Abstract:A Little Princess is one of the representative works of the female American writer Frances Hodgson Burnett. The heroine, seven-year-old Sara Crewe is sent home from India to Miss Minchin’s school in London. Her father is very rich and she becomes a “show pupil”–a little princess. Later her father dies and loses all his fortune. Sara is reduced to be a maidservant and has to learn to cope with her changed circumstances. However, Sara has a strong character, and she does believe that “If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside”, which enable her to fight successfully against the difficulties and hardships. Finally, Sara has her fortune restored and becomes a real princess both inside and outside.
This paper will illustrate three special characteristics of Sara Crewe: precocity, self-imagination and self-control. It is intended to help readers draw a lesson from the novel that it is the inner worth, right self-definition and self-control, rather than big fortune and beautiful appearance, that makes you a successful person.
Key Words: Sara Crewe, A Little Princess, Character analysis
摘要:《小公主》是美国女作家弗朗西斯霍奇森伯内特的代表作之一。小说的女主人公,七岁的女孩萨拉库尔从印度被送到伦敦的“明贞女子学校”学习。由于她的父亲十分富有,萨拉成为了学校的“荣誉学生”,并被大家称为“公主”。几年之后,萨拉的父亲去世并且失去了所有的财产,萨拉被迫沦为学校的小女佣,过着贫穷、艰苦的生活。但是,萨拉有着与众不同的性格,她相信,“如果我是公主,即使我衣衫褴褛,我的内心也还是一个公主”。正是她的性格帮助她战胜了所有的困苦和磨难,最终重新得到了属于她的财产,成为了一个从外表到内心的真正的公主。
本文将详细分析萨拉的三个性格特点:早熟、富于想象力和自持。希望帮助读者从小说中领会:成功并不取决于我们所拥有的金钱和漂亮的外表,内心的价值,正确的自我认识和自我控制才能使我们成为一个真正成功的人。
关键词:萨拉库尔,小公主,性格特点分析