AnAnalysisoftheTragicFateinDombeyandSon.docx

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1、An Analysis of the Tragic Fate in Dombey and Son 浅析董贝父子中的悲剧命运An Analysis of the Tragic Fate in Dombey and SonAbstract: Dombey and Son is a novel published in 1848 by Charles Dickens(1812.02.07-1870.06.09), a critical realist writer. It portrays the image of a stereotyped capitalist who regards capit

2、al as everything, and tells about the failure of his marriages and the fragmentation of family owing to it. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the causes of the tragic fate of the main characters in the novel. This thesis is divided into four parts. The first part introduces the author Dickens

3、 and the main content and writing background of the novel. The second part introduces the causes of the fate of the protagonist Dombey. The third part analyses the causes of the premature death of Paul, the son of Dombey. The fourth part dives into the tragedy of two women named Fanny and Edith in t

4、he novel, who are also the two wives of Dombey.Key words: Dombey and Son capitalist system tragic fate摘要：董贝父子是批判现实主义作家查尔斯狄更斯于1848年正式出版的一部小说，文中塑造了一个视资本为一切的古板资本家的形象，讲述了受其影响而导致的婚姻的失败和家庭的破碎。本文旨在分析小说中主要人物的悲剧命运的成因，论文分为四个部分，第一部分介绍作者狄更斯以及本篇小说的主要内容和写作背景，第二部分介绍主人公董贝的命运成因，第三部分分析董贝之子保罗的早逝原因，第四部分则探索小说中两位女性，也是董贝的

5、两任妻子范尼和伊迪斯的悲剧成因。关键词：董贝父子 资本主义制度 悲剧命运Contents这部分我给你改完了，以后按照我发给你的版本改。1.Introduction42. The Tragic Fate of the Protagonist Dombey52.1 The Influence of Social System52.2 The Influence of Patriarchy62.3The Influence of His Own Character73.The Causes of Pauls Tragedy73.1The Filure of Parental Guidance83.2

6、Education Under the Capitalist System84.The Tragic Causes of Fanny and Edith94.1The Imprisonment of Woman Ethic to Fanny94.2The Causes of Ediths Tragic Fate104.2.1 Mothers Greed and Ediths Strong Personality104.2.2 The Awakening of Female Consciousness11Conclusion12Bibliography13Acknowledgment14Name

7、: Dong MengyaoClass:01Number:03Tutor/Title:Zhan Yichao / LecturerDate:2020.3.24An Analysis of the Tragic Fate in Dombey and Son1.IntroductionThe British Industrial Revolution, which began in the 1860s and was basically completed in the 1840s. In 1840s, the British society was in the midst of unprece

8、dented development and prosperity. It is reasonable to say that economic growth brought about the improvement of peoples lives and the society should have been a thriving scene. However, the development of capitalism was parallel to the economy, and the division of classes was increasingly strict. T

9、he upper class and capitalists made great profits in the industrial revolution. It made more and more people desperate to try their best to develop and make profits again. The pursuit of interests has entered a crazy situation. The rich wanted more profits, which means that the poor will face more b

10、rutal exploitation, the distribution of wealth is more and more unequal, the gap between the rich and the poor is more and more obvious. Therefore the undercurrent of class contradictions and conflicts is surging. Dickens was the first writer to notice this phenomenon. His growing up experience in h

11、is youth made him understand and sympathize with the bottom masses more. As a work for small people, Dombey and Son came into being at this time. It tells the story of Dombey, a wealthy businessman, who declined from prosperity. Dombey relied on exploitation to seek high profits. He was cold and rut

12、hless, greedy and hypocritical. He swept his daughter out of the house for the development and inheritance of the company. He selfishly regarded his son as an instrument of inheritance. For his own face, after the death of Pauls biological mother, he forced his second wife Edith, who had no feelings

13、 for him. In the end, Paul died early because of torture, his wife eloped with others, and his family business was ruined because of being cheated. When he was about to commit suicide, his daughter came back, corrected his distorted values by money, and he finally regained the love and happiness bet

14、ween him and his daughter.Dombey and Son is also an important milestone in Dickens writing career. The appearance of this work indicates that Dickens theme begins to be profound; the frame of his work begins to be rigorous and refined, and the writing technique begins to be mature. In this paper, th

