The Tragedy of Gatsby

Abstract

an introduction of the author

plot

analysis of the characters

comment

conclusion

Key words: love, collapse of American Dream, Jazz Age, moral corruption

An introduction of the author

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost Generation" of the 1920s. He finished four novels, This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender is the Night and his most famous, The Great Gatsby. A fifth, unfinished novel, The Love of the Last Tycoon was published posthumously. Fitzgerald also wrote many short stories that treat themes of youth and promise along with despair and age. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to an upper middle class Irish Catholic family, Fitzgerald was named after his famous second cousin, three times removed, Francis Scott Key, but was referred to as "Scott". He was also named after his deceased sister, Jean Scott, one of two sisters who died shortly before his birth. He spent 1898–1901 in Syracuse and 1903–1908 in Buffalo, New York, where he attended Nardin Academy. When his father was fired from Procter & Gamble, the family returned to Minnesota, where Fitzgerald attended St. Paul Academy in St. Paul from 1908–1911. His first literary effort, a detective story, was published in a school newspaper when he was 13. When he was 16, he was expelled from St. Paul Academy for neglecting his studies. He attended Newman School, a prep school in Hackensack, New Jersey, in 1911–1912, and entered Princeton University in 1913 as a member of the Class of 1917. There he became friends with future critics and writers Edmund Wilson (Class of 1916) and John Peale Bishop (Class of 1917), and wrote for the Princeton Triangle Club. His absorption in the Triangle—a kind of musical-comedy society—led to his submission of a novel to Charles Scribner's Sons where the editor praised the writing but ultimately rejected the book. He was a member of the University Cottage Club, which still displays Fitzgerald's desk and writing materials in its library. A poor student, Fitzgerald left Princeton to enlist in the US Army during World War I; however, the war ended shortly after Fitzgerald's enlistment.

Plot

In my opinion, the novel may also be interpreted as the tragedy of Gatsby. Gatsby used to serve in the army. In Louisville, 1917, he met a beautiful young girl named Daisy who was from a rich family. Soon, they fell in love with each other. But with the outbreak of the war, he was dispatched to another country. After the Armistice, because of some complication or misunderstanding, he could not go back home to see Daisy. Instead, he was sent to Oxford. But during this time, Daisy failed to adhere to their love. Finally, she married Tom Buchanan, a wealthy man from a solid and aristocratic family, for money. From that moment on, Gatsby dedicated him in making money as well as winning Daisy back. He purchased a deluxe mansion in the West Egg. He held extravagant parties every Saturday night in order to draw the attention of Daisy who lived in the nearby East Egg. But Daisy never came. One day, he found Nick, a remote cousin of Daisy, and asked whether Nick could help to arrange a reunion between him and Daisy. After the reunion, Gatsby and Daisy reestablished their connection. After a short time, Tom began to become suspicious of the relationship between Gatsby and his wife. One hot afternoon, the group went to New York. In a hotel, Tom declared to expose all the things he knew about Gatsby. Soon it turned out to be battle between Tom and Gatsby. At last, Tom forced Daisy to back to the East Egg with Gatsby, attempting to show that Gatsby can not hurt him. Daisy drove the car, but she killed Tom’s mistress Myrtle by accident. Tom told Myrtle’s husband that Gatsby was the driver. Taken in by Tom, Wilson thought Gatsby must be Myrtle’s lover. He found Gatsby in the pool and shot him dead. Then Wilson committed suicide.

Characters

Jay Gatsby

Gatsby is the protagonist of the novel. He is a fabulously wealthy young man living in the West Egg. He is famous for holding lavish parties every Saturday night. In terms of his speaking habit, Gatsby is affected by British accent and he is accustomed to call all the people he meets “old sport”. Fitzgerald uses these words to describe the appearance of Gatsby “his tanned skin was drawn attractively tight on his face and his short hair looked as though it were trimmed every day”. We can indicate from it that Gatsby is energetic and full of experience. Actually he is. Gatsby is born in a poor family in North Dakota. His parents are famers. But obviously, he can not tolerate to live a tranquil life as his parents’. Young Gatsby worships treasure. At the age of 17, he changes his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby. He works for a millionaire and it kindles his desire of wealth. Gatsby falls in love with Daisy in Louisville when he is trained there. I think it is the love that becomes Gatsby’s burden. In order to achieve it, he even takes risks to engage in criminal activities. Gatsby is a contradictory combination. He is a bootlegger, a profiteer. These identities arouse our stereotype towards these kinds of people. We may think that he must be vulgar, ignoble and sinister. In the first chapter, Nick says that Gatsby represents everything for which he has an unaffected scorn. But at last, Nick praises Gatsby sincerely. “They are a rotten crowd, you’re worth the whole damn bunch put together”. The transformation of Nick’s attitude must imply that Gatsby has some shining points in his personality. Gatsby owes a romantic readiness which Nick has never found in any other person and which is not likely ever to be found again. Gatsby also has one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. Just because of Gatsby, Nick can see clearly the so-called upper-class as well as their flaws and hypocrisy. But maybe Fitzgerald deliberately insults Gatsby at first and his comments will arouse readers’ interest to go on reading until at last they themselves find a real Gatsby with flesh and blood. They will be surprised to discover that the “notorious” Gatsby is actually much nobler than this “genteel” upper-class. How ironic it is!

Gatsby is an ingenuous, elegant, refined and kind-hearted person. Even though he holds extravagant parties, he actually does not participate in it and seems detached from the carousal. In the fifth chapter, Nick describes Gatsby’s bedroom as the simplest room of all-----except where the dresser was garnished with a toilet set of pour dull gold. Compared with the magnificent decoration of Gatsby’s sumptuous mansion, his bedroom is quite ordinary. Gatsby is not a luxurious person in nature. Showing off his property is just a part of his plan to win Daisy back. Since he attributes Daisy’s treachery to his lack of money, he instinctively believes that as long as he is well-off, Daisy will return to his side and the past memories can be called back. In the aspect, Gatsby is innocent, even childish and naive. He fails to realize the power of time. Time can destroy everything and reshape them.

In the beginning of the novel, Fitzgerald deliberately creates suspense to make Gatsby a mysterious person. In Daisy’s house, Jordan asks Nick whether he knows Gatsby. In Myrtle’s apartment, her sister Catherine also talks Nick about Gatsby when she finds that Nick is from the West Egg. All these coincidences enhance Nick’s interest in Gatsby as well as readers’ interest in him. While I am reading the first two chapters, I can not help thinking what kind of person Gatsby is. Before Gatsby’s debut in the novel, I already have conceived many characteristics about him. By doing this, Fitzgerald leaves readers the space for imagination. When Gatsby first appears in the third chapter, all our hypothesis is going to be approved or denied.

Daisy Buchanan

Daisy is Nick’s cousin, Tom’s wife and the woman Gatsby loves. As a very popular young girl before the war in Louisville, she is courted by many officers, including Gatsby. She accepts Gatsby’s proposal and promises to wait until Gatsby returns from the frontline. However, because of some practical reasons, Daisy chooses to marry Tom Buchanan who comes from a prominent family. Unfortunately, her marriage with Tom is not a plain sailing. Tom commits out-of-marriage affairs. Daisy hates Tom’s behaviour, but she takes no actions to confront her treacherous husband and just let it go. It seems to Nick that the thing for Daisy to do should be to rush out of the house, child in arms---but apparently there is no such intention in Daisy’s head. The only comfort and pleasure she has is to satirize her husband in daily life as a way to save some of her dignity. Because of this, Daisy becomes cynical, superficial, pessimistic and selfish. She even hopes her daughter can be a fool because she thinks this is the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool just like her. In fact, she really acts like a fool in dealing with her husband’s affair. From the association between Nick and Daisy, we can find that Daisy is not sincere, and in most of the time, she just pretends to be courteous and well-bred. In terms of his relationship with Gatsby, she never takes it seriously. She makes use of the relation as a tool to revenge her husband as well as to find something exciting in life. She is not stalwart to their love no matter five years ago or later. When Tom confronts Gatsby in the suite in New York, Daisy first stands on the side of Gatsby and refutes Tom with thrilling scorn. But soon she hesitates and speaks with perceptible reluctance. Then her voice is cold, but the rancour is gone from it. She becomes so nervous that her hands are trembling. She begins to sob helplessly and finally her frightened eyes tell Tom whatever intentions, what courage she has had, are definitely gone. This is the process how Daisy totally abandons Gatsby.

