A Study Of The Themes Of John Banville’s The Sea From The Perspective Of Symbolism

John Banville（1945-）is considered as one of the most imaginative novelists and stylists in English.He is a frequent prize winner.In 2005,he won the Man Booker Prize on account of his novel The Sea,becoming one of the most competitive contenders for the Nobel Prize in Literature and gradually achieving international fame.The Sea tells the story of Max Morden,an art historian,who comes back to a seaside village where he has spent his summer holidays when young,in the hope of alleviating the pain of his wife’s death.Now in his sixties,the old man is beset by the sorrow brought by his departed wife and haunted by the memories of his painful past.In the novel,the present and the past are inextricably interwoven.Max’s agony,hesitation and helplessness find expression in this fragmented narration,bewitching and thought-provoking.Only by examining the themes of one novel can readers have a better understanding of a writer’s intention of creation.As one of the three significant aesthetics of creation in the history of literature,symbolism originated from France in the 19^th century,and gradually spread across Europe and America.Many writers such as Hawthorne,Joyce and Fitzgerald tend to employ symbolism during their creation,in the hope of extending the implications of their works.As for analyzing literary works,symbolists emphasize that a work should be investigated from a macroscopic viewpoint,and some veiled ideas and emotions,which are closely connected with but concealed beneath certain concrete symbols will be dug out.Banville is also a master of symbolism.In The Sea,he has created a large number of meaningful symbols,which enable the novel to transcend its text and obtain profound implications.Only through a thorough and systematic analysis of these symbols can readers grasp the various emotions inside.Therefore,this thesis attempts to carry out an inspection of the themes of The Sea:self-discovery and self-loss,hierarchy in modern society and estrangement among modern people,as well as death and life.This thesis consists of five parts:introduction,conclusion and three chapters.The introduction gives a brief overview of Banville’s life and The Sea.This part also makes generalizations about research carried out at home and abroad and points out the theoretical basis and the significance of this thesis,namely a thorough analysis of the themes of The Sea from the perspective of symbolism.Chapter One explores self-discovery and self-loss.The preceding part focuses on symbols manifesting self-discovery.When Max is young,the rich Graces live in the Cedars.He is eager to get close to them and get into the Cedars.Therefore,the Cedars becomes a symbol of Max’s desire for social advancement.Later on,he becomes a member of the upper class,and eventually lives in the Cedars.On his way to the picnicking site,a stalk hurts Max’s ankle.The furrow in his ankle is a symbol of the pains Max experiences during the process of self-discovery.Though the furrow seems negligible,there is some ichor inside,which indicates Max’s endless suffering in his later life.Max models himself on Bonnard,a famous French painter,who was fond of missing his deceased wife,only willing to live in the past.The latter part is a close investigation of Max’s loss of self during the process of self-discovery.Max’s typewriter without an“I”cannot work.Max usually sees another self doing something he has never done,which makes him doubt which one is his real self.After his wife dies,Max is at variance with his daughter,which results in his loss of a sense of belonging,as well as a dream of homelessness.In that dream,he trudges in the snow in the vain hope of finding his way home.Chapter Two offers a detailed analysis of hierarchy and estrangement among people.The first part examines the disparity between classes.Hierarchy classifies people into different groups.In The Sea,different houses,vehicles and other things such as traveling and naming are important indications of the great disparity between classes.The second part puts emphasis on estrangement among people.Max is troubled by estrangement in three periods of his life:When he is young,he is kept out of the Cedars by an iron gate;later,his wife’s sickness becomes a barrier between them;after his wife’s death,he lives with the landlady and the Colonel in the village,but they are not intimately connected.Chapter Three concentrates on death and life.As the main symbol,the sea has a double meaning of“death”and“life”.It devours human lives.However,it is also a source of life,full of vitality.In addition,some details such as naming,a broken egg and stopped clocks stand for the end of life.However,thriving palm trees and the continuance of memory offer conclusive proof of the eternity of life.Therefore,the conclusion part points out that by virtue of symbolism,it can be discovered that Banville expresses a true and deep concern for the predicaments in human life,namely their loss of self during self-discovery;he vividly depicts hierarchy in modern society and estrangement among people;and he deliberately conveys his meditations on death and life.This thesis attempts to investigate the themes of The Sea from the viewpoint of symbolism,and to a certain extent,provide a new perspective for the further study of The Sea.