An Analysis of Symbolism in A Passage to India

第6卷第11期讀與寫(xiě)雜志2009年11月Vol.6 No.11Read and Write PeriodicalNovember 2009An Analysis of Symbolism in A Passage toIndia張瑛(湖北工業(yè)大學(xué)外國語(yǔ)學(xué)院湖北武漢430068)Abstract: E. M. Forster is a very famous traditional novelist, who is good at using symbolism to interpret the themes inhis novels. At the beginning of this essay, the author briely introduces Forster's life story, and then analyzes the use ofsymbols in his masterpiece A Pasage 10 India.Key words: symbolism;friendship;A Passage to India中圖分類(lèi)號:G642文獻標識碼: A文章編號:1672- -1578(2009)11 0031-02Introductionmasterpece, not only because of the careful description of theEdward Morgan Forster is a realistie, traditional novelist in four major characlers and the content which uncovered theEnglish literature. He was bom in London in 1879, the son of conflicts between the English colonial rulers and the oppressedan architect. He was educated at Tongridge School and lalter at native Indians, but also because of Forster's succeeding in fus-King's College, Cambridge, where he enjoyed the free academ-ing the elements of social realism, symbolic suggestion andic atmosphere there. He was paricularly interested in thepsychological insights wonderfully well. From the several placesCambridge pbilosopher, G. E. Moore's idea of true friendship of the themes of the novels, we may know this.in a very stuffy and hypocritical world.First, A Passage to India is a superb realistic novel. InForster began his career by working as a joumalist after this novel, Forster exposes the brutal treatment of the Indianhis graduation. He visited Greece and stayed for a time in 卜people by the English colonialists in India to certain extent.aly. Both Creek mythology and ltalian Renaissance art gaveBy presenting a vivid picture of the racial inequality in India,him much inspiration. And most of his work is concermed withForster not only condemns colonialism, but also shows his deepways of discovering a quality in personal relationship amid the sympathy for the common India people. In this sense, A Pas-complexities and distortions of modem life. And he also em- sage to India can be regarded as a eriticism of the Englishphasized the importance of harmony between spiritual life and colonialist rule in India and has rich social and historical sig-material civilization and the need of mutual understanding innificance.human relationships, which was very well presented in his nov-Secondly, A Passage to India is also a modernist novel.els. In 1912 and 1922, Forster visited India twice, and out ofWith a vast physical and mental landscape, it shows the valuehis personal experience of the two trips, he wrote his last and of personal relationships and the holiness of the "heart's af-best novel A Passage to India.feection". The emphasis here is put on man's difficulties and2 The Content of A Passage to Indiainadequacies in achieving the ideal. On various degrees, all theIn A Passage to India, Forster takes the relations between major characters, such as Fielding, Aziz, Adela and Mrs.he Englishmen and the Indians in India in the early 1920s as Moore, seemn to have failed in their search for friendship anda background,tells us a story about an Indian doctor's beingunderstanding.accused falsely of insulting an Englishwoman, and explores the. As a novelist, Forster is also very good at making subtlepossibilities of establishing true frendship between Englishmen use of symbolism to express a normal and spiritual interprela-and Indians under the Brish colonialist rule. The story devel- tion of human experience. In his novels, the