Analysis of Western Female Consciousness through the relationship between the Cat and the Heroin in The Black Cat, Cat In The Rain and Our Friend Judith

Tao Qian

摘要：Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining， establishing，and defending equal political， economic， and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Feminists have divided feminism's history into three 'waves.' This article mainly analyzes the different development stages of women's consciousness （sleeping-awakening-successful practicing） from the perspective of the relationship between the heroine and the cat in the novel.

關键词： Ellan Poe， Ernest Hemingway， Joyce Oates

Introduction

Doris Lessing， a Nobel-Prize （2007） winning South African expatriate writer， is known for her strong sense of feminism. Edgar Ellan Poe was an American writer， poet， editor， and literary critic， considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist， short story writer， and journalist. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.

1. The representative meaning of cat in the western culture

In western culture， white cats， bearing the color of ghosts， are conversely held to be unlucky in the United Kingdom， while tortoiseshell cats are lucky. It is common lore that cats have nine lives. Black cats are generally held to be unlucky in the United States and Europe， and to portend good luck in the United Kingdom. In the latter country， a black cat entering a house or ship is a good omen， and a sailor's wife should have a black cat for her husband's safety on the sea. Elsewhere， it is unlucky if a black cat crosses one's path; black cats have been associated with death and darkness.

2. The image analysis of the cat in The Black Cat —the sleeping of female consciousness

The black cat was given a symbol of evil. The name of the first cat in the novel is "Pluto". The origin of the name Pluto is from the name of the Lord of hell Haddis， the name is a symbol of death and hell. And black is usually a symbol of evil， darkness and terror.

The wife is "silent". He loves small animal， but later the husband became indulged in alcoholism and had bad temper. He began to maltreat the pets， and the wife kept silent; he abused her， and the wife kept silent; the husband took the eye of Pluto and hung it， the wife kept silent. The wife is ignorant and scatterbrained believes in the traditional superstition， seeing her husband as the center of her life. She likes what her husband likes.

3. The image analysis of the cat in Cat In The Rain —the awakening of female consciousness

The cat is the symbol of ego， self-independence and equal respect from others. “outside right under their window a cat was crouched under one of the gripping green tables. The cat was trying to make herself so compact that she would not be dripped on”. The wife wanted to get that cat just to feel that the cat’s situation is similar to that of her own. The process of seeking cat is also the awakening process of the female consciousness for the wife.

The wife is no longer at the mercy of her husband， she begin to violate her husband volition. Since she saw the cat hidden under the table in the rain， she extremely wanted to save the cat and finally she went out to seek the cat regardless the object of her husband. Moreover， she proposed that “I want to pull my hair back tight and smooth and make a a big knot at the back that I can feel. I want to eat at a table with my own silver and I want candle. And I want it to be spring and I want to brush my hair out in front of a mirror and I want a kitty and I want some clothes.” The wife longs for ardently the love and freedom and sets out striving for it.

4.The image analysis of the cat in Our Friend Judith—the successful practicing of female consciousness

Judith is cool， intellectual， and respectable， but really fiery and passionate. she never follows the crowd blindly， and she does not adore vanity. When the Spain professor wanted to marry her， she knew that she did not love him but out of the biological need， so she decided to Italy to collect her.

Judith had a kitten， but it was a tomcat. The landlord let the cat fixed otherwise Judith had to go. After Judith failed to find some person who would be prepared to take care the cat， without having the cat fixed， she killed the cat and cried for 24 hours. She thought that the cat should have the rights of freedom and sexuality， in essence， she respected herself in this respect.

Conclusion

In a word， the cat is a kind of animal which has close relationship with human beings. is a mysterious fairy in myth and is people's pet and partner in real life. The deep reason for the close relationship between human beings and cats lies in the loneliness and alienation of human beings， which comes from the projection of human psychological needs and desires. Therefore， the cat plays an important role in people's life. As in the black cat， cat in the rain and my friend Judith， the cat becomes the important pet in different space and time.

reference

1. Beauvoir， Simonede. The Second Sex. London： Johnathan Cape， 2004： 154

2. Friedan， Betty. The Feminine Mystique. 女性的奧秘.tr. 程锡麟， 朱徽，王晓路等.广州：广东经济出版社， 2005.