essing western spirit, forming self-centered ethics. In the west, it is affirmed to pursue unrestrained marriage and true love. “The fact that women can have a free social life made pursuing happiness and resisting social norm possible.”(Yu 2001)
2.2 The Right to Inherent Property
In the west, women not only could have a well education, but also have the right to inherent property. When the Cleary family is sorting out their property to go to Drogheda, Fee says “What was actually mine they couldn’t take from me when I married. The spinet, the Persian carpets, the Louis Quinze sofa and chairs, the Regency escritoire. Not much, but they were rightfully mine.”(McCullough 1992) Owning property makes economically and emotionally independent possible and lays the groundwork to maintain their personality independent in the marriage. Meggie never thought to retain her money and holds the idea that what is hers automatically became Luke’s when they married. But after reading books in the Mueller’s, Meggie expressed that “You can keep my twenty thousand pounds, Luke. But not another penny do you ever get from me,” (McCullough 1992) when she breaks up with Luke. This shows that by reading books Meggie learns that everyone includes women has the right to inherent and dispose his property.
2.3 Strong Resistance to Social Customs
To pursue happiness, they fight bravely to resist social customs and go after ardently the men they love. Although she knows clearly that priestess should not have their love and marriage with the laity, Meggie has never stopped loving Ralph and tries to challenges Ralph’s God. “While Justine at the beginning shows that she despises social customs and the virginity idea of women put by men.” (Yu 2001)
2.4 The Awareness to Pursue Equal in Personality
These four women have strong self-awareness and pay attention to their feelings. They pursue the marriage built upon love even if they would pay heavy cost on it. And they never reconcile to men. Moreover they attach great importance to the personality equal. On the issue of marriage, western women in some extent concern equal personality although they have not totally got rid of the bondage of family status. Women’s equal with men should first come to the equal of personality. Fee marries Paddy for her family’s fame, but she is equal with Paddy in the spiritual state. She is a faithful wife, and never a servant. She is grateful to Paddy for he giving her a family, but she never yields to anyone. She has her own thoughts and judgments. Meggie and Justine have more obvious personality independence. They choose their husbands by themselves rather than listen to their parents’ opinions.
3. Self-Awareness under Respective Conditions
3.1 Resolute but Evil-Minded Mary
Mary, first leader of the Cleary family, is a master of her life but losses her conscience.
In the late 19th century Mary earns her money to Australia, successfully runs a 13 million business and uses her money to writhe Ralph for refusing her love. Mary is never swayed by another human being in all her life, priest or brother or husband even God.
She is not burn in a good family and knows well of that without worldly goods such as breeding and background a woman hardly can catch a rich husband. But she does not accept her fate and works out a way to catch a rich husband. As a young girl Mary has
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