《看不见的人》埃里森英文

1、ContentsChinese Abstract2English Abstract31.Introduction41.1A Brief Introduction to RalphEllisonandInvisible Man41.2LiteratureReview52.TheoreticalFoundation82.1TheOriginandDevelopmentofBildungsroman82.2Bildungsroman93.InvisibleCultureShackles103.1Alienation103.2AlienationofAmericanSocietyunderCultur

2、eShackles114.VisiblePersonalitySublimation124.1Naive134.2Awakening144.3Self-rescue154.4Positively-Guided155.Conclusion17References19看不见的文化枷锁，看得见的人格升华成长小说视域下看不见的人解读摘 要拉尔夫埃里森（Ralph Ellison, 1914-1994）是闻名遐迩的美国黑人作家，他对文学界作出了巨大的贡献，在美国文学创作中起着承前启后的作用。看不见的人是埃里森呕心沥血，耗时数年完成的长篇小说。该小说入木三分地对当时的社会现状和人物形象进行剖析，并将人们的

3、蒙昧无知和麻木不仁刻画得淋漓尽致。本论文主要通过成长和异化理论对看不见的人中主人公的成长历程和身份探寻做细致分析。旨在从成长小说视域解读主人公在以白人为主导的社会里从天真到逐渐实现人格升华的成长过程。关键词：看不见的人；成长小说；异化；身份InvisibleCultureShackles, VisiblePersonalitySublimationAnAnalysisofInvisibleManfromthePerspectiveofBildungsromanAbstractRalph Ellison (1914-1994) was an illustrious African-America

4、n writer. He made a significant contribution to the literature world and played a connecting role in American literary creation. Invisible Man is a full-length novel that Ellison painstakingly took several years to complete. The novel makes a thorough analysis of the social condition and characters

5、at that time, and depicts the ignorance and indifference of the people incisively and vividly. This thesis mainly makes a detailed analysis of the growth process and identity exploration of the protagonists in Invisible Man from the perspective of the theory of bildungsroman and alienation. The purp

6、ose of this thesis is to interpret the protagonists growth process from innocence to the gradual realization of personality sublimation in a white-dominated society. Key words: Invisible Man; bildungsroman; alienation; identity1.Introduction1.1A Brief Introduction to RalphEllisonand Invisible ManRal

7、ph Ellison (1914-1994) was a distinguished contemporary African-American writer. He was named as Ralph Ellison because his father wanted him to grow up to be as famous as Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose name could last forever in the annals of history. Ellison was exposed to various musical instruments f

8、rom an early age and was fascinated by jazz music. Therefore, he had a passion for music in his bones. However the poverty of his family had not affected the development of his interests. Later, he studied music at the Tuskegee Institute, a black university, which became a turning point in his life.

9、 Here he came into contact with all kinds of literature and read Eliots Wasteland. It was this book that enlightened Ellison, so he began to pour more energy on literature rather than music from then on. Over the years, Ellison recalled, “It was the beginning of my transformation from a would-be com

10、poser into some sort of novelist” (Busby, 1991: 9). After his junior year, he went to New York, where he met two people who played an immense significant role during his lifetime. They were Langston Hughes and Richard Wright. With their persuasion and assistance, Ellison began to engage in creation.

11、 During his early creative years, Ellison published two collections of essays, in which he expounded his views on literature, music and African-American political and social life. In 1952, Ellison published the novel Invisible Man. As soon as the book was published, it immediately caused a huge stor

12、m. In 1965, during Book Week, Invisible Man was voted “the most distinguished single work in the previous twenty years” (Philips, 1997: 10). Invisible Man was the solely full-length novel in Ellisons life. As soon as it was published, Invisible Man “took the country by storm” (Lentricchia, 1995: 37)

13、.The novel begins with the self-description of a black young man, indicating that the black young man is the invisible man, echoing the theme. The novel describes a young black man who discovers himself in a society that confuses right and wrong. Nevertheless, embracing warm blood, he intends to pro

