AnAnalysisofSymbolisminTheGreatGats

An Analysis of Symbolism in The Great Gatsby内 容 摘 要弗斯各特菲兹杰拉德是美国二十世纪二十年代著名的小说家。了不起的盖茨比是他的优秀作品之一。在其创作过程中，菲兹杰拉德运用了多种写作技巧，其中象征主义手法是该作品的显著特征之一。作为一部紧扣时代脉搏，对美国现代社会进行入木三分地讽刺小说，了不起的盖茨比运用了大量的象征主义手法，主要从事物的象征意义，人物的象征意义和颜色的象征意义三方面展开。在事物的象征意义中，灰谷、绿灯及汽车等事物的象征深刻反映了人们在精神废墟中所持有的希望，及该种希望的破灭。同时，通过采用富有象征意义的人物来揭露当时社会道德的沦丧，并暴露美国梦破灭的原因。在颜色的象征主义中，菲兹杰拉德运用颜色所具有的物质感的物象来暗示人物内心的微妙世界。菲兹杰拉德充分发挥想象力，将了不起的盖茨比中的事物、人物及色彩的象征魅力展现得淋漓尽致。总言之，了不起的盖茨比标志着作者象征手法的成熟，是爵士时代精神的最佳体现。关键词：象征主义；堕落；美国梦；希望AbstractFScott Fitzgerald is the famous American novelist in the 1920s. The Great Gatsby is one of his best works in which he uses many writing techniques, among which symbolism is one of the special characteristics.As a work, which keeps in step with time and criticizes American society deeply, The Great Gatsby is used a lot of symbolism, mainly through the symbolic meaning of objects, symbolic meaning of characters and symbolic meaning of colors. In depicting the symbolic meaning of objects, the symbols of the valley ashes, the green lamp and cars profoundly reflect the hope of spiritual desolation, and its extinction. Meanwhile, the author shows the depravity of the common people and disillusion of “the American Dream” in the 1920s through the main characters that are full of symbolism. Fitzgerald adopts the symbolic meaning of colors to reflect subtle inner world.Fitzgerald skillfully uses his imagination to show the charm of objects, characters and colors. Therefore The Great Gatsby marks the perfection of FScott Fitzgeralds symbolism, and is the best embodiment of the spirit of Jazz Age.Key words: symbolism; corruption; American Dream; hope ContentsIntroduction11. The Description of Symbolism31.1 What is Symbolism?41.2 The Significance of Symbolism62. Symbolic Meaning of Objects72.1 The Valley of AshesSymbol of Spiritual Desolation72.2 The Green LampSymbol of Hope92.2.1 The Hope of Gatsby92.2.2 The Hope of American Dream102.3 CarSymbol of the Wealth113. Symbolic Meaning of Characters133.1 GatsbySymbol of Young Man of Jazz Age and Fitzgerald133.1.1 Gatsbys LifeSymbol of the Young Man in the American 1920s133.1.2 GatsbySymbol of Fitzgeralds Life153.2 DaisySymbol of the American Woman of Her Age163.2.1 The Symbol of Daisy s Name163.2.2 The Symbol of Daisys Character173.3 TomSymbol of the Corrupted Eastern Aristocrat184. Symbolic Meaning of Colors194. 1 The Color of WhiteSymbol of Daisys Void and Uselessness194.2 The Color of BlueSymbol of Unworldly Factors21Conclusion22Notes26References27IntroductionFrancis Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was a most representative figure of 1920s, and a mirror of the exciting age in almost every way. As an active participant of his age, he never failed to remain detached or foresee the failure and tragedy of “the Dollar Decade”. Thus he was often acclaimed literary spokesman of the Jazz Age. He is a great stylist in American literature. His style, closely related to his themes, is explicit and chilly. His accurate dialogues, his careful observation of mannerism, styles, models and attitudes provide the reader with a vivid sense of reality. He follows the Jamesian tradition in using the scenic method in his chapters, each one of which consists of one or more dramatic scenes, sometimes with intervening passages of narration, leaving the tedious process of transition to the readers imagination. The accurate details, the completely original diction and metaphors, the bold impression stichic and colorful quality have all proved his consummate artistry.Most reviews have recognized the advance in Fitzgeralds art. Some critics such as Malcolm Cowley, Edmund Wilson, John Peale Bishop, Dennis Hardy and so on, sensed a new substance in Fitzgeralds works. Bryan wrote in 1991: “Fitzgerald has more than matured; he has mastered his talents and gone soaring in a beautiful fight, leaving behind him everything dubious and trick in his earlier works, and leaving even further behind all the men of his generation and most of his elders.”1In 1945 William Troy identified The Great Gatsby as Fitzgeralds only complete successful novel, and in 1946 John Berryman declared it a masterpiece. Most critical essays focus on the finely crafted structure, first person narration ingenuity in weaving the past and present together. Some essays center on the tragedy of the story, the personalities of characters, some essays discuss the great themethe doom of the American Dream. Of course there were also disapprovals .H.L. Mencken, for example, attacked the novel and its chief character, Gatsby, for being too “vague” to be a sort of disembodied shadow of a literary protagonist. The 1941 assessments and tributes generally viewed Fitzgerald as a writer who had failed to fulfill his promise that The Great Gatsby should be a work of genius. L.P. Hartley called it “an absurd story” in the Saturday