Analysis of Symbolism in The Great GatsbyWord格式.docx
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Analysis of Symbolism in The Great GatsbyWord格式.docx
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Keywords:
Gatsby;
symbolism;
greenlight,symbol
内容摘要
美国著名象征主义代表作家弗朗西斯·
司各特·
菲茨杰拉德,20世纪20年代美国文坛最著名的作家之一,素有“爵士时代”代言人,“编年史家”和“桂冠诗人”的称号。
菲茨杰拉德的作品准确地反映了美国上世纪20年代的社会状况。
完成于1925年的《了不起的盖茨比》可以说是那个年代最伟大的文学作品之一,受到读者和评论界的一致好评,知道现在还有很多人愿意去读这部作品,并且不断有人把这部小说改变成电影搬上银幕。
值得注意的是现在仍然还有很多人从这部小说的写作手法,叙事视角和结构加以分析讨论。
菲茨杰拉德在本书中运用了大量的象征手法在人物、色彩和意象等方面,描绘了美国年轻一代在第一次世界大战后的精神面貌和生活方式。
象征主义也就成了这部小说的最大特点。
本文意在通过对这部小说中最明显的一些象征的分析,来说明象征主义在这部小说中的重要性,即象征主义让这部小说不朽,从而成就了菲茨杰拉德在美国文学中的历史贡献,让更多读者发现这部小说的奥妙,对其有更全面的了解。
关键词:
盖茨比;
象征;
色彩;
意象
Introduction
FrancisScottFitzgeraldisoneofthegreatestnovelistsinthe20thcenturyinAmerica.ForhiscontributiontoAmericanliterature,heishonoredas“thesingerofthejazzage”,and“Chronicler”and“PoetsLaureate”.Atthetimeofhisdeath,Fitzgeraldwasconsideredasafailedliteraryfigure.Buthisliteraryreputationhasrisensteadilyforpeopleconcentratedonthetopicswhichemergedfromhisworks.TodayheisjudgedtobeoneofthemajorAmericanprosewritersinthelastcentury.(WuWeiren,1990)
Duringhisshortlife,Fitzgeraldhadfinishedmanygreatbooks,forinstance,ThisSideofParadise,TheBeautifulandDamned,TheGreatGatsbyandTenderistheNight.Fitzgerald’sworkshavebeenconsideredasasymbolforthe“JazzAge”,atimeofwealthandpromise.Hisstoriesnotonlyinformusthebackgroundsofthestory,forexample,theatmosphereofpolitics,howpeoplefeltandthoughtatthattimeandothers,butalsotellusthetruthsbehindthestory.Amongtheseworks,thegreatestandmostsuccessful,inmyopinion,isTheGreatGatsby,whichwasfinishedin1925.Andit’struethatitisthisbookthathasearnedhimapermanentplaceinAmericanliterature.
Infact,TheGreatGatsbyhasitsownmeritseitheronitsliterarytechniquesoritssubjectmatter.DosPassos,oneoftheAmericannovelists,oncedeclaredthatTheGreatGatsbywas“oneofthefewclassicalnovels”.(Bruccoli,1980,p.5)ManycriticssuchasMalcolmCowley,EdmundWilson,DennisHardyhaveacknowledgedthisnovel’sclassicalityanditsauthor’sartisticachievement.GilbertSeldeswroteinDialinAugustin1925:
“Fitzgeraldhasmorethanmatured,hehasmasteredhistalentsandgonesoaringinabeautifulflight,leavingbehindhimeverythingdubiousandtrickinhisearlierworks,andleavingevenfurtherbehindallthemenofhisgenerationandhiselders.”(Byan,1991,p.1016)In1945,WilliamTroyidentifiedTheGreatGatsbyasFitzgerald’sonlycompletesuccessfulnovel,andin1946JohnBerrymandeclareditamasterpiece.Fromthosepraise,wecanseethatthisbookisasheersuccess.
Inthisbook,alotofsymbolswereusedbytheauthor,andthisisthereasonTheGreatGatsbyhasbeenconsideredasasymbolismandallegoricalstorybycriticsandreaders.Oneofthemostremarkablefeaturesofthisbookistouselotsofsymbolstorepresentcharacters,backgroundanddetailsandtosublimatethestory.So,itisacceptabletosaythatit’ssymbolismthatmakesthisstoryandFitzgeraldgreat.
Symbolism,whichusedwildlyinTheGreatGatsby,isdefined,byWikipedia,as“usingmultiplesymbolstopresentdifferentiatedtermsinasystemwhichconveysmeaning.”Symbolisminliteraturewasusedfromthe“19thcenturytotheearly20thcentury.”Symbolis“athing,inliterature,thatrefersorsuggestsmorethanitsliteralmeaning”,itis“anobject,animateorinanimate,whichgoesbeyondtheobjectivereferentbyevokingorsuggestingtothereaderameaninganotherlevel,ameaningbeyonditself.”(YuanXianjun,2004,p.229)Symbolisanimportantelementinsymbolism,andsymbolismisthegreatestfeatureofTheGreatGatsby.
Therearelotsofsymbolsinthisnovel,forexample,balloon,colors,cars,times,theValleyofAsh,thegreenlight,theeyesofDr.T.J.Eckleburgandothers.Eventhecharactersandthenameoftheplacehavetheirsymbolicmeaning.Amongthem,thecodeofcolors,thegreenlight,theValleyofAsh,theEyesofDr.T.J.Eckleburg,theautomobilesandtimeinthefollowingwillbeanalyzedrespectively.
