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ain freedom and to regain women’s identity.” （Xia 2003）In the late 1930s and early 1940s, with the development of feminism movement, female had more room to pursue their life purpose. In a religious nation, influenced by Darwinism, people changed the coat of the religion, and their faith in religion had weakened. But Meggie and Ralph’s love went against the cannon of the church, and they should be punished in the view of the society.
3.4 Self-Centered and Brilliant Justine
“While the third generation represented by Justine put the battle a step forward.” （Xia 2003）Justine despises male authority and confronts social customs. She actualizes her value through her career and has a marriage built on true love. “The period from 1880 to 1920…was also the heyday of the first wave of feminism, consolidated in the woman suffrage movement. The protagonist of this movement was known as the ‘New Woman’: Independent, educated, (relatively) sexually liberated, oriented more toward productive life in the public sphere than toward reproductive life in the home.”(Dekoven 2000) Justine is such a New Woman.
Since she was a baby, Justine has gained her independence and her remarkable strength of character. Once upon her feet and in command of a very articulate tongue, she proceeds to go her own way and does precisely whatever she wants. As stated in The Thorn Birds, “Astringent, forth- right and uncompromisingly intelligent, Justine at eight cared as little what anyone thought of her as she had when a baby.” (McCullough 1992)
While grown up, her attitude towards sex and marriage reveals the spirit she bravely resists common customs. Women have always been the passive receiver. The traditional moral concept oppresses women’s sexual desire. A woman who desires for sexual enjoyment is considered as a slut, thus sex has become an effective tool for men to master women’s life. Justine lived in a new time; the springing up of feminist movement made women realized it. “The immediate explosion of sexuality in the period largely hid the time bomb of gender which was to explode later.” (Bell 2000) Women’s desire for sexual enjoyment in some way embodies the awakened self-awareness. It became a part of the struggle for women to fight for the equal in gender, society, economy, and politic. Justine has gained certain initiative. She herself chooses the time when her virginity will be lost. For her, women’s self-awareness has awakened, and makes herself to be her life’s master. Even when Justine is in love, she feels her self-awareness being threatened. It didn’t occur to her that her lover would threaten her self-awareness. Justine’s view on marriage is that “Spend my life wiping snotty noses and cacky bums? Salaaming to some man not half my equal even though he thinks he’s better? Ho ho ho, not me!” (McCullough 1992) She despises marriage, which is another important means for men to oppress women. “In the traditional marriage, women’s personality is oppressed, and men control women’s lives. The consciousness to resist marriage embodies women’s self-awareness awakened and they wished to be master of their life not servants.” （Xia 2003）
Justine wants to be an actress, because “Up there I’m not myself, or perhaps more correctly I’m a succession of selves. We must all be a profound mixture of selves. Thinking myself into another self, someone I might have been, had the circumstances been there. That’s the secret. Not becoming someone els