14、ve himself in society. But contrary to his wishes, in that white-dominated society, the black young man is confronted with an army of obstacles and gradually begins to doubt himself, people and everything around him. At last, he discovers that he is merely an invisible person in the eyes of the whit

15、e.The novel consists of 25 chapters. The first six chapters vividly depict the protagonists life at a black university in the south. Chapters 7 to 11 is about the protagonists experience of hunting for a job in New York and working in a paint factory. Chapters 12 to 25 lively portrays a series of ex

16、periences in Harlem where the protagonist encounters a well-intentioned landlord Mary and and joins the Brotherhood. The novel integrates realism, expressionism and surrealism. In addition, it expresses complex and profound themes through seemingly simple plots. Although Ellison did not publish anot

17、her novel for various reasons, his creative activities never stopped. After Ellisons death, John Callaghan, the executor of his literary heritage, processed and published Ellisons another novel on the basis of collating the manuscripts. Ellison had been criticized for advocating racial integration,

18、cultural diversity, not directly involved in the civil rights movement in the 1960s and not writing the protest novel like Wright. His novels are devoted to changing the traditional stereotype of black people and reshaping their humanity. John F. Callahan praised that “Invisible Man is one of those

19、rare novels whose commercial and critical success coincide in a continually accelerating, rising curve” (Callahan, 2004: 4). 1.3LiteratureReviewIn 1952, Invisible Man, a book carefully written by Ellison for approximately seven years, immediately aroused great sensation in the American literary circ

20、le and American society as soon as it was published. A multitude of illustrious writers and essayists at home and abroad have conducted in-depth research on the book, criticism and compliment coexist, but on the whole, the positive evaluation of the novel far exceeds the negative. In recent years, a

21、n increasing amount of scholars have given priority to Ellison and his novel Invisible Man, which makes the research on this work more and more in-depth. 1.3.1 Studies AbroadThe publication of Invisible Man in the United States has attracted the attention of a multitude of literati and even the whol

22、e American society. Foreign studies on Ellison and Invisible Man are relatively thorough and comprehensive. Critics study the novel from multiple dimensions, multiple fields, and all-round aspects. These studies, to some extent, have a tremendous impact on the study of African American literature an

23、d promote the prosperity of African American literature. With the vigorous advancement of African-American literature in modern era, black literature gradually becomes well known to the majority of individuals.Once published, Invisible Man has drawn the attention of the whole American. Saul Bellow o

24、nce spoke highly of Invisible Man as a book of the very first order, a superb book. it is tragic-comic, poetic, the tone of the very strongest sort of creative intelligence. (Bellow, 1952(6): 27). This is undoubtedly an evaluation on the basis of in-depth and thorough research and analysis of this n

25、ovel, and also reflects from the side that this novel has great research value. James BLane considered that “Invisible Man brought the urban black man into American fiction for the first time as a complex, three dimensional, flesh-and-blood person” (Lane, 1973(2): 64). Thus, it can be seen that Invi

26、sible Man is regarded as a first-class work, and it is also one of the few treasures in the literary world. Undoubtedly, Invisible man is a novel of great literary value. Readers can learn and interpret this novel from multiple dimensions. Researchers can make a deeper analysis and interpretation of

27、 the novel by reading various direct and indirect materials about the novel. The Collected Essays of Ralph Ellison (Ellison, 2003) is a direct material related to the novel. Ellisons collection of essays is collected in this book, which contains many of the authors articles, book reviews, etc. Readi

28、ng this book can obtain the most important resources about his works. The reading of direct materials can help readers to interpret the novels more deeply, therefore, the book has great research value.With the exception of the direct materials fore-mentioned, there are numerous masterpieces related

