谈《飘》中斯嘉丽的成长历程(3)
2.1.2 Scarlett's Attitude toward Love in the Period before the War
At the beginning of this novel, Scarlett is only a 16 years old young lady. She lives an elegant and leisure life. It's just such kind of life made her selfish and vanity. At that time, the only thing for Scarlett is to dress up beautifully and looks for an ideal husband. She is extremely interested in love and marriage like other girls and she hopes that every man should pay attention only to her. Scarlett's mother Ellen, Mammy, constantly labor to inculcate in her the qualities that will make her truly desirable as a wife. She does not disappoint them in this aspect because she has learned to use the attributes of womanhood to advance predatory designs: the manipulation and seduction of men. She is utterly willing to pretend to be sweet and demure in order to succeed in catching her beloved Ashley as her husband. But most of her natural impulses are unladylike. The clever and rebellious girl goes so far as to demand freedom in love and she is not satisfied with the future husband chosen by her father. Scarlett falls in love with Ashley at the first sight. When twin brothers tell Scarlett that Ashley and plain Melanie are going to be married, she is shocked because she thinks that Ashley should love her without dispute, so she cannot understand the engagement of them. Scarlett wants to marry Ashley, so she determines try her best to get him back. She plans to make Ashley jealous by surrounding herself with boys in love with her at the barbecue, then admits to him that she prefers him above all others. However, after being refused by Ashley, Scarlett transfers all the emotions including love, anger and vanity to Charles. Although Charles has died, the “moral standard” doesn't work on her, she even can't cry for Charles. For Scarlett, widow might as well as be dead, so she keeps widow life away from plain and boring.
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