Nick Carraway

Nick, the narrator of this novel, is from a decent family of Minnesota. After being educated at Yale and fighting in the first World War, he goes to New York to learn the bond business. Strictly speaking, he is not a member of the orthodox upper-class, but he is familiar with some people from that echelon, like Tom and Daisy. In the beginning of the novel, Nick introduces himself to readers. “I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me.” This may be one of the reasons why Nick knows so many things about Gatsby and the Buchanans. His reliable nature makes him the best subject to which people pour their stories. Nick is quiet, reflective, honest, lenient and observant. These qualities make him the best person to narrate the story. Nick in the novel has a episode of romantic experience with Jordon, but when he realizes that Jordon is not the perfect spouse he wants, he breaks up with her even though he is still half in loves with her. Nick is wiser than Gatsby and he can see things into the essence. Compared with Nick, Gatsby’s love to Daisy is like a trap into which he falls and never climbs out. Nick understands where Gatsby’s tragedy lies and he will not follow suit. Nick is also a person of strong self-control. During his contact with Daisy and Tom, his moral ideology is not affected by them. On the contrary, he uses his extraordinary observation to reveal their flaws and criticize them. Nick is also compassionate. He is the one who arranges Gatsby’s funeral.

Tom Buchanan

Tom, the husband of Daisy, comes from a socially solid and aristocratic family. Tom and Nick are in the same senior society when they are in university. But it seems that Nick is not intimate with Tom nor does he like Tom at all. Tom is an arrogant, hypocritical, strong and cruel bully. “His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed. There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even towards people he liked.” In my understanding, Tom always pursues the role of domination in his circle of association. He often speaks in an aggressive and authoritative tone. His robust body props him up to satisfy his strong desire. “It was a body capable of enormous leverage----a cruel body”. The function of his strong body is to defend his own right as well as to trample other’s dignity. When Tom discovers the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy，he is out of rage and says “Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institution, and next they will throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white.” The transition from libertine to prig is so complete. The real ironic thing is that Tom himself is a playboy. But to him, his affair with Myrtle seems nothing corruptive at all. He never considers conforming to the doctrines he imposes on those around him. He himself is always an exception who can discard these moral standards.

Jordan Baker

   Jordan, a competitive golfer who always wears a contemptuous expression, is a friend of Daisy as well as the woman Nick loves. She cheats in order to win her first golf tournament and continually bends the truth. Gradually, Nick discovered the things Jordon conceals under her bored haughty face. Jordon instinctively avoids clever, shrewd men because she feels safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought impossible. The reason is that she is far from honest. She keeps her cool and insolent smile to the world to satisfy her desire. All her pretence is to avoid her flaws being discovered as well as to shun some responsibilities.

George Wilson

   George Wilson, the husband of Myrtle Wilson (Tom’s mistress), runs a garage-Repairs in the Valley of Ashes. He is a blonde, spiritless man, anemic and faintly handsome. Wilson is the man of his wife because he is indecisive and his wife decides almost everything. And Wilson is so tardy that he even does not discover the affair between his wife and Tom.

Myrtle Wilson

   Myrtle Wilson is the wife of Wilson and the mistress of Tom. She possesses fierce vitality and looks for ways to change her situation desperately. But at last, she is killed by Daisy accidently.

Comment

Since the name of this novel is The Great Gatsby, it is of great importance for us to discuss why Gatsby is great. Gatsby is not only a dreamer maker, but also a dream pursuer. His greatness lies in the ability to realize his dreams. The experience of Gatsby is the typical example of the realization of American dream. He starts from scratch, and only in three years, a new millionaire comes into being. His pursuit of true love also makes him great although it turns out that the one he loves is just a material girl and does not deserve his sincere love at all. It is the obsessive love that leads to Gatsby’s tragedy. Gatsby’s tragedy lies in his imagination and stubbornness. At the age of 17, he is already a dreamer-maker. When he first meets Daisy, he begins to weave the dream. But five years later, since he is so infatuated in the well-conceived dream, he refuses to wake up even though he has realized the Daisy in reality is no longer the one in his dream. Gatsby insists that they can repeat the past memories and fix everything just the way it is before even though he clearly senses that Daisy’s words are full of money. The Daisy in his imagination is the single green light in the end of the deck, minute and far away. But if viewed from other aspects, Gatsby is a man of perseverance. He holds the slim hope waiting for the perfect Daisy until the last moment of his life. Gatsby lives in the Utopia that actually does not exist in the real society.

Fitzgerald divides years between 1918---1929, the years after the First World War and before the Economic Depression, as the Jazz Age. On the one hand, the young people have just returned from the battlefield and they have witnessed the cruelty of war. Since life is so fragile, why should they be manipulated by the strict puritan doctrines all their life? It would be better to enjoy the pleasure of life when they are still alive. With these ideas in their mind, they begin to lose faith. The potency of traditional puritan values gradually wanes, and suddenly they collapse. On the other hand, American steps into a prosperous age after the war. National economy boosts quickly. As a result, hedonism wins popularity among people. In the novel, the extravagant parties held in Gatsby’s mansion reflect this social reality. Fitzgerald also permeate his own idea about the age though the angle of Nick. Nick participates in the lavish parties, but at the same time, he keeps a calm head towards it. Through his extraordinary perception, he subtly perceives people’s desire for romance, but he also senses the void and helplessness hiding behind the luxurious facade. In this way, Fitzgerald expresses his ideas through Nick’s mouth and mind. Gatsby’s party is so sumptuous and unreal that the danger of destruction lurks under it. It really forecasts the oncoming Economic Depression.

  The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. Equality is the soul of American Dream. Intelligence, diligence and perseverance are the essential elements. Anyone who possesses these qualities has the chance to succeed. Gatsby is one of them. But in the special Jazz Age, American Dream is somewhat distorted by people like Gatsby. They make use of the current social situation (America bans the sale of alcohol at that time), and makes huge profit from illegal activities. Fitzgerald is good at mirroring the social realities of his time into his novels. These speculative phenomena are not fancied by Fitzgerald without supporting evidence. He disapproves this kind of behaviour. If American Dream is achieved by speculation or criminal activities, no matter how sweet and reality-like the dream is, the dream maker will wake up some day.

  The United States is said to be a melting-pot and emigrants from all over the world could be fully embraced. It also long professes itself to be a country without social hierarchy. But this is not the reality. America really has its hierarchies, even though it is more concealed than those of Britain. The upper-class is at the attack of Fitzgerald. They consider themselves the orthodox aristocracy and shows scorn to people who do not belong to their echelon. The typical representative is Tom and he is even a racialist. In Nick’s first visit to Tom’s house, at the table, he propagates his racial speech fiercely. Although Gatsby becomes a millionaire later, but the newly-rich like Gatsby still could not receive respect or approval from the traditional aristocracy just because of their inferior birth. When Tom comes to participate in Gatsby’s party, he still poses as a superior personage who humbles himself to inspect the party and people there. Tom’s affair with Myrtle implies the moral corruption of the upper-class. On the surface, they are the apologist of traditional values, but in fact, their dirty nature is covered by the appearance of a prig. They are even cold-blooded. Tom and Daisy play a trick and make use of Wilson to kill Gatsby without a shudder. “They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made…”

Conclusion

The Great Gatsby ranks the second place among one hundred most famous novels. It is a novel of great significance and it fully shows readers the genius of Fitzgerald. While writing the book review, I refer to some materials. But in the limited length of my book review, I can not express all the ideas the author wants to convey. I just write down my own understanding and the points the impress me most.