29、to this work. One of them is The Cambridge Companion to Ralph Ellison, written by Ross Posnock in 2005 (Posnock, 2004), which discusses the factors that influence novel creation from the aspects of politics, culture, aesthetics and music, and studies Ellisons life experience. This monograph shows us

30、 the possibility of interpreting the Invisible Man from multiple perspectives, and provides a new perspective for us to study the Invisible Man and Ellison himself. New Essays on Invisible Man by Robert O Meally (Meally, 1988) is also extremely influential. The book provides a more insightful view o

31、f the novel. For example, Patrice D. Rankine clarified in his work that we should learn the works of African-American writers from the perspective of classicism. This book allows researchers to have a deeper understanding of Ellison and African American literature, and also provides a great help for

32、 further research. Sudan Resneck Parr and Pancho Savery co-authored a book titled Approaches to Teaching Ellisons Invisible Man (Parr & Savery, 1989) in 1989. This book contains articles written by instructors in a variety of universities in the United States, and studies Invisible Man from the pers

33、pective of teaching. The content covers African culture, European culture and American traditional novels, which provides great reference value for us to study Ellison and Invisible Man.Therefore, we can make a more in-depth analysis and interpretation of the novel not only from the direct materials

34、 but also from a variety of indirect materials related to the novel. From the above-mentioned foreign studies, it is without difficulty for us to discover that the foreign studies on Ralph Ellison and his works involve a wide range of dimensions and have a certain depth, which is of immensely help f

35、or us to further study the work.1.3.2 Studies at HomeTan Huijuan is one of the earliest domestic researchers on Ellison and his novel Invisible Man. She published seven studies on Ralph Ellison and his work Invisible Man in core journals between 2003 and 2008, one of which was On Ralph Ellisons Anat

36、omy of Human Nature in 2008 (谭惠娟, 2008). Other researchers studied Invisible Man relatively briefly, without in-depth analysis, and carried out the novel from a micro perspective, lacking a macro grasp. After a brief review of all the domestic journal papers, the author concludes that so far, the do

37、mestic research on the novel Invisible Man mainly includes the following aspects:Some people interpret the novel in terms of existentialism. Representative papers and journals are: Invisible Man and Sartres Existentialism by Zhang Li in 2011 (张力, 2011) and An existential Approach to Cultural Identit

38、y in Invisible Man by Li Hao of Hebei Normal University in 2012 (李昊, 2012). Moreover, Xiaos paper mainly use Sartres existential theory to interpret being-in-itself and being-for-itself (肖咏梅, 2004: 1-2). Taking existence as the main line, these papers explores the protagonists transformation from an

39、 invisible man into a person with a sense of freedom and social responsibility, who can choose the state of self-existence and obtain ideological freedom and rebirth, thus finding his own meaning of existence and social orientation.Some people interpret the novel in terms of symbolism and the repres

40、entative papers are as follows: Symbolism in Thematic Presentation- An Analysis of Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man by Liu Ying of Tianjin Normal University (刘影, 2006), Symbolism in Ellisons Invisible Man by Wei Lili of Lanzhou University (魏丽丽, 2011) etc. Their papers mainly base on physical symbols: th

41、e symbol of the eyes, necklace, cast iron image, recommendation and so forth; verbal symbols: the words of veterans, black women and grandfathers; behavioral symbols: flying symbols, eating sweet potatoes; symbol of identity: symbol of underground man, multiple roles and identities of Reinhardt; the

42、 symbol of Bruce music reflects the protagonists inner dissatisfaction and frustration with social injustice and racial discrimination, and his inner desire to break the shackles and achieve equality and freedom.Some people interpret the novel from Foucaults Theory of Rights. For example, An Analysi

43、s of Invisible Man from the perspective of Discourse Power by Liang Xue of Inner Mongolia Normal University in 2018 (梁雪, 2018). Liangs paper points out the groups in society who lose the power of discourse. They are women, blacks and underclass. Also, her paper reveals the intangible rights that exi