1.TheCodeoftheColors
Wecanseelotsofcolorsinthisstory,forinstance,thegreenlight,redtower,grayvalley,goldencarandsoon.Ifyouareacarefulreader,youmustbeabletopickoutsomethingfromthosecolors,becausecolorscanspeakunderFitzgerald’spen,andthosecolorsallhavetheirmeanings.
1.1Green:
life,hope,future
Thecolorgreencallsourattentionatfirst.Itemergesatthebeginningofthestory,yes,thegreenlight.Seeingthecolorgreen,wearegoingtothinkaboutplants,trees,grassandeverythinginspringtime.Andspringisaseasonoflife,hopeandfuture.Inaword,thecolor“green”cansymbolizehopeanddream.
WhenNickseesGatsbyforthefirsttimeinhisbackyard,henoticesthatGatsbyislookingintenselyatagreenlight,withhisarmsstretchingtowardsit,asiftryingtoreachit.Lateron,welearnthatthespeciallightistheendofDaisy’s
dock,acrossthebaywhichseparatesEastEggfromWestEgg.Theactionstretchingoutlooksasifheisworshippingforsomething.But,whatwouldweworshipfor?
Onlydreamorhope.ThenwecansaythecolorgreenrepresentsGatsby’sambitionanddream---towinDaisy,thatlightisthereasonwhyheisreadytodoeverythinghecantowinherlove.Toreachthatlightishisonlydesireinlife.So,inthiscase,Gatsby,whorepresentsAmericanpeopleatthattime,isinalosstime.ThatindicatestheemptinessofAmericanpeopleatthattimeclearly.
1.2White:
innocence?
Whiteisacolorwhichappearsmanytimesthroughoutthenovel.Atfirst,itisusedtodescribeDaisy.ThefirstthingNickmentionswhenheseesDaisyintheBuchanans’isthatsheisina“whitedress.”Lateron,welearnthatDaisy’sclothesarealwayswhite,evenhercarisalsowhite.Morethanthat,wecanfindlotsofdescriptionofherarewhite,forexample,her“whiteneck”,“whitegirlhood”,theking’sdaughter“highinawhiteplace”andsoon.ThecolorwhiteiscloselyrelatedtoDaisy.Then,itisnaturaltodefinethecolorwhiteas“her”color.Ithinkthatiswhysomecriticsinsistthatwhitesymbolizedinnocenceinthisnovel.Dosethiscolorrepresentsherpurityandherinnocence?
No!
Thereasonisthat,attheendofthenovel,Daisyisdescribedasaselfishandcarelesswoman.
BesidesseeingthecolorwhiteonDaisy,wealsocanseethewhiteonGatsby.OncewhenGatsbytookNickforarideinhiscar,theywerestoppedbyapoliceman.Gatsbyactedfastandshowedtheofficerawhitecard,andthelatterimmediatelyexcusedhim.Atfirst,GatsbymadeNickbelievethatitwasaChristmascardsenttohimbythecommissioner,butlateronwelearnthatGatsbyhadbribedthepoliceofficer.So,incontrast,“white”alsorepresentscorruption.
Wecanseefromabovethatitisridiculoustosaythecolorwhiterepresentsinnocenceinthisnovel.
1.3Yelloworgolden:
wealth,money,anddeath
Inourmind,wewillseethecoloryelloworgoldenaswealth,richnessandmoney.But,inthisbook,yellowalsorepresentsdeath.
Itiseasytoseethefirstsymbolicmeaning.Inordertoshowhiswealth,themajorcharacterGatsbynearlyuseseverythinginyellow.Hiscarisyellow,hewearsagoldtie,andheisinagoldensuit.Whatismore,hispartyplays“yellowcocktailmusic”,andhesitswith“towgirlsinyellow”.
Gatsby’scarisyellow,Tom’scarisblue.ThatisthereasonofGatsby’sdeath.Ifbothhadbeenblack---astheyusuallywereinthosetimes---Gatsbywouldnothavebeen
killedbyGeorgeWilson.So,yellow,inaway,leadtoGatsby’sdeath.
1.4Blue:
illusion
Thenthereiscolorblue,whichIthinkrepresentsGatsby’sillusion.BecausehisromanticdreamthatwinsDaisybackistotallyunrealistic.Thoughhelivesinagoldenworld,wealsodonoticethatthecolorblueispresentedaroundGatsbymuchmorethananyothercharacters.Hischauffeurwearsblue,hisgardenisblue,thewaterseparatinghimfromhisloveDaisyis“bluelawn”,mingledwiththe“bluesmokeofbrittleleaves”inhisyard.AndhistutoroflifeCodybuyshima“bluecoat”.Beforeyoutiethisupunderonesimplelabel,payattentionthattheeyesofDr.T.J.Eckleburg,whostandsforGod,arealsoblue.Ifbluerepresentsillusiontorealityanddream,Godisjustthepasserby.
2.TheGreenLight
ThegreenlightisprobablyoneofthemostimportantsymbolsinTheGreatGatsby.Thegreenlighthasappearedthreetimesinthestory,anditsfirstappearanceisattheendofthefirstchapter,andthatisalsothefirsttimeNick,insomepointtheauthor’sincarnationbecausetheauthorusesthethirdparttoexpresshismindandbecametheall-knownGod,metGatsby.
Idecidedtocallhim,MissBakerhadmentionedh
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