A Women on a Roof 《屋顶丽人》主题思想分析讲解
《屋顶丽人》的故事发生在伦敦，一个女人在屋顶上晒日光浴，引起近处三个修房工人的注意。他们想方设法要与她搭讪，但无论吹口哨、跺脚、谩骂，她都置之不理，无动于衷。作品情节简单，寓意却十分深刻。
晒日光浴的女人躺在屋顶上，成为观赏的对象。莱辛通过这一细节揭示了现代社会中女性成为男性凝视物的现象。哈里、斯坦利、汤姆分别处于三个不同的年龄段，使他们在一定程度上成为男性的代表。他们看女人的目光反映出男性统治社会中男人对女人典型的态度和偏见。
《屋顶丽人》涉及的不单单是性别之间的冲突。屋顶上的女人是有闲阶级，烈日炎炎，正好享受阳光，而三个工人却必须冒着高温酷暑干活。工人干活的楼顶与女人晒日光浴的楼顶属于不同的“系统”，20英尺的间距象征着英国社会阶级的差别。莱辛在作品中特别强调了工人们恶劣的工作条件。汤姆遭到晒日光浴女人的拒绝后，从充满浪漫色彩的艳梦中醒过来，看到了自己在社会中的可怜地位，不免义愤填膺。
小说结尾时，持续一个星期的高温天气结束，但是英国社会中性别、阶级之间的紧张、敌对和冲突并未消失，依然存在。莱辛以写实的手
法描绘了现代社会中人与人之间的复杂关系，赋予作品社会批评意义。
Description of a woman on a roof by Doris Lessing?
The full title of the story is \in a Woman on a Roof\sometimes abbreviated to 'Woman on a Roof'. It was written by Nobel Prize winning author, Doris Lessing.
First published in 1963, it also is included in her 1991 'collected short stories' book.
Woman on a Roof is quite a short story, basically describing the reactions of three men to a woman (or to women in general) under different circumstances. The beauty of the story lies in Doris Lessing's apparent ability to discern and relate the men's thoughts and feelings. Manifestly she possesses great insight into how other people think and feel, a rare ability, but one which Lessing amply demonstrates in all her works.
However, as it is such a brief tale, a personal reading of it will easily enable the reader to come to their own conclusions about the 'beauty' and significance of the account, and to
develop a personal appreciation for Lessing's style. An addition, actually reading the story for yourself may provide further insight on 'male/female' matters.
Doris Lessing’s \and fantasy. Throughout the story Lessing uses certain colors such as white, scarlet, and black to illustrate actual and assumed characteristics. Color is very influential to how people perceive things because of the meanings associated with it. The significance of these colors is important to an understanding of the story. The images black and white are important to the meaning of the story because they symbolize the purity or impurity of the woman on the roof. The color white describes things that are pure, ....
ANALYSE Doris Lessing's A WOMAN ON A ROOF IN LIGHT OF STRUCTURALISM
Structuralism concentrates on elements within work of literature
without focusing on historical, social and biographical influences. The term ?structuralism? contains the crucial word ?structure?, which refers to the units that make meanings. In the 20th century, structuralism is used as an important theory and in different contexts in a number of disciplines. Analyzing the extract from A Woman on a Roof in light of Structuralism is very interesting indeed as multiple levels of meanings emerge to make the text denser, while also facilitating interpretation. This extract gives the reader an insight on how some men view women. Indeed, this extract, though to be analysed from a Structuralist point of view, is very much impregnated with the idea of feminism where the woman acts as if she has managed to escape the mindless need to entertain men. The woman on the roof does not offer one invitation for comment or attention, yet those men feel she has. By being caught by their eyes was invitation enough, yet the woman ignores the men no matter what:
“They whistled and shouted but the legs did not move.”
Thus, the woman wins as the symbol of a new age wom
she indeed shows that she is the one who has power over them. In fact, she is so powerful that her presence delays them.
Tom represents the superego. The way he says nothing but is still very much interested in the woman might suggest that he feels a highly deep attraction, infatuation or even love for that unreachable, unattainable woman and he might expect an unspoken connection with her. Afterwards there is Harry, a married, older man who does not show much interest in the sunbather. He tries to do everything to divert Tom and Stanley?s attention from the woman,
“Young Tom, seventeen, said nothing, but he was excited and grinning.”
Characters are basic elements that make meaning possible. In this extract these elements emerge from figures both masculine and feminine, or even from figures of different classes and social activities, and even of different age. Indeed, each of them is painted in such a way that only their actions and words decipher their characters. The woman sunbathing leisurely and the men toiling hard in the sun (and even the men who is relaxing and reading newspapers) all form part of that complex structural system. The