Abstract

Gone with the Wind and White Night are the representative works of American modern writer Margret Mitchell and Japanese modern writer Higashino Keigo, both of which enjoy high popularity around the world. Despite the fact that many scholars have studied these two works respectively from various views, few of them have tried to make a comparative analysis on these two works, especially the female characters. Although both the heroines of these two works, Scarlett O’Hara and Karasawa Yukiho, grow up in different countries and eras, there is a special relationship between these two characters set by Higashino Keigo, which is called as imitation by some scholars. Thus it can be seen that these two females share many similarities in some aspects. Up to now, only a minority of scholars have made a comparative study on the similarities of these two women. Therefore, apart from a comparative study on these two women’s similarities and differences, the thesis goes deep into the influences of different cultures and eras on these two women’s characteristics, minds and fates. By comparison and contrast, the thesis also aims to get some inspirations from these two characters for modern women.

Key words: Scarlett O’Hara; Karasawa Yukiho; comparative analysis; female characters

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1.Introduction1

1.1A Brief Account of Margret Mitchell and Gone with the Wind 1

1.2A Brief Account of Higashino Keigo and White Night 1

1.3The Social Backgrounds of Gone with the Wind and White Night 2

1.3.1The Social Backgrounds of Gone with the Wind 2

1.3.2The Social Backgrounds of White Night 3  

1.4Purposes of Research 5

1.5Layout of the Thesis 5

2.Literature Review6

2.1The Studies of Gone with the Wind 6

2.2The Studies of White Night 7

3.The Resemblances of Two Females Images 9

3.1Appearance and Charming 9

3.2Attitudes towards Difficulties and Fate 10

3.3The master of Their Own Love and Marriage 11

4.The Differences between Two Female Images 13

4.1Different Family Background 13

4.2Different Attitudes towards Social Ethics 13

4.3Different Goals of Life 14

5.The Inspiration for Modern Women 16

5.1The Importance of Pursuing Economic Independence 16

5.2Enlightenment for Family Life 16

6.Conclusion  18

6.1Review of Major Findings 18

6.1.1The Similarities and Differences between Scarlett and Yukiho 18

6.1.2The Inspirations Yukiho Got from Scarlett 19

6.1.3Inspirations for Modern Women 19

6.2Implications of Major Findings 19

6.3Limitations and Further Research 20

References 21

Acknowledgements 23