-
ANALYSIS OF THE
CONFLICTS BETWEEN
UNDERSHAFT AND MAJOR
BARBARA IN
MAJOR BARBARA
BY
LAN YILONG
SUPERVISOR: YANG XIUWEN
A
THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR
THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN
ENGLISH
COLLEGE OF FOREIGN
LANGUAGES
SHENYANG LIGONG UNIVERSITY
JUNE
2013
Abstract
George
Bernard
Shaw,
born
in
Ireland,
is
an
outstanding
realistic
dramatist,
literary
critic,
and
social
spokesman.
As
the
representative
of
the
British
theater
in
the
twentieth
century,
he
is
generally
recognized as a playwright
who possesses the
life-long
artistic career
in the history of
British literature.
M
ajor
Barbara
(1905)
is
the
one
of
the
most
powerful
dramas.
Major
Barbara
reveals
and
attacks
ruthlessly
the
social
evils
under
the
bourgeois
system
mainly
through
the
conflicts
between
the
protagonists
Barbara
(holds
the
post
of
Major
in
the
Salvation
Army)
and
her
father
Undershaft
(a
millionaire
and
an
arms
dealer,
attaining
his
end
by
hook
and
crook).
Barbara
had
to
compromise
with
her
father
on
her
principles, her beliefs
and ideals eventually.
This paper consists of
three
parts.
The
first part
is the
introduction
to
George
Bernard
Shaw and the
novel.
The second part
is the
analysis of
the conflicts
between Undershaft and
Major
Barbara,
which are all
showed
from
their attitudes
towards religion,
money,
ideal and
reality.
The
last
part
is
the
conclusion.
Major
Barbara,
the
image
set
up
by
George
Bernard
Shaw in the cruel reality is just the
reflection of our modern people. We should persist
in what
we
’
re
pursuing and never change life principles with
pure nature.
Key
W
ords:
Religion; Money;
Ideal and Reality; Conflict
ii
摘
要
乔治·萧伯纳是爱尔兰出生的杰出的现实主义戏剧家,
文学评论家和社会主义活动
家。作为二十世纪英国戏剧的代表人物
p>
,
被公认为英国文学史上艺术生命最为长久的剧
作家。
《巴巴拉少校》是他的最有影响力的戏剧之一。
《巴巴拉少校》
主要通过主人公在救
世军中担任少校之职的芭芭拉和她那为达目的
不择手段的父亲—百万富翁、
军火商安德鲁·安德谢夫的冲突,
无情地揭露和抨击了资
本主义制度下的种种社会罪恶。
芭芭拉不得不对自己原则做出让步,
对自己的信仰与理
想做出无奈的妥协。
本论文由三部分组成。
第一部分为作者乔治·萧伯纳与小说的介绍。
第二部分是对
安德谢夫和芭芭拉之间在宗教、金钱、理想与现实方面存在
分歧,而产生冲突的分析。
其冲突主要通过他们对宗教、金钱、理想与现实方面的态度所
展现出来。第三部分是全
文的结论部分。
乔治·萧伯纳所塑造的
残酷社会现实下的人物形象芭芭拉
正是
现实社会
的现代人的反映。我们应该坚持我们的追求,不要改变我们的纯洁天性的生活原则。
关键词:
宗教;金钱;理想与
现实;冲突
iii
Contents
I.
Introduction
..........................
..................................................
........................................
1
A. Introduction
to the author: George Bernard Shaw ...............
.......................................
1
B. Brief introduction to
Major Barbara
.
.............
..................................................
............
2
II. Analysis
of the conflicts between Undershaft and Barbara in
Major Barbara
.
.........
4
A. Their different views on religion
p>
.
.............................
..................................................
.
4
1. Undershaft’s views
o
n religion
................
..................................................
...............
4
2.
Major Barbara’s views o
n
religion .........................................
..................................
5
B. Their different views on
money
.................................
..................................................
.
6
1.
Undershaft’s views
on money.
