Date of Award
Summer 2024
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Department
English Language and Literatures
First Advisor
Catherine Keyser
Abstract
This thesis seeks to investigate and analyze the presence of religious symbolism in the novels of Jack London and Sylvia Plath, two authors whose atheist beliefs comingle in intriguing ways with this sacred imagery, offering rich ground for comparative analysis. Despite London’s fervent Darwinist beliefs, he injects subtle religious motif within The Call of the Wild, devoted to promoting atheist thought yet yearning for the grandiosity of myth. Similarly, Plath uses allusions to Judaism within her novel The Bell Jar, subverting classical religious tradition to associate it with themes of animal savagery. By studying these two texts, this study hopes to gain insight into the use of traditional religious symbolism within literature and how they are evolving in an increasingly secular world. This thesis argues through literary analysis that both authors use these religious symbols to critique and reinterpret traditional belief systems, reflecting complex relationships with faith and spirituality. This comparative approach hopes to enhance understanding of London’s and Plath’s works and contribute to the broader discussion on the role of religion in literature, especially within the context of modern atheism and secularism.
Rights
© 2024, Kathleen Elizabeth Long
Recommended Citation
Long, K. E.(2024). Sacred Symbols in a Secular World: Religious Imagery in the Works of Jack London and Sylvia Plath. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7906