时间：2022-07-04 07:36:13
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe is a very depressing story set in the old South. It centers on the three eccentric people： Miss Amelia， Cousin Lymon， and Marvin Macy， and around their strange love， the story tells the tragedy of a poor woman in man's society. The story can be interpreted in many ways such as the abnormal love illustrated by the three person； people's loneliness in capitalist society； racial and gender segregation in man's society. However， in this paper， the focus is on the women's tragedy under patroclinous society.
Chapter One A Summary of “The Ballard of the Sad Cafe”
'' The Ballad of the Sad Cafe'' by Carson McCullers is a story of love illustrated through the romantic longings and attractions of the three eccentric characters： Miss Amelia， Cousin Lymon， and Marvin Macy. McCullers depicts love as a force， often strong enough to change people's attitudes and behaviors. Yet， the author seems to say， if the love is unrequited， individuals， having lost their motivation to change， will revert back to their true selves. The allure of the different characters， which is never revealed by the author， seems to indicate that feelings of love and attraction are not necessarily reasonable or understandable to others.
Everyone is shocked when the handsome outlaw， Marvin Macy， falls in love with Miss Amelia. In an effort to court Miss Amelia， he learns proper etiquette， such as “rising and giving his chair to a lady， and abstaining from swearing and fighting”. Two years after Marvin's reformation， he asks Miss Amelia to marry him. Miss Amelia does not love him but agrees to the marriage in order to satisfy her great-aunt. Once married， Miss Amelia is very aloof towards her husband and refuses to engage in marital relations with him. After ten days， Miss Amelia ends the marriage because she finds that she is unable to generate any positive feelings for Marvin. Several months after the divorce， Marvin reverts back to his initial corrupt ways and is “sent to a state penitentiary for robbing filling stations and holding up A & P stores”.
Just as love had changed Marvin， so too did it change Miss Amelia. In the mid 1930's， several years after Miss Amelia's divorce， Lymon， a hunchback， comes to Miss Amelia claiming to be a distant cousin. She readily provides Cousin Lymon with food and board， and eventually any material object that he desires. The people of the town grow very curious of her new guest and of Miss Amelia's hospitality towards Lymon which is contrary to her characteristic untrusting and remote ways. The townspeople gather in her store one evening to meet Cousin Lymon. Unlike Miss Amelia， Cousin Lymon is very sociable and enjoys entertaining the townsfolk with his patently tall tales. In a short period of time， Miss Amelia's store is converted into a cafe where people gather for food， drink， and gossip. They would discuss Miss Amelia's love for Cousin Lymon， indicating that they thought love between cousins is forbidden and incestuous. Her changed behavior， in Lymon's presence， preoccupied and baffled them. Ever since Cousin Lymon's appearance， Miss Amelia would regularly wear a red dress that had been worn exclusively on Sundays. They also noted that， before he arrived， she would only leave her house to go to church or to pick up supplies for her store. While， when Cousin Lymon moves in， realizing that he loves to travel， she would often drive with him into the city and go to see “movie-flicks” with him.
Before the story ends， Marvin Macy is released from prison and returns to Cheehaw. Cousin Lymon， unaware of Miss Amelia's short-lived marriage to the criminal is fascinated by Marvin's adventurous life. He leaves Miss Amelia， never having returned her love， to travel with Marvin. Broken-hearted， Miss Amelia returns to her original reclusive style of living.
Chapter Two Analysis of Amelia's Characteristics
Amelia is a strange woman in either appearance or characteristics， her existence seems to fight against the standard woman in the society powered by man. In normal people's eyes， woman should be obedient and stay at home like a home bird caring for the whole family's daily life， but Miss Amelia seems to go against the traditional view.“ She sold chitterlings and sausage in the town near-by. On fine autumn days she ground sorghum， and the syrup from her vats was dark golden and delicately flavored. She built the brick privy behind her store in only two weeks and was skilled in carpentering.” She is as strong， clever and independent as a man， and do her own business， which is rare in the women.“She would involve herself in long and bitter litigation over just a trifle. It was said that if Miss Amelia so much as stumbled over a rock in the road she would glance around instinctively as though looking for something to sue about it. ”From this sentence， we can see Amelia dares to argue even fight with other people in order to win her interests， it seems that she is not good at communicating with people.“ she was the richest woman for miles around.” Money should be earned by men and owned by man， but in the strange town， Amelia earns the most money than everyone. It seems that she is an alien in women's world and an enemy in men's world. She just lives in her own world without need to communicate with other person.