..................................................
................................
6
2. Major
Barbara’s
views on money
..........................................
...................................
8
C. Their different views on ideal and
reality
.
...................
................................................
9
1.
Undershaft’s
views on ideal
and reality
.
...............
..................................................
..
9
2. Major
Barbara’s
views on ideal and
reality
...............................
.............................
10
III. Conclusion........................
..................................................
........................................
12
Bibliography
.
.......................................
..................................................
...........................
14
沈阳理工大学英语辅修专业毕业论文
I. Introduction
A.
Introduction to the author: George Bernard Shaw
In
1856
George
Bernard
Shaw
was
born
in
Dublin,
Ireland.
Just
before
Shaw
’
s
sixteenth
birthday
,
his
mother
left
home
and
followed
her
voice
teacher
to
London.
In
1876
Shaw joined his
mother
’
s London household.
In 1898 he married Charlotte Payne-Townshend,
an Irish heiress and fellow Fabian. In
1906 the Shaw moved into a house in a small
Village in
Hertfordshire.
He
died
in
1950
at
the
age
of
94
as
the
result
of
injuries
incurred
by
falling
while
he was pruning trees.
Shaw
started
working
on
his
first
play
,
Widower
’
s
Houses,
in
1885
in
collaboration
with critic
William
Archer.
His
first
significant
financial
success as a playwright came
from
Richard
Mansfield
’
s
American
production
of
The
Devil
’
s
Disciple
.
The
humor
in
Shaw
’
s
writing
was
unmatched
by
any
of
his
contemporaries
excepting
Oscar
Wilde,
and
he
is
remembered
for
his
comedy
.
As
his
experience
and
popularity
increased,
his
plays
became
increasingly verbose, which did not
detract from their success. These works, from what
might
be
called
the
beginning
of
his
“
middle
”
period,
include
Caesar
and
Cleopatra
,
Man
and
Superman
,
Major
Barbara
and
The
Doctor
’
s
Dilemma
.
From
1904
to
1912,
Shaw
was
s
well-established playwright. In 1923
Shaw completed
Saint Joan
,
one of
his best plays.
The
Apple Cart
was probably
his
most popular work of
this
era.
Later
full-length plays
like
Too
True to Be
Good
,
On the
Rocks
,
The
Millionaires
, and
Geneva
have been seen as
marking a
decline. His last
full-length work was
Buoyant
Billions
, written when he was in his
nineties.
Shaw
’
s
plays were first performed in the 1890s. By the
end of the decade he was able to
1
沈阳理工大学英语辅修专业毕业论文
earn a living as a playwright. He wrote
more than sixty plays and his output as novelist,
critic,
pamphleteer, essayist and
private correspondent was prodigious. He
is known to
have written
more than 250000 letters. He is the
only person to have been awarded both a Nobel
Prize and
an Oscar.
B. Brief
introduction to Major Barbara
Major
Barbara
is among
Shaw
’
s three
most
powerful dramas.
Major
Barbara
reveals
ruthlessly the social evils under the
bourgeois system mainly through the conflict
between the
two protagonists Barbara
and her father Undershaft.
Major Barbara
is a three-act
play
.
The
first
Act
is
set
in
the
fashionable
town
house
where
Lady
Britomart
Undershaft
lives with
her
son and two daughters, and
its substance
is a
family
reunion. Finally
Barbara
and
her
father
make
their
bargain:
to
visit
each
other
’
s
place
of
work
and
take
a
chance
of
being
converted to the other
’
s
view.
Act
II
happens at the West Ham Shelter the
next day
, before
Undershaft
’
s arrival.
Bill
Walker arrives in
search of his girlfriend who has joined the Army.
After Undershaft enters, he
offers
to add a small contribution to the
Army, but
Barbara accepts the tainted
money
made
from
his murderous business. In the end, Udershaft
writes out a cheque for 5000 pounds and it
is accepted by Mrs.
