On The Significance Of Symbolism In The Golden Notebook

The Golden Notebook is Doris Lessing's masterpiece. It is about the confusion faced by women in pursuit of freedom. This novel is filled with symbols. By using this writing skill Lessing presents the themes of the novel indirectly and gives the readers a better and deeper understanding of the themes and the meanings of the novel.Firstly, Anna's five colorful notebooks are the main components of the work, which are strongly symbolic. At the very beginning, these five notebooks are interpreted superficially and simply on the basis of content as the symbols of Anna's different aspects of her life. However, according to the theory of color symbol and by combining the psychological effect of the colors and the contents of the notebooks, the five colors also convey further symbolic meanings. By analyzing the superficial and the further symbolic meanings of the colorful notebooks, the readers can obtain a better understanding of the meanings of the notebooks, as well as the themes of the novel.Secondly, the structure of this novel also has strong symbolic meanings. The chaotic and complex structure contains integrity and unity of content. This chaotic structure not only symbolizes the chaotic outside world, and the resulting chaos of people's spirit triggered by it, but also symbolizes the process of Anna's mental changes, which is from confusion to unity. It is the very symbolic meanings of the structure reveal the theme of the novel: seeking for integration and unity in confusion and breakdown.There are also other symbols which deserve our study in this novel, for example settings and Anna's dreams, and through which Lessing conveys the truth of life to us. By analyzing the significance of these symbols, the themes of the novel and the author's writing ideas have been sufficiently presented.