Abstract
O. Henry is the outstanding writer of critical realism in the early 20th-century America, known as “the king of world's short stories”. Critics have made numerous comments on his masterpieces, as Gift of the Magi, The Cop and the Anthem, A Service of Love, The Last Leaf. However, The Furnished Room published in 1904 attracts a few attentions. Unlike “smiling with tears” --- surprise ending in O. Henry’s general works, this short story ends in endless grief after the turning point in denouement.
From the perspective of image, this paper mainly focuses on shaping of the core image, its connotation and its effects played in the short story. Through thorough analyses in both “images inside the room”and “images outside the room”, the thesis reveals features and symbolic meaning of core image --- the furnished room. Then it further discusses the favorable effects core image brought to characterization, plot development and theme.
Literary critics at home and abroad hold distinct remarks on The Furnished Room. Those arguments mostly concentrate on the causal relationship and rationality between emergence and disappearance of mignonette scent and the fate of the hero. With a new perspective - image, this paper attempts to provide an explanation to the dispute, as a necessary complement.
Key words: image, The Furnished Room, O. Henry
摘　　要
欧•亨利是美国二十世纪初杰出的批判现实主义作家，被誉为“世界三大短篇小说之王”。评论家们对其代表作《麦琪的礼物》《警察与赞美诗》《爱的牺牲》《最后一叶》等的解读数不胜数。相比较而言，1904年出版的《带家具出租的房间》只得到了少数的关注。该作品在艺术处理上，不同于“带泪的微笑”——欧•亨利多数作品中的意外结局，结尾处笔锋一转，却是无尽的悲痛。
本文从意象的角度入手，着力挖掘核心意象在此篇短篇小说中的塑造、内涵以及发挥的作用。论文通过对“房间内的意象”“房间外的意象”两个部分进行深入探讨，揭示核心意象——“带家具出租的房间”的整体特点和象征意义。进而讨论核心意象在丰富人物形象、推动情节发展、提升主题思想等方面产生的良好效果。
国内外文学评论界对《带家具出租的房间》的优劣各执一词，见人见智，争议大多集中在木犀花香的出现与消散、男主人公的命运，这二者间的因果关系和合理性。凭借新的研究视角——意象，本文尝试对该争议做出了解释，作为对这篇作品评论的必要补充。
关键词：意象，《带家具出租的房间》，欧•亨利