Review. Conrad Aiken ,writing in The New Criterion, once praised the form and originality of the novel but stated that it was not “great”, “large” or strikingly “subtle”.Fitzgerald is so creative and imaginative that he is skillful enough to use these symbols to reveal the theme of this novel and the fate of the characters. The Great Gatsby at first sight is a novel about love, idealism and disillusionment. However, it soon reveals the hidden depths and enigmas that are embodies by the multi-symbols. Fitzgerald puts those symbols in great harmony with the theme which efficiently conveys his own attitudes and feelings. Some professors analyze the symbolic meaning of the colors such as Professor Wang Xiaomin, Meng Qinjuan. Some critics study the symbolic meaning of the objects and characters, such as critic Zhang Ruihua, Lei Dongxue. Based on the research fruits of predecessors, it is very worthy to view The Great Gatsby through the perspective of symbolism, with the aim at finding the symbol-net in the novel and disclosing the close relationships between the meaning of the objects, the meaning of characters and the meaning of the colors. So this thesis analyzes the novel in terms of three levels: the symbolic meaning of the objects, the symbolic meaning of characters and the symbolic meaning of the colors.1. The Description of SymbolismSymbolism is the systematic or creative use of arbitrary symbols as abstracted representations of concepts or objects and the distinct relationships in between, as they define both context and the narrower definition of terms. In a narrow context,“symbolism”is the applied use of any iconic representations which carry particular conventional meanings. The term “symbolism” is often limited to use in contrast to “representationalism”; defining the general directions of a linear spectrum wherein all symbolic concepts can be viewed in relation, and where changes in context may imply systemic changes to individual and collective definitions of symbols. “Symbolism” may refer to a way of choosing representative symbols inline with abstract rather than literal properties, allowing for the broader interpretation of a carried meaning than more literal concept-representations allow. In literature, “symbolism” refers to the use of abstract concepts, as a way to obfuscate any literal interpretation, or to allow for the broader applicability of the prose to meanings beyond what may be literally described. Many writersin fact, most or all authors of fictionmake the symbolic use of concepts and objects as rhetorical devices central to the meaning of their works. Joseph Conrad and James Joyce, for example, used symbolism extensively, to represent themes which applied to greater contexts in their contemporary politics and society. James pointed that “Symbolism is a movement in literature history. It advocates reflecting subtle inner world through the combination o f objects and symbolic meaning bearing by them. Anything in a novel can be taken as a symbol.” 2 1.1 What Is Symbolism?“Symbol” from Greece originally refers to the token of trust. With the development of the history, this symbol evolves into the use of forms to represent the abstract idea. This is the extensive definition in modern time. Earnest Carior holds the view that language, art, myth, and religion are parts of the spiritual symbols they are the varied threats that weave symbolist net, the tangled web of human experience. Symbolism in literature was used from the 19th century to the early 20th century. It was a European phenomenon that employed symbols and evocative suggestion in place of direct statement. It got underway mainly in 1970s. With the spreading of the French Symbolist Movement; it gradually became an international movement and gave birth to some great writers and great poetries. “Symbolism can be defined as the art of expressing ideas and emotions not by describing them directly, nor by defining them over comparisons with concrete images, but by suggesting what these ideas and emotions are, by recreating them in the mind of the reader through the use of unexplained symbols.” 3 Many symbolists adopted the notion that symbols and correspondences were presented in the language and structure of the poem, regardless of whether they originate in reality or not.In literature symbolism treated against the bourgeoisie, the class who dominated the 19th century with its economic power and its characteristic morality. Symbolists tried to capture the sensations and states of mind that beyond normal consciousness by disordering their senses, indulging in the decadence, the occultism, and the opposition to sober bourgeoisie values. They rejected the pastoral tradition, and took their themes and images from city life, emphasizing its bleak, hallucinatory or illicit aspects and envisaged literature as confrontation to a