王熙鳳與斯嘉麗性格特點的對比-A Comparative Study on the Character Traits between Wang Xifeng and Scarlett

王熙鳳與斯嘉麗性格特點的對比-A Comparative Study on the Character Traits between Wang Xifeng and Scarlett

 

Ⅰ.Introduction  引言

紅樓夢，由曹雪芹在第十八世紀中葉清朝時期創作的，描述的是一個古老的中國封建制度的衰減。紅樓夢是中國古典四大名著。這部小說圍繞中國封建社會后期的貴族社會的生活，反映十八個世紀上的人民的生活。在賈寶玉、林黛玉和薛寶釵的愛情故事是小說的主線。

A Dream of Red Chamber, composed by Cao Xue Qin some time in the middle of the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty, is a description of the old Chinese feudal system which falls into decay. A Dream of Red Chamber is one of the four Chinese classical novels. This novel centers around the life of the aristocratic society in the late Chinese feudal society, which is a mirror of human’s real life in the first half of the 18th century. The love tragedy among Jia Bao-yu, Lin Tai-yu and Xue Bao-chai is as main line in the novel. A Dream of Red Chamber portrays a picture of rise and fall of four big familys—Jia, Shi, Wang, Xue and various complicated contradictions in the feudal family, mainly the description of Jia family. The degradation of the feudal marriage, morality, culture and education is demonstrated obviously in the novel which reflects that feudal society is bound to decline. Meanwhile, the novel praises the nobility’s rebellious spirits who violate the feudal ethical love and also reflects the spirit of pursuing individual freedom. From some degree, this novel is believed to be a semi-autobiography, a reflection of the fortunes of Cao's own family which experienced a tortuous development process from prosperity to decline. The novel is remarkable for its huge characters (most are the females).Wang Xifeng is one of the principal characters in the novel, a not-so-well educated upper-class woman with finesse. She is also known as "Peppercorn Feng" or "Hot Pepper". She is a niece of lady Wang and is married to Jia Lian who is the eldest grandchild of grandmother Jia. She plays a significant role in the day-to-day running of the Rongguo mansion.

飄，由瑪格麗特·米切爾在1936年創作，是一個以美國內戰為背景的長篇小說。自從出版，飄一直廣受讀歡迎者和在1937年獲得普利策獎。它講述了秋天的邦聯，亞特蘭大的燃燒，和南方的軍事占領，內戰失敗后南方的重建。這部小說是寫斯嘉麗的愛情和描繪的美國南部從奴隸種植園經濟到工業資本主義經濟的變換。通過斯嘉麗的經歷，小說體現了我們勇于面對現實，從不向命運屈服，始終保持堅強的精神。

Gone with the Wind, composed by Margaret·Mitchell in 1936, is a long novel with the background of the American Civil War. Since published, Gone with the Wind has been popular with readers and won the Pulitzer Prizes in 1937. It tells about the fall of the Confederacy, the burning of Atlanta, and the military occupation of the South, mirrors Southern defeat and reconstruction from the losing civil war. The novel is themed by the love affairs of Scarlett and portrays that Southern US transforms from the economy of slave plantation to the economy of industrial capitalism. By the experiences of the Scarlett, the novel reveals us a spirit, a spirit that has the courage to face the reality, never yield to the fate and always keep strong. Moreover, the novel eulogizes the rebellious spirit against Male-dominated Society. Margaret·Mitchell’s parents were born at the end of the American civil war. Her father was the president of the History Society in Atlanta and her mother was the leader of the most mighty feminist groups. Influenced by her parents, she shapes a strong sense of feminist consciousness. She refused the arranged marriage. Therefore, the novel is considered to be a reflection of the life she longs for.#p#分頁標題#e#

Wang Xifeng and Scarlett show the great similarities in the characters despite their different histories, cultures and geographies. Both of them have become the controversial roles in the women image of the world literature. Readers hold different views to the two females. Some scholars regard them as the representative of the selfishness and cruelty；while others consider them as the representative of the braveness and independence. This paper aims at comparing Wang Xifeng with Scarlett for the purpose of making readers know them better. This paper mainly discusses their similarities from the following aspects. Both of them have the strong feminist consciousness. Apart from the feminity, both of them are masculine. Besides, they have different characters traits and different fates. Finally, this paper will explore the characterization of women image in different periods and different backgrounds and finally initiates with re-consideration of women issues.

 

Ⅱ. Similar Character Traits 相似的性格特點

From the standpoint of time, the publications of Gone with the Wind and A Dream of Red Chamber have a long distance. Furthermore, the survival background and cultural background of the two authors are different. However, all those things above do not prevent authors from making some common feelings when their society develops into some degree though they are from different periods and countries. Gone with the Wind and A Dream of Red Chamber both embody the social contradictions and conflicts in their own times. Therefore, the characters in their literature works must have some similarities. 

