从成长小说角度解读《麦田里的守望者》_英语论文

An Analysis of The Catcher in the Rye from the Perspective of Initiation Stories

摘要

《麦田里的守望者》是美国作家塞林格唯一的一部长篇小说，是公认的美国当代成长小说的经典。成长小说着重描绘了青少年主人公的成长历程。本文试图运用成长小说的相关理论，从主人公的成长历程，成长引路人以及叙事角度这三个方面来探究这本小说中所体现的成长小说的特征。首先，小说在内容上展现了霍尔顿叛逆的成长经历和顿悟的心理过程。其次，在人物上小说中出现了多个影响霍尔顿成长的引路人和伙伴。再次，在叙事角度上，小说采用第一人称视角跟踪霍尔顿在成长道路上的思想矛盾和心路历程。此外，本文对这些特征的研究既有利于进一步地分析霍尔顿的成长经历也对于正在经历成长困惑的青少年具有普遍的教育意义。

关键词：塞林格；麦田里的守望者；成长小说；特征

Abstract

The Catcher in the Rye is the only novel written by American writer Salinger. It is widely recognized as the classic of American Initiation Stories which mainly presents the hero’s initiation process. The paper aims to explore the features of initiation stories embodied in this novel from the perspectives of the protagonist’s initiation process, initiation guides and narrative point of view. Firstly, in the aspect of content, the novel depicts Holden’s rebellious experiences and psychological changes in his growth process. Secondly, in the view of characters, a few initiation guides and companions appear who have influence on Holden’s growth. Thirdly, the novel adopts the first person point of view to trace Holden’s mental conflicts and spiritual journey. Besides, this study of characteristics exploration is not only beneficial to further analyze Holden’s initiation but also significant to teenagers who are confronted with confusions of growth. 

Keywords: Salinger; The Catcher in the Rye; Initiation Stories; characteristics

Contents

1. Introduction 1

    1.1 A brief introduction of Salinger and The Catcher in the Rye 1

    1.2 Background and significance of the study 2

2. Literature Review 3

2.1 From the perspective of The Catcher in the Rye 3

    2.1.1 Study abroad 3

    2.1.2 Study at home 4

    2.2 From the perspective of Initiation Stories 5

2.1.2 Study abroad 5

2.2.1 Study at home 6

3. Theoretical Framework 7

3.1 The definitions of Initiation Stories 7

3.2 The characteristics of Initiation Stories 8

4. Feature Analysis of The Catcher in the Rye 9

    4.1 The initiation process of the protagonist 9

4.1.1 Motivation for going on wandering 9

4.1.2 Rebellion against the adult world 10

4.1.3 Epiphany of innocence 12

    4.2 Initiation guides and companions 13

4.2.1 Mr. Spencer 13

4.2.2 Mr. Antolini 14

4.2.3 Phoebe 14

4.3 Narrative point of view 15

5. Conclusion 17

References 18