《麦田里的守望者》的主题思想和象征手法的运用英语专业毕业论文.docx
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《麦田里的守望者》的主题思想和象征手法的运用英语专业毕业论文.docx
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《麦田里的守望者》的主题思想和象征手法的运用英语专业毕业论文
《麦田里的守望者》的主题思想和象征手法的运用
1.Introduction
In1951,JeromeDavidSalingerpublishedhisfirstwell-knownnovel,ThecatcherintheRye,withwhichhegainedanalmostimmediatereputationasoneoftheforemostpost-worldWarⅡAmericannovelists.Shortlyafterwards,thebookbecameassignedreadingforamajorityofhighschoolandcollegeEnglishcoursesinAmerica.NootherwritersinceWarⅡhasachievedtheheightsofpopularityofJ.D.Salinger.Andwecansaythathispopularityhasrestedprimarilyononecharacter,HoldenCaulfield,inthebook.
Thenoveltellsaseeminglysimplestoryofa16-year-oldboy,HoldenCaulfield,who,afterbeingexpelledfromtheschoolforfailingalmostallofhiscourses,runsawayfromthathatefulplacetoNewYorkandspendsthreedaysthere,roamingaroundinsearchforsomegoodnessandthetruevaluewhichhevaguelyunderstands.Withsufferinguneasinessandabitterspirit,heencountersmanydifferentpeople,onlytofindhypocritesandliarseverywhere.Finally,hesneakshometoseehissisterPhoebe,anunspoilt,angel-likechildwhohelpshimfindthecouragetoliveoninthiscorruptedadultworld.
Salinger’ssuccesssurprisedthecriticsaswellasthereadingpublic.Criticssearchedandarestillsearchingforjustificationforsuchoverwhelmingsuccessinliterature.Theyemphasizethespiritualdisillusionment,thepsychologicalstressoftheadolescentsinpost-warAmerica,andthecreationofalife-likecharacter.Theseare,admittedly,importantandprimaryfactorscontributingtotheimmediatesuccessofthenovel.However,manyauthorshavelightlytouchedupononeliterarytechnique,whichSalingeremploysextensively,andwhichhelpstheauthortoachievewhathewantstoachieved—theuseofsymbols.ThisthesistriestodealwiththisaspectofSalinger’sstyleofwritingandinrelativedetailIshalltrytoshowhow,stepbystep,theauthorunderlinesthebasicthemeofthenovelbyusingsymbolsandhowsymbolismplaysanirreplaceableroleintheboywhoisalsoaliteraryrepresentativeofthewholegenerationofAmericanyouth,andintherealisticportrayalofawholegenerationthroughabaffledyoungster-Holden.
WhileemphasizingthesignificanceofSalinger’swritingstyle,especiallytheuseofsymbolsinthewholenarrative,wedonotwanttoignorethesocialbackgroundatthattimeinAmericathatseemsnecessary.
TheCatcherintheRyewasgivenaccuratedescriptioninthepostwarperiod,whichwasasoberandrealistictime.The1950swasthetimewhenAmericansocialideologychangedquickly.TheeconomyhadalreadyrecoveredfromtheGreatDepressionandAmericabecametherichestcountryintheworldthroughwarbusiness.ThelivingstandardinAmericawasraisedconsiderably.ThenumberoftheMiddleClassincreasedsharply.People,especiallytheyouth,seizedtheopportunitythattheprosperityhadbroughtpeopletopursueallthemodernpleasures.
ButthebrightdayswereshadowedbyaspiritualandculturalcrisisinAmericansociety.Withmorematerialcomfort,andmorepeoplelackedthespiritualbelief.What’smore,thetrendofexistentialismwasfloodinginthewesterncountriesatthetime,greatlyinfluencingtheyoungstersinAmerica.Themaincharacterofthebook,Holden,hasthefeatureofexistentialism—arebelinspirit,acowardinbehavior,despisethefalse,thevulgarityandtheconvention.
Thoughtheirfamilycouldsupplythemwithmateriallife,theystillfeltdepressedandbegantodoubtwhetherthematerialcomfortreallymeantanythinginlife.Inapassiveway,theyadoptedthedecadentwayoflife—drinkingexcessively,takingdrugsandenjoyingsexfreedom—asanexpressionoftheirdissatisfactionwiththesociety.Asaresult,manyoftheseyoungpeoplebecamesocial“dropouts”whichhistorianscall“ThebeatGeneration”.Youngstersatthisperiodoftimesensedsomethingwaswrongbutdidnotknowwhatandwantedtorebelbutdidnotknowhow.
WeseethatSalingersensitivelydepictsthetimeheknowswell.Hechoosesintelligent,sensitiveandveryself-consciousadolescentashismaincharacterrepresentingalltheproblemshisgenerationofyouthconfronted.Theyoungmansuffersfromthe“phoniness”inthecorruptedsocietyandstrugglesvainlytofindawayout.Salingerfeelsandanalysestheabnormalmodernsocietythroughasymbolicstructureoflanguage,motif,andepisode.Throughoutthebook,Salingeremphasizesontheconflictsbetweenthespiritandmaterial,therealityandimagination,thelivingandthedeath.