2.1 Feminist Consciousness 

Feminist consciousness has been rooted in the women’s heart since ancient times in China. However, males had dominated the old society. Females fell into the shackles of some old conventions and they were afraid to show their feminist consciousnesses. Yet, many Chinese literature works had displayed feminist consciousness. Wang Xifeng, an important figure in A Dream of Red Chamber, is one of the representatives of the feminist in the Chinese literature works. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, American feminism came into first wave. The literature works about feminist emerged in America. Scarlett is one of the representatives of the feminist in the American literature works. 

2.1.1 The Pursuit of Ideal Love and Marriage

In Scarlett’s life, there are two important men. One is Ashley, the other is Rhett Butler. Scarlett falls in love with Ashley when she is 16 years old. In childhood, they always play together. To Scarlett, Ashley is so attractive that she loves him until she is 28 years old. In the novel, there is a description about Ashley. “He was handsome and courteous, but aloof, remote. No one would tell about what he was thinking about, Scarlett least of all. He stood alone in his interest in books and music and his fondness for writing poetry”.（Mitchell,1993:19） Due to her curiosity to Ashley, it makes her love him more. Scarlett is miserable until she concludes that Ashley does not know she is in love with him. She plots to make Ashley jealous by surrounding herself with men at the barbecue the next day at the Wilkes plantation of Twelve Oaks, then tells him that she prefers him above all the others. Things do not go according to plan. After Scarlett pulls Ashley into the library and confesses her love, Ashley says that he loves her, but he will still marry Melanie. She has all the passion for life that he does not have. But Melanie looks like him and they understand each other. Due to jealousy, she marries to Melanie’s younger brother —Charles. Soon after, Ashley and Charles both are enlisted in the front line during the civil war. Unfortunately, Charles dies in the war. Scarlett becomes a widow. Later, she marries her sister’s fiancé Frank Kennedy. But she loves Ashley all the time. During the war, she tries to look after Melanie and her son because she loves Ashley and has promised to him. She even takes care of injured Ashley. She always dreams that she would flee with Ashley and marry him. Actually, Ashley is a coward. He has no courage to tell Scarlett that he loves Melanie. However, Ashley is an unreal image made by herself. He is not the one she loves in the real life. The one she really loves is an image in her dreams. Her true love is Rhett Butler who she is acquainted in the charity ball. From that moment, this gentlemen falls in love with her but he does not realize. Because of his bad reputation, she does not have any good impression on him. To Rhett, the first impression on her is also not good. From very beginning, they have the same feeling about each other—ridicule and respect. They should not pretend to be lady and gentlemen. Rhett loves her, so whenever she gets into trouble, he would help her. He tries his best to save Ashley in the war. Later, he marries Scarlett. Rhett knows that the two things she longs for in this world—Ashley and wealth. He wants to drive Ashley out of Scarlett’s hearts, but after a long time with his best efforts, he still cannot change her and make her understand his love for her. Finally, he decides to leave her after the death of her daughter. It is too late for Scarlett to realize that she loves Rhett for many years.#p#分頁標題#e#

In other’s point of view, Scarlett is a woman who is disloyal to love and always seduces men.  Her Vanity and immature contributes to her first marriage. Her second marriage is for the purpose of wealth. Her last marriage makes her find her true love. Actually, her love and marriage are the embodiment of her feminist consciousness. She is reluctant to accept her father’s arranged marriage for her. She dares pursue her love and her happiness. If Melanie falls in love with another gentlemen, she is impossible to pursue her love. The only consequence is that she marries Ashley at her father’s request and hide her strong emotion forever, being a good housewife. For the consideration of old conventions in her mind, she does not dare go after her love. However, Scarlett is a new kind of woman seeking for love equality. She confesses her love to Ashley bravely. Although she is refused, she does not abandon her dream to marry Ashley. No matter what makes her marry others, she loves Ashley all the time until she finds her true love. She has great confidence to life and to love. She never resigns herself to men. When Rhett leaves her, she still has the confidence to let him come back to her. Even though all her marriages are tragic, she has initiative in her love and always plays a dominant role in her marriages. She can do whatever she wants to regardless of other’s judgments. To her, love should not be restricted by the conventions or other people. Everyone should have the right to pursue his own love.

