In the end of the 19th century, the South economy has rapid growth due to the North's capital invasion of the South. After decades of economic stagnation, the South has begun to frenziedly develop industry. Thus, the economy began to become prosperous in appearance. Actually, these changes did not bring real prosperity to the South, as almost all the industrial capital controlled by the foreign capitalists. For most people of the lower-class, they are still suffering poverty. Owing to the law of the jungle, people lose their individualities and activities. And the traditional values based on the agricultural economy can not be contended with the modern values focused on commercial and industrial civilization and individual, neither nor can be the stable pillar in people’s spirit and moral in modern society. Southerners are living in the crack of fierce reality and the collapse of traditional values.
Love which is viewed as spiritual connection between people is replaced by interests. As a result, real spiritual communication and exchanges are difficult to exist in the interactive of mutual interests. People are suffering their own problems, pains and torture but can not find a way to vent emotions. Only can they be accompanied by the loneliness and solitude.
In such social context, people long for love, and eager to get other people's love, but because of the lack of spiritual communication between each other, love is ended with failure. Just as the three characters in The Ballad of Sad Cafe, they give love in hopes of salvation by themselves and getting rid of loneliness, nevertheless, as they can not find the way to communicate with their beloved, they fall a malformation of the triangle love.
2.1.2 Personalities of three characters
In addition of the social background of the 19th century, personality flaws of the three characters play an indispensable role in their polyhedrosis love relationship.
2.1.2.1 Miss Amelia One of the appealing characteristics of McCullers’s heroine is that Miss Amelia is simultaneously an exceptional woman. Her appearance—six foot one inch tall and has a strong, masculine build, her dressing—short hair, often dressed in overalls and gum boots, show that she is not a gentle woman who suits the female imagine in traditional culture. Even her personality that can be shaped in acquired environment likes a man. She is skilled in carpentering, can do all things by the hands, proud of her strong muscle, likes boxing, and has a special passion for lawsuits and courts. Miss Amelia is considered as a good local doctor, but there is one exception.
If a patient came with a female complaint she could do nothing. Indeed at the mere moment of the words her face would slowly darken with shame, and she would stand there craning her neck against the collar of her shirt, or rubbing her swamp boots together, for all the world like a great shamed, dumb-tongued child.[2]
Obviously, she lives like a man. And Miss Amelia seems to never consider herself as a woman. When she was sitting by the fire, she did not warm her backside modestly, lifting her skirt only an inch or so, as do most women when in public. There was not a grain of modesty about Miss Amelia, and she frequently seemed to forget altogether that there were men in the room.
Why does Amelia’s behavior act like a man? It is worth discussing her childhood to explain her personality. Miss Amelia lost her mother when she was very young, so she is brought up by her “big father”, who is solitary. And she has been considering her father as her idol during her growing up. She would like to be a man rather than a woman. Mentally, she is a man lacking of weakness and tender as an ordinary woman.
As a result, she holds male chauvinism of love. She doesn’t rely on man, to the contract, to be a protector will satisfy herself. She hates the role of a traditional woman, and to accept the role of a calculable and gentle wife. This is the reason why her marriage with Marvin Macy only lasted ten days. Marvin Macy, the handsome and rich man who is willing to change himself for Amelia, naturally is considered as a typical good husband. When Amelia got married, the town was gratified, as people had seen what this love had done to Marvin Macy and hoped that it might also reform his bride. People counted on the marriage to tone down Amelia’s temper and to change her at last into a calculable woman. They are wrong. Amelia doesn’t change herself to be a traditional wife at all.
As a matter of fact, Amelia feels like acting as a man in love. Therefore, when Lymon wearing a ragged, dusty coat came to the town and cried in front of Amelia on that evening, love came to Amelia; because Lymon’s weakness moved her masculine psychology and stimulated her sympathy for the hunchback with the desire of protecting the weakness as a strong person. For Amelia, Lymon is her ideal love object. She accepted Lymon as her cousin and spoiled him to a point beyond reason. See some pictures of Amelia’s careful caring for Lymon.
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