A Study Of The Cultural Integration In The Remains Of The Day From The Perspective Of Conceptual Metaphors

In the present world,the culture plays a significant role in the competition of comprehensive national strength.The power of culture is deeply embedded in the vitality,creativity and cohesion of the nation,which has become an important symbol of overall national strength.Therefore,how the unique cultures of various countries and their mutual influence and effects are expressed and presented in literary works have attracted the attention of the academic community.In recent years,conceptual metaphor theory has been on more and more popularity in cultural studies.It states that metaphor is a systematic mapping from a specific conceptual domain to an abstract conceptual domain,that is,a systematic mapping across conceptual domains,so it provides new ideas and perspectives for literary research.As the proponents of conceptual metaphors,George Lakoff and Mark Johnson classified conceptual metaphors into three categories in the book The Metaphors We Live By: structural metaphors,orientation metaphors and ontological metaphors,respectively applying to different fields and corresponding to different conceptual mappings.What’s more,conceptual metaphors are based on culture and experience,and metaphors in different cultures are not exactly the same.The immigrant writer Kazuo Ishiguro who has won the Nobel Prize in Literature has experienced two different cultural backgrounds.Therefore,his works present the characteristics of a blend of multiple cultures.However,previous scholars have hardly studied the cultural elements in his representative work The Remains of the Day from the perspective of conceptual metaphor.Based on the conceptual metaphor theory of Lakoff and Johnson,this thesis takes Kazuo Ishiguro’s third novel The Remains of the Day as research object,analyzing cultural integration from the three major categories of conceptual metaphors mentioned above.First of all,Ishiguro’s narrative strategy,the characteristics of the protagonist and culture of collectivism in this novel are analyzed from the perspective of the structural metaphor,in order to deeply explore the Japanese culture hidden under the surface of the words.Then,from the perspective of ontological metaphor,the author of the thesis analyzes the specific metaphors related to the imagery and culture in the novel by combining with the scenes,manor and memory described in the work,so as to show the unique culture of each country.Finally,the relationship between position and power and the relationship between leader-member and hierarchy will be explored from the perspective of orientation metaphor,elaborating hierarchy culture between British and Japan in detail and exposing the country’s strict hierarchy characteristics.The sunset image which represents “down” will be interpreted based on the different literary meanings of Britain and Japan.In a word,the thesis makes an analysis on cultural integration in The Remains of the Day through Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory.And the following findings can be found: Eastern and Western cultures in the novel appear in the form of reorganization,so the source of the reorganization should be explored to facilitate the further understanding of its theme.With the help of conceptual metaphors,this thesis analyzes the cultural factors involved in The Remains of the Day,revealing the different cultures of Britain and Japan,and the way to reorganize and integrate them.This thesis studies the cultural integration of two different cultures between Britain and Japan in The Remains of the Day,reveals the reasons behind the cultural integration,discusses related aspects of culture,politics,and historical memory hidden behind them and then explores the social and cultural value of this novel,which is to promote the harmonious communication and transmission of various cultures.