Abstract：Margaret Mitchell is a famous American novelist in the twentieth century. Her masterpiece Gone With the Wind tells us a growth story of a southern girl, Scarlett O’Hara. After the experience of imbroglio feelings and the ruthless war, she finally grows up mentally. Gone With the Wind is a commercial novel, and it has followed the tradition of the American initiation story. The growth of Scarlett follows the typical pattern of initiation story: innocence—ordeal—epiphany—maturity. This thesis will discuss how the novel employs the principles of initiation story to present the heroine’s growth process.

It will be divided into four chapters. Chapter one briefly introduces Margaret Mitchell and her novel Gone With the Wind. Chapter two introduces the theory of initiation story. Firstly, it elaborates the origin and development of initiation story. Secondly, various kinds of definitions of initiation story are presented. Thirdly, the general features of initiation story are discussed, including the content, characters and structure. Chapter three is the main body of the thesis, analyzing the initiation theme of the novel, the internal growth up of the protagonist and the initial mentors who have played a significant role in the growth of the protagonist. Chapter Four summarizes main point of the thesis.

Keywords:  Margaret Mitchell  Gone With the Wind  Scarlett  initiation story 

Contents

Acknowledgements

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 A Brief Introduction to Margaret Mitchell-1

1.2An Introduction to Gone With the Wind-1

1.3Literature Review-2

Chapter Two Initiation Story as a Specific Literary Genre-4

2.1 Origin and Development of Initiation Story-4

2.1.1 Origin of Initiation Story-4

2.1.2 Development of Initiation Story-4

2.2 Definition and Characteristics of Initiation Story-5

2.2.1 Definition of Initiation Story-5

2.2.2 Characteristics of Initiation Story-6

Chapter Three Initiation Features in Gone With the Wind-8

3.1 Initiation Theme-8

3.2 Initiation Mentors-9

3.2.1 Positive Mentors-9

3.2.2 Negative Mentor-13

3.3 Epiphany and Maturity-13

3.3.1 Realizing Herself-14

3.3.2 Recognizing the Importance of Land-15

Chapter Four Conclusion-17

References-18