Welcome to play the most interesting dora , we have thousands of fun games,including Jeux Dora,Juegos Dora,Jogos Dora,Dora Girls Games,Dora Puzzle Games,Barbie Make up Games,cooking games online,also we add new dora everyday,Surely the games will keep you entertained,and we pride ourselves in serving you the newest and best Makeover Games to play everyday so that you will not be disappointed.

Family Happiness and Independence

Abstract

Little women, written by Louisa May Alcott, is a family novel with the nature of autobiography. It is one of the best loved books all time which has been translated into dozens of languages.

As the key in interpreting the feminist literature, female consciousness is presented in Louisa May Alcott’ Little Women, in which we can see the female figures pursuing marriage with love, independence and equality as well as the time limitation in the description of traditional female characters. Anyway, Alcott’s awaking female consciousness of independence and equality is of great realistic significance. In this article, I will talk briefly about the writer and the book plot and characters, while most important, I will concentrate on the female consciousness of independence.

Key words: little women, female consciousness of independence and equality, family happiness.

About the author

Louisa May Alcott (November 29, 1832-March 6, 1888) was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo’s Boys.

Alcott was the daughter of noted transcendentalist and educator Amos Bronson Alcott and Abigail May Alcott. Though of New England heritage, she was born in Germantown, which is currently part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the second of four daughters: Anna Bronson Alcott was the eldest; Elizabeth Sewall Alcott and Abigail May Alcott were the two youngest. Alcott’s early education included lessons from the naturalist Henry David Thoreau. She received the majority of her schooling from her father, as well as some instruction from writers and educators such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Margaret Fuller, who were all family friends. She later described these early years in a newspaper sketch entitled “Transcendental Wild Oats”.

 Alcott had done many works to support her family at early age. But it was her writing career that indeed released the pressure. She wrote many works before her masterpiece Little Women appeared, including Flower Fables (1849), a selection of tales, Hospital Sketches collected from her being nurse during American Civil War, brought her first critical recognition for her observations and humor, as well as some passionate, fiery novels and sensational stories under the nom de plume A. M. Barnard.

Alcott's literary success arrived with the publication by the Roberts Brothers of the first part of Little Women: or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, (1868) a semi-autobiographical account of her childhood with her sisters in Concord, Massachusetts. In Little Women, Alcott based her heroine "Jo" on herself. But whereas Jo marries at the end of the story, Alcott remained single throughout her life. She explained her “spinsterhood” in an interview with Louise Chandler Moulton, “because I have fallen in love with so many pretty girls and never once the least bit with any man.” Alcott, along with Elizabeth Stoddard, Rebecca Harding Davis, Anne Moncure Crane, and others, was part of a group of female authors during the Gilded Age who addressed women’s issues in a modern and candid manner. Their works were “among the decided signs of the times”.

After that, she continued to write novels and stories, creating a series of Little Women, including An Old Fashioned Girl, Little Men, Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom, Under the Lilaos, Jack and Jill, and Jo’s Boys. What’s more, she devoted herself to advocating for women’s suffrage Temperance Movement. In 1888, she died in Boston.

Plot

Little Women describes the four March sisters’ twist but happy family life and fate living in a small New England community during American Civil War. Although confronted with the imperfect life, suffering many privations because of the war and their poverty, the March girls’ optimistic and selfless love make them all grow up being brave and tough towards life, contriving to be happy by performing charitable services for neighbors, staging home theatricals, and attending parties.

Meg, the eldest, though is a governess who wishes she were rich, but she finally chooses to be with her lover, Laurie’s tutor John Brooke, sharing living pressure together. At last, they have twins, a boy and a girl, named Daisy and Demi. Jo is a true, frank and affettuoso girl. Her unconstrained nature makes her so cordial to life. On the way being mature, she overcomes her careless and irritable temper and insists on realizing her dreams. The wealthy next-door neighbor, Theodore Laurence, makes their acquaintance and falls love with Jo. After he graduates from college and he proposes to Jo. However, she doesn’t want to marry him. Jo goes to New York to try to make something by herself, but she realizes that her writing dream might be unattainable. But she meets her lover, Professor Friedrich Bhaer, who comes to visit the March family and proposes to Jo. They marry and open a boy’s school. Beth is like an angle born with holiness and pureness, tenderness, and tolerance. She is Jo’s pet; she is shy, quiet, and very musical. All she ever wants is to be at home. However in order to help others, unfortunately she is infected with scarlet fever which causes her death, leaving the forever regret to readers. Amy is the youngest sister. She has an old head on her young shoulders, but sometimes she is a little captious. In addition, she has excellent percipient. Under the sponsorship of her aunt, she has a trip and be take care of as she tours all over. She is all alone in a foreign land until Laurie comes to her. They spend months together and a love blossoms. They marry and have one daughter, Beth. In a word, Amy eliminates the vanity quietly and becomes a dignified and graceful perfect woman, with elegant manners, being strong but gentle. At last, she wins herself both love and respect.

The stories of their domestic adventures, their friendship with the neighboring Laurence family, and their later love affairs remain as fresh and beguiling as ever. As young adults they must face up the inevitable trials and traumas of everyday life in their search for individual happiness. Such four girls, in their ways of growing up, always reveal the feminist spirit, and expose the girls’ willingness to break through the secular fearlessly.

Characters---Little Women and Their Mother

Margaret “Meg” March: “the eldest of the four, is sixteen, and very pretty, being plump and fair, with large eyes, plenty of soft, brown hair, a sweet mouth, and white hands, of which she was rather vain.” As she herself says, she is “fond of luxury”, and her chief trouble is poverty. Even though she attempts to change this mind, the previous leisure time and the present other family’s wealth still disturb her to accept the reality. At that time, she “had not yet learned to know how rich she was in the blessings which alone can make life happy”. But she is considered the beauty of the March household and she is well-mannered. She could succeed in running the housework and dealing with sisters’ quarrel. Meg is employed as a governess for the Kings, a wealthy local family. Because of the genteel social standing of her family, Meg is allowed into society. However, she finds the up class is not so good as she dreams. Under the help of Laurie and the guide of her mother, she realizes that true worth does not lie with money, which sets a good foundation for her loving story with Mr. John Brooke, Laurie’s tutor. Meg gives up her aunt’s temptation and insists in marring with Mr. John. She gives birth to children, Margaret "Daisy" and John Laurence “Demi”, and then has a second daughter, Josie. Although their family life is not such rich as Meg previously has dreamed, they adapt to each other and devote their efforts to a harmonious and happy family life.

