《麥田里的守望者》的象征手法的解讀【畢業(yè)論文】

1、<p><b>　?。?0_ _屆）</b></p><p><b>　　本科畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)</b></p><p><b>　　英語(yǔ)</b></p><p>　　《麥田里的守望者》的象征手法的解讀</p><p>　　A Study on the Use of Symbo

2、lism in The Catcher in the Rye</p><p><b>　　摘要</b></p><p>　　《麥田里的守望者》是美國(guó)作家杰·戴·塞林格第一部也是唯一的一部長(zhǎng)篇小說(shuō)。角色困惑和象征主義是本論文主要討論的問(wèn)題。塞林格使用許多具有深刻含義的象征貫穿全文。</p><p>　　本文從介紹小說(shuō)的社會(huì)歷史

3、背景及象征手法的定義入手，著重分析了托馬斯山，紅色獵人帽等四個(gè)反應(yīng)主人公角色困惑的意象，并進(jìn)而討論了表現(xiàn)主人公對(duì)身份進(jìn)行探求，及探求失敗的象征手法運(yùn)用。</p><p>　　關(guān)鍵詞：象征；困惑；探求</p><p><b>　　Abstract</b></p><p>　　The Catcher in the Rye, is J. D. Sal

4、inger's only novel. It depicts Holden’s three-day- roving in Now York. Role confusion and symbolism are the two important issues to be discussed in this thesis.</p><p>　　In order to reveal the protagonis

5、t’s role confusion, Salinger uses many meaningful symbols throughout the novel, including the red hunting hat, the Thomsen hill, the hero's against the adulthood and the title "The Catcher in the Rye". The

6、second part of the thesis focuses on the symbols suggesting the hero’s quest for self-identity and symbols suggesting the failure of the quest.</p><p>　　Key words: symbolism; confusion; quest</p><

7、p><b>　　Contents </b></p><p>　　摘要…………………………………………………………………………………...ⅰ</p><p>　　Abstract.…....………………………………………………………………………...ⅱ</p><p>　　1.1 Introduction to J. D. Salinger

8、 and the Novel1</p><p>　　1.2 Introduction to Symbol and Symbolism1</p><p>　　2 Symbols of Role Confusion2</p><p>　　2.1 The Thomsen Hill2</p><p>　　2. 2 Children and A

9、dult Characters3</p><p>　　2.3 The Red Hunting Hat4</p><p>　　2.4 “The Catcher in the Rye”5</p><p>　　3 Symbols of Quest and Doom of Holden’s Quest56</p><p>　　3.1 Symb

10、ols of Quest6</p><p>　　3.1.1 Symbols of Quest for Self-Identity6</p><p>　　3.1.2 Symbols of Quest for Innocence67</p><p>　　3.1.3 Symbol of Quest for Protection78</p><p

11、>　　3.2 Symbols of the Doom of Quest8</p><p>　　3.2.1 Holden’s Parents89</p><p>　　3.2.2 James Castle9</p><p>　　3.2.3 Dirty Words on the Wall9</p><p>　　4 Conclusion

12、910</p><p>　　Bibliography11</p><p>　　Acknowledgements1112</p><p>　　1 Introduction</p><p>　　The Catcher in the Rye the only novel by Salinger, describes Holden’s thre

13、e-day-roving in New York to reflect the spiritual struggle of American youth in 1950’s. It has a lasting influence on American youth. There are many symbols involved in The Catcher in the Rye, so analyzing the use of sym

14、bolism in the novel can help readers understand it better.</p><p>　　1.1 Introduction to J. D. Salinger and the Novel</p><p>　　J. D .Salinger (1919~2010), a distinguished American novelist and sh

15、ort story writer, holds a significant place in literature after World War Two. He is famous for his first novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951), which has become one of the two "modern classics" in contemporary A

16、merican literature (the other one is Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man published in 1952).</p><p>　　The story covers a span of three days, from the day Holden leaves Pencey Prep, the fourth school he has

17、 flunked out of, to the day he watched his sister Phoebe riding carrousel in the rain at the zoo. He intends to go home four days later like other students when the Christmas vacation begins. He feels desperate helplessn

18、ess. During the three days he spends roving, something he encounters becomes the last straw upon Holden’s shoulders and eventually leads to his breakdown.</p><p>　　After The Catcher in the Rye was published,

19、 it became one of the most lasting best sellers in the history of American literature immediately. In one way or another, the book influenced many young people, especially those who will enter into their adolescence. Suc

20、h great impact is closely related to the social and historical background of the novel. In 1950s, as the winner in the Second World War, America got a lot of benefits from the war and then it became the richest and the m

21、ost powerful coun</p><p>　　1.2 Introduction to Symbol and Symbolism</p><p>　　Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. In other words, a