From the above description, love is obviously the most important thing in Scarlett’s life and is a reflection of feminist consciousness. But to Wang Xifeng, is it the most important thing? No. It does not mean that she does not care her marriage. Borned in the feudal family, she has no choice to pursue her love and marriage. She has to reconcile herself to her seniorities no matter how brave she is. Polygamy has been a root of the women’s tragic destiny. The marriage of Wang Xifeng is without doubt a irrevocable tragedy. It’s different from Scarlett, different cultures and social backgrounds lead to different fates. As a woman from rich family, Wang Xifeng rarely goes out and sees men. Therefore, how could she come across the person she loves? As to her marriage, she marries a person whose family has a great property and a prominent position in the society. Her husband, however, is a dude who always has lovers behind her back. Her jealousness is well-known in the Jia family. How could she bear all her husband’s behaviors? In the Jia family, her position is second only to Lady Wang. Though she can not own perfect love, she has a strong willing to keep her husband far away from other women. She does not want any women to share her husband with her. At that time, none of women dares get into interference of husband’s extra-marital affairs directly. However, Wang Xifeng is so different from other traditional women that she can overpower her husband by her wits. Two things show her feminist consciousness.#p#分頁標題#e#

 In the 40th chapter, in the day of her birthday, she drinks more alcohol so she goes home ahead of time. Fortuitously, she catches her husband in the act of carrying on a clandestine love affair. She is extremely angry, beating the woman who is a servant’s wife, and letting out a volley of oaths. Her action is a challenge to the Sexual freedom of men in the feudal society. This matter has known by the whole Jia family, but it ends up with nothing for the interference of grandmother Jia. In the 65th chapter, Jia Lian marries Second Sister You secretly, and arranges a house for her. Having got this matter, she is afraid that she will lose her husband and her position in the Jia family if Second Sister You borns a son. For consideration of this serious thing, she designs to drive away Second Sister You and result in her suicide. It also becomes one of the reasons of Wang Xifeng’s tragic marriage. All her actions are actually the embodiments of feminist consciousness. She is against the polygamy and longs for the equal marriage. In the feudal society, marriage is the only way to get Subsistence Security System. Once they find their husbands have lovers outside, they have to reconcile herself to them, while Wang Xifeng is a new kind of woman. She is a shrew. At the beginning, she tries her best to keep her marriage happy, but in vain. She knows her husband so well that she has to maintain her marriage by her power. However, her feminist consciousness is inhibited by the old conventions. 

2.1.2 The Pursuit of Self-Value

Wang Xifeng and Scarlett appear in the novel as female images of rebellious traits in the turbulent society. Actually, their rebellious traits are the embodiments of their pursuit of self-value. Facing the harsh reality, they prove their self-value by means of their wisdom and struggle. Challenging the old traditions and the authority over the household has proved their awareness of feminist consciousness.

In the southern society at that time, women only attach themselves to the men and bear the pressure from men and women. Women should be the role of housewives, ignorant and without self-conscious. Because of the southern traditional virtues, they lost their respect and self-consciousness. Scarlett, a brave female, shows us the eternal charms during the course of pursuing her self-value. She pursues her love, happiness and self-value all her life. There is a conversation between Scarlett and Mammy in the book, “some day I’m going to do and say everything I want to do and say, and if people don’t like it I don’t care.” This sentence has appeared many times in the book. Not caring about others’ comment best illustrates her rebel spirit. Another conversation with Mammy, when Mammy said “every time Ah pulls miss Sullen litter dan twenty inches, she sup an faint.” Scarlett immediately answered, “I never faint in my life.” Though Mammy is important, and faint seems to be goodness in the south, Scarlett does not mind, because she is herself, never pretending to do anything to ingratiate anyone. Comparing to other traditional women, she is more willing to live according to her own desire. Although she is respectful to her mother and Mammy, she is also all aware that she can never become a traditional woman like her mother. Her rebellious traits also expresses in her attitude toward religion. She has no faith in God. In prayer time, what in her mind is not Saint Maria but her mother Ellen. She is even absent-minded, thinking how to win Ashley’s love when it’s her turn to pray. With the development of the novel, during the civil war, facing poverty and hardships, she is more and more suspicious about the religion. In the novel, she shows her dissatisfaction to the God. In face of God, everyone is passive, they thought human beings are only the subjects of God. However, unlike others, Scarlett hopes to get return from God for her good deeds, otherwise, it is not necessary to pray. At that time, it is unbelievable for Scarlett to blame God’s unfairness. Her rebellious spirit is also embodied in the challenge of the rules of the society. When she becomes a widow who has to wear black weeds and can’t show her face in the public, she is very displeased. So she accepts Rhett’s invitation to dance with him openly and undoubtedly at the charity ball. When people are talking about her and scolding her, she doesn’t care at all. 　#p#分頁標題#e#