Binary Mirrors on the Rails: The Opposition and Deconstruction of Space and Identity in the Train Imagery of Thomas Wolfe’s “Look Homeward, Angel” and “Of Time and the River”
List of Authors
Collin Jerome, Ruibai Sun
Keyword
Thomas Wolfe; Train Imagery; Space; Identity; Opposition and Deconstruction
Abstract
This article focuses on the train imagery in Thomas Wolfe’s “Look Homeward, Angel” and “Of Time and the River”, and deeply analyzes the opposition and deconstruction presented at the levels of space and identity. The train imagery in these two novels by Thomas Wolfe constructs the opposition between physical and spiritual spaces, carrying the protagonists’ yearning for distant places and the desire to escape reality, which blurs the boundaries between hometown and foreign land, as well as between the self and the other. Through the analysis of the train imagery in “Look Homeward, Angel” and “Of Time and the River”, this study reveals its presentation of the opposition between space and identity along with their deconstruction through fluid movement, highlighting the unique modernity and spiritual transformation characteristic in Thomas Wolfe’s “Look Homeward, Angel” and “Of Time and the River”.