Symbolism-in-Araby-阿拉比-乔伊斯-论文-JOYCE

英师1212汤文飞1220302223SymbolicmeaningofMangan’ssisterinArabyI.AbriefintroductionofArabyArabyisthethirdstoryofDubliners,acollectionof15shortstorieswhichformadepictionofIrishmiddleclasslifeinDublininearly20thcentury.Theauthor,JamesJoyce,isoneofthegreatestmodernistnovelistsatthattime.InAraby,hetakesadvantageoflargeamountofsymbolicimageries.Thestoryshowsaboy’shazyadorationuponhisidealloverthroughfirst-personnarration.Intheprocessofhisseekingforhisidealizedlove,theboyfinallybecameawareoftherealityandthediscrepancybetweentheidealizedworldandtherealityinhismind.[1]Asthestorydevelops,theboyhashisdreambroken.Byreinvestingwordswithsymbolicmeanings,JamesJoyceenrichesthestorybothintheimplicationandtheexpression.II.AnintroductionofsymbolsinArabya)AbriefintroductionofsymbolsAsuniversallyusedinliteratureworks,asymbolisaconcreteitemwithabstractmeaning.Itnormallyindicatesaconnectionbetweenoneordinarything,whichisspecificanddescribed,andtheimplicitsenseofit.Inbrief,asymbolsuggestsasubtleconnectionbetweenthevisibleandtheinvisible,ortheexplicitandtheimplicit.Writerstendtousesymbolsfortheirrichnessofexpressionanddepthofthoughts.b)AbriefintroductionoftheapplicationofsymbolsinArabyInAraby,Joyceenrichesthestorybyreinvestingcharactersanddetailswithsymbolicmeanings.Boththecharactersandthesettingsaresymbolswithdifferentmeanings.Someofthemappearmanytimes,suchas“blind”“priest”“Mangan’ssister”etc.Someofthemsharethesamemeaning,whilesomedifferfromeachotherentirely.Nonetheless,theyaimatonetheme:anepiphanyuponone’sviewofrosydreamandcruelreality.ByanalyzingsymbolsusedinAraby,wecannotonlyhaveadeeperinsightintoJoyce’strueintention,butalsogainsomeunderstandingoftheartofsymbolism.III.AnintroductionofMangan’ssisterasasymbola)TheimageofMangan’ssister1.TheobjectivedescriptionJoycecreatesafuzzyimageofMangan’ssister.AtthefirstperformanceofMangan’ssister,readersareinformedonlywithanindistinctimageeventhroughthemoredetaileddescription.Asitwaswritten,“Herdressswungasshemovedherbodyandthesoftropeofherhairtossedfromsidetoside.”[2]Sheisabeautifulgirlintheyoungprotagonist’smind.Comparedwithhernaughtybrother,sheshowsasoftandmildbeauty.Asasymbol,sheisdescribedasacharacterwithrosybutunreachablesense.2.Thenarrator’sthoughtsofMangan’ssisterAsthenarratorsays,“Ikeptherbrownfigurealwaysinmyeye”[3]“Herimageaccompaniedmeeveninplacesthemosthostiletoromance”[4]Thenarratorthinksofheralmostallthetime.Whathethinksisjustafuzzyimageinsteadofdetails.Heusesthewords“Herimage”toindicatewhathethinksof.Thegirl’sappearanceishazynotonlyintherealitybutalsoinhismind.TheimageofMangan’ssisterhidesbehindamist.Sheisstandinginthefog,whichismadefromillusionandso-calledideals.Shecanbeseen,butnottouched.b)SymbolicmeaningofMangan’ssister1.TherosydreamoftheyoungprotagonistMangan’ssister,thenarrator’sideallover,hasasymbolicmeaningasallofhisidealsanddreams.Amongthevarioussymbols,Mangan’ssister,isbelievedasoneofthemostimportantsymbolsofthestory.Sheisbelovedbythenarratorandshetakesplaceofhisheartallthetime.Hisloveissohazythatheevendoesnotknowthegirl’sname.Theonlythingheknowsisthathelovesher.Hernameisunknown.Herappearancehasnotbeendescribedindetail.Ifapictureisdrewwiththesewords,onlyascriptofthegirlwillappearonthepaper.Fromthis,itcanbebelievedthat“Mangan’ssister”isasymbol.Andforitsrosyimageandsenseofdistance,sheislikelytosymbolizeasanunachievabledream.Thebrokenfancyofhislovereferstothecollapseofhisdream.Atthebeginning,hehadneverspokentoher.Itsymbolizestheunreachabledream.Thenhewasofferedthechancetodosomethingforher,whichgiveshimhope.Unfortunately,butthejourneytothebazaaris“intolerable”delayedbecausehisaspirationisignoredorforgottenbyhisuncle.Whentheboyfinallyarrivedatthebazaar,Araby,nearlyallthestallswereclosed.Hisidealizedvisionofthebazaar,araby,isdestroyed.Allhisdreamofthatgirltarnishesandheleaveswithshameandanger.Mangan‟ssister,symbolizeshisidealizeddreamoflove,finallycollapses.Hefinallycomesbacktothereality.2.ThereligiouselementsofthesymbolicmeaningofMangan’ssisterDetailswithreligiousmeaningindicatethatMangan’ssisteristheincarnationofhisreligiousadoration.“IimagedthatIboremychalicesafelythroughthethrongoffoes”[5]Heimagedthathetooktheholygrailwhenhecrossingthemarketbecausehegotenergyoncehethoughtofthegirl.Whoissupposedtotakethechalice?Theknight.Whoisprotectedbytheknight?Theprincessorthesaintess.“HernamesprangtomylipsatmomentsinstrangeprayersandpraiseswhichImyselfdidnotunderstand”[6]Hernameappearsatthemomentofprayers,whichimpliesthatsheisholyandsacred.Sheisdescribedasarosybutuntouchableimage.Thenarratoradoresherbutdaresnotapproach.Itcanbebelievedthatshesymbolizesthereligionofthenarratorortheauthor.Andforthesettings,somedetailswithreligiousmeaningsuggestthatthesymbolofMangan’ssisterrelatestoreligion.Therepeatedreferencestothedeadpriest,“TheAbbot”,“theretreat”allshowstheconnectionofreligion.Mangan’ssister,asanimportantroleofthisstory,isexpectedtohavereligiousmeaningaswell.Asitisdescribed,thereligionandmoralityisbeingdestroyedinDublin.ItisrationalthatMangan’ssistercanbepartofthesymbolofthereligionbecau