Abstract：The Thorn Bird depicts love stories of three generations of the Clearys. The novel creates three typical female images. This thesis aims to find out the history of Australia women struggling for their right and equality from the perspective of female consciousness as well as the interrelationship between social development and the awakening of female consciousness. First it elaborates the basic connotations of Feminism and female consciousness, then investigates heroines’ fighting for their right and equalities with men and points out the limitation of female consciousness in a patriarchal society. The complicated experience of the three characters of the novel actually shows their confusion and struggle between tradition and revolution. At last the author also explores some reasons in respect to some relevant factors about the cultural and historical background of Australia as well as the author’s life experience, so as to make a conclusion that female consciousness goes along with social development.
Keywords: The Thorn Bird; feminism; female consciousness; patriarchal society
Abstract iv
摘要 iv
Outline v
提纲 vi
1. Introduction 1
2. Female consciousnesses in Feminism 1
2.1 Brief introduction to Feminism 1
2.2 Feminism in Australia 2
2.3 The theory of female consciousness in Feminism 3
3. Female consciousnesses in The Thorn Bird. 3
3.1 Female’s subordinate position in the patriarchal society in Australia. 4
3.2 The awakening of female consciousness among three generations. 5
3.2.1 The awakening of female consciousness in social position. 5
3.2.2 The awakening of female consciousness in self-value. 5
3.2.3 The awakening of female consciousness in women’s liberation. 6
3.2.4 The awakening of female consciousness in education. 7
3.3 The limitation of the awakening of female consciousness in The Thorn Bird 7
4. The reasons for female consciousness in The Thorn Bird 8
4.1 Historical factors: Australia, an immigrant nation 8
4.2 Cultural factors: the oppression of traditional patriarchal culture in Australia. 8
4.3 Social factors: women’s liberation movements 9
4.4 Subjective factors: author’s life experience and her view on the female consciousness. 9
5. Conclusion 9
Works cited 10
