浅析约翰(2)
2015-05-25 01:45
导读：The Apple Tree, a medium-length novel, is also written by him. He says that it is one of his best five stories.[1] It is written in beautiful words and is worth reading. In this novel, Galswothy tells
The Apple Tree, a medium-length novel, is also written by him. He says that it is one of his best five stories.[1] It is written in beautiful words and is worth reading. In this novel, Galswothy tells us the love tragedy between Ashurst and Megan. Ashurst first loves Megan for the reason of pity, and then deserts her also because of pity. This paper intends to examine Galsworthy’s handling of Ashurst’s personality, to uncover the essence of capitalist society, and to reveals the fact that John Galsworthy is a bourgeois himself by analyzing his portrayal of Ashurst’s dual personality. 2. Writing background of John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy was born in a well--to–do bourgeois family. Through his life, he is preoccupied with the social injustice in his time. The time he lives and works is the period that the capitalist countries developed from free competition to Monopoly capitalism. At this time, the capitalist society’s all kinds of contradictions have become more and more intensified. The capitalist system has passed its golden period and shown a declining tendency. English, used to be the most powerful country in the world, at this time also shows a declining trend. At the early 20th century, all kinds of social transformation trend of thought appear and the workers’ movements also upsurge at that time.
Douglas Hewitt says “our lives have always been largely controlled by economic and political realities, and this is true whether we realize it or not”.[2] So is John Galsworthy. The social upheaval influences his writing. Living in this time he stickes to his democratic and free stand. He never gives up condemning the ugly aspect of the civilized capitalist society.[3] He also wants to find a way out for his class. On one hand, he has seen the declining tendency and contradictions of the capitalist society and bravely revealed them in his works; on the other hand, he aims to improve his class wishing it might retain its ruling position in society.[4] So he is a bourgeois himself. He has never smashed the trammels of the capitalist system. In The Apple Tree, he has not touched the foundation of the capitalist society. The fear that his class might collapse makes him place his hope on the characters that he criticizes, and Ashurst is one of them.3. John Galsworthy’s portrayal of Ashurst
（科教作文网http://zw.nseAc.com） In the novel, the author uses narration interspersed with flash-back as writing method successfully portraying the dual personality of Ashurst. Through the portrayal, he uncovers the essence of bourgeoisie.
3.1 Dual personality of Ashurst
Ashurst unconsciously falls in love with the simple country girl Megan just because he finds her pray for him and kiss his pillow secretly. Although he knows that Megan is “lack of intellectual personality”, and is not in the same class with him, he promises her that he would marry her. He makes this decision just because of his impulse and the drive of the beautiful spring.[5] When he leaves Megan and arrives at Torquay, he meets with Stella who is also very beautiful and is well-matched with him in social and economic status, he quickly falls in love with her. He regrets what he has promised to Megan. After repeating mental struggle, he chooses Stella and cruelly abandons Megan. Through the Galsworthy’s portrayal of the character—Ashurst, we can see that Ashurst has dual personality: one is selfish, willful, irresponsible, eager to defend for himself and deceives himself as well as others; the other is that he indulges himself in “pity” and “chivalrous spirit”.
