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1、如有侵权,请联系网站删除,仅供学习与交流The-symbols-of-the-story-of-an-hour【精品文档】第 3 页The symbols in “the story of an hour”Symbol, in literature, is a thing that refer s or suggests more than its literal meaning.“TheStoryofanHour”isashortstorywrittenbyKateChopinonApril19,1894.Thestorydescribestheseriesofemotionsthatthe
2、protagonistLouiseMallardhearsthatherhusbandisdeadtoshediscoversthatheisaliveafterall.SeveralsymbolsinKateChopins“StoryofanHour”createafeelingofcomfort,wellness,andwonderfulnesswithinthereadersmind.And there are many symbols in “the story of an hour”. Id like to share my opinion about it .FirstoneIth
3、inkis“HeartTroubles”.Thefirstsentence(KnowingthatMrs.Mallardwasafflictedwithahearttrouble)informsusthatMrs.Mallardhashearttroubles.Weknowtheheartistraditionallyasymbolofanindividualsemotionalcore,soMrs.Mallardsphysicalheartproblemsmaybecansymbolizeheremotionalheartproblemsrelatedtohermarriage. And i
4、ntheendingMr.Mallardenteredthedoorwaysafeandsound,beingfarawayfromtheaccidentspotandknowingnothingoftheaccidentandtheferociousfightinghappenedinhiswifemind. He thinks that iswifeMrs.Mallarddiedofheartdisease-ofjoythatkills.Secondisthe“armchair”whichMrs.Mallardsitswhenshekeepherselfinherroomafterhear
5、ingofherhusbandsdeath.Thechairisdescribedascomfortableandroomy.Whatsmore,thechairslocationisalsoimportant,itisfacinganopenwindow,(Therestood,facingtheopenwindow,acomfortable,roomyarmchair.Intothisshesank,presseddownbyaphysicalexhaustionthathauntedherbodyandseemedtoreachintohersou)thisseemstosymboliz
6、esrestfromheroppressivelifeandfreedomfromsocietalexpectationsThroughtheopenwindowsheseesmanyothersymbolsfurtheringthefeelingsofgoodnessinthereader.Sheseesthetopsoftreesthat“wereallquiverwiththenewspringlife”symbolizinganewlifetocome,somethingnewhappeninginherlife.Thesettingofa“deliciousbreathofrain”
7、intheairreferstothecalmnessafterastormwhenthesuncomesbackout.KateChopinisusingthistorefertothedeathofMrs.Mallardshusbandandthenewjoyouslifeshemaynowleadthatsheisfreeofhim.Alsotobeheardoutsidearethesingingofbirdsandthenotesofadistantsongsomeonewassinging,symbolizinganoncomingfeelingofwellness,abuildu
8、ptoherrealizationthatsheisnowfreeofthetyrannicalruleofherhusband.Fourth is the “scenes outside of the window”shecouldseeintheopensquarebeforeherhousethetopsoftreesthatwereallaquiverwiththenewspringlife)IthinkSpringLifesymbolizinganewlifetocome,somethingnewhappeninginMrs.Mallardslife.Therearesomeprob
9、lemsinhermarriage,itseasytoseeshemaywanttooutofthismarriage.Herhusbandsdiedgiveherachacetofindhernewlife.Sospringlifemaybesymbolizeshernewlifeinthefuture.(Therewerepatchesofblueskyshowinghereandtherethroughthecloudsthathadmetandpiledoneabovetheotherinthewestfacingherwindow).Lightwasbreakingthroughwh
10、atpreviouslyhadbeencover.Itsnoaccidentthatthislightappearsinthewest,theendoftheday.Inmyopinionthissymbolizestheemergenceofhernewlife.Fifth isthedescriptionofMrs.Mallard.Shehasdescribedasbeingyoungandhavingafair,calmface(Shewasyoung,withafair,calmface,whoselinesbespokerepressionandevenacertainstrengt
11、h)whichsymbolizingthebeautyandinnocenceofachild.Herhusbandhadrepressedher,andnowthroughthissuperficialtragiceventsheisfreedofhisruleandsheisabletolivehernewlife.Last is the role of her husband. When hearing the bad news, Mrs.Mallard had no words at all. When finally sure of “this possession of self-
12、assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being”, she felt free. In such process, we can infer that maybe her marriage with her husband was not satisfying. Her husband is the symbol of tyranny. The awareness of Mrs.Mallards freedom is also demands of many women.In the end, Iwanttosay,whenwereadstories,weshouldpaymoreattentiononthesesymbols.Whenwemakeclearthesesymbolsfortheirunderlinemeanings,wecanseetheauthorshardworkontheirstoriesandwecanunderstandthestorybetter.References:1. 袁宪军,英语小说选读(第二版),北京大学出版社2. 俞东明&李华东,写作教程3(第二版),上海外语教育出版社