Amelia's appearance is in no aspect like a woman's.“ She was a dark， tall woman with bones and muscles like a man. Her hair was cut short and brushed back from the forehead， and there was about her sunburned face a tense， haggard quality. She might have been a handsome woman if， even then， she was not slightly cross-eyed.” She always wears her work clothes and a big swamp boots. In the secluded Southern town， her appearance is no doubt strange.
What is the most eccentric and odd is about Amelia's love affairs. Marvin Macy， a very cruel and fearless young man with a very bad reputation in the town， but after he played some charming and tiny girls， he took a fancy to Amelia-the gangling， queer-eyed girl. “But love reversed the character of Marvin Macy. For two years he loved Miss Amelia， but he did not declare himself. He would stand near the door of her premises， his cap in his hand， his eyes meek and longing and misty gray. He reformed himself completely. He was good to his brother and foster mother， and he saved his wages and learned thrift. Moreover， he reached out toward God. No longer did he lie around on the floor of the front porch all day Sunday， singing and playing his guitar； he attended church services and was present at all religious meetings. He learned good manners： he trained himself to rise and give his chair to a lady， and he quit swearing and fighting and using holy names in vain. So for two years he passed through this transformation and improved his character in every way. ”It is not because of money but solely out of love that Marvin Macy choosed Amelia. Amelia accepted Marvin Macy's proposal， but in the evening of their marriage they didn't sleep together and Amelia even beat and chased Marvin Macy out of home. Just in ten days， the strange marriage ends. When one day the hunchback Lymon appears in Amelia's shop， Amelia accepted him and fell in love with him. For him， Amelia changed the shop to a cafe and became sociable. Love transformed her； she protected the hunchback， and listened to the small guy， which never occurred before. Life is peaceful until one day Marvin Macy appears again. What is strange is that the hunchback liked Marvin Macy， at last he betrayed Amelia and went away with Marvin Macy. This comes to the end of the love of the three people. Amelia acts as a man's role in love.
Chapter Three The Tragic Destiny of Amelia
Amelia is a metaphorical epitome in Carson McCullers' work. Ann Carlton attributes Amelia's final failure as “her return to the feminine self defined by the culture”， （Ann Carlton， “Beyond Gothic and Grotesque： A Feminist View of Three Female Characters of Carson McCullers，” Pembroke Magazine20 .1988： 54-62.） and the oppression of patroclinous society on women causes the definite tragic destiny.
Also， Broughton saw the denouncement of the main value system to feminism， and she pointed out that the bad result of this concept is “People who try to throw out the feminine trait always hurt herself and others， which make her unable to escape the prison built by her”. （Broughton， P. R. 'Rejection of the Feminine in Carson McCullers The Ballad of the Sad Cafe， Twentieth Century Literature20 （Jan. 1974）： 34-43， p. 42.） In Amelia's body， the outward masculine self and the feminine self merge together， but they coexist inharmoniously， which at last makes her unable to success. The more she wants to abolish her feminine characteristics， the more hard for her to lead a normal person's life and escape the prison built by herself， thus， her disaster came.
Conclusion
From Amelia's appearance， characteristics and love， she never regards her as a woman. She hates the traditional women's role and performs as a man in every aspect. Amelia's eccentricity could be accounted by the following reasons： First， his father's influence. Amelia lost mother when she was young， so in her surrounding living condition there is no man. His father taught her the way of living in a men's society. Gradually， she never views her as a woman， and accepts man's thinking， business and way of living. Second， in the secluded， traditional southern town， women are looked down upon， and lived a lowly life. What's more， Amelia knew nothing about women， which also added her indignation and dislike to women， so gradually act as a man， which caused her failure in love and resulted in her tragic living. Therefore， the patroclinous society finally causes Amelia's tragic destiny.
参考文献
[1] Carlton， A. （1988） 'Beyond Gothic and Grotesque： A Feminist View of Three Female Characters of Carson McCullers，' Pembroke Magazine20.
[2] Broughton， P. R. （1974）. 'Rejection of the Feminine in Carson McCullers The Ballad of the Sad Cafe， Twentieth Century Literature20
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收稿日期：2013-08-10