Abstract
Thomas Hardy is one of the most important British novelists who have made great contribution to the English literary history. In his life, he created many impressive literary figures, most of whom are men with tragic endings, including Henchard the mayor in the Mayor of Casterbridge. Hardy is not a feminist, but with a detailed reading of his novels, his concern for the women in the patriarchal society is obvious. He really cares about women’s destiny in his novels. Both New and Traditional women are described in his works; however, most of the women in his works have tragic endings except Elizabeth Jane in the Mayor of Casterbridge. This paper will interpret the novel from the perspective of Elizabeth Jane. It will explore the factors that lead to the happy ending for Elizabeth. Her unique upbringing, her passion for knowledge, her fighting spirit all make her a remarkable independent woman in the novel.
Highlights
Thomas Hardy is regarded as the great writer in British Victorian period
Hardy is not a feminist, but with a detailed reading of his novels, his concern for the women in the patriarchal society is obvious. He really cares about women’s destiny in his novels. Both New and Traditional women are described in his works; most of the women in his works have tragic endings except Elizabeth Jane in the Mayor of Casterbridge
Hardy believed that the traditional women in the patriarchal society are domed to suffer tragic fates due to their femininities which are imposed by the society since they are born
Summary
With the awakening of feminist awareness, he has created many classic and impressive female images in his novels. He is not a feminist writer, he shows great concern for the life of women in the patriarchal society. During the Victorian Age, women are oppressed under the patriarchal system and have no social status in the society. Elizabeth Jane in the The Mayor of Casterbridge is such an independent woman. This paper tries to analyze Elizabeth Jane in the novel from the perspective of a New Woman in the patriarchal society. In Hardy’s novel, Hardy showed great sympathy and concern to the living conditions of women in the patriarchal society. This paper mainly expores the reasons for Elizabeth Jane’s independence from the perspective of feminism
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