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本科毕业论文 题目： On the Feminism in the Film Alice in Wonderland 学院: 外语学院 班级： 08级英语六班 姓名： 侯晓玲 指导教师： 庞中兰 职称： 讲师 完成日期： 2012 年 6 月 1 日20 On the Feminism in the Film Alice in WonderlandAbstract (English): Alice in wonderland, which run in 2010, is Tim Burtons work (a famous Hollywood director). Different from original story with the innocent fantasy plots, the film told an adventure story of adult Alice Kingsley, who returned to the fairyland. Works showed us a woman with all excellent property of females and that of males. As a leading role, it can be seen obviously that she is against patriarchal society in order to achieve self-identity. From the perspective of feminist theory, this paper analyzes how the movie heroine realizes ego identity. Meanwhile, specific behaviors on each person caused by male and female temperament will be interpreted by means of androgyny theory. Just different temperaments results in their own value and fate. This paper will help people understand feminist theory deeply. And it also contributes to modern feminist theory. Whats more, androgyny theory can be applied to peoples daily lives. Key words: Alice; patriarchal society; feminism; androgyny ContentsAbstract21. Introduction41.1 The rise of feminism in Victorian Period in England41.2 The situation of gender ideology in patriarchal society41.3 The common sense of “androgyny”52. The process of building self-identity and achieving value as a female52.1 Alice incompatibility with her real society52.2 Grow-up Alices identity to sexual distinction in the real world62.3 Reading Alices Gender identity in the wonderland82.3.1 Compared to the meaning of Red Queen and White Queen92.3.2 The function of jabberwocky to Alices growing102.4 Enlightenment of returned Alice113. The reflection of male and female temperament on movie roles133.1 Alice133.2 Hatter153.3 White Queen153.4 Red Queen163.5 Best wishes16Conclusion17Primary Source17References错误！未定义书签。Abstract (Chinese)191 Introduction1.1 The rise of feminism in Victorian Period in England As one of the most glorious phrase in England history, Victorian period emerges a large number of writers and works as well as organizations and activities. Generally, regarded as a complicated age, with various contradictions in tradition and modernity, superstition and science, democratization and despotism, conservatism and radicalism, passion and ration, all peoples lives, social economy, politics even ideology starts to change in England.The primary stage of feminism appeared in Europe and America, influenced by French Revolution. It also affects England and then a series of women organizations for equal rights widely. Faced with the real condition of being uneducated, no property right, low economic status even without vote, some pioneering women and scholars requested to improve womens moral awareness and level of intelligence so as to strengthen their reason and gain rights in politics as well as economics. Herbert Spencer supports womens political and social emancipation. He explained: “equity knows no difference to that law, exists in the feminine mind as well. Hence the several rights deducible from that law must appertain equally to both sexes.” 1.2 The situation of gender ideology in patriarchal societyWomen of middle-class patriarchal society in Victorian Period are forced with multifarious chains by men. Judging the value of the female on the basis of that of the male is the main cultural character. All it follows is standards and rules made by men. They prepare a whole set of strict moral and ethical system for females thoughts and behaviors. Millett points out that because of the social environment, men and women have their own culture in fact. The formation of sexual identity runs through their whole childhood. They are educated on the basis of the difference between gender to have proper qualities, characters, interest and status etc. Being rich in aggressive nature and enterprise are regarded as ideal makings to men, whereas conquering desire and impulsion are necessary to women. Hence moral sense at that time claims that all things women should submit to men and obey their lead. The best home to return for the female is to have a marriage between families of equal social rank to guarantee their own lives. On the basis of Edith Whartons experience (1862-1937), who is a person of foresight in feminism: the female is only a kind of essential goods, sold to become mens appendages. They are controlled completely by men in life, and get to be the targets and objects for men vaunting and hunting.1.3 The common sense of “androgyny”The word “androgyny” contains two morphemes: “andr-” and “gny-”, which means “man” and “woman” accordingly. The common interpretation is that one has characters of both men and women. As a quite ancient idea, its reflected