原创英语论文范文-The African-American Literary Tradit(3)
2013-07-25 01:16
导读：Thus, the Black writers employ the metaphor or symbols to present the reality of the common blacks, For example, in the Native Son of Richard Wright, the images of White pervaded in the novels. The ga
Thus, the Black writers employ the metaphor or symbols to present the reality of the common blacks, For example, in the Native Son of Richard Wright, the images of “White” pervaded in the novels. The games the protagonist and his friends played are called the “White”, the white hands of the Mary, and so on. The implications of the images are obvious— the depression and injustice from the White that pushed the protagonist to step on the journey to commit the crime. A series of images of the white and black are efficiently embodied in the Ellison’s Invisible Man, the trustee Norton’s white shoe with the black trim, the white building, the white drops, and so on. These images symbolize the submission and inequality of the blacks in the white world. In Beloved, Toni Morrison uses the symbols very often, for example the “Beloved” symbolizes the Blue, the anger, and also signifies the suffering of the blacks and the whole nation. In Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, the title is pregnant with meaning— the color purple indicates dignity, love, human fellowship as well as suffering and pains. It represents God’s creation and common humanity. All these writers unexceptionally use the metaphorical expression to voice their own thoughts with the unique skills. It is also the way for Black writers to seek for action, for survival, for self- identity in the dominated white society.
1.3 Symbolism in African-American Literature
Based on the theory of signifying, the symbolism becomes one of the most important characteristics of Afro-American literature. Moreover, it is the effective way of expression to enable the Black writers to find their own ways to proclaim their thoughts.
With regard to Symbolism, Dr. Frank Lentricchia and Thomas Mclanghlin conclude, “Symbolism is the systematic use of symbols to represent or allude to something. In the most literal sense, all languages are symbolic, in a narrower sense, symbolism is the use of iconic figures with particular conventional meaning” (1990:75).
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Symbolism, originated in France, is an important element in literature. It means the systematic use of symbols or pictorial conventions to express an allegorical meaning. Symbolism is a series of links between man’s apprehension of the world and the way he can convey his apprehension. Many writers’ works are often admired for their artful use of symbolism, for example, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and James Joyce’s Ulysses.
In African-American literature, writers frequently and effectively employ Symbolism to enforce the plot and to standout the characters or the conflicts between the ideal and reality. Langston Hughes, Richard White, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker are the masters of the Symbolism. They use the novel or romance as the conveyance of symbolism to explore the distance between the myth of European and the reality of African-American. The images pervade their works and become the effective vehicles to present the motifs, which help readers understand the true essence of the works better. Symbolism in the Invisible Man is the key for us to delve into the novel and dig out the true meaning the author wants to tell us. The symbols are present almost everywhere in the story from the beginning to the end, reflecting the protagonist’s emotion, promoting the development of the plot and foreshadowing the fate of the protagonist, which I will discuss in detail in the next part in my paper.
Symbolism in African-American literature is the inheritance and development of the literary tradition—the Theory of Signifying. Also, it continually plays a great role in today’s literature and sparkles intensely in the whole literature realm.
