《愤怒的葡萄》中尘土的象征含义Dust of the Grapes of Wrath dust美国文学史.doc

学期论文 论文题目: 愤怒的葡萄中尘土的象征含义 院(部)名 称: 外国语学院 班 级： 学 生 姓 名: 专 业: 英语语言文学 学 号: 论文提交时间: 2013年12月25日 大学教务处制 The Symbolic Significance of Dust of the Grapes of WrathByTable of Contentsi. Table of Contentsii. Abstract.iii. 摘要.I. Introduction.1II. Literature Review.2III. Effect and symbolism of dust.33.1. Creation of Epic Background through Dust.33.2. Destruction of Human Dignity by Dust .43.3. A Symbol of Melancholy Destiny.6IV. Conclusion.7 Bibliography.8AbstractSymbolism is a literary genre that is originated in French in the middle of the 19th century. The Grapes of Wrath, as one of the great literature of the 20th century, has been considered realism classic. This article is going to research fantastic use of symbolism through the plot and structure of the novel in process of creation of the novel and the realistic depiction, which will open up a new angle of research of Steinbeck and his works and make the work the Grapes of Wrath be understood by people in the word. This article highlights the impact of dust to human material wealth and spiritual home as a kind of destructive force through elaborating the symbolic significance of the dust, which constructs the epic story background and strengthens the interpretation of the novel theme, in the Grapes of Wrath.Key Words: The grapes of Wrath, symbolism, dust.摘 要象征主义是起源于19世纪法国的一种文学流派。作为20世纪的伟大艺术作品代表之一 ，愤怒的葡萄已被认为是现实主义古典文学。该论文旨在通过探索愤怒的葡萄这部作品创作过程及现实描述中的情节和结构，以此来研究作品中象征手法的绝妙运用。此研究将对斯坦培克及其作品展开一个全新的研究角度，并有助于世人更好地理解作者及其作品。论文通过重点阐释尘土在小说中的象征意义，从而强调了尘土作为一种破坏性力量给人们物质财富和精神家园带来的影响，为愤怒的葡萄构造了一个史诗般的故事背景，升华了故事主题。关键词：愤怒的葡萄 象征意义 尘土. IntroductionLand in the literary is often a symbol of wealth, home and identity. For the owner of the land, the land is not only their material basis of survival but also their spiritual ballast. Once farmers lose land, they lose guarantee of survival and human dignity. In this work of the Grapes of Wrath, when the fertile land is becoming more and more deserted because of the drought, when the soil is becoming a canopy covered the sky because of being wound up, the land is converted into a destructive force - dust, it not only destroys cozy home of farmers but also makes their dignity decay. Literature ReviewIn recent years, more and more scholars try to analyze Steinbeck's work from different perspectives. His trilogy of workers which includes the Dubious Battle, Of Mice and Men and the Grapes of Wrath whose raw materials are from the scene where workers drift from place to place so as to owning a tragic fate of abandoning home. The original intention of the author is to show the tragic fate of the agricultural workers in the economic transition period so as to express the deep love to nature of the author. However, most of the critics focus on the application technique of modernity in Steinbeck's work. Wilbur Niederhaim once said, "Steinbeck is bottomless and he never creates two novels through using the same method or using the same emotional or rational point of view." Thomas Vinci also expressed the same view, "Steinbeck is conscious to make the first novel different from the second one in terms of content and form." Because of Steinbeck's unique style and adept skills, the trend is never cut that critics at home and abroad focus on his efforts and works. However, most current domestic research in terms of the Grapes of Wrath aims to understand its writing technique and study it based on ecological dimension. This essay aims to study the symbolic significance of dust. Effect and Symbolism of Dust3.1. Creation of Epic Background through DustThe depression is the background of the novel whose main character is about Joads. Because of drought, the economic crisis, the financial and agricultural transformation, Toads turns poorer and is expelled out from state Oklahoma. Owing to their distress and affection by dust storms, Toads are on the way to the California. Liking tens of thousands of "Mr Guy", they are looking for work, land, dignity, and the future.The author describes in detail raging dust on dry arid land in the first chapter of the novel influence of it to people and their life. Thus creates a background and atmosphere where the characters and story will appear and expand. The drought causes dust more raging and terrible. The novel begins like this, "On red land and a portion of grey fields in Oklahoma, it rains strongly several times but rainwater does not make blunt crack and a layer of rigid land moist." In the first paragraph, the author mainly records the sustainability of drought disaster through the use of color. The scene is as followings: The ground becomes a stiff and thin shell; the sky becomes grey; the earth turns into grey; the red fields become reddish; grey fields became white." The color of the whole village changes due to heat of sun and lack of rainwater, which has a strong influence in readers heart. A fact impresses readers that red turns into pink, gray into white, green into brown and the land ploughed into a thin and hard shell.This is a growth cycle of absolute perversion. Then Steinbeck vividly describes a world controlled by dust. People who have never experienced a dust devil can know the truth from the Letter of the Dust Storm Area. The series of letters which are written in summer of 1935 by Mrs. Carolan A. Henderson are published in Atlantic Monthly. Mrs. Henderson first talks about the shocking "transition”, from green meadows that the rain soaks in eastern Kansas, lush green leaves, colorful flowers and scene of a bumper harvest into barren land that is covered with dust, to her friend "Eveline". She describes their situation of that time like this, "Wearing caps obstructed dust, tying handkerchiefs tightly to the face, and coating nostrils with vaseline, we have been trying to prevent our home from smiting of dust. However, where there is air, there is dust mingled in the wind.” This shows that the description of dust Steinbeck makes in