《麦田里的守望者》中美国梦的象征意义_英语论文

The Symbolic Meaning of American Dream in The Catcher in the Rye

摘要

《麦田里的守望者》是J. D. 赛林格发表的唯一的一部长篇小说。这部小说写于20世纪40年代，在1951年出版发行。这段时期美国处于二战结束后社会政治混乱和道德价值观混乱之际。物质生活虽然富裕，人们的精神世界却一片荒芜，没有了支撑。美国梦也已经失去了往日的美好，徒留一片虚幻。小说巧妙地构建了众多典型意象，如潘西中学、霍尔顿、麦田等，将战后美国梦的典型代表、主人公对美国梦的拒绝以及梦碎后的归属展现了出来。其中，潘西中学和纽约象征着美国梦的浮躁与虚幻；霍尔顿对凯迪拉克的拒绝和霍尔顿一身经典装扮象征了霍尔顿对美国梦的拒绝；艾力、菲比以及麦田则是美国梦碎后的精神归属。

关键词：美国梦；典型代表；拒绝；归属

Abstract

The Catcher in the Rye is J. D. Salinger’s only published full-length novel. The novel was written in 1940s and published in 1951. During this period of time, American was in the bad condition that society, politics and moral values were all in chaos after the end of World War II. Although the material life was very rich, people’s spiritual world was seriously empty. The American Dream has lost its former beauty. The novel skillfully constructed many typical images, such as Pansy, Holden, the rye, etc, to explore the epitome of American Dream in the novel, to reflect the disillusionment from the refusal to American Dream, as well as to show the belonging after the disillusion of American Dream. Pencey Prep and New York as the typical symbols of the American Dream show the impetuosity and unreality of the stale American Dream; the Cadillac and Holden’s classic dress express Holden’s rejection of American Dream; Allie, Phoebe and the rye are the spiritual belonging after the dream shattered.  

Keywords: American Dream; epitome; refusal; belonging

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 1

3. The Epitome of American Dream 2

3.1 Pencey Prep 2

3.2 New York 3

4. The Refusal to American Dream 4

4.1 The Cadillac 4

4.2 The red hunting hat and the windbreaker 5

5. The Belonging after the Disillusion of American Dream 6

5.1 Allie and Phoebe 6

5.2 The rye 7

6. Conclusion 8

Works Cited 10