in many sorts of fields. And many famous writers and directors have involved this idea consciously or unconsciously. Derived from Greek original mythology, androgyny exists widely in world cultural themes, getting to be an important concept used by feminists in the 20th century. The view of thought “everyone is created equal” includes men and women undoubtedly. Virginia Woolf, the British novelist, critic and feminism theoretician, first formally introduces this idea. By researching the gender difference in patriarchal society and uniqueness about womens existence, androgyny is firstly used as womens value and personality for integrated and free development. Woolf thought: “androgyny is an ideal relationship between man and women.” On the basis of Woolf, androgyny theory and ideology of character diversification have expounded and developed by many feminists in Europe and America in later years. 2 The process of building self-identity and achieving values as a female 2.1 Alice incompatibility with her real societyAn intelligent and passionate girl is completely unacceptable to the value of “angels at home”, to say nothing of rebellion. Undoubtedly, Alice, who doesnt submit to the control of men in Victorian Period, is not like other girls. Alices audacious and vagarious thoughts are an overt challenge to the patriarchal society in which she lived. Obviously, Alice-the heroine of the wonderland, whose behaviors and idea have threatened the traditional ideology at that time in England, is a typical antagonist to her society. It is well-known that dependent, beautiful and docile characters are the ideal qualities girls should have, which is deemed to the idealization of womanhood. But, in place of “angels at home”, Alice is against corset, stockings as well as any uncomfortable dress without pockets. Let alone marrying a man she didnt like any more. However, in order to appeal to the notion of femininity, her mother brings her to join an arranged party-her engagement party. Of course, Alice knows nothing about this. Automatically, all peoples efforts and hope ended in total failure by Alices beginning hesitation and final firm refusal. Factually, it is easily understood that such a special girl wont be bound to seek the true feelings will live. It can be seen from the film episode that her larruping mind and distinctive behaviors forms in her early years. All small acts in her childhood dream of rebelling against the Red Queen can be explained as the nutriment for her later courage, because she has been so often told that “all the best people are mad, bonkers and off their head.” As for the adult Alice, easy distract with audacious thought (all the ladies in trousers and the men wearing dresses) still contradicted with the real world. But Alice would not give in. After struggling with herself and with the help of the wonderlands kind members (such as blue caterpillar, hatter and dog Bayard etc.) she becomes the true Alice and slays the Jabberwocky. No matter where Alice is, in wonderland or the real world, her attitude toward restriction and tyranny results in her incompatibility to the society. 2.2 Grow-up Alices identity to sexual distinction in the real worldIn the film, Alice Kingsley runs into the forest following a rabbit due to anxious in real life. Incautiously, she falls down a hole and hits her head, then gets in the wonderland. The tree hole she passed through is actually a way of connecting two different gender cultural societies: one is the real patriarchal society with patriarchy-centered culture, and the other is matriarchal society of the visional world or in memory.In the real life, Alice Kingsley, a grown-up girl, who drops into the dark hole, is a typical middle-class figure in Victorian Period. There are so many patriarchal views given to her just like chains. Womens value is to find a good person who have riches and can guarantee their last lives. Womens beauty is considered as capital to trap men. Thus to find proper husbands before the pretty faces lost becomes the most important thing for them. In Alice real life, director arranged a lot of female roles that conformed to sexual norms in that century to show their necessity-Alices mother and sister are the right examples who achieve happiness in the patriarchal marriage institution. On the contrary, one who hasnt marriage will not obtain this kind of happiness, like Aunt Imogene, who always has a vision that a man will marry her.In terms of Alice herself, everyone admits her beauty, the qualification of which could exchange for ones happiness. But in the process of seeking happiness, there is no chance to express her idea: she attends her own engagement party in the case of knowing noting about it. Meanwhile, all guests expect that Alice would be glad to accept this Mr. Right. Just as Alice tells Hamish when she is proposed, “Everyone