degree that went beyond any previous phase of literature theory. As they turned against the middle class morality, they discarded the moralizing presence of the author in the work. It was not the authors right or responsibility to tell an audience how to interpret or judge, nor was the audience to be entertained by having its emotions excited. Symbolism preferred to call for an object laid between the author and the audience.1.2 The Significance of SymbolismThe authors of history works have used symbolism to develop a story or create an understanding. Many of the classics are filled with symbolism, and it is the symbolism that causes the story to stick in the readers mind and heart and make the story a classic. As Sylvan Barnet points out, “ when we read, we may feel that certain characters and certain things in the story stand for more than themselves, or hint at larger meanings.”4 It may be clear to us, for example, that the author has mentioned certain items or ideas in order to get us think more deeply about something. This is because sometimes it is hard for writers to communicate the feelings evoked upon certain items concretely, exactly, and meaningfully. It would be very difficult to do, and in doing so the writer might lose the readers interest or worse, alienate them from the moment for the feeling is not the one they shared. But by allowing a symbol, the writer forces the reader to apply his or her knowledge to the situation, and the feelings evoked are the side domain of the reader, not author. As long as the feelings are well defended with evidence from the text, they are fine interpretations of the novel.Symbolism is used as one of the important devices in modern fiction and it is essentially and indirect mode of expression, which suggests much more than what is actually described or asserted. An examination of the application of symbolism in literary works will be immensely helpful in determining the significance, meaning and association has a strong and deep influence on literature.2. Symbolic Meaning of ObjectsThe author suggests his feelings or ideas to the readers by using many objects. The valley of ashes symbolizes the many different ideas in the book. The image of green lamp appeared three times respectively at the crucial points of development, and played an important role in the process of modeling the protagonist Gatsbys character. The car is always seen as a symbol of status and wealth in American Society. The symbolism of the car is stressed all throughout the novel and is used to confirm that dream rooted in materialism alone will in the end always be disparaging.2.1 The Valley of AshesSymbol of Spiritual DesolationAt the beginning of Chapter two, the author depicted a certain desolate area of land which located between West Egg and New York and which was named by the author the village of ashes. “This is a valley of ashes, a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hill and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-gray men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the boundary air.”5 The characters of this land are ashes and dust.The valley of ashes represents a modern world, which is like a grotesque hell created by modern industry. Factories and train produced in the manufacture of wealth has polluted symbolizes the spiritual desolation, that a society based on money creates. Over looking the valley, are the sightless eyes of T.J. Ecklburg, and advertisement on a billboard in which a character actually confuses as God. It represents a God who has been created by modern society to make money. It represents a God who no long sees nor cares. The whole valley symbolizes a world whose inhabitants are so spiritually lost, that they worship money and wealth. The promise of happiness, hope, and freedom that America gave its first setters, has been corrupted by the lies of greed, and the emptiness of a dream based on wealth. In the end of the novel, Gatsby is destroyed by his illusion of Daisy, just as the fresh landscape of America has been converted into a depressing “valley of ashes”.In the depressing “valley of ashes”, one of the most poignant, however, is the figure of Gatsby. Coming from the Middle West where the traditions of self-reliance and enterprise still have some vitality. Though he has certain control over his destiny, Gatsby is destroyed by uncritically following his fantasies. He has dreamed of riches as a means of achieving the golden vision of love and life with his old sweetheart, Daisy. To make his dream come true, he has built a fortune on fraud and violence. He is the perverted version of the self-man, turned bootlegger and monster, but dreamed of success and the golden girl. In the eyes of Caraway the promises of life and his capacity for hope and innocent wonder make him a moral angel compared to the Buchanan, the respectable corrupters of the American Dream. 