15、e author will show readers a turbulent society in which light and darkness coexist by analyzing and interpreting the important roles in this book.2. The Tragic Fate of the Protagonist Dombey2.1 The Influence of Social SystemIn the 1840s, with the completion of the industrial revolution in Britain, t

16、he bourgeoisie gained a dominant position, and the British society had an unprecedented prosperity. The diversity of social development not only stimulated peoples enterprising spirit and innovative consciousness, but also contributed to the transformation of social values. The World Civilization wr

17、itten by Edward Mcnall Burns and Philip Tee Ralph mentioned that people at that time owned a kind of pervasive psychology that “as long as one is rich, ones social status can rise to the highest level”. That is to say, in the era of that time, with money, people had power and everything. Dickens onc

18、e wrote in A Tale of Two Cities that itwasthebestoftimes,itwastheworstoftimes,itwastheageofwisdom,itwastheageoffoolishness,itwastheepochofbelief,itwastheepochofincredulity,itwas theseasonofLight,itwastheseasonofDarkness,itwasthespringofhope,itwas thewinterofdespair,wehadeverythingbeforeus,wehadnothi

19、ngbeforeus,wewereallgoingdirecttoHeaven,wewereallgoingdirecttheotherway-inshort,the periodwassofarlikethepresentperiod. This is undoubtedly the most appropriate portrayal of the Victorian period in England. Under the control of this idea, people began to pursue interests recklessly. Our protagonist,

20、 Dombey, was living under such a social identity. He was the product of the social system and the epitome of the bourgeoisie. Although we can understand it at the moment,at that time, the whole society was immersed in the joy of the completion of the industrial revolution, and did not deeply realize

21、 the changes brought to peoples moral concepts and value systems by the development of the prosperous economy and system, nor did anyone notice that the bottom of the society suffered from being squeezed and exploited. In the novel, most of the characters mention Dombey in awe and respect. At the be

22、ginning of the novel, it is written that in Mr. Dombeys view, “the world is created for Dombeys father and son to do business, and the sun and moon are created to give them light. Rivers and oceans are made up to let them sail; neon gives them hope of good weather; the smooth and adverse wind affect

23、s the success or failure of their industry; stars move in their orbit and maintain an inviolable system centered on them.” It can be seen that under this kind of sick social system, it is not surprising that such a sick psychology is derived. There is no problem in pursuing economic development and

24、social progress, but the extremes of things are the opposite. When Dombey only wants to make money regardless of the bottom line of ethics, we can foresee his end.2.2 The Influence of PatriarchyDombey lived in a patriarchal society. In this system, men are the decision-makers of a family and enjoy t

25、he highest rights in the family. Men dominate the economy and are the source of all income in the family, which determines their central position in the family. In the growth of his daughter Florence, he never played the role of a father. For him, a daughter is just “a bad coin that cant be reinvest

26、ed, a bad loser”. He had great expectations for the birth of his son. However, the reason is not about feelings. When Paul was born, his joy did not come from the birth of a new life. Its because “Dombey and Son company has become a real Dombey and Son company again”. In the process of Pauls growing

27、 up, he constantly instilled the concept of money into him. He tried to cultivate a qualified successor from all aspects without waiting for his sons long stool to bring him into the world of adults. However, he did not expect that his behavior of “growing up” would cost Paul his life. Even after Pa

28、uls death, he was concerned that the tombstone should be engraved with “dear and only son” rather than “honey”. He never showed any emotion towards his wife. After the death of his first wife, he just felt that “in his daily furniture, such as cups, plates, tables and chairs, there was a very useful

29、 thing that he was reluctant to lose”. When he married his second wife, it was more for the sake of face.When he went to visit Edith, he asked her if she could sing, draw or sing like buying vegetable in the market. Instead of knowing what she liked, he cared about what she could do. He gave full pl

30、ay to his merchant attributes and tried to achieve value for money or even value for money emotionally. On the one hand, he thought that anyone who became his wife should be grateful, respect him and revere him, because he gave her such a noble title as Madame Dombey. He thought that she had to rely

31、 on his wealth and rights, so she had to obey him absolutely. Such a self-centered and male-centered thought also foreshadowed his future failure in marriage and family.2.3The Influence of His Own CharacterDombey himself is cold, unsmiling, and rigid. He is stubborn and arrogant. Money first is his

