In the novel Red and Black, the heroine Mathlide is deeply influenced by French Revolution, which brought her self-awareness as a woman. However, she couldn’t find out a right way to certify her social value of existence, which at last caused the tragedy of her love and all of her life. Mathilde’s tragedy indicates that women’s self-awareness would be killed under the patriarchy culture. This paper points out that as independent individuals in society, women have their own social values. They are equal with men in the gender world. Through the analysis of the tragedy of Mathlide, and the statement about women traditional values which effect on their social values of existence, this paper tries to explain how women find out their social values of existence.
Abstract..................................................................................I
Key Words.................................................................................I
摘 要....................................................................................II
关键词....................................................................................II
Introduction..............................................................................1
I. Analysis of the Tragedy of Mathlide....................................................2
A. Some Effects of the Women’s Thoughts of French Revolution on Mathlide.................2
B. Mathlide’s Value of Existence.........................................................4
C. The Conflict Between Julien’s Traditional Values and Mathlide’s Contradictory Woman’s Awareness.................................................................................4
II. Analysis of the Effects of Women’s Traditional Values on Their Social Values of Existence.................................................................................5
A. Women’s Traditional Values..........................................................5
B. The Discrimination in Women’s Working and Living Conditions................................................................................6
1. Gender Discrimination in Work..........................................................6
2. Gender Discrimination in Living .......................................................7
C. Searching for the Cause of the Women’s Tradition......................................8
III. The Way to Win Social Values.........................................................9
A. Rejection of the Unfair Images ........................................................9
B. Independence in Economy................................................................9
C. Freedom of Thoughts....................................................................11
D. Getting Rid of Patriarchy..............................................................11
Conclusion................................................................................13
Acknowledgements..........................................................................14
Bibliography .............................................................................15