expects me to, and you are a lord. My face wont last”.The others hope becomes the possibilities of her acceptance of this proposal. Because amenably accepting others opinion, especially the parents, is fitted for the leading sexual politics of male culture in patriarchal society.But, “women sometimes against for self-defense to get rid of the enslaved fate.” Alice who is bounded has come up with this idea to resist. With the dissatisfaction to the prejudice of the society, she expresses many kinds of rebel behaviors, which are not suitable for the culture in patriarchal society. At the first place, Alice refuses corset and stockings. On the one hand, the corset wraps up womens body tightly, which damages womens body severely and confines their free movement. Corset is actually one of cultural symbols in patriarchal society, which artificially oppresses female image to an effeminate one. It embodies the set of values in patriarchal society bounding females body freedom. On the other hand, in order to cater to the distortion of the image definition for them, women wear heavy corset and stockings to meet mens taste. To a certain extent, it suggests that women are assimilated into mens culture. Thus Alice who refuses to wear tight bra is rebuked for “inappropriate”. Although Alice is lost at this time, not really leading her own life, her refusal action to assimilation by male-oriented society is spontaneous dissatisfaction performance. Second, for Alice, it is depressing to join the social activities. Relative to jump for quadrille (a famous social dance), she tends to keen on flying her imagination and thinking some impossible things.Facing the stereotype of social norms, Alice imaginative fancy is explained by Hamish to “easily distracting”, which is regarded as lack of attention. In the patriarchal society, women are often thought behind men in mind. So misunderstanding Alices imagination is actually the belittlement to women. Even so, Alice still pays no attention. She even proposes Mrs. Harrison to paint white roses red if she doesnt like them. As we all know, the idea above is what she does for Red Queen in wonderland when she is only a child. It reflected that she breaks through social stereotypes in the real. She has strong desire for looking for her past. 2.3 Reading Alices Gender identity in the wonderland13 years later, the wonderland has some different from where the child Alice comes. As master in whole wonderland, it can be seen the original matriarchal society. The war for power is between two female leaders: White Queen and Red Queen. No matter which one the crown belongs to, representative of evil (Red Queen) or kind image (White Queen), women are on top in the power structure of the fairyland, leading and dominating development of whole world. Alices experience in wonderland in her childhood leaves her the most precious memory about gender culture. These memories contain Alices identity on value of female existence as individual and the weak part in that time. Because women-dominated culture in fairyland goes against the culture in the real life, so it is hardly understood by common people, and is always supposed to be an “unreal dream”. Influenced by patriarchal culture, adult Alice Kingsley gradually forgets her existing experience as an individual female. Meanwhile, sense of identity of female inside also becomes very fuzzy. Male culture in real life in her mind is consciously degenerated. Alices memory of her child-dream becomes into an unconscious state, leading the strong conflict between patriarchal culture and her own in nature. Like a collective conscious metaphor of women power in matriarchal society, fairyland memory has always been there (in the consciousness of adult Alice), bursting out constantly in the form of “dream” in her mind. Emergence of dream is actually a desire for satisfaction. According to Freuds interpretation of dream theory:” when in sleep, ones own check is in a relax state. So desire in sub consciousness bypasses resistance in the way of disguise, intruding into consciousness and forming the dream.” So dream expresses subconscious desire euphemistically, which is repressed when one is awake. Adult Alice Kingsley is unable to get approval of her own identity and value of womens existence. Only through daily repeated fairyland dream could she deliver anxiety in Victorian society, desire for achieving females value and hope to accomplish gender identity as a woman. The Queens image posited in movie is not only a parody of definition (women are typed in western society in Victorian Period) but also a subversion to British chauvinism: both White Queen (kind but weird) and Red Queen (brutality but pure) are Tim Burtons black fairy tale. Those characters he made are not from pure fairyland but a kind of exaggeration and amplification to reality society and human