The Exploration of Writing Techniques Utilized in “The Stranger” and the Theme of It

Abs tract (Ⅰ)中文摘要 (Ⅱ)Introduction (1)Chapter O ne Symbolism (3)1.1 The F ire (3)1.2The Title:“The Stranger” (4)Chapter Two The Stream of Consciousness (5)2.1Interior monologue (5)2.2Detail Description (7)Chapter Three The Theme Reflected in “The Stranger” (8)3.1 The Tragic Theme (8)3.2 The Disillusionment Theme (9)Conclusion (11)Notes (12)Bibliography (13)Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) is one of the most remarkable, distinguished writers in England at the beginning of the 20th century, who is regarded as one of the forerunners in modern literature. She is one of the few major writers whose works are entirely within the short story form. She revolutionizes the conventional short story and makes some explorations and innovations of new writing techniques in this genre. These will be demonstrated by the analyzing of “The stranger” in the following.Although “The stranger” is not her most famous piece, her writing skills are showed in it. Its indirect characterization, overwhelming tragic and disillusionment theme and the employment of modernistic techniques such as symbolism and the stream of consciousness reflect the perfect unity of form and content, and endow her short story creation with unique artistic style and permanent appreciative value．This thesis, falling into three parts, is to discuss both writing techniques utilized and the theme reflected in “The stranger”. Chapter One begins with the utilization of symbolism in “The stranger”. Chapter Two, on the basis of the analysis of “The stranger”, discusses the stream of consciousness used in it. This thesis is composed of two parts, including the exploration of interior monologue and detail description. Chapter Three studies the tragic and disillusionment theme of “The stranger”.In conclusion, “The stranger” fully reflects her distinctive writing style. The writing techniques utilized in “The stranger”, such as symbolism, stream of consciousness and interior monologue, make it an extraordinary story.Key words：Katherine Mansfield, “The stranger”, symbolism, the stream of consciousness, tragic and disillusionment theme中文摘要凯瑟琳·曼斯菲尔德(1888-1923)是20世纪初英国杰出的短篇小说家,是现代派文学的先驱.她把自己短暂的人生都献给了很少受英国作家重视的短篇小说创作.她对传统的短篇小说进行了改革和革新,并创造出一种新型的短篇小说体裁.本文将会通过对《陌生人》的分析对此进行一一阐述。

尽管《陌生人》不是曼斯菲尔德的力作，其间接式的人物性格描述、带有悲剧色彩的深刻主题寓意、以及意识流，象征等诸多现代主义表现手法的综合运用，体现了形式和内容的完美统一，并赋予了曼斯菲尔德的短篇小说独有的艺术风格和永久的鉴赏价值。

本文共分为三个部分来对《陌生人》中的写作技巧和方法以及小说所反映的主题进行研究。

第一章首先分析了《陌生人》中的象征手法的运用。

第二章，由两部分组成，分别从内心独白和细节描写两个方面分析了小说中意识流手法的运用。

最后一章，主要是对《陌生人》中所反映的悲剧以及幻灭主题进行探究。

总的来说，《陌生人》充分地体现了曼斯菲尔德独特的写作技巧，尤其是象征主义，意识流等技巧的运用更加丰富了作品的内涵。

关键字：凯瑟琳·曼斯菲尔德，《陌生人》，象征，意识流，悲剧和幻灭主题ⅡIntroduction“She has the same kind of directive influence on the art of the short story as Joyce had on the novel. After Joyce and Katherine Mansfield neither the novel nor the short story can ever be quite the same again. They beat a track to a higher point from which others can scan a wider horizon.”i------Ian A. Gordon Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923), a prominent New Zealand-born English writer of the twentieth century, is one of the several writers in the history of British literature who have committed themselves to the writing of short stories and who have established their fame through this genre. In her works, she develops the new plotless story and employs modernist techniques such as symbolism, interior monologue and stream of consciousness in the short story writing, and focuses on the character’s inner world rather than ex ternal events, thus helping shape the form of the modern short story and contributing to its popularity in England.In spite of her short life span of 34 years, she is a prolific writer. Mansfield published three volumes of short stories in her life time, In a German Pension (1911), which got little notice, Bliss (1920) and The Garden Party (1922) gained her fame. After her death Murry culled and published her collecting stories, The Dove’s Nest (1923) and Something Childish (1924).Studies both abroad and at home have been done concerning Mansfield’s short stories. Most studies usually focus on a few of her famous masterpieces, which as a consequence, inevitably cause the one-sidedness of the studies and the neglect of some comparatively unknown stories. Thus, this thesis is to discuss both the modernist writing techniques used in “The stranger” and the theme of it. Although “The stranger” was not her most famous piece, her writing skills are showed in it. The plot of the story is the following:Mr. Hammond was a gentleman who loves his wife very much. He was waiting for his wife who was back from Europe in the port. After a long period of waiting, she landed on, wearing a black costume, and she was late for several hours, leading him to wonder if she was sick during the voyage. Hammond was very happy to have his wife in his arms again. He held her hand tightly but she drew his hand away when they came to the brighter streets. Hammond planned to spend the next day looking around in Auckland, before going back to Salisbury where they lived. And when he said “if you’d like to stay here a bit longer” (Mansfield, P223), Janey answered quickly:“Not for the world.”