A Symbolic Interpretation Of American Pastoral

As one of the most influential Jewish-American writers, Philip Roth (1933- ) attracts great critical attention and has been widely studied. He is so prolific and popular that he has been the most competitive candidate for Nobel Prize in recent years. Roth has focused greatly on the Jewish experiences in contemporary American society. He cares about the conflicts of Jewish immigrants'lives derived from Jewish traditional culture and American culture. He also boldly talks over issues such as abortion and sex, and shows readers the negative side of the Jews, which makes him a very controversial writer. In American Pastoral he uses rich symbolic elements to explore the permanent motif in American literature--American dream. The protagonist Seymour is encouraged by the victory of World War II and the prosperity of postwar American economy, and he naively believes that he can find an ideal way of successfully merging into American mainstream society and live as an ordinary American who is away from the religious resentment, racial discrimination, and political chaos. However, the facts prove that his dream is but a tragedy. By the employment of symbolism, Roth presents the novel's theme clearly before the readers. This thesis explores in detail how symbols help elucidate the theme.The thesis consists of five parts. Chapter 1 is to introduce Roth and his works, survey the studies on Roth as well as his work, and present the innovation of the thesis--exploring the symbolic elements systematically to illustrate the function of symbolism in elucidating the theme.Chapter 2 reviews the origin of symbolism and the definitions of symbol and symbolism from a theoretical perspective.Chapter 3 explores the symbolic meaning in the title and the names of the characters and also the ironic colors in Roth's works.Chapter 4 combines the explanation of symbolism with the thematic interpretation. Symbolic elements are prevalent throughout the novel. The gloves industry, the stone house, the intermarriage with a Catholic girl and the apple seeds story represent the construction of Seymour's American dream. In the fading of the American dream, Merry's stuttering and odd temper have symbolic meaning. And in the falling through of the American dream, Merry's bombing and Dawn's betrayal are considered as the most typical symbols.In the conclusion chapter, the author believes that through the discussion of the symbolic elements in the title, the names of characters and the theme, the function of symbolism can be easily observed. It demonstrates Roth's writing talents.