【文章內(nèi)容簡(jiǎn)介】 uences on the novel, and formalist approaches dealt with the novel’s structure, point of view, symbols, use of language, and so on. From the 1980s to the 200s, a variety of approaches, both heavily theoretical and nontheoretical, have been evident in critics’ mentaries. While many have continued to explore biographical influences or parisons with other authors, or to use New Critical analyses, others have increasingly employed such techniques as deconstruction, feminist criticism, and discourse analysis to uncover hidden meanings in the text.Now people still keep reading the novel. Many people analyze it though different perspectives, such as the stylistic perspective or structuralism,“By using these narrative skills Fitzgerald makes the reader possible to keep some aesthetic distance from the events and the characters in the story.”(Liu Li, 2022: 45)A lot of the critical attention has been on the theme―American Dream. “ The American Dream has ultimately bees corrupt with gradual overemphasis laid on its material. Fitzgerald keenly detects the tendency of corruption in the 1920’s and gives somber reflection on in his novel The Great Gatsby ” (Hua Suyang, 2022：12)“Binary oppositions underlie the content of The Great Gatsby, and the pattern of actions structures the narrative of each character. As one picture is seen and appreciated form different perspective, quite different sceneries would be enjoyed. Structuralism opens another window for us.”(Zhang Junling, 2022：38)Besides the excellent technique and style in narrative form and structure, its outstanding artistic merit also lies in Fitzgerald’s original and successful use of symbolism in the novel to depict his view, especially of his own times. And this thesis studies the symbolism in The Great Gatsby. Symbolism, as a unique artistic technique, has two important meanings according to Webster: one is to explain invisible things by using visible symbols。 the other is the connection and relation between symbols and meaning. Hence symbolism in fiction aims to present the hidden things and thoughts under phenomena. The employment of symbolism plays a key role in the novel. The application of symbolism made this work surpass the narrow individual world, connecting the subjective with the objective. Symbolism transcends the plot, the characterization and moral message of the story. The employment of symbolism brings the themes of the novels to a new height and contributes to its popularity. It was possible to see the relationship between the symbols and themes, what the hidden meaning of the story is.II. Symbolism The Definition of SymbolismThe dictionary defines the word symbolism as, “the use of symbols to represent ideas, especially in art and literature”. (A S Hornby, 2022:1792) Referring to symbolism, says the Encyclopedia Britannica, originated in the rebellion of some French poets of the late 19th century against the rigid conventions governing both technique and theme in traditional French poetry. They launched a literary movement that is late called the Symbolist Movement. The symbolist artists sought to express their emotion through the subtle and suggestive use of highly symbolized language. Their goal was to create an art that would convey the poet’s own “inner dream”. The evocative power of language was stressed, and the images and characters were presented in starling ways. This movement in the literary field and symbolist works had a strong and lasting influence on the European and American literature of the 20th century.Just as dialogue and plot work on the surface to move the story along, symbolism works under the surface to tie the story’s external action to the theme. In the development of the fictional narrative, the allegory is often produced through symbolism, giving the event, the person a new meaning, and its allegorical counterpart a onetoone correspondence, or not so onetoone. In this way symbolism serves as a bridge connecting the visible with invisible, and thus reveals the meaning the author is tending to convey.Symbolism offers the reader a concrete object that actually has a broader, abstract meaning to the story. This object can be a person, an animal or something else. All these “objects” carry with them a wide range of association that stand for something that is beyond any accurate explanation. Symbolism, therefore, is an integral ponent of fiction, because it enriches the narrative subtly.In addition, symbolism is a satisfactory way to present the theme of a story。 meanwhile it is emotionally satisfying, because it makes things easier on the readers’ part, giving them a role to play in interpreting the story and an opportunity to share the author’s own emotional experience. Symbolism in Literature Works Just as characterization and dialogue and plot work on the surface to move the story along, symbolism works under the surface to tie the story’s external action to the theme. Early in the development of the fictional narrative, symbolism was often produced through allegory, giving the literal event and its allegorical counterpart a onetoone correspondence. In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, for example, everything and everyone stands for something else. The protagonist Christian, to no one’s surprise, stands for every Christian reader。 his goal, the Celestial City, stands for Heaven。 the places through which he passes on his way—Lucre Hill, Vanity Fair, and the like stand for the temptations Bunyan felt that Christian readers were likely to encounter on their journey to salvation. Even the names of Christian’s fellow travelers—Mr. Feeblemind, Greatheart, and the like—represent not individual characters but states of being. (John Bunyan, 2022: 124)Allegory is undoubtedly the simplest way of fleshing out a theme, but it is also the least emoti