nature. It is known that womens meaning and connotation is decided by men. After entering the fairyland, Alice doesnt get rid of the bondage of patriarchal culture. She still thinks it is just a dream, and tries to make the sense of pain (her father told her method) to make her wake up then returns to the real world. At the same time, she has lost that kind of courage and integrity that child Alice ever has, thinking female are the weak who needs protection under males control. With the uncertainty whether Alice Kingsley is the right one causes debate among fairyland residents such as the Cheshire cat, the dormouse, fatty brothers etc. she refuses to face her warrior ability. After going through series of fantasy adventures like a swamp, kill the dragon, save the weak and so forth, Alice truly find her back as individual value.2.3.1 Compared to the meaning of Red Queen and White QueenFemale tend to be typed generally “angel” and “demons”. On the surface, White Queen looks like “angel” because she has beautiful, kind and gentle qualities, while Red Queen is the characterization of “demon” with evil, ugly and cruel qualities. Dressed in white makes people a good impression. But White Queen is not really docile and weak as what people expected. She leaves audience more is exaggerated, dramatic and affected performance. In front of all people, she moves slowly and affectedly to remain gentle and cultivated. As the matter of fact, she herself has the ability to kill jabberwocky. Due to her weak mask, only she could do is tempting Alice to slay it. In the film, her lips are tricky black like ink. She cooks magic potion with dry and terrible cream fingers and vomit saliva inside. In the end, using jabberwockys blood, she makes Alice return to the real world. All of these give White Queen weird and gothic color. It thoroughly overturns the sense of pure and white quality in audiences mind.As Anne Hathaway, the actress who played White Queen: “she really likes dark side, but is afraid to go too deep, so she always appears to relax and happy.” The image of White queen is subversion to angel of the women in the patriarchy society, revealing the absurdity and hypocritical of the definition that male force to females qualities. But, to relative to the White queen affected action, although Red queen is cruel with disproportionate head and body, her image is more vivid in the film. Her behaviors reveal some precious qualities such as love and hate without hesitation, unfairness, briefness etc. Her brutal heart also couldnt compare to lies around her. In fact, she drops into the trap of men, becoming red hearts knight puppet for the power. Although in peoples eyes, she is a tyrant, but she is also eager to get warm and desire for love. When red hearts knight kisses her, she blushes. She even confuses why all the people feel her terrible, and no one like her. In a way, Red Queen is a radical feminist image, who subverts the image of the devil that male-cultural tradition of women. At last in the film, Red Queen is defeat by White Queen, and the crown as well as power returns to White Queen again. While finally, what let her collapse is not the lost of symbol power crown, but for a loved one betrayal. The collapsed Red Queen vividly shows us how hopeless she is.2.3.2 The function of jabberwocky to Alices growingIn the whole self-identity process, jabberwocky also plays an important role with many metaphor means. First of all, in western culture and myths, the dragon is the symbol of evil. Killing dragon is the symbol of male power, and is the affirmation to the male of justice and power. Meanwhile, in terms of movie itself, in the prophecy, the person killing dragon is a young person, and that is why Red Queen hasnt known warrior gender clearly. Therefore, as a woman, Alices behavior is subversion for men: warriors were converted into women. Only Alice becomes warrior can save the world. All of the men including hatter is ruled out. In addition, the meaning of slaying jabberwocky is also subversion. From point of Red Queens view, it is only tools for women to maintain their own power. Finally, jabberwocky itself discriminates against women, thinking its opponent is not Alice (the representative of women) but vorpal sword. It denies Alices warrior status even refuses to place Alice in the status of equivalence. Note worthily, the way Alice slays dragon is cutting down its head one-off. To a certain extent, it is the imitation of the way Red Queen displays the power: in the movie, Red Queens favorite words are off with his head .She is keen on using this extreme ways to show the absolute power to the whole wonderland. And through fight with dragon, Alice completes the identity of herself and womens value. Death of jabberwocky symbolizes the disappearance of male culture in
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