(Mansfield, P223) In the hotel, Hammond asked her to kiss him but he felt that was not what he wanted. He then felt suddenly, horrible tired. He knew she must have hidden something from him. Pressed by Hammond, she finally admitted that she was delayed because a man had died on board, and she was alone with him when that happened. The husband was cheated. But in fact he knew what actually had happened during the voyage and he was very depressed. And he finally realized that they would never be alone together again.Although “The stranger” is not one of the famous stories written by Mansfield, the distinctive writing style is fully reflected in it, which makes it an extraordinary piece. It is believed that the exploration of the modernist writing techniques utilized in “The stranger” and the theme of it will be helpful for a better understanding of this story.Chapter One SymbolismIn general, symbolism refers to the practice of representing things by means of symbols or attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events or relationships. Symbolism can be considered as the process to express abstract ideas and emotions through the use of concrete images. While in terms of stylistics, symbolism is regarded as an important rhetorical writing technique. Many modernist writers have been influenced by symbolism, so is Mansfield. Mansfield always uses images and their symbolic meanings very cleverly in her works and by that the themes are unfolded. Her writing skills of using symbols are demonstrated in this story fully and genuinely. This part mainly discusses the symbolism utilized in “The stranger”.1.1 The FireMansfield mentioned the fire three times. The fire was described the first time when Hammond shepherded Janey in their room. Mansfield wrote "the fire blazed"(Mansfield, P224), which means that the fire burnt brightly and strongly. Hammond's feeling would be the same with the fire at that time. He was very excited about being alone together with Janey. Hammond asked Janey to kiss him, but she paused for a second. Although her kiss was as always, Hammond felt “that isn't what he wanted; that isn't at all what he thirs ted for.” (Mansfield, P227) He asked Janey what have kept her so long. Janey made no answer. She was looking away from him at the fire. Here the fire was described again. "The flames hurried-hurried over the coals, flickered, fell."(Mansfield, P227) Also, it is a true portrayal of Hammond's feeling. He knew there was something different in Janey's kiss and started wondering why she was late. Just like the fire, his enthusiasm faded away by Janey's unconcern. The fire appeared in the third time when Janey finally told him the truth. "The fire had gone red. Now it felt in with a sharp sound and the room was colder. (Mansfield, P 229)” The fire was dying down. Hammond asked what the passenger said but Janey made no answer. It was so quiet in the room that the sound of the dying fire was harsh to Hammond. In fact, although he appeared calm, noisy voices must have filled in his heart asking a question: Why was she alone with that passenger? Hammond's hope for a happy marriage was dying just as the dying fire. From my perspective, the portrayals of the fire are a mirror of Hammond's psychicchange—from excited to heart-broken.1.2 The Title—“The stranger”Mansfield’s deft utilization of symbol lies not only in the description of images but also in the title. The title—“The stranger” itself contains some symbolic meanings.Mansfield raises a question in the readers’ mind by giving this title. It is undoubtedly a story between a married couple .Then why the title is “The stranger”? With this question readers will ponder every detail of the novel, thus understand the novel better.The title has three meanings. On one hand, it refers to the passenger with whom Janey had an affair. As Janey said, that passenger was just a stranger to her though it is not true.On the other hand, it implicates that Janey is a stranger to Hammond after he learning the truth. He wanted to trust Janey but he could not stop thinking that －Janey had cheated on him. He tried to hide his feeling so he put his face into her bosom and his arms enfolded her. It should be regarded as an intimate behavior but now it is just for covering up his disappointment and grievance. He groaned inwardly “Spoilt their evening! Spoilt their being alone together! They would never be alone together again!” (Mansfield, P231) These three continuous exclamation points strongly reveal the frustration that Mr. Hammond has experienced. And it is a good interpretation of the title.Also the title suggests that Janey felt a sense of strangeness toward Hammond because she had fallen in love with that passenger. Hammond and Janey were in the car on the way to the hotel. Hammond squeezed her hand, but she drew his hand away as they came to the brighter streets. When they were alone in the room, he had her on his arms. However, “she lay on his breast, but so lightly, so remotely.”