IhabHassancommentsonSalinger’snovelsayingthat“ItisthenewlookattheAmericanDreamespeciallydramatizedbytheencounterbetweenavisionofinnocenceandtherealityofguilt,betweentheformsloveandpowerhavetendedtoassumeinAmerica.ThenaturallocusoftheconflictintheworkofSalingerischildhoodandadolescence.Inthemthecounterplayofhopeanddespair,participationandwithdrawal,commandsafullrangeofcomicthatisambivalent,reference:
itistheoldstoryoftheselfagainsttheworldinoutlinesbyamasssociety.
Itisbecausethenovelpresentsapictureoftheconfusedmindofasixteen-year-oldboyinafewdaysinhislife,duringwhichtheprotagonisttriestounderstandaworldwhichisfarbeyondhisscopeofunderstanding,thenarrativebecomesaverycomplicatedmixtureofvariouskindsofideasbehindaseeminglyinnocentandunsophisticatedmonologue.OnlysymbolcanbeatoolpowerfulenoughtocapturesuchcomplicatedmindofoneundergreatpsychologicalstressandthisisexactlywhatSalingerusestoenablethereadertoperceiverealityfromtheinside,andtofindmeaningthroughit.However,thetermsymbolismisambiguous.Itcanmean“bothasystemofsymbolsorrepresentation,andthepracticeofusingsymbols,especiallybysensuousrepresentation.”
Fromthis,wecansee,the“symbol”hasextendeditsmeaningtodenoteeveryconventionalrepresentationofideabyform.Whenthesymbolisshownareader,hesees,hears,andfeelssomethingelse---hereceivestherangeofmeaningbeyondthethingitself.Somesymbolsare“conventional”or“public”.Forexample,thecrossisasymbolofChristianity;theroseisasymbolofbeautyandlove.Whilesomeothersymbolsare“particular”oneswhichareinfluencedbythereader’sowninterpretationsandunderstandings.Therefore,asymbolmaymeandifferentlyfordifferentreaderswiththeirowndifferentlifeexperiencesandculturalbackgrounds.Forinstance,thecolor“red”indicatesprosperity,happinessinChina;whileinthewesterncountries,itmaysymbolizethemadnessandviolence.Hereculturaldifferenceplaysitsrole,justasmuchaspersonaldifferences.
Somesymbolscloselyconnectingwithanideaorpersonandareeasilyrecognized;othershavetobeunderstoodinasocial,culturalorpsychologicalcontext.SymbolsemployedbySalingerinhisTheCatcherintheRyearemostlyoflattertype.Realsymbolhasmagicandlife,whichitbringstoacomplexandsubtlesituation.
Everyone’sfeelingisdifferentfromeveryotherateverymomentofhiscomprehension.Theemotionalchangesasweactuallyexperiencethemareoftenbeyondthepowerofanywritertoputthemdownthroughtheconventionalmeansofdescription.Oneneedstoresorttosymbolstoreflect,torevealtheunconsciousemotionalsituations.
Itisclearthatsymbolsaretheartist’smeansofcreationpatternsofthoughtandemotion,whichdonotpreviouslyexist.Asymbol,however,musthaveaspecificreferenceoraclusterofthemtowhichitissomehowspecificallyattached.Theremaybeambiguities,becauseitsvalueistobeachievedbytheunderstandingofthereader,whoistoparticipateintheartist’sperceptionandcreation.Whatweshoulddoistokeepoureyesopenforliterarysymbolssotheycanbringouttheeffect,whichtheauthorwantstoevoke.
Inthefollowingchapter,IwouldliketodiscussinrelativedetailshowSalingerusesthesesymbolstoachievethepowerfuleffectofthenovel.ThisthesiswillconcentrateonadiscussiononSalinger’suseofsymbolsinthenoveltobringoutitsthematicimportance.WewilldiscusshowMr.Salingerportraysadisillusionedyoungman’snostalgiclongingforthebeautifulandinnocentpastbyemployingsomesymboliccharacters.Throughthediscussioninthispart,IhopetopresentarelativelyclearpictureofhowSalinger’semploymentsofsymbolshavehelpedachievethethematicdepthofthenovel.
2.Theauthor’spurposeofusingchildhoodasthememorialinHolden’sheart
BecauseSalingerexperiencedtheWorldWarⅡandwasdeeplydepressedbyit,hisperspectiveonlifeis,toalargeextent,moldedbythisexperience.Herecallstheinitialstageofthehumanbeings,astateofinnocencenotyetcorruptedbythesociety.Thisinnocencecannowonlybefoundinchildren.ChildhoodisanessentialsymbolinthenovelthroughwhichSalingerexpressesthislongingforthebasicgoodnessinnocencetothereadersthroughhisheroes.
ThespiritualcrisisinwhichSalinger’sherofindshimselfprobablyshapedbyaworldwhichisfullofinjustice,frustration,agonyandhorror.Salingercapturestherealityoftheworldandwantstoembodythemthroughayoungster’sexperience.Onthenaturalistictheory“thefurtheronegoesfromtheinnocenceofthecradle,themoretaintedonbecomesfromcontactwithsociety”.Itmeansthatwhenpeopleintheirchildhood,theirlovearepureandopen,whentheygrowolder,theyareformedtoobeycertainkindofrulesinordertolivedecentlylikepeoplearoundthem.Theyturntobe“phony”.
Throughthisnovel,theauthortriestoraisethisquestion“Howcananadultkeeptheinnocenceallthroughthelife?
”Anadolescentstrugglingun
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