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To conclude, scholars interpret it from the views of romanticism, unique narrative voice, Gothicism, existentialism, growth of children, symbolism, etc, which exactly confirms the value and depth of the novel.
2. Symbolism
2.1 Symbol and symbolism
What is a symbol? As a matter of fact, the definition and concept of symbol is quite complicated. According to Oxford Dictionary, there are two meanings generally: one is that a symbol is a mark or a character used as a conventional representation of something, e.g. a letter standing for a chemical element or a character in musical notation; the other is that it is a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract. (2013;2613)And according to the dictionary and Charles Chadwick, the word symbol derives from a Greek verb which means “to throw together” and from its noun which means “mark” or “sign”. It is an abject, animate or inanimate, which stands for or points to something else beyond the object itself. 源`自,优尔.文;论"文'网[www.youerw.com
Symbol in literature and art mainly points at one kind of expression pattern in literary works, which adopts the metaphor and hint of specific imagination and creation to carry the objective meaning beyond the image itself. As for the essential intention, symbol is a kind of indirect language approach that could stimulate imagination and emotional experience through metaphor and images. Furthermore, a symbol in literature draws a specific thing together with ideas or ways of people’s life in a direct relationship that otherwise would not be apparent. There is always an integral or topical relationship between the symbol and things it stands for and it may point beyond itself to greater and much more complex meaning than itself, such as a quality, an belief, a value or an attitude. Stephane Mallarme, the famous French poet in 19th century, gave his definition of symbol that symbol is a comparison between the abstract and the concrete with one of the terms of the comparison being suggested. Consequently, the symbol stands alone with the reader being given little or no indication as to what is symbolized.
And what is symbolism then? The meaning of symbolism is wide as well. There are two meanings in Oxford Dictionary: the first one is that symbolism refers to the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities; the second one is that it is an artistic and poetic movement or style originating in the late 19th century, using symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express mystical ideas, emotions, and states of mind. (2013;2613) And from Symbolism by Charles Chadwick, symbolism, an aesthetic and literary movement, reacted against realism that prevailed in France in history, then it greatly brought about influences to plenty of French and English writers, particularly poets of the 20th century. In the literary field, symbolism could be defined as the artistic means of delivering emotions and values not by describing them directly or just defining them overt comparisons with concrete images, but by suggesting what the emotions and values are and re-creating them in the mind of the reader through the use of symbols. And in terms of stylistics, “symbolism” is regarded as one significant rhetorical writing technique or device.
There are two aspects of symbolism in the literary field. One is called “Personal Aspect” or “Human Aspect”, and the other aspect of symbolism is described as “ Transcendental Symbolism” . As for “Personal Aspect”, symbolism is defined as the art of expressing ideas and emotions not by describing them directly, nor by defining them through overt comparisons with concrete images, but by suggesting what these ideas and emotions are, by re-creating them in the mind of the reader through the use of unexplained symbols. In regard to the second aspect “ Transcendental Symbolism”, the existence of an ideal world lies beyond reality. And concrete images are used as symbols, not of particular thoughts and feelings within the author, but of vast and general ideal world of which the real world is merely an imperfect representation. With the reality of this world as the start, the reality begins to be blurred and it gradually dissolves into the imaginary one.