On The Conceptual Metaphor In The Bluest Eye

With the development of cognitive linguistics, the classical metaphorical theory represented by Aristotle is faced up with a severe challenge. Lakoff and Johnson proposed Conceptual Metaphor in their landmark book Metaphors We Live By. Since the advent of this theory, it has a profound impact for the entire academic community. In this theory, metaphor is referred to as a human cognitive mechanism. Conceptual Metaphor is a cross-domain mapping in essence which indicates that we human beings use source domain to describe target domain. Conceptual Metaphor is divided into three types by Lakoff and Johnson from cognitive perspective. The three types are:structural metaphor, orientational metaphor and ontological metaphor.In this paper, the author will analyze conceptual metaphors existed in The Bluest Eye which is written by Tony Morrison based on the cognitive linguistic theory. The paper explains that Conceptual Metaphor, as a basic human cognition and way of thinking, embody more powerful interpretability in comparison with that of traditional notion of metaphor. The paper also proves that in the novel The Bluest Eye conceptual metaphors are existed widely. Though the metaphor in Tony Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye has already been analyzed from traditional perspective, with the development of cognitive linguistic, the author believes that conceptual metaphors can convey the hidden meanings in the bluest eye more vividly and exactly. Meanwhile, the author uses cognitive domains, image schema and other cognitive linguistic theories to assist in the analysis of the application and function of conceptual metaphors in the novel The Bluest Eye. In this paper, a detailed introduction of widely recognized definition of conceptual metaphors and their classification will be elaborated, too. The paper will analyze three kinds of conceptual metaphors appeared in the novel.The paper is composed of five chapters. Chapter one is the introduction dealing with the background, reason and the methods of the study. Chapter two is literature review which reviews the process development of the metaphor. Chapter three is the main part of the thesis. The author summarizes and analyzes the main characters, blue eyes, the soil, fruits, the eyesight and Pecola’s pray these conceptual metaphors in the novel The Bluest Eye. The reason of focusing on these conceptual metaphors is that the main characters, blue eyes, the soil fruits, the eyesight and Pecola’s pray in the novel are the main line of narration and they play an essential role in enabling readers to have a comprehensive understanding of the content of the novel.All in all, conceptual metaphors are ubiquitous in people’s daily life. It is not only a rhetorical device, but also a cognitive style of people. Cognitive function of conceptual metaphors expounded in the thesis further illustrates that conceptual metaphors play a meaningful role in creating literary works.