On the Awakening of Southern Women’s Self-consciousness in Gone with the Wind Abstract Gone with the Wind is the only work that Margaret Mitchell, an American woman writer, has published in her lifetime. Since its publication, it remains to be one of the best sellers not only in US, but all over the world. The book that has been translated into more than 30 languages is regarded as a classical love story in the background of American Civil war.47816

The aim of this thesis is to present the process of the awakening and development of southern women’s self-consciousness when they try all means to survive in the new society largely made by the breakout of the war and post-war’s reconstruction; and show the significance of self-consciousness in people’s life. The paper will also pay attention to the other group of women like Melanie who are attached to the old times, tangle conventions and lost themselves in the male-dominated world forever. 

Self-consciousness is part of the spiritual self on the self development, which is bound to show up, develop and be mature. It’s varying all the time, especially when one’s life encounters radical changes. The paper will focus on the process of the awakening and development of southern women’s self-consciousness when they try all means to survive in the new society largely made by the breakout of the war and post-war’s reconstruction.

The success of Scarlett proved that women were capable of competing with men at all aspects and also conveyed the awakening of women’s self-consciousness and the requirement of freedom. The famous French writer Simone de Beauvoir proposes: “not born a woman, but becomes.” Gone with the Wind not only shows a new world for women, but also promotes the process of the awakening of women’s self-consciousness and female liberation movement, which firmly settles down its important position in the American novels, even all the novels in the world.

Key words: Gone with the Wind; Scarlett; self-consciousness; awakening; independence  

《飘》：南方妇女自我意识的觉醒

摘  要《飘》是美国女作家玛格丽特·米切尔发表过的唯一作品。小说 1936 年问世以来，一直畅销不衰，不仅在美国，而且在全世界都受到广大读者的喜爱。自从 1936 年出版后，该书已经被翻译成了世界上三十多种语言。《飘》被公认是以美国南北战争为背景的爱情小说的经典。 

小说以亚特兰大以及附近的一个种植园为故事场景，描绘了内战前后美国南方人的生活。故事以女主人公斯嘉丽为主线，描写了几对南方青年在极端动乱中求生存以及他们之间的情感纠葛。作者玛格丽特·米切尔通过对斯嘉丽十二年变化的描写，把自己对女性命运的关切和对女性追求自主权的赞美完美地融合在一起，并寄予了自己对女性独立的厚望。本文从南方女性入手，重点关注她们在南北内战爆发带来的挈机下自我意识觉醒并发展的过程。在战争的残酷环境中，南方女性逐渐分为两类，一类像斯嘉丽一样自我觉醒，在挣扎中求生，一类像梅兰妮一样沉湎过去，止步不前。法国著名女作家西蒙娜·波夫娃在她的《第二性》中说道：“女人不是天生的，而是变成的”。《飘》不仅为女性展现了一个新的世界，而且推动了三、四十年代的女性觉醒和解放运动，因此奠定了其在美国小说乃至世界小说史上的重要地位。

毕业论文关键词：《飘》；斯嘉丽；自我意识；觉醒

 Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 3

3. The Self-consciousness of Southern Women