Josephine “Jo” March: being fifteen years old. She always wishes she were a boy or man so that she can say what she wants to express, do what she thinks can help the family, go wherever she wants and what’s more, learn what she wants to know. Thus she always wears, speaks, acts like a man. “She had a decided mouth, a comical nose, and sharp, grey eyes, which appeared to see everything, and were by turns fierce, funny, or thoughtful.” “the uncomfortable appearance of a girl who was rapidly shooting up into a woman, and didn’t like it.” What’s mostly attracts Jo is a large library of fine books and “her ambition is to do something very splendid”, even though she has no idea of how to realize it. She gives me an impression of bold, outspoken, brave, loyal, cranky, principled, and real. She often has creativity both in family activities and her own works. Jo is quite different from the other female images in many other great works, which they almost show a mild, or gentle feminization while Jo largely expresses her independence and tendency to masculinity. She is eager to be equal in society, and then she depends on writing in order to get economic independent in reality. Her resistance and refusal to the common customs are deeply depicted in the story, the most unexpected would be her refusal to Laurie’ proposal. Many readers feel sad and regretful about this, but truly, this is Jo’s real reveal of her independence and the summit of her resistance. She devotes whole-heartedly to the fiction creation world. She flies to New York to be a governess where she meets Professor Friedrich “Fritz” Bhaer, her husband in her life. In the atmosphere of literature, they fall in love with each other. They have both values and feelings in common, share interest in education reform and in new ideas. So they can work together and build a school like a family. They have two children named Rob and Teddy.  In their lovely and happy “school”, the large family together will have a good harvest

Elizabeth “Beth” March: “was a rosy, smooth-haired, bright-eyed girl of thirteen”. She is too shy to go to school, so she gives it up and does lesson at home with her father. What’s more, she always “had a peaceful expression”, even her father calls her “Little Tranquillity”. However, she loves music so dearly, tries so hard to learn, and hopefully believes she can get her music if she is good enough. With the help of her sisters and her friend Laurie, she overcomes the shyness and makes friends with Mr. James Laurence, who later gives her a cupboard piano as a gift, and she is deeply happy. That the most important thing is “she was a housewife little creature”, “never thinking of any reward but to be loved”. She undertakes much of the housework and always does favors for the sick people. Unfortunately, she is infected with scarlet fever and dangerously ill. Very ill yet peaceful and content to be with her family, she dies quietly on a spring night just before dawn. But in her last year, Beth is still trying to make it better for those who will be left behind. She is never idle, except in sleep. “There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.”

Amy March: “though the youngest, was most important person-in her own opinion at least.” “A regular snow-maiden, with blue eyes, and yellow hair, curling on her shoulders, pale and slender, and always carrying herself like a young lady mindful of her manners.” She thinks the greatest trial of her life is her nose even no one minded but herself. Her sisters call her “Little Raphael”, who has a decided talent for drawing. Meanwhile, she is a great favorite with her school mate and possessing the happy art of pleasing without effort. “Amy was in a fair way to be spoilt; for everyone petted her, and her small vanities and selfishness were growing badly.” Meg is her confidante and monitor while her relationship with Jo is a little tense. They have some conflicts but under the help of Mrs. March and Laurie, their relationship becomes much closer. It is the travel with Uncle and Aunt Carrol and cousin Flo to Europe that makes her really overcome the vanity and learns the true woman manners. What’s more, she finds that “something more than money and position was needed to satisfy the new longing that filled her heart so full of tender hopes and fears”. The best position she wants to be is a “livable woman”. Laurie accompanies her in abroad and it is also him to help her analyze herself and pass the pain losing Beth. They generate feeling mutually and fall in love with their hearts closer to expect a happy life being together.

Abigail “Marmee” March: The girls' mother and head of household while her husband is away at war. A good mother who knows how to educate her children will have totally different. Mrs. March is a respectful mother in Little Women and a guide of the family. For her girls, mother is the moral role mode. She has both infinite wisdom to not just teach them, but demonstrated and enforced with kindness and with love, and patience to help them overcome the shortcomings.

Comment

In the 1860s after the Civil War, America was in an important period of transition. All these conservative or progressive, nostalgic or reform, traditional or modern, obedient or personal, constraint or widely known trends of thoughts mingled together, running through this period wholly. Americans expected a new spirit to inspire and encourage them. The freedom and democracy of western spirit became a popular trend meanwhile the feminist movement developed flourishingly; the second time in middle 1860s was the soil of modern feminism. Thus in 1970s, American feminist literature was picked up again, and combined the whole background, the United States in this period needed to re-inspire women’s autonomy as well as re-set up women’s social position to transfuse new energy to American development. However some criticized that feminist literature was merely a kind of “sentimental novels”, a praise of traditional women and a challenge to men’s authority. Objectively, the feminist novels in 1870s have an abundant connotation, displaying many traces of feminism and breeding liberal feminism in America, which largely motivated the development of women’s movement.

Alcott was in such a circumstance, so her works must be influenced by the cultural background, such as her masterpiece Little Women. Little Women is a book of family diary in the form of fiction, a moral family novel. The four sisters pursue the authority of self-independence and the loyalty to family, which consist of the story’s contradiction.

Firstly, in 19^th century, wealth is one of the most important elements in traditional marriage in American, even in daily family relations. But in Little Women, the author points out clearly her attitude towards marriage and wealth: “……marry rich men merely because they are rich, or have splendid houses, which are not homes because love is wanting. Money is a needful and precious thing……but I never want you to think of it as the first or only prize to strive for. I’d rather see your poor men’ wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, without self-respect and peace.” Thus the sisters have a wind vane among marriage, love and money, which is quite different in that social circumstance. The March sisters implement such view of love and marriage, abandoning money and pursuing true love. Meg gives up the right of inheritance of Aunt March’s wealth. “My John wouldn’t marry for money, any more than I would. We are willing to work, and we mean to wait.” She chooses to marry with poor Mr. Brooke. The couple work together to make their family happier. Amy always knows that she must find a wealthy family, but facing with wealthier Fred Vaughn, she is honest to her inner mind, on the basis of love, choosing Laurie as her lifetime mate. After refusing Laurie’s proposal, Jo meets Pro. Bhare and at last gets married. Even though their lives are not so rich, we also can see their happy and harmonious family life. So wealth is no longer an important element to evaluate marriage and poverty is not so horrible. Kinship, friendship and love are the fountain of happiness. They realize how to gasp fate and happiness by themselves, even if it runs counter with the tradition.

Secondly, in the 1860s, American social life and thoughts were shocked and one of the obvious changes was more and more women went out of their houses to appear in society and political area. But the society couldn’t change immediately, the traditional Victoria lady was the public cherished. In the book, we have a bolshy woman called Jo, characterized on the basis of the author, who doubts the requirements and restrictions on women, wishing she were a man endowed privilege and freedom by society. Her dream is not to be qualified housewife like many other women at that time, but a writer who can earn money. She possesses distinctive creativity and spirit of independence. Her resistance and refusal to common customs are depicted profoundly, being disaccord with the social necessity, her personality is highlighted, for example her independence. She is able to earn money by writing for the family. She is unwilling to violate her life principle to cater to so called lady image, so she wears and talks like a man. By her unremitting hard work, she becomes an excellent writer. Choosing her favorable life style and being independent in economy, this character becomes an unusual figure in 19^th century, who is favored by thousands of women readers. In addition, the sisters build the P. C. and P. O., write plays by themselves and so on. All activities are women’s self-improvement and perfection of lives, which reveal they have the mind of independence, meanwhile to make progress.

Thirdly, women are not obsequious housewives any more, but individuals totally equal with husbands both in spiritual and intellectual. Family becomes the strong point of mutual respect and dependence; cooking and nurturing are not only women’s responsibility, but also husbands’. In the Marches and the Brookes, husbands take active in housework, preparing desserts and looking after babies together. The pattern of Jo’s marriage bears the marriage view of transcendentalism: husband and wife are equal both in family and social life, where they can fulfill the spirit and gain enjoyment in work. It is in accordance with the feminism of men and women should be equal, thus women can realize their social value to set up own career to be independent in spirit and material, and then achieve self-supporting and self-improvement.

