2. Literature Review

Most themes of Alexander Damas Fils were women, marriage and family problems. His novel truly reflected the life of the capitalist society and emphasized the importance of moral values. The lady of the Camellias was the beginning of his fame and it was also his masterpiece which denounced the hypocrisy of bourgeois morality and also reflected the truth of the human, tolerance and respect between people, and the love of humanity. Such thoughts and feelings resonate with different people, so they are generally welcomed.

“Poverty put Marguerite into the blind alley step by step. At the same time, the law in social and the morality defects constrained people's dream and spirit to get rid of the dilemma.” (WangXiaokang, 2011)WangXiaokang conclude the social influence which cause Marguerite unfortunately fate. Duval’s ideas presented the society’s theory. “The tragedy conflict actually happened between Marguerite’s ideas and the rulers' ideas.” (ZhouYanhong, 2008)ZhouYanhong conclude another important reason from D·Duval’s old theory. Armand’s father held an old theory that to have a mistress was an honor for a man, but one could not marry to a kept woman to destroy a family’s respect and honor. He thought his son’s love with Marguerite’s had destroyed the honor of his family.

“In the patriarchal society, women were attached to the men. Prostitutes became toys under the corrupted bourgeois society. Women who were still kept the purity of their hearts and who were eager to live a normal life had no ways but to reach their redemptions by death. Their tragedy was created by both social and the cruel kill to women's personality and dignity by male chauvinist culture. Marguerite had independent personality, the pursuit of a real love, self consciousness of the awakening, but all those were negligible at that time and in that society.”(SuYifeng, 2006) SuYifeng thinks Marguerite’s living way and her attitude towards life cause her tragic fate. "Marguerite was one of the prostitutes that were crowned with eternal glory."(LiNingzi,2007) Why she was called so mostly because her view on love. Marguerite insisted freedom on love. Before Marguerite promised to Armand’s pursuit, she forewarned that “I must be free to do as I please, without giving you the slightest details what I do. I have long wished for a young lover who should be young and not self-willed, loving without distrust, loved without claiming the right to it.” Li Ningzi thinks Marguerite’s view on love cause it. “She was the goddess on the cross.” (ZhangXiaohong, 2001) We can see religious consciousness had a deep influence on Marguerite. Marguerite had a belief in God. She believed the sufferings she had now was because she dad done something extremely wicked before she was born ,and therefore she should undertake it .ZhangXiaohong hold the opinion that Marguerite’s belief cause it.

My paper analyses Marguerite’s unfortunate fate from two main reasons including internal reasons and external reasons, it has some similarities with others who research it. I conclude some of their opinions and add my opinions to this paper.

3.The External Causes of Tragedy源]自{吹冰^*论\文}网·www.chuibin.com/

3.1 Society

Marguerite Gautier was living in a period that the capitalism had been developing in a high degree. The constitution ruled clearly and definitely that people were free and had the right since they were born. Compared with courtesans in feudal society, courtesans in capital society were free on formal, because they could choose whether they would be a kept woman or not, or if they had been a courtesan, what they wanted to do was according to their minds. But the capitalism brought too much unbalance on capital between people. People born to be poor had to do some work they might do not want to do but had to do in order to live on in the society .And the selfishness came up with the development of the capitalism .There were ranks in people’s social position, the noble and the degrade, the rich and the poor. However, at the time, women are only "The Second Sex" status as the only dependent on men exist, where the prostitute is decadent class character and appreciation for one item only, their fate is bound to be tragic, only abused and oppressed by decadent class. Women’s personality and dignity are strangled cruelly in society dominated by patriarchal culture.