On the Shaping of Female Image in “A Dill Pickle” from the Aspects of Story and Narratology

Abstract

Katherine Mansfi eld’s “A Dill Pickle” has been studied from the perspective of story as well as narratology respectively.Yet, from the perspective of characterization, the two aspects can be combined together and they all serve for shaping a feminist image. Focusing on the story, we can see that the heroine Vera was put under male gaze and objectifi ed by her ex-boyfriend.However, she managed to resist the male gaze and establish the female subjectivity through decisive and subjective leaving,showing an image of an awaken feminist to the readers. Apart from that, the author also used other methods to assist the readers’comprehension to the image. She used symbolism to help the readers better understand the characters’ personalities and the embodied theme, and narrative techniques, including applying authorial voice and taking the third person internal focalization, to inspire the readers’ empathy with Vera while ensuring the objectivity of the narration. In these ways, the author has successfully established her authority and created an impressive feminist image, through which she eff ectively conveyed her feminist thoughts to the society.