Even so, Alcott doesn’t totally get rid of the females’ traditional mind, and in a degree, she supports the society’s necessities to traditional women. The women in March almost are traditional women, characterized filial piety, loyalty, gentleness and family-orientation. They depend on their husbands’ income in economy and males’ guidance in mind. In daily life, they are the main supporter of housework and raising next generation. Even Mrs. March tries her best to make her girls become excellent women in new times who have all women’s virtues. However, all their virtues are made use of how to become an understanding wife and loving mother. In a word, the biggest happiness of a woman should be authenticated by a happy marriage. Meg and Amy both like social contact, as many other girls. But they have their own dreams and goals, much stronger than common girls in self-consciousness awakening. Meg chooses Mr. Brooke firmly to live a poor life by ignoring her aunt’s obstruction. Amy, although being vain and captious, is the one can control her own fate. She is good at taking the initiative, never wasting time on nothing useful. Nonetheless, they have not yet broke away from the fate of going back to family, putting every effort they can to be a mild mother and dutiful wife, even the most independent Jo. She runs a special school with her husband, which surpasses many her contemporaries to spend more time and energy on new generations. However, the real teacher is her husband, she is only in charge of daily life and odd jobs in the school as an assistant, not being an independent woman owning an individual career. Obviously, these are influenced by the temporal cultural background. The characters are pursuing the success of individual and family, the achievement of dreams and reality, as well as the fulfillment of psychology and material.

Conclusion

Little Women is the example of describing family women’s mature process in America, which throwing off the religious sermon. It’s real and direct description of life that contributes to its characteristics in moral novels. Some writers comment on this book that many generations have grown up, and mothers still like to read these sisters’ childhoods, continuing their own childhood happiness. It’s an educating book both to mothers and children. For mothers, the book can help you to understand how to lead children to grown-ups, while for children, it can give you experience of being grown-ups. By using simple writing means to show the four sisters fate, Alcott always reminds of us: the life we want is very simple which itself is a kind of happiness.

Welcome to play the most interesting dora games , we have thousands of fun games,including free cooking games,Dora Cooking Games,Diego Dora Games,Dora Kids Games,Jeux de Dora,Juegos de Dora,Jogos da Dora,also we add new dora everyday,Surely the games will keep you entertained,and we pride ourselves in serving you the newest and best Makeover Games to play everyday so that you will not be disappointed.

The Meaning of Innocence

1. Brief Introduction of Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton, born Edith Newbold Jones (January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937)，was the daughter of Jones which was a noble family of New York. She was well educated at home and traveled abroad for several times. In 1885, at the age of 23, she married Edward (Teddy) Robbins Wharton, who was 12 years her senior. From a well-established Boston family, he was a sportsman and a gentleman of her social class. Good as he was, they had little in common intellectually. A few years later, Edward suffered from mental illness, which eventually led to their divorce in 1913. Since then, Edith lived in Paris, and participated in the Red Cross Council of the United States. After World War I, she only went back to America once. Wharton was friend and confidante to many gifted intellectuals of her time such as Henry James and Sinclair Lewis, Theodore Roosevelt, Bernard Berenson, and Kenneth Clark were valued friends as well. She died in 1937, and was buried in Versailles. Many of Wharton's novels are characterized by a subtle use of dramatic irony. Having grown up in upper-class pre-World War I society, Wharton became one of its most astute critics. In such works as The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence she employed both humor and profound empathy to describe the lives of New York's upper class and the vanishing of their world in the early years of the 20th century. In addition to writing several respected novels, Wharton produced a wealth of short stories and is particularly well regarded for her ghost stories. And also she was a designer. Her other famous works are The Custom of the Country and Old New York.

2. Plot

The Age of Innocence centers on an upper-class couple's impending marriage, and the introduction of a woman plagued by scandal whose presence threatens their happiness. Newland Archer, a gentleman lawyer and heir to one of New York City's best families, is happily anticipating a highly desirable marriage to the sheltered and beautiful May Welland. They are considered as a perfect match. Yet after the appearance of Countess Ellen Olenska, he finds reason to doubt his choice of bride. Ellen, May's exotic and beautiful cousin, has been living in Europe and returned to New York after scandalously separating herself (per rumor) from a bad marriage to a Polish Count. At the beginning, Ellen's arrival and its potential taint to his bride's family disturb him, but he becomes intrigued by the worldly Ellen who flouts New York society's fastidious rules. In fact, Newland had already crushed on Ellen in his young age, and now his admiration for the countess grows. In order to suppress his affection, he urges that the wedding should be held in advance, which violated the customs, but May refuses. Then, Newland confess to Ellen that he loves her and she corresponds, but is horrified that their love will aggrieve May. At this time, Newland receives May's telegram agreeing to wed sooner. Finally, they marry. However, Newland soon finds that his society marriage is loveless, and the social life he once found absorbing has become empty and joyless. He finds himself in the shackles of marriage, and gradually lost his identity. It is in this moment that he profoundly understands his true love is Ellen. Newland can no longer deceive himself, and finally poured out his love to Ellen who is suffering much the same. Newland desperately seeks a way to leave May and be with Ellen and he is resolute in going to Europe to find Ellen. However, at this vital moment, an unlucky thing happens. May is pregnant. She reveals that she had told Ellen of her pregnancy two weeks earlier, despite not being sure of it at the time. Ellen alone goes to Europe and Newland, Hopelessly trapped, decides not to follow Ellen, surrendering his love for the sake of his children, remaining in a loveless marriage to May. Twenty-six years later, after May's death, the fifty-seven-year old Newland finally gets the chance to see Ellen, he is stunned. On their arrival outside Ellen’s apartment building, Newland sends up his son alone to meet Ellen, while he waits outside, watching the balcony of her apartment. Newland considers going up, but in the end decides not to; he walks back to his hotel without seeing her.

3. Main Character Analysis

Newland Archer: The story's protagonist is a young, popular, gentle and successful lawyer living with his mother and sister in an elegant New York City house. Since childhood, his life has been shaped by the conventions and expectations of upper-class New York City society. His engagement to the pure and beautiful May Welland is the most enviable one in a string of accomplishments. In the beginning of the story, he is proud and content to dream about a traditional marriage in which he will be the husband-teacher and she the wife-student. Yet everything is different when he meets Countess Ellen Olenska. At first, he just wants to help her, but soon he fells in love with her. His passion for her makes him doubt his values on which he was raised. He sees the sexual inequality of New York society and the shallowness of its customs, and struggles to make a balance between social commitment to May and love for Ellen. He cannot find a place for their love in the complicated, judgmental web of New York society. Throughout the story's progress, he gives up Ellen three times in his whole life. The first time he suppressed his affection and married to May. The second time he did not follow Ellen to Europe because of May’s pregnancy. And the last time, he stood under her window and finally went away without seeing her. Truly, they love each other, but there is no place for them. In the end, Newland Archer finds that the only place for their love is in his memories.

May Welland she is Newland Archer's ideal wife, a noble, pretty and pure lady. Raised to be a perfect wife and mother, she follows and obeys all of society's customs, perfectly. Like others, May regards Europe in which Ellen lives as a conservative hypocrisy, humanity oppression world and that their New York is the representative of "all good things, "- freedom, equality and love. Mostly, she is the typical young woman that New York society requires. In the eye of Newland, she is always an innocent lady; however, in St. Augustine, May gives him a rare glimpse of the maturity and compassion he had previously ignored. She said she couldn’t have her happiness made out of a wrong- an unfairness-to somebody else. Therefore, she offers to release him from their engagement so that he can marry Mrs. Rushworth. The married woman, she thinks he truly loves, with whom he had recently ended a love affair. When he assures May of his loving only her, she flushes with joy and appears to trust him. Yet after marriage, she suspects Newland is Ellen's lover. Nonetheless, May pretends happiness in public, holding the illusion that he and she have the perfect marriage as they had expected. Her unhappiness activates her manipulative nature, and when Newland finds it, it is too late. To avoid their elopement and make her leave him forever, May tells Ellen of her pregnancy before she is certain of it. At the moment, her blue eyes wet with victory. Although she wins the marriage, she lost love. After May's death, Newland Archer learns she had always known of his continued love for Ellen. As May lay dying, she told their son Dallas that the children could always trust their father Newland, because he surrendered the thing most meaningful to him out of loyalty to their marriage, which also made her feel guilty in her whole life.

