克皮斯.萨克雷是英国19世纪最杰出的批判现实主义小说家之一，其作品《名利场》堪称世界经典。维多利亚时期，虽然人们已经意识到要追求民主、平等、自由，但性别歧视尚未引起他们的注意。由于没有社会地位和经济来源，女性只能依靠婚姻来改变命运。同时，社会的伦理道德也要求她们服从丈夫，服务家庭。笔者在文中竭力剖析主人公夏普的两面性。一方面她是一个冷漠的朋友。当朋友艾米丽身处困境时，她却对此视而不见。此外，她是一位不忠诚的妻子。她背叛自己的丈夫与其他男人偷情。她还是一位疯狂的拜金主义者。婚姻和爱情对她没有任何意义，除了能让她更快捷的进入上流社会。
然而，另一方面，她又是一位敢于挑战命运的女谋略家。我们不得不承认她自私、放荡、拜金的行为也是出于对现实的无奈。因为她只是一个出生在下层社会的孤儿。既然无力改变这个社会，那么她只能改变自己。所以当她雄心勃勃的向名利场发起进攻时，我们看到了一个机智的女谋略家。首先，她从始至终都在坚持一个明确的目标。其次，她懂得如何利用女性的魅力去吸引男人，利用男人。她不仅长相出众，还多才多艺，最为关键的是她能善解人意，察言观色。虽然她从未爱过罗登，但在丈夫面前始终表现的很顺从，以至于罗登能够像忠诚的管家一样为她效力。在浮华的名利场中，她敢于突破传统思想的限制，勇敢的追求自己的梦想，充分展现了女性的魅力和智慧。
因此，在现代女性能够获得更好的教育，更多的收入时，她们在物质和精神方面都应该更加的独立。同时，女性在遇到任何困难时，也应该向夏普一样保持乐观的心态。无论何时，一个聪明、勇敢、乐观的女性都能在这个社会中赢得一席之地。

关键词：负面形象 谋略家  维多利亚时代  丽贝卡.夏普  背景