时间：2022-10-04 02:23:27
Abstract： James Joyce is one of the most important and influential novelists in 20th century. In “The Dead”， he uses the symbolism writing technique. With the help of symbolism， the theme of the story- spiritual paralysis of the people is vividly demonstrated.
Key Words： Symbolism；James Joyce；The Dead
I. Definition of Symbolism
Symbolism can be simply understood as a system of symbols or representations .In art， a loosely organized movement that flourished in the 1880s and '90s and was closely related to the Symbolist movement in literature .
Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects， events， or relationships.
Ⅱ.Brief Introduction to the Story
James Joyce wrote “The Dead” in 1907， three years after writing the fourteen other stories that were eventually published with it in his collection entitled Dubliners （1914）. The Dead is the last story in the collection， and it unites the themes found in the earlier stories. In his book， Joyce wanted to give the history of Ireland. The prominent characteristic he saw in Ireland， and particularly in Dublin， was the spiritual paralysis of its people. The plot of ‘‘The Dead’’ presents the thoughts and actions of one man， Gabriel Conroy， who， though lives and works in Dublin， tends to be deprecating about what he regards as the provincialism of Irish culture， feeling that his own cultural and intellectual allegiances lie elsewhere in Europe. Together with his wife Gretta， he attends a Christmas party organized by his aunts， and after the meal delivers a little oration to the assembled guests in which he rather patronizingly pays lip service to what he describes as the traditional Irish virtues.. Before leaving the house， he catches sight of his wife listening to an old Irish lament being sung by another of the guests， and is struck by her attitude of entranced attention. As they make their way to the hotel， Gabriel’s mind is flooded with joyful reminiscences of his life with Gretta， with the consequence that he is seized by almost overwhelming physical desire for her. When he makes tentative efforts to woo her later， however， he discovers to his chagrin that she is thinking not of him but someone else who is associated in her mind with the music she was listening to at the party. This is a boy named Michael Furey， with whom Gretta was in love when she was a young girl. The story concludes with the transformation of Gabriel’s feelings from jealousy and humiliation to pity， and his imaginative evocation of the churchyard in which his wife’s youthful lover lies buried.
The Dead， is Joyce’s masterpiece in the story form. The story mingles naturalism and symbolism with a new confidence and richness. This article will focus on the application of symbolism in the story. Through these symbols， Joyce links the characters to the theme – spiritual paralysis of the people.
Ⅲ Different symbols applied in the story
3.1 The symbolic meaning of the title.
In his book， Joyce wanted to give the history of Ireland. The prominent characteristic he saw in Ireland， and particularly in Dublin， was the spiritual paralysis of its people. By using the title The Dead， he wants to show the people have died spiritually.
3.2 Names used as symbols
In the story， there are a lot of names which have symbolic meanings， such as” Lily”， in choosing this name Joyce wants the reader to make the associations that the flower has with death， because it is frequently used at funerals. And also he wants the reader to link “Lily” with rebirth. Lily is also a kind of flower used on Easter. The reader will want to decide whether or not there is a rebirth at the end of the story..
Mr. Browne， one of the guests at the Morkans’ party， Mr. Browne likes to drink whiskey and flirt with the ladies. People do not seem to take to him as well as he would like to think—Kate Morkan， for example， walks away when he begins to explain why women are so fond of him. Some critics see him as symbolizing English rule over Ireland. Aunt Kate says of him in an irritable tone， “Browne is everywhere，”just as the presence of Britain is ominously everywhere in Ireland. Also， he is the only Protestant in the story， while the rest of the people are Irish Catholics....
Parkinson， originally means a kind of disease of the nervous system causing tremors and weakness of the muscles. In the story it symbolizes the mental paralysis of the people even the whole country.
3.3 Places used as symbols.
Monkstown and Nuns’ Ireland both symbolizes a place without love， where people are spiritually dead. The continent represents the advanced culture of Europe， especially Britain， while the west of Ireland stands for Irish culture and Irish identity.
3.4 Objects used as symbols.
In the story ，there are two important objects which form an elementary antithesis. One is goloshes， which symbolizes new things related with English culture； the other is brooch. which symbolizes Irish culture.
3.5 Scenes used as symbols.
The most persuasive symbol in the story， the snow， is used for double service： what begins as representative of life and of Gabriel’s view of himself as standing apart from others modulates into a symbol of death and of Gabriel included among the living dead.The rain has something in common with the snow when it becomes water.
The rain represents vitality and life.
Ⅳ Conclusion
Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent things， especially in art and literature. In the developing process of literature， symbolism has had a sound influence. James Joyce’s marvelous use of symbolism in” The Dead” makes the story world-famous， and also the use of symbolism supports the story’s theme—spiritual paralysis of the people， is in keeping with Joyce’s theory of artistic “epiphany”.
References：
1. 李维屏著 《英美现代主义文学概况》[M]上海：上海外语教育出版社1998
2.王佐良、周钰良《 英国20世纪文学史》[M]北京：外语教学与研究出版社1994