Ellen Olenska: She is May's cousin, Mrs. Manson Mingott's granddaughter, Newland’s true love and Count Olenski’wife. When first appears in the story, she is regarded as a different. Under the help of her husband’s secretary, she has returned to New York after scandalously separating herself (per rumor) from her miserable marriage. She is a free spirit who helps Newland Archer see beyond narrow New York society. Newland says that she is different. Everything she does is out of the New York’s custom and etiquette. She wears unusual dress; she gets up and walks away from one gentle man in order to seek the company of another in the drawing-room; she offers the servant her own cape before sending her out on an errand. She attends parties with disreputable people such as Julius Beaufort and Mrs. Lemuel Struthers, and she invites Newland, the fiancé of her cousin May to visit her. Maybe these are also the reasons that she is rejected by the society. She thinks the real loneliness is living among all these kind people who only ask one to pretend. So she faces her love with Newland frankly. Much the same as she suffers as Newland from their impossible love, she is still willing to live in emotional limbo so long as they can love each other at a distance. However, in order to protect the family’s fame and May’s happiness, she chooses to hide her love and go to Europe, refusing Newland's attempt to follow her.

Mrs. Manson Mingott: The matriarch of the powerful Mingott family, and grandmother to Ellen and May. She controls her family: at Newland's request, she asks May and Mrs. Welland to ahead of the wedding date. She controls the money: withholding Ellen's living allowance (when the family is angry with Ellen), and having niece Regina Beaufort ask for money when in financial trouble. She and Elle have something in common. She always says that it’s a pity that Ellen doesn’t marry to Ellen. Finally, she said she would never shut Elle in that cage again.

Her welcoming Ellen is viewed skeptically, and she insists the rest of the family support Ellen.

4. Comment:

Having read this book only once, I have difficulty in coming up with some creative ideas, but I still want to say something in my mind. Frankly speaking, I choose this book because I’m impressed by the title. I wonder what kind of age can be defined as innocence, is it really innocent? With such questions, I finished reading the book. The moment I closed the book, my feelings were a little complicated, however, one thing I can be sure is that the age is definitely not innocent. Yet it is certain that the meaning of “innocence” is more than that. I look up the word in the dictionary, and it gives me three definitions. 1.Freedom from sin, moral wrong, or guilt through lack of knowledge of evil；2.Freedom from guile, cunning, or deceit; simplicity or artlessness；3. Lack of worldliness or sophistication; naiveté.  Undoubtedly, this novel covers all those meanings.

First of all, it refers to the innocence of Newland and Ellen’ love. Their admiration for each other is by no means incident. Though he has grown up in the unshakable conventions of upper-class New York City society, he is a little different from others. He likes reading and thinking, thus has a border horizons, which makes him have a deep sense of traditional constraint and depression and hate the boring life. Therefore, when Ellen appears in upper-class New York society with the glow of freedom in her spirit, he was deeply attracted. His feeling to her first is compassion of a friend, then love. At the same time, Ellen also admires him for his sincere help. Their love is not based on money, sex or anything material and secular, but on their common personalities. They belong to that category of people who are rebellious. They are different, so is their love. Unlike other love stories, their love doesn’t flourish and the story doesn’t have a happy ending. They wish to pursue their own happiness, but they also don’t want to hurt others, only have to choose to let it go. I appreciate this ending, and because of this their love is as pure as lily. Some people say that love is incomplete, just like Venus, her incompletion does make her beauty. If they successfully eloped to Europe, this love could never be described as innocence. Then Ellen would actually be the other woman, a mistress of Newland. She would be blamed to be an infidel woman who destroyed Newland’s family and May’s happiness. Their Platonic Love, which arises from their heart and ceases for the convention, is what really make them admirable. It reminds me the poem written by Qing Guan that “Abiding is our love, separation we fear not” (两情若是久长时，又岂在朝朝暮暮). Yes, the love is innocence.

  Second, “an innocent age” is certain a sarcasm which reveals the hypocrisy of the New York upper class during 1870s. New York society, Composed of powerful, wealthy families, is a powerful machine, and what to maintain the operation of this machine are unshakable traditions and customs. People in that society are indifferent and merciless, just as Ellen says that at there people do not need tears but pretentions. They need to pay attention to the decency of their dresses and conversations. What time to go out to visit others after dinner, what flowers should be worn on the collar , and even after how long time should ladies wear their fashion clothes made from Paris all these have certain rules. Through these trivial formalities, it’s not hard for us to know the value orientation and moral standards of New York society. Any person who violates the rules and norms will be condemned and spurned by the high society. May regards Europe in which Ellen lives as a conservative hypocrisy, humanity oppression world and that their New York is the representative of "all good things, "- freedom, equality and love. It is true people are endowed with the right of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Actually, New York also is a decorated fancy cage, what she accepts is same and rejects is difference. People in that society are born in a rut, and you can’t root them out of it. Not one of them wants to be different because they are as scared of it as the small-pox. No doubt Ellen will be rejected by her family. Under this circumstance, their love is doomed to be a tragedy.

Last, I think May is the key of innocence. Of course, some may argue that she is shrewd and is the barrier to the realization of Newland and Ellen’s ideal love. When they express their love for the first time, May tells him that parents consent to hold their wedding in advance, which prevents the possibility of their further love. Two years later, when Newland determined to follow Ellen to Europe, it is May who secretly tells Ellen that she is pregnant, which makes Ellen give up Newland resolutely and completely. However, before they get married, may have given Newland the chance to seek for his true love, but he refused. There is no reason that she should be responsible for their tragedy. And there is no fault to tell a lie in order to protect her marriage. I suppose if she can speak out frankly, she would be the person who was the least willing to lie. Although she wins marriage, she lost love. Is it not an innocent thing to marry a man who doesn’t love herself? Is it not a melancholy thing for a beautiful lady to stay up with a man whose heart belongs to another woman? Even though, she tries her best to run her marriage and maintain her family. Even she had died thinking the world a good place, full of loving and harmonious households like her own. For the sake of the family, Newland gives up what he most wants, but May’s sacrifice is no less than him.

In addition to the traditional conventions, their psychological barrier is another factor that causes the tragedy. When pursuit her personal happiness, Ellen always takes others’ feelings into consideration, fearing of hurting others. She tries her best to make a balance between the loyalty to their love and the fairness to others. Her kindness determines her to choose a self-sacrifice way. Compared with Ellen, Newland is less rebellious. Although he detests the traditional customs and sharply criticizes the moral ethics, his rebellion and resist is limited within his inner world. When confronted with the cruel reality, he is indeed a coward. He doesn’t have the guts to discharge his engagement to May. He is at the mercy of fate. When he found Ellen is beside the lake, instead going up toward to her, he chose to let the God to control his life. He said to himself” if she doesn’t turn before that sail crosses the Lime Rock light I’ll go back.” She didn’t turn on earth, and once again they missed each other. After Ellen’s leave, he yields to the fate. Finally, he becomes a loyal husband and a good citizen. 26 years later, when he recalls his past life, he understands that it did not so much matter if marriage was a dull duty, as long as it kept the dignity of a duty. After all, there was good in the old ways. They were defeated by the traditional conventions, as well as by themselves.