Oklahoma conforms to the real history. Then Steinbeck writes about the mental health of people: people huddle in the house, try to protect themselves against the ubiquitous dust when they are outside out of time to try to protect themselves against the ubiquitous dust because the wind blows dust without mercy from time to time. Women and children look at men to see whether they can still stand up without discouraging under the heavy burden.Thereupon, the epic background is established through dust. The purpose of the vivid description of the objective world, even pain as well as the spiritual world is to make readers aware of impending crisis that but couldn't see, also make the reader realize temporarily the way of life in the whole world in the equilibrium state. We noticed that the author has yet to introduce a specific figure, Joads, who are referring men, women and children standing in dust and are like timeless and universal performers of mime. The authors quickly and smartly, from the literary point of view, makes events specific as crisis of Joads crisis, and the beginning of paragraphs of the novel meaningfully show that the survival problem is the basis basic problem faced by human together without time limitation. 3.2. Destruction of Human Dignity by DustDust not only reverses the biosphere but also destroys the dignity of human being. Depressive mood is established by such a picture that day does not carry with dawn and men and women are curled up in the house. There is a description: Dawn arrives but day does not come; Grey sky appears a red sun which is just a dim red disc and emits a weak light, which depicts a scene like that in the evening; Later on, the sky turns dark again and wind lodging on the corn utters purring sound. In the poetic and pathetic description, the sun and wind is like a mime actors and people who lay and huddle in their own home waiting for dust settling down. In first chapter, depiction at the end does not relieve the heavy atmosphere Steinbeck establishes. People get out of the room and are still very nervous and careful; the air is filled with a kind of serious atmosphere; whether men will frustrated, this question whether men will frustrate is up in the air. Women secretly look at men's face and consider that as long as they do not lose heart, it does not matter without corn harvest. The tension is temporarily dispelled. There are no expressions on faces of the wait-and-see men. Instead, they become brave, anger, and have the determination to cope with difficulties. However, good times do not last long, because the higher the day the sun rises some day, the more serious red of it fades back. The more intense sunlight shoots the land covered the sand. The men sit in their own home, holding twigs and small stone in their hands, and are busy writing as well as counting on the ground. They sit there silently, thinking and counting.Such theme related with existence of human is also established when human dignity is threatened and may lose. Crisis fundamentally is directly related with the economy, but also is regarded as what is related to loss of spirit and morale. The only thing that women concerns about is that whether their men can stand to live and whether they can struggle against adversity. The dual themes from economy and morale drop are organic part of the novel, by which conflict is created and plays a role of motivation throughout the novel. Steinbeck once published an article called Power in Their Blood in a newspaper. In this article, a point that he clarified strongly is about slow and sustaining decay of morale and loss of personal dignity existing in men who are often seen as leaders of family. Critic Michael Harrington also referred to the cause of profound psychological harm to men in the context of Another American. Beginning of this harm is often loss of the way to make a living and that men have experienced suffering unemployed but are still unable to find a new job, or that land is destroyed and eventually value disappears as described in the novel the Grapes of Wrath.3.3. A Symbol of Melancholy DestinyThe word "dust" is repeated 27 times in the first chapter in the novel the Grapes of Wrath, which strengthens one of themes of the novel. In fact, the repeat strengthens dual themes described above: Accumulation of the recession can turn into disaster, and depression of the morale can eventually lead to the division of family. Because dust is everywhere, so we can think that it symbolizes luck falling increasingly of the Joads and other people who are affected by its destruction.The plot of the novel spreads from land, but land has changed into dust. The author uses all kinds of possible audio-visual effects related to "dust" like using same consonants or vowels. At the same time, he also always puts dust with what will be dying near future or is dead together. There are some examples that prove these relations: Fine soil flows straight to the downward like flowing water; Various moving things carry with dust up into the air; Dust of roads road floats in the sky; The sky is filled with dust and gets darker and darker; The wind flows over the earth, rolls up the dust and takes them away; Star light cannot penetrate the dust shooting on the ground. The author also uses such similar words in pronunciation, such as “crust”, “fluffed”, “brushed” and “muffled”. ConclusionWind being personified becomes an agent of demonic dust. Wind is flowing over the earth, helping dust to dominate other natural phenomenon, such as air, sky, sun and stars. Women may not be different to fight against dust in the window and door, and children also can only play in the dirt and they carefully pain line with their toes from time to time. Men's endurance are tested because what they face is that the corn suffering disaster is rapidly dry and only a little green things pierce out from under the barrier of dust. 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