images, metaphors,ps mainly around the relations of Aziz, a Muslin Indian doc-and the details of descripions and actions seem to have car-tor, and Cycil Fielding, an English humanisl, who works in In- ried a certain symbolic meaning. The very obvious symbols india as the principal of the Govemment College.this novel are the title of the novel and also those names ofMrs. Moore and Miss Adela Quested have strong liberal places. The titleideas and are eager to meet Indians on an equal position. In to greater understanding of India, but also symbolically impliesorder to meet the needs of Adela's deeply and truly under- man's quest for ulimate truth. The three subtitles, "Mosque",standing of India, Aziz invited the two women and his friend "Caves" and "Temple", symbolically suggest that various reli-Fielding to visit the Marabar Caves. While visiting one of thegious paths to truth are being problematically offered. In thecaves, Adela seems to have a hallucinalion of being insuiled firstpart, the meeting of Dr. Aziz and Mrs. Moore at theby some one in the cave. She rushes down alone and is mosque implies the possible achievement in personal relationspicked up to go back to Chardrapore. Aziz fails to find Adela, by means of intuitive sympathy, acceptance and warnth. Inbut is arrested for having insulted Adela according to the lat. correspondence with the theme in this part, the cool weatherter's own testimony. Adela's accusation brings the already implies a kind of sanity and control over the human behavior.strained relations between the British and the Indians to a cri-But the abortive "bridge party" the rudely interupled tea par-sis. During the stormy trial, Adela recovers from her hysteria, ty, the broken and patched engagement of Adela and Ronnyand realizes that she has made a big mistake. The crisis is re- and the coming of the hot weather all pose a threat to thesolved, and Dr. Aziz is set free. But Adela flls into a lonely frail human bond.position and is dropped by all the British community excepl中國煤化工. xperience of Adela andFielding, who now admires her and helps her back to England. Mrs.Mcentral episode. Adela'Fielding comesback to India again after two years and meets B accu:Y HC N M H Gliroys Mrs. Moore bothAziz. But Aziz clearly expresses that there will be no true spinituauy anu piysicay, au wives Adela to the brinkfriendship between the two peoples before India gets complete madness. It threatens ruin to Aziz and destroys all constructiveindependence.relationships among the four persons. Suspicion, hostility3 The Symbolism in A Passage to Indiand hatred between the Englishmen and the Indians areA Passage to India is regarded as Forster s well-knows(下轉38頁(yè))-31 -第6卷第11期讀與因雜志2009年11月Vol.6 No.lIRead and Write PeriodicalNovember 2009了存在的意義。因此他們在翻譯意識流開(kāi)拓之作(尤利西斯)時(shí)表達的意思和意境.而這些讀者包括懂得和不懂得源語(yǔ)言的人，給全書(shū)增加了5,840條注解，字數上十萬(wàn)。.而作為譯者真正要關(guān)照的對象就是那些不懂得源語(yǔ)言的讀者,3.4創(chuàng )造性叛逆(creational treason)只有連他們都看懂了,譯文才是成功的譯文。既然直譯行不通,我們這里所說(shuō)的“創(chuàng )造性叛逆",主要指譯者在語(yǔ)言層面對就需要譯者的智慧和創(chuàng )造力了。而譯文二貌似對原文叛逆,卻巧譯文所做的"脫胎換骨”性的轉化處理。(孔致禮,2009:137)。這妙地玩了一個(gè)中文文字游戲，不僅創(chuàng )造性地再現了原文文字游樣的叛逆通常有兩種情況:一是在語(yǔ)言差異較大不便直譯的情戲的幽默，還能讓所有的譯文讀者看了都能會(huì )心一笑。況下,要敢于沖破源語(yǔ)的束縛,譯出意義最切近而又符合譯語(yǔ)規(3)一我姓陳,耳東陳。范的譯文,也就是說(shuō),要善于將“規范自然的原文”轉換為“規范-My family name is Chen, C-H-E-N.自然的譯文" ,舍棄“形似"而求“神似”。請看下例:上面的這個(gè)例子,直譯根本無(wú)法翻譯,就算勉強翻譯出來(lái)也(1) .. was wrong in her situation. I wanted her to stay是晦澀難懂.令譯語(yǔ)讀者一頭霧水不知所云?！岸鷸|陳“是為了告at home and rest this moming, but she would come with us;訴聽(tīng)者這個(gè)字的拼寫(xiě)方法,而譯文中的“C-H-E- -N"恰恰巧妙he longed so much to see you all! I. Austen: Sense and地呼應了“耳東陳" ,令人拍手叫絕。