Conclusion:

We all hope that “Jack shall have Jill; all shall be well” and most love story endings appeal to our expectations. However, this one is an exception, which sublimates their love. It seems a little lonely. In fact, in this three-person love, no one is the winner. Newland and   May’ encounter is what we said “meet the wrong person in right time”; Newland and Ellen’s encounter is what we said” meet the right person in wrong time”. May wins marriage, Ellen on the contrary. Newland wins love at the expense of stay together with May. Yet the conventions are strengthened. In that circumstance, love is lighter than feather while morality and justice are heavier than Mount Tai. When confronted with them, you will be sure to lose if you put all your counters on love. Love is certainly beautiful, but it is not whole life. Love is just like one of the seven colors of a rainbow. Without the other six colors, rainbow does not exist. Sometimes it is better to give up that color because there are still six colors, the rainbow does exist and it’s still beautiful. That is true life and that is what I have learned from the novel.

Welcome to play the most interesting dora games , we have thousands of fun games,including free cooking games,Dora Cooking Games,Diego Dora Games,Dora Kids Games,Jeux de Dora,Juegos de Dora,Jogos da Dora,also we add new dora everyday,Surely the games will keep you entertained,and we pride ourselves in serving you the newest and best Makeover Games to play everyday so that you will not be disappointed.

a book report on Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Key words: slave, slavery, emancipation, auction, christian, the Bible, the South, plantation

The author:

Harrite Beecher Stowe was born at Litchfield, Connecticut, on June 14, 1811. she was brought up in a Calvinist family. She received a good education and read widely the works of English writers. During her lifetime, Stowe heard bountiful stories of slave-holding counties in the South. Though not having experienced the cruelty of slavery herself, she showed great sympathy for the pathetic downtrodden slaves. Her famous work“Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, a best seller at that time, was a benchmark in the anti-slavery literature, winning for her great success both within America and a broad. Despite the critism heaped on the book by colonists and slave owners who claimed it devoid of truthful presentation, the influence of “ Uncle Tom’s Cabin” remained farreaching, which was aptly proved by Lincoln’s words to Stowe, “the little lady who wrote the book that made this great war!” besides the anit-slavery words she also wrote novels describing New England life. she once wrote in her speech that she would rather depict the homely yet honest plainness of native land than the exotic setting of romance. Unlike most local colorists, who looked back to the past through a nostalgic haze, she presented the merciless reality. Her attention to the local legends and dialet, her gife for creating humous characters, and her capacity for compelling story telling have exerted great influence on other writers.

Plot

Tom is a black servant in the Shelbys’. His masters are very kindhearted. Tom’s family lives peacefully and happily in a cabin. However, all delights are suddenly halted by the presence of Haley, a slavetrader. Mr.Shelby fails in business and owes an enormous debt to him and thus is forced to sell Tom and little Jim. Jim is the son of Eliza, a mulatto and servant, who is delicately cared and educated by Mrs.Shelby. Hearing of the despiring news, Eliza decieds to flee with her son. She has a narrow escape when resting beside the Ohio River and is almost caught up by Haley. With the innate power evoked by the strong yearning for life, she succeeds in crossing the icy river. Her husband, George Harris, also a mulatto slave, is industrious and ingenious. However, his tyranical master, who grows incres asingly jealous of his wisdom and handiness, orders him to quit his family and go to the South where slaves are tortured by unbearable and incessant labour and have little hope of returing. Indignant with the suffocating injustice and bleak outlook of future life, he decides to flee to Canada at all cost. With the help of kindhearted people, George reunites with his wife and son, gets rid of the persecution by slavetraders, and finally arrives in the promised and free land of Canada. After wives of twists and turns on the way, they manage to get out of the infamous incantation of slavery.

Tom, then, leaves the beloved home and people for a place that is utterly unknown. On a boat, he gets to know little Evangeline, who is then about 5 years old. Tom saves Eva’s life when she falls into water and is bought by Eva’s father, St.Clare. St.Clare treats his slaves well or even indulges them. Tom develops sincere and intimate friendship with Eva, who is angelic and who trully lives out the creed of “ all men are created equal”. Unfortunately, she died of consummation two years later, which is an hard blow to all the people in the household, either black or white. As is required by Eva, St.Clare begins the legal formalities to liberate Tom. However, he is stabbed to death when he tries to separate two intoxicated guys in fight. To Tom, it is a double blow for he suffers the loss of a benigh master and the dashing of hope for freedom. Now, the fate of all the slaves are in the hand of selfish and inconsiderate Marie. Tom is bought by a atrocious slaveowner, Simon Legree in an auction. There he is maltreated for refusing to whip the infirm female slaves. It is a formidable place, a place devoid of any hope or relief, a place where negroes live no more decently than animals and a place where Legree utilizes the Negroes to the extent that he wants to derive oil from a dried sponge. Ho wever, on such desolate land, Tom never loses his faith in and gratitude for God. There are times when the brutal torture diminishes the hope of redemption and makes him believe that God’s wrath is against them, he soon returns to cheerfulness. Impelled by endless torture, Cassy asked Tom to assist her in murdering Legree, but she is refused because Tom thinks such wicked deed is a blasphemy of God. Instead, Tom helps Cassy and Emmeline flee. Tom is striken fatally for refusing to disclose their whereabouts. Just before his death, George Shelby comes to buy him back. But it is too late. Enlightende by the deplorable death of Tom, George returns to liberate all his slaves. Reassuingly, Cassy reunits with her lost daughter Eliza and George Harris with is sister.

Character:

Uncle Tom: a faithful servant and a reverent believer in almighty God. He is honest and kind, believing heart and soul in goodness and truth. In times of difficultities, he finds the healing power of the Bible, which helps him conquer the physical pain, transend the earthy being and reach the eternity of the spirit. Struggling at the last breath of life, he has no regret for sacrificing himself to help Cassy and Emmeline flee from tyrany. Instead, he feels pleasant and glorified for the eternity after death.

Aunt Chole:Tom’s wife, a servant and a cook. After Tom is sold, she asks to be hired out in order to earn money to buy him back.

Mrs.Shelby: a faithful christian. She treats the slaves philantropically. She brings up and educates Eliza carefully as if she was her own daughter. She is strongly opposed to selling slaves.

Eliza: beautiful mulatto slave, an amiable and obedient servant, she has been inculcated with the doctrine fo christianity, always admonishing her husband not to use violence against injustice. Unable to bear the separation with her only son, she takes him and flees.

George Harris: Eliza’s husband. He is smart and hardworking. Once he invents a machine to facilitate his work. He is also rebellious and undaunted, daring to risk his life to fight against injustice and to persue liberty.

Augustine St.Clare: a benign slaveowner. He has high ideal to liberate the slaves, yet he is retard n taking actions. He ensures his slaves decent and comfortable life and thus deems it unnecessary to liberate them because they are quite well off.

Evengeline: St.Clare’s only daughter, the incarnation of angel. Thouth less experienced than adults, she has a keener insight than them. She disregards her superior position, mingles with the servants and treats them equally. Her love and selfishness infiltrate throughout the whole community, healing the wound of broken hearts. Her name resembles the Evengel, a religious term which means felicity.

Miss.Ophelia: St.Clare’s cousin in New England. She strives for the rights of slaves but at the same time maintains discrimination against them. She is eager to spread her own knowledge and understanding. At first her efforts to reclaim the naughty and wicked Topsy turn in vain. Finally, under the influence of Eva, she manages to love Topsy as equally as she loves the people of her own race and cultivate her into a decent girl.

Simon Legree: an atrocious, unhumane, callous and greedish slaveowner, the killer of his loving mother. He exploits the slaves ruthlessly. What he dreads most is the haunting fo his mother’s spirit.

Cassy: a fair middle-aged slave, Eliza’s mother. She once enjoys a decent and comfortable life with her daughter. But they are auctioned after the sudden death of their master. Unfortunately, Cassy falls into the hand of Legree. She bears not only the burden of laborious field work but also the humiliation of coinhabiting with the hedious Legree. For all the misfortunes falling on her, she becomes cynical and gloomy.

