摘 要

《简爱》和《红楼梦》塑造了简爱和林黛玉这两个著名的小说人物，是文学史上最著名的经典巨著。两个小说人物在生活经历和对爱情的追求等方面有着诸多的相似之处。就性格而言，两个人既有共同之处又有不同之处。除性格之外，两个人在人生态度以及爱情理念方面也存在着巨大的差异。造成这些差异的原因有很多，包括历史背景，宗教信仰以及中西方的文化差异等。

关键词：简爱；林黛玉；差异；相似性；因素

Contents

1. Introduction -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1
2. Demonstration --------------------------------------------------------------------------------1

2.1 Similarities -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1

2.1.1 Life experience ----------------------------------------------------------------------------2

2.1.2 Character -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2

2.1.3 Pursuit of love -----------------------------------------------------------------------------3

2.2 Differences -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------4

2.2.1 Character -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------4

2.2.2 Attitude towards life ----------------------------------------------------------------------6

2.2.3 Concept of love --------------------------------------------------------------------------7

2.3 Reasons for differences -------------------------------------------------------------------8

2.3.1 Historical background ------------------------------------------------------------------8

2.3.2 Religious belief --------------------------------------------------------------------------10

2.3.3 Individual personality-------------------------------------------------------------------11

1. Conclusion -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------11

Bibliography------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12

Two Heroines sharing the same misfortune sympathize with each other-----a comparison of Jane Eyre and Lin Daiyu

1. Introduction

There is no doubt that there are distinctive differences between China and the west, especially in culture(Zhang, 2004. In order to figure out cultural differences between China and the west, Jane Eyre and A Dream of Red Mansions are taken as an example. It is generally accepted that Jane Eyre and A Dream of Red Mansions are two famous classics for shaping two well-known heroines called Jane Eyre and Lin Daiyu. In the 18^th century, Cao Xueqin depleted almost all his heart and soul to shape the character------Lin Daiyu. What impressed people most was the tragic love story between her and Jia Baoyu, which has moved thousands of readers to tears. Similarly, an English female writer called Charlotte Bronte raised a harangue in the 19^th century because she depicted a vivid and impressive image in her novel Jane Eyre whose protagonist was called Jane Eyre too. Many scholars show great interest in finding similarities and differences between these two heroines(Lin amp; Zhao, 2014). Although Lin Daiyu and Jane Eyre have some similar life experiences and character, they have completely different endings. The former died in depression while the latter found true love joyfully. This paper aims to find differences between Lin Daiyu and Jane Eyre and the factors for differences should be taken notice of. Only in this way can we find the cultural differences between China and the west from a such a tiny perspective.

1. Demonstration

2.1 Similarities

Since the introduction of Jane Eyre into China in the 1930s, it has raised a hot discussion over Jane Eyre and A Dream of Red Mansions, especially the main character Jane Eyre and Lin Daiyu in these two books (Bassnett amp; Susan, 1993). Undoubtedly, there are a lot of similarities between Jane Eyre and Lin Daiyu such as life experience, character and pursuit of love.

2.1.1 Life experience

It cannot be denied that Jane Eyre was born with misfortune. Her mother is the daughter of a rich man, but she falls in love with a poor priest. They got married without hesitation and then gave birth to little Jane. Unfortunately, the parents died when little Jane was only two years old, which makes little Jane lonely. The charity has no choice but to send little Jane to Mr. Reed’s home, who is her uncle. After the death of her uncle, her life becomes much harder than before (He, 2011). At the beginning of the story, Jane Eyre is a ten-year-old girl. She is bullied constantly by Mrs. Reed and her cousins (Charlotte Bronte, 1990). She lives her life cautiously and tries to please everyone around her, but it’s in vain. Even the servant says to her, "You are less than a servant, for you do nothing for your keep"(Charlotte Bronte, 1990). As an orphan girl depends on others for a living, Jane Eyre chooses to be forbearing and self-restrained, which makes her aunt and cousins become aggravated. Day by day, Jane Eyre decides not to concede any more. She begins to counterattack. Shocked at the rebellion of Jane, Mrs. Reed sends Jane to a charity school in Lowood. Faced with the inexorable president in the school, Jane suffers a lot physically and mentally. Luckily, she gets rid of the charity school and becomes a tutor in Thornfield Hall. Moreover, she meets her Mr.Right in Thornfield Hall who is called Mr. Rochester.

As we can see from A Dream of Red Mansions, a number of young women do not have a happy ending. Lin Daiyu is the most typical one. Lin Daiyu is born in a rich family. Her father gets the third place in national civil examination in feudal China and her mother is the daughter of Lady Dowager living in the Palace of Prosperity. As the only child in her family, she is the apple of her parents’ eye (He, 2011). After losing her mother at a young age, she is sent to her grandma’s home. Without living with her father, Lin Daiyu cannot get accustomed to the new environment. Fortunately, the appearance of Jia Baoyu consoles Lin Daiyu. Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu develop a close relationship with each other because Jia Baoyu cares for Lin Daiyu a lot.