2。 Literature Review源C于H优J尔W论R文M网WwW.youeRw.com 原文+QQ752-018766

In the history of American Literature, Sherwood Anderson sprang into fame by his Winesburg, Ohio, and he enjoyed great popularity from 1920 to 1923。 But after that he was not notable as he had and was called “One-Book” writer。 Afterwards, many scholars have researched his short stories from different perspectives。 Among his stories, The Egg is one of his masterpieces。 Many scholars have done a lot of researches on this short story from different perspectives。 Hou Yanping’s On the Artistic Characteristics of the Egg by Sherwood Anderson studied the artistic characteristics of The Egg and found Anderson was skilled in applying many creative forms such as symbol, irony and epiphany。 Li Xuemei analyzed the father’s change in the story in terms of epiphany in her Analysis on the Father’s Epiphany In The Egg。 Furthermore, the theme of the work is another focus。 An analysis of Sherwood Anderson’s The Egg by Pan Chang paid attention to the breaking of American Dream。 All the researchers have some achievements and also there are some studies about the symbolic meaning of the Egg。 

Besides, Pouring a Lifetime into a Moment: Sherwood Anderson and His Art of Short Fiction, written by Zhang Qiang, investigates Sherwood Anderson’s short story from three aspects: the essence of Things, moments of insight, the voice of love。 Zhang’s research offer us a comprehensive outlook of Sherwood Anderson’ s works and his art of short fiction, making us apprehend the three themes throughout his works。 Another research on Sherwood Anderson which cannot be ignored is Identity Construction and Masculinity: A Study of Sherwood Anderson’ s Fiction by Pu Lixin, 

“The dissertation examines the relationship between father and son and the fatherhood in Sherwood Anderson’ s novels, explores the evolution and significance of the fatherhood, and argues that the reconstruction of fatherhood is a method to establish Sherwood Anderson’ s identity as a story teller and novelist。”(Pu 8) 论文网

The two dissertations have examined Sherwood Anderson’s writing from a macroscopic point of view。 Although many researches have been done about the symbolism, the character and the disillusionment of the American Dream in The Egg, research on the causes of the failure of the dream are not so profound and integrated。 Therefore, this paper tries to make it more comprehensive for the exploration of American Dream in The Egg and even in the American Literature。 

3。 The Failed American Dream in The Egg 

     The Egg tells a pathetic tale about a countryside farmer who became infected by the American passion for success--wealth and position。 After getting married and owning a child he gave up his occupation as a farm hand and launched into raising chicken encouraged by his ambitious wife to become successful。 But the reality was not as beautiful as the dream。 He failed after the ten years’ hardship。 But he still longed for rising in the world and embarked in the restaurant business。 However, the father failed again in his egg tricks to the visitors at the restaurant, by which the farther became so depressed that he lost his temper。 Finally, the farther gave up his dream。 In the process of his pursuing his business, the egg existed from beginning to end, symbolizing the dream for the Father, the family and most people living in the small town of the Midwestern。 The egg in the story indicated the doom of the dream of Father。 At first it brought with the hope of success, because a chicken was born out of an egg and the chicken farm could make a profit from chicken, which was what Father had originally dreamed。 However, reality was totally beyond Father’s imagination。 The chicken got diseases and became sick and died。 After ten years’ struggle, Father gave up the chicken farm and changed into the restaurant business。 But he carried with his egg, sticking to his dream and his hope till the hope was shattered by the failed tricks of egg at the restaurant。 Finally Father was broken down by his failure, realizing his doom。 The egg is like the dream of Father, bearing hope and boundless illusion but it is fragile and easy to be broken。 In fact, “the egg” is not that easily attained for everyone and most of them usually fail like Father。