32、philosophy of life. How can a man who loved wealth as his life and was best at balancing and valuing got the result that his wife eloped with his most trusted assistant and the company went bankrupt? The reason lay in his overconfidence, his overconfidence in his identity, money and status, which ma

33、de him naturally think that his wife would submit herself to him, respect him and could not be separated from him; he thought that these could make his manager loyal to him, serve him and obey him. In fact, in the process of his familys falling apart, his marriages ending and his wealths slowly disa

34、ppearing, he had many opportunities to choose to make some changes. For example, when Paul died, he should reflect on whether his educational concept was too beneficial, whether he should pay more attention to and love his children. For example, after his wife Edith left him, should he reflect on wh

35、ether he gives equal and respect to the other in marriage? when he was cheated by his assistant and had nothing, and whether he was too hypocritical and arrogant to treat others in ordinary times, but he didnt do it all. The last straw to crush him was not the passing of family love, but the loss of

36、 money and status. Dickens still gave Dombey a relatively happy life. The decent ending made his daughter Florence influence him before he committed suicide. If there is a person like Dombey in our daily life, its hard to say whether he will really repent for what he did in his later years. But for

37、Dombey in the novel, his wife and children are separated and his family wealth is exhausted, which is just caused by himself.3.The Causes of Pauls Tragedy3.1The Filure of Parental GuidancePauls misfortune lies in that he was not born into a good family. The role of mother is the spiritual pillar of

38、the family and indispensable for the growth of a child. However, as soon as Paul was born, his mother died, so he is more vulnerable emotionally and physically than ordinary children. Later, the emergence of Polly who was Pauls nanny, and the care of Florence, to some extent, made up for the lack of

39、 Pauls maternal love, but it didnt last long, because Paul had a ruthless, autocratic and stereotyped father. He regards Pauls relationship with his nanny as a complete transaction, and he does not allow his children to have any feelings for those in low status, so he said to nanny Polly at the begi

40、nning, “in our transaction, you do not need to fall in love with my children, nor do my children need to fall in love with you. When you leave, you end the pure relationship.” When Dombey learned that his nurse had taken Paul home without permission, he immediately dismissed her, causing Paul a seco

41、nd wound and another kind of loss of a mother. He even didnt allow his daughter Florence to get close to Paul, because his daughter was a worthless “bad coin” in his eyes, but his son was going to inherit the noble successor of Dombey company. He wouldnt allow worthless people and things to appear a

42、round Paul, which would affect his cultivation of the future heir. He was jealous that his daughter had taken away Pauls love which should have been for him only. In fact, these thoughts are funny that a person who doesnt pay any affection to others shouldnt have asked others to love him uncondition

43、ally. But in Dombeys hypocrisy and arrogance, its not surprising. As Pauls father, Dombey held the prime responsibility for his tragic fate. Without his mother, his father should take the responsibility of raising his children. But for Pauls physical and psychological care, Dombey couldnt be said to

44、 be a qualified father. At an inappropriate time, he put the greedy and tough adult world into Pauls head. Dombey did not consider that Paul was only a six-year-old boy and he forced his son to grow up quickly under the influence of money. After he sent Paul to Dr. Blimbers school, Pauls tragic fate

45、 was determined. In this extremely dark and unhealthy environment, Paul was depressed all day; his physical condition was getting worse every day, and finally he died. For a naive child that is like a piece of white paper, such an ending is painful and outrageous. We mourn his misfortune because he

46、was born in such a family.3.2Education Under the Capitalist SystemWealth brings about the change of social system, which determines the content of education. In the Victorian period of England, education was a compulsory course for the upper class, especially for the children of rich families. Their

47、 education was “expensive” higher education, and the content of education was to teach them how to become an excellent successor and how to maintain their noble and elegant attitude. Dr. Blimber, however, is just a moneymaker packaged with scholars identity. They regularly output the same content, t

48、hen cultivate a batch of identical fruits, and exchange these gorgeous, beautiful and impractical things for reputations and money. There is a description of Dr. Blimbers school that Paul went to: in fact, Dr. Blimbers school is a huge greenhouse, where an instrument for birth is constantly rotating. All the boys bloomed prematurely, the green beans of spirit had been unear