44、st in American society, which oppress the body and mind of black Americans, so that most blacks are in awe of the white and obedient to them. They consider that they are born inferior so that they dare not resist. Nevertheless, there are still a multitude of blacks, such as the veteran and little Em

45、erson, as well as the protagonists in the novel, who see through the stubbornness of society and intend to awaken more black compatriots through their own efforts.Others analyze the novel from the angle of music. Representative papers include The Function of Blues in Invisible Man by Huang Jiajia of

46、 Central South University in 2007 (黄佳佳, 2007), Jazz Music in Invisible Man by Wang Yuanyuan in 2008 (王媛媛, 2008), etc. Huangs paper follows the main line of music to analyze the novel, making a sharp contrast between the beauty of music and the injustice of the real society. At the same time, her pap

47、er reflects peoples yearning for freedom and the desire to escape from this society full of shackles temporarily through music.In general, the majority of domestic research on Invisible Man are periodicals and academic dissertations with limited depth and breadth. Therefore, scholars should spare no

48、 effort to make a more detailed and in-depth study of this novel.2. TheoreticalFoundation2.1TheOriginandDevelopmentofBildungsromanBildungsroman, as the name implies, is a novel that describes the growth of the protagonist. In Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary, the definition of “Bildungsroman i

49、s “a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character” (Merriam-Webster, 1998: 121). Bildungsroman focus on the overall transformation of the values and personality of the youth, presenting the growth process of the youth from innocence and ignorance to maturity. It is said that

50、“Bildungsroman dates back to 1796, when German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethes published Wilhelm Meisters Apprenticeship” (孙胜忠, 2007: 2). Gabriele Wittke believes that “the difference between American bildungsroman and German bildungsroman lies in that the protagonist of the bildungsroman is grad

51、ually mature, and bildungsroman often highlights the protagonists Epiphany and amazing discovery” (芮渝萍, 2004: 46). Although the emergence of American bildungsroman is not as early as that of Germany, bildungsroman occupies an extremely important position in the history of American literature. Jerome

52、 David Salinger depicts the growth of Holden in his work The Catcher in the Rye. This novel not only hides profound spiritual connotations and pursuits, but also shows readers what a key position the relationship between material life and spiritual life plays in a persons growth. There are numerous

53、American bildungsroman, such as Little Women by LouisaMayAlcott in 1951, Song of Solomon by ToniMorrison in 1977, Moby Dick by Herman Melville in 1851, The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Cane in 1851 and so forth. This reflects the in-depth study of bildungsroman by American writers, and also shows

54、 that the works and related studies of American bildungsroman have become mature.2.2BildungsromanThe life environment and birth background of the protagonists in the bildungsroman are different, but they all focus on a main line “in the passage from childhood through varied experiencesand often thro

55、ugh a spiritual crisisinto maturity, which usually involves recognition of ones identity and role in the world” (Abrams, 2004: 193). Although some novels are not narrated strictly according to this main line, they are scattered in shape and spirit as a whole. Bildungsroman consists of three parts: t

56、he protagonists inability to locate his own identity, the guide on the protagonists growth path, the growth of the protagonists epiphany and the sublimation of his personality.Bildungsroman begins by showing readers an unworldly, confused and ignorant teenager. With the progress of the story, the pr

57、otagonist sets about to interact with all kinds of characters in society: some people live in masks, some people live bluntly, some people are destitute, some people are wealthy, some people strive to make progress and some people live a life with no particular goals. The protagonists lose themselve

58、s in a society full of worldly wisdom, resulting in role confusion, self-doubt and self-suspicion, and they are forcibly transformed under the pressure of the outside world. On the road of the growth of the protagonist, the guide is an indispensable element.In the process of the growth of the protagonist, the guide plays an extremely pivotal role, and moreover, there is no denying the fact that both positive and negative guides have played a vital role in promoting the growth of the protagonist. An active guide helps the prot