1. Preface 1
2. Introduction 3
2.1 About the author and background of the novel 3
2.2 The symbol of the thorn bird 4
3. Analysis of the main female characters 6
3.1 Mary Carson 6
3.2 Fiona 7
3.3 Maggie 8
3.4 Justine 9
4. Comparison of the female characters in The Cleary 11
4.1 The similarities in their character 11
4.2 The differences in their character 13
5. Conclusion 17
Acknowledgements 18
References 19
ABSTRACT
The Thorn Birds written by the famous Australian writer Colleen McCullough caused tremendous sensation after publication in 1977. The novel gives us a vivid description that the females of the three generations in the Cleary family cling to their love but bend over by their fates and try to struggle against their fates. The four main women in the story have some kind of similarity in their characters ,but they still have their own personalities. This thesis focuses on the feminism in the novel, trying to analyze their changing of minds and their spirit of rebelling. Therefore, we should have a brief comprehension of feminism and female consciousness. The works of the author had her special style. And she gives the thorn bird the profound and complex meaning. In the novel,we can see the growing up of the 4 women’s characters and the process they change their minds and wake up. The four women are vey similar in their fighting against their fates but their result is quite different. How and why it happened is what we are going to analyze. Through analysis, we can find the main idea the author want to tell us is that if women should think about their fates, not be afraid to challenge and ready to pay the unbelievable pain, success will finally come.
