Reconsidering Maxine Faulk in The Night of the Iguana

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Title:	Reconsidering Maxine Faulk in The Night of the Iguana
Authors:	王緒鼎
Contributors:	淡江大學英文學系
Keywords:	Maxine Faulk’s personality;Concepts of the sea;Taoism;Chinese cultural influence
Date:	2014-04
Issue Date:	2014-11-26 23:25:50 (UTC+8)
Abstract:	This paper attempts to offer an original critique of Maxine Faulk in The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams. Maxine Faulk is often condemned by critics for her “rapaciously lusty” personality, especially her sexual behavior. Unlike the main stream of the negative criticism of her, this paper will argue that Tennessee Williams creates Maxine as a multi-dimensional character in a positive and sympathetic manner. Except her “aggressive” sexual behavior already scrutinized and condemned by many critics, Maxine is also “amiable,” open, generous, kind and accepting. With abundant textual references from the play, this paper will first attempt to prove that Maxine is not merely a sexual monger as some critics have condemned her because she also treasures high qualities and spiritual values such as mutual respect; then the paper will mainly focus on the unexplored or simply ignored characteristics of Maxine’s sea-like nature that is open, broad, tolerant, generous, accepting, kind, and especially affable. At the same time, the paper will also argue that Maxine’s sea-like nature strikingly reflects ancient Chinese philosophical concepts of the sea, and her personality, as well as her husband Fred’s personality for that matter, is influenced by Chinese culture, especially by Taoism.
Appears in Collections:	[Graduate Institute & Department of English] Proceeding

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