The Comparison between Eusticia and Cuicui

苗亞男　周春燕

Abstract：Both Eusticia in "The return of the native" and Cuicui in "The Border Town" have charming beauty and tragic fate. The young beautiful lady will always be star-crossed. Their beauty has embodies the different aesthetic ideas of the East and the West. Through these two images， Hardy and Shen Congwen express their thoughts about the fate of women and built up their ideal forms of modern people and patterns of life.

Key words："The return of the native"；"The Border Town"；beauty；tragic fate

中圖分類號：G206 文獻標識碼：A 文章編號：1005-5312（2017）23-0265-01

Nature and women are the most important creative inspiration for Hardy and Shen Congwen.

Egdon Heath in the opening of the “The return of the native” is mysterious， hidden and remote. It has a noble sublimity and the mysterious atmosphere which can dominate the fate women. Eusticias noble nature and capricious disposition make her dissociated from common people， known as the "witch" by the moors. Hardy compares Eusticia to "the queen of the night". Eusticia is more like Luna Diana， more poetic and full of pure beauty and deep dignified natural beauty. The image of Eusticia is integrated in nature and cant be separated from the moor.

Shen's aesthetic standard is centered on the pursuit of natural beauty and human beauty. Cuicui and grandfather lived in a remote town named Chatong in western Hunan in the early 20th century. “Wind and sun have tanned the growing girls skin， her eyes resting on green hills are as clear as crystal.

Nature is her mother and teacher， making her innocent， lively and untamed as some small wild creature. ” （It is from "The Boarder Town"） She has integrated into the green hills and water in western Hunan. Serene and beautiful nature breeds Cuicuis gentle and mild character.

There is a connection between Eusticia and Cuicui in artistic expression. Eusticia is bold， indulges the original desire， pursues the value of secular life and individual life. She has essential characters of the goddess in ancient Greek mythology. In ancient Chinese culture， the praise of the goddess who has primitive vitality is also an eternal theme.

In Shen Congwens works， the images of "goddess of water" are a subconscious reflection of the goddess worship. Humanity is a kind of divinity in mortals. Their beauty has common traits and shows the different cultural background and mental temperament between the East and the West.

However， as the old Chinese saying goes， “Beautiful women suffer unhappy fates.” There were tragic fates for these two beauties. Hardys novels have the feature of fatalism. The coincidences promote the development of plot of the text， aggravate the contradiction and reinforce the tragic fate of the characters. Because of Eusticias grandfathers negligence， Eusticia failed to read the letter to her. She ran away from home one evening， which caused her to die of drowning. These seemingly incidental factors also contain the underlying inevitability--the power of irresistible destiny. The tragedy in Shen Congwens work is not as radical and strong as Hardys. He expresses it more implicit and mild. In the opening of "The Border Town"， "Nearby a stream flows past a small pagoda， at the foot of which lives a solitary household： an old man， a girl and a dog." This sets the tone of melancholy and loneliness for the whole work. Besides， Cuicui is an "orphan"， accompanied by her old grandfather and a yellow dog. She suffers the loneliness in silence. Compared with Eusticia who violently struggle against her destiny， Cuicui's attitude is more silent and weak under the Oriental fatalism.

To sum up， Eusticia and Cucui are two striking and profound images of women. They reflect the author's attitude to life and their aesthetic ideal. A beautiful girl has often the unfortunate life. It is true for Eusticia and Cuicui. "The returning of the native" is similar to the ancient Greek tragedy. "The Border Town" builds an ideal mode of life fused of ancient Chinese culture and the wisdom of the East.

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