Baines
with rejoicing, which
has released Bill
from
his awe of a superior
moral standard.
Act III
is divided
into two parts by
a change of setting.
The
first part again takes place
in
the
library
at
Wilton
Crescent,
where
Lady
Britomart,
her
children
and
Charles
Lomax
2
沈阳理工大学英语辅修专业毕业论文
gather before setting off
for
the
munitions
works.
Barbara
is
no
longer
wearing
her
uniform.
The
second
part
of
the
Act
is
set
on
a
slope
overlooking
the
town,
a
place
where
the
explosives
are
tested.
Lastly
,
Barbara
agrees
with
this
decision,
as
her
father
has
shown
her
the true nature of the
world where her work needs to be done.
3
沈阳理工大学英语辅修专业毕业论文
II.
Analysis
of
the
conflicts
between
Undershaft
and
Barbara
in
Major Barbara
A. Their
different views on religion
1. Undershaft’s views o
n
religion
Undershaft is the
father of Barbara who is an arms dealer. Then many
people look down
upon what he does, but
he doesn
’
t care, he is
always greedy and shameless.
With
respect to
his religion,
his
wife
lady Britomart thought that
he really
had a sort of
religion
of
wrongness.
His
motto
is
“
Unashamed
”
(Shaw
20).
In
Act
II,
what
he
talks
with
Barbara directly expresses his
religion.
Barbara:
“
Sorry
,
I
’
m
sure.
By
the
way
,
papa,
what
is
your
religion
—
in
case
I
have to introduce you
again?
”
Undershaft:
“
My
religion? Well, my dear, I am a Millionaire. That
is my religion.
Besides,
what he talks with Cusins also expresses his
religion.
”
Cusins:
“
have you
any religion?
”
Undershaft:
“
Y
es.
”
Cusins:
“
Anything
out of common?
”
Undershaft:
“
Only
that there are two things necessary to
Salvation.
”
Cusins: [disappointed, but polite]
“
Ah, the Church Catechism.
Charles Lomax also
belongs to the
Established Church.
”
Undershaft:
“
The
two things are
—
”
Cusins:
“
Baptism
and
—
”
4
沈阳理工大学英语辅修专业毕业论文
Undesrshaft:
“
No.
Money and gunpowder.
”
(140)
Though
there
is a
room
for
honor, justice,
truth,
love,
mercy and so
forth
in
his
mind,
which is deeply rooted
in rich, strong, and safe life. Meanwhile, he has
his unique thought for
nation and
government;
he believes that
he
is
nation and
government. For
instance,
he often
says to his son
Stephen
“
I am
the
government of
your
country
.
”
(270)
He holds the
view that
he is the ruler of the country and a
country is just a machine which serve capitalist.
The ballot
paper that really
governs
is
the
paper that has a bullet wrapped up
in
it. Finally,
when Cusins
said that
he
never took part
in
votes.
Undershaft, a
capitalist, talked about
his really
views on
votes
“
V
ote! Bah! When
you vote, you only change the names of the
cabinet. When you shoot,
you pull down
governments, inaugurate new epochs, abolish old
orders and set up new.
Is that
historically
true,
Mr.
Learned
Man,
or
is
it
not?
”
(344)
In
a
word,
Undershaft
’
s
views
on
religion
are
complete
distrust
of
government
and
religion,
and
his
words
or
actions
are
contrary to religion all
along.
2.
Major Barbara’s
views o
n religion
Barbara
is
a
young
devout
Christian
woman,
who
is
the
major
of
S
alvation
A
rmy
.
Barbara holds the view that religion is
the foundation of the society in which all the
people are
the daughters of God.
In Act II, the talk between Undershaft
and Cusins reflects
Barbara
’
s views on religion.
Cusins:
“
That
doesn
’
t
matter.
The
power
Barbara
wield
here
—
the
power
that
wields
Barbara
herself
—
is
not
Calvinism,
not
Presbyterianism,
not
Methodism
—
”
5
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