Sensibiliy, Ch.19, V. )4結語(yǔ):.....她的情況不太好。我想讓她今天上午留在家里綜上所述，在翻譯的過(guò)程中，要追求絕對的忠實(shí)是不可能休息,但她一定要和我們一起來(lái);她太想見(jiàn)到你們了!的。叛逆不僅不可避免,有時(shí)還是必須的,尤其是創(chuàng )造性的叛逆，譯文二: ..她身子不方便。我要她上午待在家里好好歇不但可以做到更好地忠實(shí)于源文本，而且還能達到意想不到,令著(zhù),可她偏偏要跟我們一道來(lái)。她多么渴望見(jiàn)你們一家人啊!人拍案叫絕的效果,因此應該大力提倡。當然.要做到創(chuàng )造性叛小說(shuō)中的詹寧斯太太為女兒懷有身孕引以為豪，喜不自禁.逆絕非易事,需要譯者的高度創(chuàng )造力、想象力以及對翻譯所涉及地到處宜揚，這里是她講的一席話(huà)。其中第- -句話(huà)理解起來(lái)容的兩種語(yǔ) 盲的高度駕馭能力。易,翻譯起來(lái)卻比較困難。第一種譯文只是追求表面上的對應,結果是“形合而神離”,完全違背了詹寧斯太太為女兒懷孕感到參考文獻:自豪的得意心情。相比之下,第二種譯文用“她身子不方便"來(lái)翻[1]張培基，喻云根,李宗杰等.英漢翻譯教程[M].上海外語(yǔ)教譯反而起到了“貌離而神合"的效果。育出版社,2006.第二種常見(jiàn)的情況是遇到原文出現文字游戲之類(lèi)的情況[2]錢(qián)鐘書(shū),七綴集[M]上海古籍出版社,1985.下,要采取“以變應變“的策路,含棄表層含義,傳達深層意蘊,也[3]孫致禮.翻譯與叛逆[U].中國翻譯,2001(4).就是譯出精神譯出風(fēng)格。請看下例:[4]孫致禮.新蝙英漢翻譯教程{M].上海外語(yǔ)教育出版社,2009.(2) A: What makes a road broad?[5]Tytler, Alexander Fraser (1791) Essay on the Principles ofB: The ltter “B".Translation(論翻譯的原則)[M].外語(yǔ)教學(xué)與研究出版社,2007.譯文一:甲:什么能讓一條路變寬?[6]奧斯汀著(zhù),孫致禮譯理智與情感[M]南京:譯林出版社,2009.乙:字母“B"!譯文二:甲:什么會(huì )使門(mén)變闊? .作者簡(jiǎn)介:黃愛(ài)華(1982-),女,畢業(yè)于福州大學(xué)外國語(yǔ)學(xué)院,本乙:“活“字唄!科學(xué)歷,學(xué)士學(xué)位,現福建農林大學(xué)英語(yǔ)助教。研究方向:翻譯理譯文一是采用直譯的方法,貌似忠實(shí)于原文,達到形似,實(shí)論與實(shí)踐。際上卻讓不懂英語(yǔ)的人看了丈二金剛摸不著(zhù)頭腦。我們知道,翻譯的最終目的，是要讓譯語(yǔ)讀者能夠理解甚至領(lǐng)會(huì )源語(yǔ)言所要(上接31頁(yè))While presenting a realistic picture in his works, Forsteraroused to the full when the slormy trial comes. Symbolically, aims to convey his moral message in various symbols. But hethe caves stand for the voice of chaos and provide a negative does not always succeed in harmonizing realism and symbolism.answer to the human endeavor for understanding and friend-As his stories shift from one to the other, now and again theship. In this part, the hot weather, dangerous and oppressive to readerall life, echoes the negative answer to the caves with halluci- the reader to maintain his ilusion of everyday reality. The de-nation and hysleria, which annihilates all reason and justice.mands of his symbolic palterm also lead Forster astray by mak-In the third part, the festival to celebrate the birth of Indi- ing him go oulside his crealive range. But his A Passage ton love goddess in rainy season opens the“ Temple" section. India also can be regarded as a masterpiece in the EnglishUsually temple is the place where Hindu religion celebratesliterature world.the birth of love goddess, and where curls up holy incense References:smoke. But afer he celebration, when Aziz and Filding rides lJForster E. M. A Passage to India [M] New York: Harcourt'out of the mountain vlly the temples, the tank, the jail, the Brace 1984.palace, even the birds and the carrion, what seem to be an ill[2S.M.Gilbert. E.M.Forster's. A Passage to India and Howardsomen, say in their hundred voices: that they don't want to be End [M] Beijing Foreign Language Teaching and Researchfriends. So "Temple" is not only the symbol of the Hindu reli.Press, 1996.[3]全光蘭。(印度之行)的象征意蘊m.蘭州大學(xué)學(xué)報(社會(huì )科學(xué)gion, and also that of a magic universe to which an answer to↓版)20中國煤化工possible reconciliation of human relations might exist, and rain,大學(xué)大學(xué)出版社,1997.symbol of renewed life or regeneration, also implies a hope of[5]張C NMH G福斯特<印度之行>解future frendship between England and India. The organic com-讀[].四女有因治于流于很,cU0, (U1).bination of the natural climate, the atmosphere of the story andthe characters' feeling also displays the excellent skills in us-作者簡(jiǎn)介:張瑛(1974-),女,湖北工業(yè)大學(xué)外國語(yǔ)學(xué)院講師,主ing the symbolism technique.要從事英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言學(xué),英美文學(xué)方向研究。4 Conclusion- 38-