TheWritingFeaturesof“TheEgg”bySherwoodAnderson

Abstract：Sherwood Anderson is an important writer in American literary history，whose short story The Egg is well known for its distinctive style and elusive form. This paper is an attempt to explore the narrative art，symbols and deep implications in The Egg form perspectives of narrative point of view，narrative language.

Key words：Anderson;Symbolism;Stream of Consciousness1Techniques Used by the Author

The Egg，a haunting symbolist tale of a man who has violated his nature by accommodating himself to his wife’s ambitions is from Sherwood Anderson’s second short story collection， The Triumph of the Egg. These stories explore intriguing psychological depths，redolent with personal epiphanies，erotic undercurrents，and sudden eruptions of passion among seemingly repressed，inarticulate Midwesterners.

1.1The Technique of symbolism

In discussing literature，the word “symbol” is applied only to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in turn signifies something，or has a range of reference，beyond itself. The “egg” has been regarded as the symbol of immortality，potentiality. But in this short story，the author endows this object with new meanings that enable us to call to our mind a range of invisible and abstract associations，thus new layers of meaning，suggestiveness and significance are added.

1.1.1Symbol of the Tendency to Move

“Egg” can be regarded as a symbol of the tendency to move. The word “egg” derivates from the middle English word “egge” and old Norwegian “egg”，and both derivation means roll or move. “The Egg” is a story about a couple who struggle for success. Their struggle for success is most commonly called the “American Dream.” And the possible way to realize the “American Dream” is to act，to move，to adventure. The American passion for getting up in the world and rising from rags to riches became their guidance. In the story，the boy’s family moved at least twice. His father at first worked as a farm hand in the town of Bidwell，Ohio. In the spring of Father’s thirtyfifth year，Father got married. Because his incurably ambitious wife discontented with their present living condition，he gave up his place as a farm hand and embarked on an independent enterprise，chicken raising. But their entrepreneurial spirit came up against a discouraging result. Disconcerted by the failure of his first effort and afire with the American passion to get up in the world again at the same time，they embarked in the restaurant business，a tiny caravan of hope looking for a new place from which to start on their upward journey through life.

1.1.2Symbol of Gliding Opportunity

“Egg” can also be associated with “glided opportunity”. What will happen to those eggs are unpredictable and uncertain，just like the obscure future people are about to encounter. From beginning to the end in the story，the narrator fails to figure out the ultimate perfect answer to the mystery of egg. “The hens lay eggs out of which come other chickens and the dreadful cycle is thus made complete. It is all unbelievably complex.” (Lin Lichen，2004：203) So he concludes that “Most philosophers must have been raised on chicken farms.” Till the end of the story，something is still on his mind，“I wondered why eggs had to be and why from the egg came the hen who again laid the egg. The question got into my blood. It has stayed there，I imagine，because I am the son of my father. At any rate，the problem remains unsolved in my mind. And that，I conclude，is but another evidence of the complete and final triumph of the egg—at least as far as my family is concerned.”(Lin Lichen，2004：211212)

1.1.3Symbol of Frailty and Unfulfilled Goals

The hidden meanings of the egg are indefinite and openended. We can also interpret the “Egg” as something fragile and some unfulfilled goals. Eggshell is thin，flimsy and fragile，tending to break. Father’s personality is just the fragile egg. When he fails to make the egg stand on its ends and stuff it into the bottle，he flies into rage and cries like a baby. The business they are engaged are also fragile. The chance that they may succeed is slim. The incurably ambitious mother lays all her hope on the Father and the narrator himself，hoping that one day they may rose from poverty to fame and greatness. But all her dreams turn into bubbles when their business fails. All their toil turns into nothing. Father pins his hope to make a pile on some sort of ridiculous notion that if he could but bring into henhood or roosterhood a fivelegged hen or a twoheaded rooster his fortune would be made.

1.2The Technique of Stream of Consciousness and First Person Narration

The technique of stream of consciousness is an important artistic technique in modernist literature. Its characteristic is to describe the stream of man’s consciousness，especially that of the subconsciousness. The character can，in one instance，associate with all kinds of things at any place or at any time，relevant or irrelevant. But unlike the traditional novels，it’s not necessary to explain the cause and effect but to leave it to readers to consider，make up and realize.

“The Egg” leaves readers an impression of the creation of oral literature，that is，the creation of a story but not the pure and formal literary form. The structure seems not that systematic. “The Egg”，which appeared a few years after Winesburg，Ohio，he succeeded in bringing together a surface of farce with an undertone of tragedy. “The Egg” is composed in a minor key，a tone of subdued pathos. The simple，impressionistic style and unconventional narrative technique，the use of symbolism，humor，satire and epiphany in the story gives vivid description of the collapse of men and women who have lost their psychic bearing. “The Egg” is an American masterpiece. We may see clearly the impact of modernism upon Sherwood Anderson，accepting modernist philosophical thoughts，creates the most important modernist themes with his original modernist writing techniques.

Bibliography：

［1］ Lin Lichen.An Approach to Fiction［M］.Shanghai：Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，2004：203.