22、symbol is anything which signifies something. Therefore, all words are symbols. From etymological point of view, the word "symbol" comes to the English language by way of Middle English from the Greek "s&#

23、253;mbolon". The root words “syn”，meaning "together", and "bolè", meaning "throw". Namely, the meaning of "symbol" is "to throw together". Therefore, the origin

24、al meaning of "symbol" </p><p>　　Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. Symbolism can be described as a literary technique of ex

25、pressing ideas and emotions neither by describing them directly, nor defining them, but use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.</p><p>　　To a certain degree, The Catcher in the Rye is a typical novel

26、, because the author uses many symbols in the novel, such as the red hunting hat, the natural museum, and even the title of The Catcher in the Rye. Although the novel is easy to read, it is very difficult to understand j

27、ust because of so many symbols in it. Symbols in Salinger’s novels are efforts to expressing what his books are about. None of the symbols are artificial, all of them occur naturally in the scenes in which they appear&l

28、t;/p><p>　　2 Symbols of Role Confusion </p><p>　　Role confusion is an important theme in The Catcher in the Rye. As a sixteen-year-old youth, Holden is going on his way to adulthood but he found it

29、 is difficult for him to adjust himself to adapt to the adult’s world. Adolescence is a very important period in young men’s development，during which the young go through a variety of changes to prepare themselves for ad

30、ulthood. In the novel, role confusion is manifested by the use of four symbols, including the Thomsen hill, children and adult chara</p><p>　　2.1 The Thomsen Hill</p><p>　　At the very beginning

31、of the novel, when readers first meet Holden Caulfield in the story, he is standing on top of Thomsen Hill, separated himself from the rest of schoolmates at Pencey Prep. Such a position on the top of Thomsen Hill is a s

32、ymbol for Holden’s attitude for the society and his unwillingness to get involved into the hypocritical and unjust life. Then Holden tells readers the fact: </p><p>　　The reason I was standing way up on Tho

33、msen Hill, instead of down at the game, was because I'd just got back from New York with the fencing team I left all the toil and equipment and stuff on the goddam subway. The whole team ostracized me the whole way b

34、ack on the train. The other reason I wasn't down at the game was because 1 was on my way to say goodbye to Old Spencer. I forgot to tell you about that. They kicked me out (J. D. Salinger, 2008: 3).</p><p&

35、gt;　　After being excluded by the fencing team, Holden has flunked out of Pencey Prep. He is nowhere to go, therefore, he is only standing on the top of the Thomsen hill, watching the disappointing life like an outsider.

36、From this readers can find that people around Holden are indifferent and merciless. When he is stuck on the threshold of growing-up, he gets lost. Thomsen hill plays the part of the first symbol of his role confusion<

37、/p><p>　　2. 2 Children and Adult Characters</p><p>　　After reading the novel, readers will find there are only three people that Holden prefers. They are Phoebe, Allie and Jane. Holden enjoys recal

38、ling all of the events they experienced together because these are all his spiritual enjoyment. Phoebe is his ten-year-old sister. Allie is his younger brother who has died when he was just a little boy. So in Holden’s m

39、emory, Allie is a child forever. Jane never appears before Holden's recalling of her. But Jane is Holden’s imaginary companion in the no</p><p>　　Holden’s description of Phoebe: “You should see her. You

40、never saw a little kid so pretty and smart in your whole life. She’s really smart.” (J. D. Salinger, 2008: 67) </p><p>　　Holden’s description of Allie: “He was two years younger than I was, but he was about

41、fifty times as intelligent. He was terrifically intelligent. He was also the nicest in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody. People with red hair are supposed to get mad very easily, but Allie never did, and he had

42、very red hair.” (J. D. Salinger 2008: 38)</p><p>　　Holden’s description of Jane: “After a while, she got up and went in and put on this red and white sweater she had, that knocked me out, and we went to a go

43、ddam movie.”(J. D. Salinger 2008: 79) </p><p>　　The descriptions of these three people are also symbolic in meaning. The ten-year-old Phoebe represents the childhood world which is past and he can not live i

44、n it again forever. Allie who is dead now is the symbol of the things that have passed and can not get any longer. Jane has become other people’s lover now, and she is not his companion any more. So the three people that

45、 Holden likes represent the different things that have passed and that he is not able to get again. </p><p>　　In contrast, whenever Holden speaks of the people who are older than him, he always does so in an

46、 unsatisfactory tone. For example, he describes Ackley by saying “He was a senior, and he’d been at Pencey the whole four years, but nobody ever called him anything except ‘Ackley’.” (J. D. Salinger, 2008:19) Similarly,

47、his description of Stradlater is also unfavorable: “He always looked all right, Stradlater, but for instance, you should’ve seen the razor he shaved himself with. It was always rusty </p><p>　　The following

48、diagram shows clearly that Holden likes everything about the children but he dislikes anything about the adults.</p><p>　　Obviously, Holden likes any person who is younger than him while he dislikes any pers

49、on who is older than him. Holden is eager to return to his childhood. In other words, he only feels confident and hopeful of the children but looks down on the adults. He is not willing to face up to the age he is going

50、to step into but indulges in the past he has stepped out. He lacks the courage and preparation to grasp the things of his own age and his life time. He is a coward of the present and the future. </p><p>　　2.

