Women’s Dilemma of Love: An Ethical Literary Interpretation of Miss Sophie’s Diary by Ding Ling

Abstract

Miss Sophie’s Diary, a landmark novel by Chinese feminist writer Ding Ling, radically transformed traditional love stories for women. In this diary-style novel, a lady’s psychological activities are revealed by adopting a modern woman’s unique gender consciousness and the feminist discourse. As a remarkable literary work, it upended all previous love stories and centered on the eternal triangle between Sophie, the protagonist, and two male characters. Sophie’s behavior used to be criticized as immoral. However, these moral standards were gender-biased and did not necessarily apply to all women. In the following article, Sophie’s view of love is analyzed based on Gilligan’s ethics of care. It turns out that her love triangle caused inner conflicts that propelled her through three stages of growth: self-preservation, self-sacrifice, as well as balance and maturity. Her pursuit and rejection of love revealed the inner turmoil and pain of a feminist striving for independence in an oppressive era. Her diaries witnessed her growth in dealing with self–other relationships and ultimately made her stronger. By rising above the moral dilemmas, Sophie made her voice heard and became a role model for Chinese women in the new era.