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1、Symbolism,雷小燕（Sarah）,Symbol,As normally used in literary study, symbol suggests a connection between the ordinary sense of reality and a moral or spiritual order. e.g. A red rose can be a symbol of love or beauty.,Symbolism,The practice of employing symbols is called symbolism, a term also used to d
2、escribe a group of symbols within a particular text. Just as characterization and dialogue and plot work on the surface to move the story along, symbolism works under the surface to tie the storys external action to the theme.,Brief Introduction,Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement o
3、f French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the movement has its roots in Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil, 1857) by Charles Baudelaire. The works of Edgar Allan Poe, which Baudelaire greatly admired and translated into French, were a significant influence and the sour
4、ce of many stock tropes and images.,Early in the development of the fictional narrative, symbolism was often produced through allegory, giving the literal event and its allegorical counterpart a one-to-one correspondence. e.g. John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress,Allegory is undoubtedly the simplest way o
5、f fleshing out a theme, but it is also the least emotionally satisfying because it makes things a little too easy on the reader. The best works of literature are those in which an element of mystery remains - those which lend themselves to a variety of interpretations.,Important Symbols in The Great
6、 Gatsby,Time The Valley of Ashes Dr. Eckleburgs Eyes The green light,Time,Fitzgerald uses time to emphasize the correlation between love and money. Throughout the book, time has been a major factor in the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby.,Time,“Cant repeat the past? Why of course you can!”. It
7、seems that Gatsby cannot grasp the concept that time changes everything, including people; and that the Daisy he see today is no longer the same as the Daisy that he used to love. Time has erases Daisys love for Gatsby and replaced it with a realistic desire to fit in with society through her marria
8、ge to Tom Buchanan.,Time,“his head leaned back so far that it rested against the fact of a defunct mantelpiece clock”. The act of leaning against a defunct clock, can be interpreted as Gatsby using time as support; yet time, in turn, has failed him. Since “Time is money”, Fitzgerald is criticizing h
9、ow people are unconsciously allowing money to interfere with their lives, and even worse: their love.,The Valley of Ashes,This is a valley of ashes a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke
10、 and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.,The Valley of Ashes,By describing the Valley of Ashes as a dumpster for modern industrial wastes, Fitzgerald demonstrates the decay in human values that results from the competition for wea
11、lth. It also symbolizes the plight of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result.,The Valley of Ashes,“This is a valley of ashes a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat” . Farm is a source of food; and food is a source of life; by replacing
12、food with industrial ashes, Fitzgerald eludes to how modernization is beginning to turn people away from humane characteristics.,Dr. Eckleburgs Eyes,But above the grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. Th
13、e eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic- their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent noseBut his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn
14、 dumping ground.,Dr. Eckleburgs Eyes,The eyes may represent God staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland, though the novel never makes this point explicitly. The connection between the eyes and God exists only in Mr. Wilsons claim, “God knows what youve been doing, everyth
15、ing youve been doing. You may fool me but you cant fool God!”,Dr. Eckleburgs Eyes,Dr. Eckleburgs eyes represent the higher power that oversees the upper class society as the root of ethical and moral corruption. The fact that Dr. Eckleburgs eyes is watching over Valley of Ashes and not East Egg or W
16、est Egg could mean that God is only watching and protecting the poor people living there who are not yet corrupted. It could also mean that God is watching over the utter destruction by money and he plans on punishing the people who causes it.,Green Light,Green light first appears when Gatsby stares across the bay towards a green light at the end of a dock, and later this light stands on Daisy Buchanans dock. This green light symbolizes the green light to “go“ for Daisy. Gr