(Mansfield, P226) These two simple actions prove that.By employing symbolism, a simple sentence can tell much more than the ideas or the object that it literally and scientifically denotes. In the above cases, symbols are the key to understand the theme. It is exactly the success of “The stranger”.Chapter Two The Stream of ConsciousnessAs one of the most notable writers in English literature in the twentieth century, Mansfield has attracted common people’s vision deeply by the short story since the19th century. She is also regarded as the pioneer of the English modernist short stories who adapt the technique of stream of consciousness. Her novels pay no attention to the plot, but describe very much the character’s psychological activities, using detail description as well as interior monologue to express the character’s inner world. In addition, she frequently employs stream of consciousness to capture the character’s peculiar understanding in a fixed surrounding and sheds light on their spiritual world. The utilization of the stream of consciousness rearranges the order of the space and the time. It makes the atmosphere and the rhythm of the works more active. This chapter mainly focuses on the technique of stream of consciousness from both interior monologue perspective and detail description perspective.2.1 Interior MonologueWhenever people talk about interior monologue, they are inclined to relate it to James Joyce and Virginia Woolf who are the masters of the stream of consciousness novels. However, Katherine Mansfield also is a good stream of consciousness novelist too. Interior monologue is the best way to illustrate the psychological process of the character. It can register the slightest wave rings of the character’s inner world.Generally speaking, interior monologue can be divided into the following two types: direct interior monologue and indirect interior monologue. In “The stranger”, indirect interior monologue is employed to explore the psychological states of the characters. When indirect interior monologue is utilized, the author will use the third person to narrate and is partly involved in the narration by making some explanation or comments. This device enables the writer to show the workings of the conscious and subconscious mind but not that of the unconscious mind since the movement of the character’s consciousness is controlled surreptitiously by the writer.By employing indirect interior monologue, Mansfield shows the immediate feeling of Mr. Hammond in details：He wondered whether Janey was having a final cup of tea in the saloon out there. He hoped so; he thought not. It would be just like her not to leave the deck.（Mansfield，P213）And whether that deep throbbing was her engines or his heart Mr. Hammond couldn’t say. (Mansfield，P215 )Another moment，and-thank God, thank God!-there she was. There was Janey. There was Mrs. Hammond.（Mansfield，P216）These psychological descriptions well demonstrate that Hammond could not wait to have Janey back. And the agitation and excitement are shown so thoroughly. She was just the same. Not a day changed. Just as he’d always known her.（Mansfield，P218）The strain was over. He felt he could have sat there forever sighing his relief-the relief at being rid of that horrible tug, pull, grip on his heart. ( Mansfield，P220 )Hammond was finally at ease when he had Janey on his arms again. He relaxed himself and enjoyed the great feeling of having his beloved wife here with him.That was rather queer of Janey, wasn’t it? ... She was keeping something from him? That was it! (Mansfield，P220)He had the feeling that he was holding something that never was quite his-his something too delicate, too precious, that would fly away once he let go. (Mansfield，P222 )Hammond dimly felt that Janey was hiding something from him, which quite upsets him. He got a lot of ideas in his mind and he decided to find out the truth. He was afraid of losing Janey. In fact, his worry turns out to be true in the end.Hammond thought that he would be very happy if Janey kissed him. “But that wasn’t what he wanted; that wasn’t at all what he thirsted for.” (Mansfield，P227)Before Janey kissing him, he doubted whether Janey had lied to him. Now he was sure about that. Janey did hide something from him.Ah, my God, what was she saying! What was she doing to him! This would kill him! （Mansfield，P228）This sentence is a typical example of interior monologue. Mansfield uses the third person to show Hammond’s anger. What Janey said further ruins his illusion. Meanwhile, Mansfield gives a comment on what Janey did to Hammond, which arouses reader’s sympathy for Hammond.“Spoilt their evening! Spoilt their being alone together! They would never be alone together again!”（Mansfield，P230）Mansfield ends the novel with these three exclamatory sentences which put an end to Hammond’s dream. All his hopes for a happy marriage are in tatter.Mansfield is a know-it-all in the novel. Sometimes she is a representative of Hammond to speak out his feelings and sometimes she stands together with the readers to guess what Hammond is thinking and what will happen next. Thus, she not only explains the inner world of Hammond clearly but also leaves enough room for readers to imagine by themselves. The utilization of interior monologue not only displays and analyzes the inner worlds of the characters, but also promotes the plot development to forge ahead and reach the climax.2.2 Detail DescriptionThe detail description plays significant role in succeeding in creating the character with bright and prominent individuality, portraying the character’s psychological activities accurately and exquisitely, building environment, contrasting the atmosphere, and increasing the works’ feasibility and the authenticity. Now let us enjoy the special writing style from the following aspects:“In the front of the crowd a strong-looking, middle-aged man, dressed very well, very snugly in a grey overcoat, grey silk scarf, thick gloves and dark felt hat, marched up and down, twirling his folded umbrella.”