Theme:

The theme of the novel, undoubtedly, are the enormous sufferings and sad fates of African Americans under the oppression of slavery.countless fathers are forced to leave their beloved families and sent to places where there is no hope but only endless suffering. Countless mothers are forever separated from their children no matter how desperately they implore for merch. Countless childen become mere tools of labour, not knowing where and by whom they are born and finding no rain fo love reaching their desolate desert of emotion. However fortunate some slaves are, they never know when they will be forcibly severed from the heaven-like life and sank in the bottom families and bottomless hell. To many prosperous and happy whites, life is wuite a blessing, but to most blacks, life is more like a curse. Therefore, its understandable that many mothers kill their babies shortly after they are born, it is the timely termination fo jeoperdy in life. all these repulsive cruelties have riven thousands fo hearts, shattered thousands of families and driven a helpless and sensative race to frenzy and despire. Therefore, there’re those who seek in death a shelter from woes more dreadful than death. Nothing fo the tragedy can be written, can be spoken, can be conceived, that equals the frightful reality of scenes, daily and hourly acting on the shores, beneath the shadow of American law. What an irony it is that the unhumane salver can be legitimate in a country which deems itself an epitome of demoncracy and a country which is founded on the principle of “ all men are created equal”. The book is a bell that tolls to awaken the blacks to stand up and fight agaist tyranny. It beacons the whites to weigh their conscience and to take actions. It displays the author’s earnest yearning for racial equality as powerfully as the illuminating speech delievered by Doctor Martin Luther King Jr about one hundred years later. Trully, not only Martin Luthing King, but also the whole blace race and the intelligent and upright among the whites dream that one day the desolate state, swelting with the heat of injustice and oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

The reasons why slavery could last for so long.

The first reason is white people’s inveterate discrimination against balcks. In many white people’s pespective, blacks are born inferior. They’re just advanced animals, having no humanity to feel or no intelligence to reason as whites do. For those blacks who seem wise and comfident, they need lessons to remind them of their inferiority, take Marie for example. A self-centered and narrow-minded woman, she always thinks herself entitled to get others’ consideration and care, while accusing her serwant of selfishness when she worried about her own child, scolding her for inconsideration when she dozes off after days and nights of attending Marie. Well, it may be understandable that such a woman is censorious to her serwants. It’s not unimaginable that she uses every possible mens to defend her rights and deny other’s rights. Even Miss Ophelia, an enlightened and educated woman, still has vestiges of ingrained discrimination against blacks. It seems that she has made all her efforts to reclaim Topsy, but the girl is too pertinacious to be transformed. However, the truth is that she never allows Topsy to touch her and she may be able to like Topsy but not love her. This is a clear edvidence fo discrimination. No one can be educated and loved by those who dispise him. As long as discrimination is present in one’s heart, despite its magnitude, he can never treat the blacks with true equality.

The second reason is white’s avarice. The slavetraders, who are callous to the suffering of blacks, make profits by hook or crook. The slaveowners, who are devoid of compassion and humanity, wantonly abuse the lives of blacks. The foundermental reason for the appearance of slavery is that whites crave for confortable and easy life, but they dread the hard labor in the realization of prosperity. While enamoured of the hearty fruits, they are much less enamoured of the efforts to sow the seeds and water the plants. Then came the slaves, who worked the most but enjoyed the least and who undertook the toughest job but lived the humblest life. to the greedy southern slaveowners, the slaves were inexhaustible labours as long as they have whips to impel them. They will never be satisfied unless the last drop of their slaves’ blood was sucked for their benefits. Take Legree for example. In the harvest time, he exhausts the slaves to the degree that Tom can not keep his eyes open to read the Bible, which gives him so much power.

The third reason is lack of resistance from blacks. Many readers, appreciate very much, the faithful and obedient Tom, as I do. As long as Tom has a master, he keeps to the principle to serve the best of himself. Even for the sordid Legree, Tom is willing to use his own blood to save him if necessary. We salute his kindness. But if every slave live in the same way, then the hope for emancipation will turn into mirage, a magnificent yet unattainable image. For such an abominable and ingrainded system like slavery, there must be a gust of tumultuous wind- resistance and revolution- to eradicate its root. Otherwises, it will burgeon wildly like the godenrod, threatening the survivak of all the lives around it. History of all huamn races have taught us a thought-provoking lesson: powerful revolution instead of peaciful reform is the solution to a nation’s foundermental problems. Without the bold resistance against English imperialists, the United States can not win its independence. Without the unprecedented revoluthion led by Sun Zhongshan, Chinese people would probably live under the ravage of feudal emperors and foreign invaders. Likewise, without the jointed efforts and resistance agaist slavery, blacks can not see the light of freedom at the end of tunnel. In the book, George Harris is an incarnation of a bold fighter. Faced with injustice, he dares to stand up and defend his own rights while keeping to the principle of not killing people indisciminately. The indignation in him is transformed into a strong impetus to lpursue liberty and happiness. Finally, he realize his dreams. In contrast, uncle Tom dies at last. His death seems inevitable because no act of kindness is able to evoke sympathy or conscience in the ruthless Legree. This contrast is an implication that a revolution is forthcoming to eradicate slavery. Not coincidentally, the civil war broke out and the Emancipation Proclaimation was announced by Lincoln after the publication of the book.

The fourth reason is the lack of education. Education is the greatest impetus for the development and part and parcel of a nation. Without the enlightenment brought about by education, a nation will probably stay in stagnation. The African-Americans had been deprived of decent life, let alone the opportunities to receive formal education. Lack of education means lack of a deep and thorough understanding of their present situation and thus the ability to lift themselves above the historical plight. Black children were inculcated with a sense of inferiority. They were born to be stepped on. Topsyy is an apt example to illustrate this. Despite Miss Ophelia’s hard efforts to reclaim her, she remains mischevious, always playing tricks and irritating her. While asked what makes her behave like this, she says she is born wicked and she needs to be whipped. What an astonishing remark of oneself! she is only one of the numerous blacks who deem themselves inferior. Not so many people can be as proud of himself and his race as George Harris is. He says it is with the oppressed, enslaved African race that he casts in his lot; and, if he wished anything, he would whish himself two shades darker, rather than one whiter. What the African-Americans need most is education. They had more than the rights of common men-they had the claim of an injured race for reparation. They needed education to know that the African race has  peculiarities, yet to be unfolded in the light of civilization and chritianity, which, if not the same with those of the Anglo-Saxon, may prove to be, morally, of even a higher type.

The last reason is the loophole in the leagal system. Needless to say, the trading and exploitation of slaves would not be so rampant if the law prohibit these. Instead, the law stipulated that slaves would be auctioned after the death of their masters. This put many slaves at the mercy of any white unknown. Cassy and Emmeline used to enjoy happy life, but they fall into the hands of the cruel Legree after the sudden deathe of their masters. Tom’s hope for liberty is dashed after St.Clare dies accidentally. How much affiliction had the law imposed on the pathetic slaves! No wonder George Harris says America is not his country because the law of America crushes his race instead of protecting it.

Conclusion:

   After decades of tireless efforts, the law in American now endows the blacks with equal rights. It is reassuring to see that many black elites appear on the stages of all fields. Brack Obama’s winning as the president of the United States is, especially, an unprecedented victory of the black race. If the blacks have won in the fight against slavery and discrimination, they still have to struggle against the vestige of that historical plight because frankly speaking, they do not enjoy the same treatment as whites do in every aspect of life. to utterly wipe out the bitterness and consequence of that time, there’s still a long way to go.

Welcome to play the most interesting dora games , we have thousands of fun games,including free cooking games,Dora Cooking Games,Diego Dora Games,Dora Kids Games,Jeux de Dora,Juegos de Dora,Jogos da Dora,also we add new dora everyday,Surely the games will keep you entertained,and we pride ourselves in serving you the newest and best Makeover Games to play everyday so that you will not be disappointed.