62.2 The Green LampSymbol of HopeTraditionally the color green represents spring, hope, and youth. And the green lamp also represents hope. It is much associated with Gatsby and his hope in the novel. In society, green lamp represents money and power as wealth rules the lives of the characters, which is American hope.2.2.1 The Hope of GatsbyThe green lamp symbolizes the hope of Gatsby, and it is the most significant object in this novel, which stands at the end of the dock of the Daisys house. The image of green lamp appeared three times respectively at the crucial points of development, and played an important role in the process of modeling the protagonist Gatsbys character. The Green lamp first appeared at the end of chapter one, where Nick went back home in the evening and saw that Gatsby stared at the green light hung at the clock of Daisys house under the moon light. This green light means something special to Gatsby, for it has something to do with Daisy; Gatsby has cherished a dream, which is to marry Daisy who is an emblem of beauty and fortune to him. Later on, Daisy married to Tom, but Gatsby still firmly believed that he could seize her back as long as he could own enough money. Thus, that green light became the dream and the hope in Gatsbys heart.The second mention of green light happens at chapter five. When they met at Nicks house, Gatsby invited Daisy to visit his magnificent mansion. During that visit, Daisy was deeply attracted by Gatsbys great wealth and crying in excitement. At that moment, Gatsby thought that he had realized his five-year dream and talked with her of that green light hung at the dock of her home. “If it wasnt for the mist we could see your home across the bay” said Gatsby “You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock.” 7 For him, Daisy was near at hand, so Gatsby thought that the dream represented by that green light had already come into reality.The third appearance of the green light is arranged at the end of the novel. After Gatsbys death, Nick reminded us that green lamp. Gatsby adhere constantly all his life to the pursuit of that was bound to smash. His personal cult is none other that money, in other words, he does not realize what he pursues something mediocre. So his dream will be necessarily shattered. But on the other hand Gatsby possesses standfast belief for his own dream and pays his lifelong effort to realize it. This spirit is worth recommending, for which that time lacked and which the author admitted. The image of the green lamp helps to establish the theme of the work and functions night as a banner.2.2.2 The Hope of American DreamThe green lamp not only symbolizes the hope of Gatsby but also the hope of American Dream. The American Dream is based on the ideology that each one, no matter what his origins are, can be successful through his own efforts and cultivating his qualities. This ideology is based itself on American ideal that each person is responsible for himself. Each person in America has his own green lamp that looks forwards to the fulfillment of their wishes and desires. The American Dream, however, originally relates to a desire for spiritual and material improvement. What happened was that from one point of view, the material aspect of the dream was too easily and too quickly achieved, with the result that it soon outpaced and even obliterated the early spiritual ideals. So there emerged a state of material well-being but lacking in spiritual life or purpose. “If it wasnt for the mist, we could see your home across the bay.” From this we can conclude that the green lamp is covered by the mist. In certain way, it symbolizes that the American dream in some way can not be fulfilled. As a piece of social commentary The Great Gatsby describes the failure of the American dream, from the point view that American political ideals conflict with the actual social that exist. American democracy is based on the equality among people. The truth is that social discrimination still exists and the divisions among the classes cannot be over come. Therefore like Gatsbys its hard for the America to achieve their dreams.2.3 CarSymbol of the WealthIn American Society the car is always seen as a symbol of status and wealth. Gatsbys car is an embodiment of his wealth. His car symbolizes his vulgar materialism and conveys his newborn affluence. Gatsbys car is “a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of wind shields that mirrored, a dozen suns” 8 obviously shows his materialism. Another interesting detail is Gatsbys car which is yellow instead of the standardized black of the era stresses thought that he is engrossed with the obsession of displaying his material wealth to get the love of Daisy. The creamy color of Gatsbys car also symbolizes decay of corruption; therefore Gatsby