(Mansfield, P211) This sentence portrays the appearances of Hammond, which shows Hammond a restraint, measured and successful business man.Janey laughs at Hammond because his dressing-table is full of feminine belongings— hair tonic, two hair-brushed and some new collars tied with pink tape. Those feminine belongings on the dressing-table, in fact, are prepared for Janey by Hammond. All of that paints a picture of a considerate husband who loves his wife deeply.“Spoilt their evening! Spoilt their being alone together! They would never be alone together again!”（Mansfield，P230）In this description we can share his heartlessness.The writer catches the charac ter’s specific feeling in a specific environment from the angle which common people neglect and unfold the character’s ideology and psychological activities. Therefore Mansfield’s short stories are not philosophical elaboration, but the reveal of the true meaning of life.Chapter Three The Theme Reflected in “The stranger”Base on her own life experience, under the influence of the social situations of her times, Mansfield writes many stories which consist of various tragic themes. It is believed that the critical approaches to the tragic themes of her stories will be helpful for a better understanding of her works and the historical and cultural context in which her stories are produced.3.1 The Tragic ThemeThis part mainly focuses on the exploration of the tragic theme in “The stranger”through a detailed analysis of the two characters Janey and Hammond.The story is set on the day that Janey returned from a ten-month’s journey overseas to visit her eldest daughter who had got married in Europe. Although they had been married for many years, her husband, John Hammond was still quite infatuated with her, which was revealed in his eagerness and impatience when he waited on the wharf. He paced the wharf excitedly. Taking out the better-yellow watch, he made the calculation “for the twentieth-fiftieth-hundredth.”(Mansfield P212) Driven by the assumption that Janey’s arrival somewhat meant something to other people too, he tried to divert a little girl from her hunger for tea, and finally gave away all his cigars when he saw his wife on the approaching ship. As the ship turned, he can’t tell “whether that deep throbbing was her engines or his heart.” (Mansfield, P215) Once the ship docked, his relief is intense “at being rid of that hor rible tug, pull, grip on his heart.” (Mansfield, P220) Yet what he did not know is that the arrival of the ship in port would signalize the death of his own heart. Mr. Hammond, this restraint, measured, successful businessman has a repressive, overbearing and possessive kind of love for his wife. He wants more than can be demanded of an individual. He has a desire to make Janey so much a part of him that there isn’t any of her to escape. At the same time, he has always secretly feared that she doesn’t love him as much as he loves her. When he embraces Janey in her cabin, “again as always, he had the feeling he was holding something that never was quite his-his”(Mans field, P222), which reveals his insecurity. Hammond is a conservative man who enjoys the simple pleasures of life and expects his wife to dote on his every word. He is deathly afraid of any change in his relationship with his wife. He also hopes that her prolonged absence will increase her affection for him, but it is destroyed by the thought of hiswife’s giving too freely to a stranger what she has denied him for so many years.However, as for Janey, she has never really loved Hammond so much, and has not missed him at all. At this warm greeting, she met him with a “cool little voice” (Mansfield, P219) and a “half smile” (Mansfield, P219). His feeling that “he’d got her” (Mansfield, P219) was false when, in the cab, she “gently drew her hand away” (Mansfield, P223). Later, arriving at the hotel, she would like to read the children’s letters by neglecting Hammond’s burning love or lust. Even by the removal of her hat she delayed coming to sit on his knees. Then though she lay on his breast, Hammond felt her so remote that he must demand a kiss from her. But her kiss seems an act of signing a contract, which was obviously not what a husband wanted. Thus, in every regard, Hammond stood at a distance from Janey and there was little communication between the couple. Their marriage consists of not deep emotion but duty. When Janey told him the truth of her arriving late, Hammond was very anger though he appeared very calm. As he held the silent and strange Janey, “cold crept up hi s arms” (Mansfield, P230). All of these convey the empty, frozen, disintegrated heart of Hammond and reveals his emotional death.Mr. Hammond was desperate to reclaim his wife, to reaffirm his love for her, but what happened was a confirmation of his worst