T 1290.pdf - Pondicherry University DSpace Portal

that suffering strips away, open its victims to knowledge.yakov Bok's sacrifice goes beyond the personal to the politicaland social.Malamud has worked sequentially on the theme of theconflict between myths and the outer world. Appearing first inNatural, Malamud's progresses with his central concerns ineach successive novels a BssistaG, A W U and a EiXBT;vegetation myths and rituals, seasonal and pastoral rhythms andImagery; symbolism of vegetation myths and Grail quests in thefour novels can be traced of which Themay be consideredas hrs finest expression of the pastoral. Principles of lifeand fertility in Malamud's novels are associated with women andtheir mammalian traits. Women associated with infertility anddeath, therefore, have "sick breasts" like Memo Paris (mNatural) and Avis Fliss (A pew Llfe) or very small ones likeHelen, Pauline and Raisl before they are revltalised by theirlovers. Full- breasted women llke Irls Lemon and ZinaidaLebedev seem always to offer the promises of life.Three symbols consistently used are birds, fish andflowers. Roy Hobbs dreams of fishing; Levin has a dream ofstruggling with a fish and pulling its tail off; Pauline dropsa tuna fish in Levin's lap; Gilley is the avid fisherman; FrankAlplne is associated with St. Francis and pigeons; the names ofAlbert 0 Birdless and Harriet Bird; Levin was a bird watcher;