Abstract

    The Cricket in Times Square is a story happens among cricket, mouse, and cat and tells a meaningful story vividly by the use of personification. This paper mainly concerns on the skill of personification Selden used in this book and four characteristics people need in highly developed industrial society. This paper intends to demonstrate that the final “go home” choice of Chester cricket in this book not only refers to “go back to hometown”, but also to return to spiritual homeland.

Key words: material world, personification, epitome, spiritual homeland
 
摘 要

  《时代广场的蟋蟀》是一个发生在蟋蟀，老鼠，猫之间的故事，书中运用拟人的手法生动地讲述了一个寓意深远的故事。本文的主要工作在于着重分析塞尔登在书中对拟人手法的运用，和生活在物质文明高度发达社会中的人们所需要的四种品质。本文意图论证书中柴斯特蟋蟀最后“回家”的选择不仅仅指回到生活中的故乡，同时也指回到精神的故乡。

关键词：物质世界；拟人；缩影；精神家园

1. Introduction
    George Selden was an American writer of children’s literature. He was an enthusiastic man who devoted himself to music. Since he graduated from Yale University, he began to write children’s novels under the encouragement from his friend. His first book was published in 1956 which did not attract much attention. While after The Cricket in Times Square was published in 1961, he became well known and won the Newbery Honor book of the Newbery Medal for Best Children’s Book. Once when he worked in New York City, he went to work by subway every day. One night when he passed through Times Square subway station, he heard the song of a cricket occasionally. It reminded him of his hometown Connecticut. Therefore, he began writing this book to look for the feeling of going back home.
  The Cricket in Times Square is a story about cricket, mouse, and cat and is also about the love among different lives and a story from the nature. Chester cricket was a happy cricket who lived in the countryside of Connecticut filled with happiness and love. By chance he was brought to the most prosperous but the most offish place—Times Square in New York City. Luckily, he came across Tucker mouse, Harry cat and Mario. He also became a famous musician. However, though Chester won lots of fortune, he began to miss his free and quiet life in his hometown. Finally, he went back to his hometown under the understanding and help from his dear friends. It has been 100 years since the happening of Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. In the high developed industrial background, Selden demonstrated the idea of return to hometown by the fantastic tour of Tucker mouse.