fears. She has never really loved him enough to take him into her arms, as she had done for the dying man on the boat. He realized that he would never truly be alone together with Janey again and no matter how well he planned the occasion, he could not ever have total possession of her. Thus they remain strangers forever, let alone understanding each other. She would never understand the deep love he has inside him, and he would never know why she was incapable of giving him the kind of love he desired. Their marriage relationship would be one of distance and alienation forever lacking communication.3.2 The Disillusionment ThemeThe sense of disillusionment derives from the conflict between the illusion and reality. The character prefers to live in a self-build illusionary world and tend to look at the good side of life. However, at the crucial moment, a gap occurs between their imaginary world and the real world. They encounter the disillusionment. This part is intended to discuss the disillusionment theme of “The stranger”.Janey returned from abroad after leaving her husband for more than ten months wearing a black costume. According to the western custom, black dress is for funeral. Janey will not mourn for a stranger who has no relationship with her. The black costume implies that Janey has had an affair with that passenger and symbolizes her marriage with Mr. Hammond is going to an end.The disillusionment of marriage can only be understood when readers are cognizant of the symbolic meaning of that black costume, which is the key to understand the whole article. Without this symbol, this novel would be as simple as plain water.Hammond longed for a happy reunion but it turned out contrary to his wish. He was eager to be alone together with Janey but Janey appeared remote. Hammond thought she was ill during the voyage but Janey denied that.Hammond thought that he would be very happy if Janey kissed him. “But that wasn’t what he wanted; that wasn’t at all what he thirsted for.” (Mansfield，P227) And before Janey kissing him, he doubted whether Janey had lied to him. Now he was sure about that. Janey did hide something from him. “He felt suddenly, horrible tired.”(Mansfield, P227) To him, this is only the beginning of disillusionment of a happy marriage.Pressed by Hammond, Janey finally told him the truth that she was put off because a man had died on board, and she was alone with him when that happened. It is a great blow to Hammond when he realizes that Janey has an affair with that passenger. He suffers a lot in heart but appears calm. The process of Hammond’s psychological changes embodies Hammond’s disillusionment of marriage thoroughly. Janey thought everything is fine. But she is wrong. In fact, everything has changed! Mr. Hammond is very disillusioned with their love and marriage. The disillusionment of marriage makes Janey a stranger to him. It is a good explanation for the title—“The stranger”.ConclusionMaybe it is due to Katherine Mansfield’s short life that she doesn’t become as famous as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, though they belong to the same literary trend. Mansfield died young, which is a great loss to the English literature. She devotes all her writing career to the short story genre that has been largely ignored by the English writers. Katherine Mansfield earns her reputation especially in her master of modernist writing techniques, which includes stream of consciousness, symbolism, widely used in her short stories as her chief achievement in the literature world. Just as discussed in the previous chapters, throughout her works, Katherine Mansfield tries to reveal the dominant themes of tragedy and disillusionment.“The Stranger” fully reflec ts her distinctive writing style. Looking superficially，the plot is quite simple. But the writing techniques used in “The Stranger”, such as symbolism, stream of consciousness and interior monologue, which make it an extraordinary story.Mansfield always uses images and their symbolic meanings very cleverly in her works and by that the themes are unfolded. The black costume Janey wore symbolizes the end of their marriage; the fire in the hotel shows the change of Hammond’s feelings for Janey; the title－“The Stranger” symbolizes that the couple are strangers to each other after Janey cheating on Hammond. She uses stream of consciousness to finish the transformation and jumping between the space and the time. The description of interior monologue explores the psychological states of the Hammond. And the process of Hammond’s psychological change embodies Hammond’s disillusionment of marriage thoroughly.To sum up, we are able to have more idea of Mansfield’s works and the time she lived by analyzing the writin g technique utilized in “The Stranger” and the theme of it.Notesi Ian A. Gordon, Katherine Mansfield [M], London, Longman Group Ltd, 1971,17Bibliography1./wiki/The_Stranger_ (Mansfield _short _story)2./women/mansfield/garden/stranger.html3.Mansfield, Katherine The Garden Party and Other Stories New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1922.4.安东尼·阿尔伯斯《一次轻率的旅行：凯瑟琳·曼斯菲尔德的一生》，冯洁音译上海，上海知识出版社，1993年5.陈家宁编, 《曼斯菲尔德书信日记节选》, 天津, 百花文艺出版社,20056.孙建，汪洪章，卢丽安编，《英国文学选读》，上海，复旦大学出版社，20087.赵友斌,林知曼斯菲尔德小说主题探析重庆大学学报(社会科学版) 2000年第6卷第3期。