理论视角论文.doc

An analysis on Binary Opposition in A Very Short Story Abstract: A Very Short Story is one of Hemingways most important works,which reflects the social condition and psychological condition of the man after he World War I. And it also shows that man can not have their normal love life under the background of World War I. This story is written with the characteristic of plain narration. In this article, it will use the structuralist methodology of binary opposition to analyze the psychological condition of the people in the war. Key words: binary opposition; A Very Short Story; Man versus woman; His attitude to love versus Luzs Introduction The definition of the binary opposition in the Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms is: “the binary opposition is the principle of contrast between two mutually exclusive terms, an important concept of structuralism, which sees such distinctions as fundamental to all languages and thoughts.” Systems are “binary” when they are composed of only two parts. Jack Goody, the Domestication of the savage Mind: Presence - absence dichotomy is a classic example of binary opposition. A more concrete example is the male - female dichotomy. And other binary oppositions like rebirth and death; present and past; good and evil;freedom and restriction;worth and worthless;understanding and misunderstanding are also classical dichotomy . Structuralism uses “binary opposition” to explain human knowledge and to explain how many naturally occurring phenomena are constructed. A Very Short Story is a short story of Ernest Hemingway. It was first published as a vignette, or chapter, in the 1924 Paris edition titled In Our Time, and it later rewritten and added as a story to Hemingways first American short story collection In Our Time, published by Boni & Liveright in 1925. Most of Hemingways works take the war as background, describe the pains and hurt the war brings to human being, and reflect a younger generations aimlessness and loss of the beliefs after the World War I, these works immediately won the responses from many people who survived the war physically but were afterwards spiritually and morally adrift. From Hemingways novels a clear developing process can be found. From the lost state at the beginning, he gradually found out that man loss their love and direction in the war and the principles human should hold in a meaningless world. Like most of his writings, the background of the story is also the world war one. The protagonist “he” is injured in the war and cured in hospital. Luz is a nurse in this war hospital and take care of him. They fall in love with each other and want to get married.,but their hope do not realize because of many kinds of reasons. Soon “he” go back to the front . After the armistice, “he” decides to return back to his home and find a job to make money so they might be married. Finally, “he” go to America and Luz back to Pordonone to open a hospital. An Italian major proposed to her during this time. So she wrote to “he” and break off with him. But the major do not marry her ultimately. And “he” contracts gonorrhea from a sales girl. According to the theory of structuralism, in this short story, it has two binary oppositions: the man versus woman and their attitude to love. This article analyze the psychological condition of the people in the war from this two aspects. It reveals that man loss their love and direction in the war and the principles human should hold in a meaningless world in this article. Man versus woman The man and woman opposition is a typical dichotomy in binary oppositions. The man described by Hemingway are best remembered for their indestructible spirit. They maintain their free-will and individualism, never weakly allowing commitment to social convention to prevent adventure, travel, and acts of bravery. The protagonist “he” is a representative role of Hemingways typical male image. “he” is a character who lives correctly, following certain principles of endurance and determination which in a life of tension and pain make a man a man. “he” has the endurance to accept pain, even loss when the loss cannot be avoided. “he” can control himself very well and has masculine manner. In the beginning of the story, he was mortally wounded and accepts the operation in hospital, but he “held tight on to himself” and “blab about anything”. With the determination “he” can act truly according to his own nature. “he” is not a thinker, he is a man of action, but his actions are based upon a concept of life. He did what he thinks and wants. When he decides to marry Luz, he tries his best to make money and create a good condition of life. He did what he think and want. Though he showed his love completely and do all the things for their future life, he did not get what he hopes. Luz did not marry him and he nerver get his love. he was hurt and heart- broken. Finally he confused and lost himself during the time when they fell in love with each other. He revenged Luz by having one night stand with a sales girl and contracted gonorrhea in the end. His psychological condition become very bad during and after the world war one. As a woman, Luz is very beautiful, when they at the roof Luz looks “fresh and cold”, she is a young woman with energy and youth. So the patients all liked her. Because she is very gentilesse and has the female characteristics. But her behavior and heart does not like her appearance. Although she is young and nice, she likes to blab things. She is so tortuous and exaggerated on her behavior. When Luz write a letter to him, it says “They were all about hospital, and how much she loved him and it was impossible to get along without him and how terrible it was missing him at night.”。She is a woman, but she only wanted man to raise a family. “After the armistice they agreed he should go home to get a job so they might be married.” She is also a very selfish woman. In order to live better life, she wanted “he would not drink and did not want to see his friends or anyone in the States.” She did not be willing to come home at once, so they quarreled on the train and say good-bye in the station. Luz does not have the character of endurance and lose her principle. When Luz went back to Pordonone and opened a hospital, she felt lonely in there, a major made love to her, so she gave up her love to him and accepted the majors love. Then she wrote to “he” that she realized now their affair was only a boy and girl love and end their relationship. She has no principle to love. The major did not marry her after all, she lost his love and herself in the end. II. His attitude to love versus Luzs “he” and Luzs attitude to love is opposite in this short story. “he” loves Luz very much. After his recovery, he helps Luz to take the temperature for the patients so Luz would not have to get up from the bed when he walks with a stick. After the armistice, he returns to the United States, in order to please the woman he loves, he abandonees all the enjoyments.They consulted he would not drink and he did not want to see his friends or anyone in the states. He just wants to find a job and get married. His attitude to love is loyal and passionate no matter within the war or after the war. But Luz cheated and betrayed him. She broke with him and wanted to get married to an officer. His love to Luz is pure-hearted and he take a practical action to realize his vow to love. After the war, “he” put his soul and heart to make money and raise a family, he decided to find a job and sacrifice leisure-time to work hard, he is a man of action. It can be found that at frist his psychological process is steady and he believes true love exist, after Luz betray him and break with him, his mind changed. He does not believe true love any more and loses self respect. When he have one night stand with the sales girl, he lost his self- respect and his own characteristic. Even more he not only lost physical health but also lost his mind. L