Lefebvre indicates that“the field we are concerned with is,first the physical nature,Cosmos;second,the spiritual nature,including logical and formal abstractions;and third,the social nature.In other words,we are concerned with the space of logic-epistemology,the space of social practice,the space filled with sensory phenomena,including products of imagination,such as plannings anddesigns,symbols and utopias”.[38]
Existing in spatial practice,physical space can be directly perceptible,accurately measuredand depicted.It relates to the workplace of real society and urban planning,which is regarded asthe focus of traditional spatial disciplines.Physical space,also called“spatial practice”,refers tothe universe and nature as we know it.In literary works,it mainly indicates the physical andnatural environment in which the story takes place.The changes of physical space provide thebasic conditions for changes of social space and psychological space.
3 The Survival Plight of Mary in the Transformation of Physical Space···················13
3.1 The Confined Private Space·······················14
3.1.1 The Small Wooden-box House:A Breeding Place for Patriarchal Thought···············15
3.1.2 The Tin-roofed House:A Prison of Both Body and Mind···············16
4 The Survival Plight of Different Groups in Social Space·································24
4.1 The Survival Plight of Blacks and Poor Whites in the White-dominated Society·············24
4.1.1 The Survival Plight of Blacks····························25
4.1.2 The Survival Plight of Poor Whites·····················27
5 The Survival Plight of Main Characters and Love Plight in Psychological Space············34
5.1 The Survival Plight of Characters in the Psychological Space··························34
5.1.1 The Survival Plight of Mary in Her Twisted Psychological Space···················35
5.1.2 The Survival Plight of Dick in His Alienated Psychological Space··············37
5 The Survival Plight of Main Characters and LovePlight in Psychological Space
5.1 The Survival Plight of Characters in the Psychological Space
Psychological space,with its representational and cognitive attributes,reveals maincharacters’dispositions and emotional desires.Psychological space also becomes the reflections ofexternal geographical environment and social practice in the inner world of characters.In otherwords,psychological space not only presents a specific psychological description,but alsoinvolves the influences of physical space and social space on it,which has certain socialsignificance.Mary Turner can be considered as a representation of poor white woman.Born into apoor white family in South Africa,Mary spends her miserable childhood in the constant quarrels ofher parents.Due to his father’s incompetence and irresponsibility,her mother laboriously supports the whole family.It is because these reasons that Mary feel suffocated in the small wooden-boxhouse and want to escape from it.As a result,due to the absence of father’s status in her growth,Mary has not formed a correct cognition on marriage and man since she was young.She attemptsto build her new identity in a new physical space to break survival plight.Under the influence ofbarren physical space and powerful social space,she has to obey the social norms and place herdreams on others.Finally,she cannot break the survival dilemma of the patriarchal society andeven lose her miserable life.As a representation of poor white man,Dick devotes his great effortson his farm.Because of his aversion to the town,Dick’s productive activities are confined into hisfarm.His vision gradually shrinks to fit his life on his farm.No matter how he strives for,hecannot improve his economic conditions.Faced with the survival plight,he spares great efforts tobreak it.As a consequence,he loses