51、3 The Red Hunting Hat</p><p>　　Holden's red hunting hat symbolizes his independence. He mentions the hat every time he wears it, symbolic of his desire to mention how independent he is. The hat is very s

52、trange and it shows that Holden is extremely different from people around him. The red hunting hat with a very long visor which appears 24 times in total is among the most recognizable symbols in the novel.</p>&l

53、t;p>　　Furthermore, what makes Holden different from others is that he likes to wear his cap with the peak reversed. "I swung the old peak way around to the back. I liked it that way." (J. D. Salinger, 2008:1

54、8) It tells us the very direction of Holden's search: He is trying to go backward. What he wants to keep and hold on is the goodness and innocence of the child. The reversed direction of the cap peak suggests his lon

55、ging for the childhood condition and a state of innocence around him.</p><p>　　Holden buys the red hunting hat after he has some conflicts with his fencing team. As the manager of the fencing team, he is imm

56、ediately fired by the other boys after leaving all the equipments on the subway. Therefore, since it is when he is rejected by his fencing team members that he buys it, it naturally leads readers to the conclusion that t

57、he hat is a protection from his failure and his unsolvable confusion. </p><p>　　The last time Holden mentions his hat before leaving Pencey Prep School is the best proof to Holden's predicament: </p&g

58、t;<p>　　When I was all set to go, when I had my bags and all, stood for a while next to the stairs and took a last look down the goddam corridor. I was sort of crying. I don’t know why. I put my red hunting hat on

59、, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I yelled at the top of my goddam voice, "Sleep tight, ya morons! (J. D. Salinger, 2008:52).</p><p>　　In the description above, the

60、corridor suggests that Holden is standing in a very narrow way in the adolescent world, where there is no companion for him, with everybody sleeping like the dead, which symbolizes the indifference and apathy of his fell

61、ow students. Seeing this, Holden feels like crying. And then he puts on his red hunting hat and shouts at the pitch of his voice to the sleeping students. He wishes to wake up everybody with the shout.</p><p&g

62、t;　　2.4 “The Catcher in the Rye”</p><p>　　The novel’s most important symbol is found in the title The Catcher in the Rye. It first appears in Chapter 16, when a kid Holden admires for walking in the street r

63、ather than on the sidewalk is singing the Robert Burns’ song “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye.” In Chapter 22, when Phoebe asks Holden what he wants to do with his life, he replies with his image, from the song, of a “catcher in th

64、e rye.” He explains to Phoebe that all he wants to be is the catcher in the rye. He pictures himself wearing a gian</p><p>　　Actually, the symbols Holden pictures in his imagination have deep meanings. The k

65、ids represent childhood. The field represents innocence. The fall from the cliff represents the fall from innocence. Holden represents the attempt to shelter kids from growing up, and more personally, represents his desi

66、re to avoid the harshness of adult life. He prefers his own imaginary view of the world rather than deal with the complexities of the world around him. He has a cynical, oversimplified view of other</p><p>　

67、　3 Symbols of Quest and Doom of Holden’s Quest</p><p>　　As a man is born, he becomes one part of the society. He must enter and find his place in the society. He must decide who he wants to be. Therefore, q

68、uest, has always been a traditional theme in western literature. Actually the birth and development of the American people are closely with quest. Early American ancestors come to America not only for the sake of escape

69、from religious persecution but also for the purpose of a quest for the Garden of Eden in their dreams. This part will analyze in d</p><p>　　3.1 Symbols of Quest</p><p>　　Like his role confusion,

70、 Holden’s quest also been expressed by symbols. The red hunting hat and the ducks in Central Park are the concrete symbols to show Holden’s quest for self-identity. Phoebe and Allie, the museum and the snow are used to r

71、epresent his quest for innocence. At last, the title The Catcher in the Rye, is symbol of quest for protection </p><p>　　3.1.1 Symbols of Quest for Self-Identity </p><p>　　There are two symbols

72、in the novel showing Holden’s quest for self-identity. Whenever Holden is mentioned, the first scene appearing in the readers’ mind will be a young man wearing a red hunting hat. Holden uses the hat as a mark of individu

73、ality and independence. When Holden does not wear the hat he wants to fit in, at least, to hide his unique personality. </p><p>　　The ducks in Central Park is also an important symbol to explain Holden’s que

