From Searching for Root to Returning to Culture — A Symbolic Image Analysis of Song of Solomon

Abstract

Toni Morrison is one of the most famous American novelists in the 20th century, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Her works, due to its authentic and vivid description of African American experiences and poetic and powerful diction, have exerted great impact on American and world literature. Morrison, in her works, illuminates the distinctiveness of Black literature with her unique artistic style, which has enriched our appreciation of her absorbing works.

Song of Solomon is Toni Morrison’s masterpiece, which records a black young man’s mythic quest for his identity and family history.

Base on symbolism which appeared in Baudelaire’s Flowers of Evil, this thesis deals with Toni Morrison’s application of Symbolism in her novel Song of Solomon. Through analyzing these images: names, sing, folklores and legends, this thesis probes into Toni Morrison’s African complex and points out the importance of African cultural heritage in this novel.

Key words: Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon, black culture, African heritage, Symbolism

摘        要

1993年，托尼•莫里森因其杰出的文学成就被授予诺贝尔文学奖，由此成为第一位获此殊荣的非裔美国作家。她的作品因对非裔美国人历史、命运、精神生活的逼真描绘和对其身份孜孜不倦地探求而受到批评家和读者的一致好评。
《所罗门之歌》以一位黑人青年长大成人的过程为中心，追踪他寻求身份感和家族历史的充满神秘色彩的旅程。
本文所讨论的象征手法是以波德莱尔1857年发表的《恶之花》所出现的象征主义为基础，着重分析小说中的各种意象：名字、歌唱、民间故事和传说，探讨了莫里森运用象征手法所呈现的非洲情结，指出小说中深刻的非洲渊源和蕴藏的黑色文化底蕴。

关键词：托尼•莫里森，《所罗门之歌》，黑人文化，非洲情节，象征