74、st for self-identity. It appears three times in the book. Holden first mentions the ducks in Chapter 2 during his talk with the history teacher Mr. Spencer before he leaves Pencey Prep. Holden keeps thinking of the ducks

75、 and worries about where the ducks go in the winter when the pond in Central Park freezes over. He wants to know if they must fly to the south in the winter. The ducks and their pond are symbolic in seve</p><p

76、>　　3.1.2 Symbols of Quest for Innocence</p><p>　　As discussed in the previous section, Holden cherishes innocence of young children. The children, including Phoebe and Allie, as well as the museum and sno

77、w, can be regarded as the symbols for his quest for innocence. Phoebe is Holden’s 10-year-old sister, whom Holden loves very much. The relationship between Phoebe and Holden shows Holden likes children and his role as a

78、protector of innocence. In the novel, Phoebe represents all of the no phony things, and also children’s innocence. Holden att</p><p>　　Allie is Holden’s younger brother who died of Leukemia when he was young

79、. Holden loves Allie and misses him very much. He is a key symbol throughout the story. Holden often speaks to him when he is depressed. Allie is associated with death, but he also represents hope, the gifted innocence o

80、f childhood and something transient. Holden feels that Allie was one of the few people who are not phony in the world while phonies cover anywhere. More importantly, Allie represents the innocence, purity and</p>

81、<p>　　Holden finds the museum appealing because everything in it stays the same. Once they are there, they are there. No position changed, no status changed, everything stays the same. It represents Holden’s desire

82、to keep everything the same. Holden tells readers the symbolic meaning that the museum displays: they appeal to him because they are frozen and unchanging. The museum represents the world Holden wishes could live in: it’

83、s the world of his “catcher in the rye” fantasy, a world where nothing </p><p>　　Perhaps the image that best explains Holden’s desire to keep innocence is the image of snow:</p><p>　　While he wa

84、s doing it, I went over to my window and opened it and packed a snowball with my bare hands. The snow was very good for packing. I didn’t throw it at anything, though. I started to throw it. At a car that was parked acro

85、ss the street. But I changed my mind．The car looked so nice and white. Then I started to throw it at a hydrant, but that looked too nice and white, too. Finally I didn't throw it at anything. All I did was close the

86、window. (J. D. Salinger, 2008:36)</p><p>　　From the description, we can see the snow world is the wonderful world in Holden’s heart. Snow is white and pure. It is traditionally a symbol of innocence. Everyth

87、ing with snow covered looks perfect, silent and pretty. His unwillingness to throw the snowball to everything that looks nice and white suggests his refusal to destroy things that is pure and innocent.</p><p&g

88、t;　　3.1.3 Symbol of Quest for Protection</p><p>　　The title The Catcher in the Rye involves the most important information about quest for protection. Readers can come to the conclusion from Holden's mon

89、ologue:</p><p>　　Anyway, I kept picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousand of little kids and nobody's around, nobody big, I mean, except me. And I'm

90、 standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to over the cliff. I mean if they are running and they don't look where they are going I have to come out from som

91、ewhere and catch them. That is all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know </p><p>　　Holden, as a child, whishes himself to be a catcher in the rye to protect other childre

92、n. He wants to protect the innocent children from falling down from the cliff. From this readers can find out that Holden is hopeless and helpless. He dreams to be a catcher just because of lack of protection, his desire

93、 to hold on to the protector. </p><p>　　3.2 Symbols of the Doom of Quest</p><p>　　Some critics, like W. Tasker Witham(2003), classify The Catcher in the Rye into the group of adolescent novels.

94、To be more exact, the book should be defined as an adolescent tragedy. From the very beginning of the story, the quest of Holden for innocence and identity is doomed to be a failure. Facing the strong power of the adults

95、’ society, what can a little boy do except for surrendering?</p><p>　　In the novel, Salinger uses two symbols to expose the doom of Holden’s quest. There are Holden’s parents and the dirty words on the wall.

96、 They have something in common, that is, all of them possess the power to defeat Holden, reminding him of his helplessness and resulting in his role confusion</p><p>　　3.2.1 Holden’s Parents </p><

97、;p>　　Family plays a key role in a child’s growth. If a child lives in the family full of love and understanding, his mind is generally sound, and it is easy for him to feel satisfied. Conversely, he is likely to feel

98、empty and hopeless with inadequate love and care from parents. Holden is exactly a boy without sufficient family love. </p><p>　　In the novel, on the road of questing, Holden tries a lot, tuming to

99、his teachers for help, only to find that nobody cares about him, then he wants to hold on to friends for complaining, and it turns out to be disasters one after another, and throughout the novel, his parents are from the

100、 first beginning to the end totally invisible. Holden’s parents are absent. The only scene of his parents in the novel is that they missed each other in the dark. Born into a typical middle-class family, Holden </p>