莫里森慈悲中被误解的母爱.docx
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莫里森慈悲中被误解的母爱
莫里森慈悲中被误解的母爱
TheMaternalLoveinMorrison’sAMercy
摘要
作为美国历史上唯一荣膺诺贝尔文学奖的黑人女性,莫里森的作品深深扎根于美国黑人的历史,传说和现实之中,具有强烈的时代感,从她的处女作《最蓝的眼睛》至今,她一共创作了九部小说,获得了很多荣誉。
本文主要探讨的是莫里森2008年的最新力作《慈悲》。
通过从不同叙事者角度出发来阐述“卖女为奴”这一核心事件,使读者对“残酷”母亲产生误解,最终通过母亲的自述来说明事情的真正原因来为其平反。
最后,通过现实生活中的真实事例来告诫现代年轻人如何处理与母亲之间的关系。
关键词:
莫里森,慈悲,误解,母爱
Abstract
AstheonlyAfrican-AmericanwomantoreceivetheNobelPriceinLiterature,ToniMorrison’sworksaredeeplyrootedinthehistory,legendsandrealityofblackAmerican,whichreflectthesenseofthetimes.Sinceherfirstnovelthebluesteye,Morrisonhasalreadycreatedninenovelsandreceivedmanyhonors.ThisarticlemainlyprobesintohernewworkAMercyin2008.Byelaboratingonatopic“tradedaughtertobeslave”fromdifferentnarrators,readersmaymisunderstandthe“crude”mother.Atlast,byblackmother’sownaccountofheraction,wefindsuchkindofactionisnotabandonmentbutloveandprotection.Intheend,byusingtheexampleintherealworld,tellreadershowtodealwiththerelationshipsbetweenmothersandthem.
Keywords:
Morrison;mercy;misunderstanding;maternallove
1Introduction
TonyMorrison,thefirstAfrican-AmericanwomantoreceivetheNobelPriceinLiterature,hasaprofoundimpactoncontemporaryliterary,especiallyblackliterature.Whenshewasyoung,Morrisonwasdeeplyinfluencedbytheblackfolkloresherfathertoldherandwasalwayssofascinatedbythestoriesintheblackcommunitythatshelaterexploredfurtherinherworks.Later,shewitnessedavarietyofmiseriesandindignitieswhichtheblackshadsufferedintheAmericansociety,allwhichhadlaidthefoundationonherfutureliteraryworks.
Sinceherfirstnovelthebluesteyewhichpublishedin1970,Morrisonhasalreadywrittenninenovels.ThoughMorrison’sfirstnovelwasnotanimmediatesuccess,shecontinuedtowrite.Sula,whichappearedin1973,wasmoresuccessful,earninganominationfortheNationalBookAward.In1977,SongofSolomonlaunchedMorrison’snationalreputation,winninghertheNationalBookCritics’CircleAward.Hermostwell-knownwork,Beloved,appearedin1987andwonthePulitzerPrice.HerothernovelsincludedTarBaby(1981),Jazz(1992),andParadise(1998).
In2008,TonyMorrisonpublishedanewfiction:
AMercy,whichcenteredonapowerfultragedyinvolvingamotheranddaughter,andrevealedhowactsofmercyhadunforeseenconsequences.InthenovellaAMercyshetookusbacktothelate17thcenturyAmerica.BysettingthenovelinthisspecifictimeinhistoryshewasabletotapintoauniquetimeinAmericanHistorywheretheslavetradewasjustbeginning,andwasnotlimitedtoblackslaves,butincludedwhiteandNativeAmericanindenturedservants.Thisconcentrationwasreflectedintheformofthebook-wegottoknowabouttheeventsfromthecharactersinaseriesofmonologueswhichculminateinthefinalmonologueofFlorens’smotherwhichtiedsomeofthebook’slooseendsandanswerssomeofitshauntingquestions.Eachofthemonologuecamefromacompletelydifferentcharacter–aslave,anativeAmerican,aDutchetc.
JacobwasanAnglo-Dutchtraderandadventurer,withasmallholdingintheharshnorth.Despitehisdistastefordealingin“flesh,”hetookasmallslavegirlinpartpaymentforabaddebtfromaplantationownerinCatholicMaryland.ThiswasFlorens.Florenslookedforlove,firstfromLina,anolderservantwomanathernewmaster’shouse,butlaterfromahandsomeblacksmith,anAfrican,neverenslaved.Therewereothervoices:
theirmistress,Rebekka,herselfavictimofreligiousintolerancebackinEngland;Sorrow,astrangegirlwhohadspentherearlyyearsatsea;andfinallythedevastatingvoiceofFlorens’mother.Thesewereallmenandwomeninventingthemselvesinthewilderness.
Morrison’sworkswerefamousforrichimages,poeticnarrationandimpressivedepictionofcharactersandsettingsofBlackAmericansociety.MorrisoncreatedmanyblackfemalefiguresinherworkswhichhadneverappearedinotherAmericanliteraryworks,becauseinamale-dominatedsocietywomenalmosthadnorights.MostofherworkswerewrittenfromafemalepointofviewsaboutAfricanAmericanstorieswithvariousinspirationsfromfolkloresornewsthatshehadlearned.InherworksshefocusedontheexperienceandrolesofblackAmericans,particularlyemphasizingblackwomen’sexperienceinaracistandmale-dominatedsocietyandthesearchforculturalidentity.Justasshesaid:
“Telluswhatitistobeawomansothatwemayknowwhatitistobeaman.Whatmovesatthemargin?
Whatitistohavenohomeinthisplace.Tobesetadriftfromtheoneyouknew.Whatitistoliveattheedgeoftownsthatcannotbearyourcompany.”Bymeansofalltheseanti-traditionfigures,Morrisonfocusedmoreontheblackfemales’innerworld.Shecorrectedthepasttendencywhichlaidparticularstressonmales,reflectedthesurroundingworldandmadethefemales’specialexperiencereceivethetrueverificationandexpression.ForMorrison,thepastoftheblackswasanunbrokenbond.Besides,itwasalsoatreasure-houseoftheblacks’richculture.Onlygoingbacktothepastcouldwefindtheblacks’soulsustenance.Sheshowedhowthethemesoffreedomandindividualism,manhoodandinnocence,dependedontheexistenceofablackpopulationthatwasmanifestlyunfreeze-andthatcametoservewhiteauthorsasembodimentsoftheirownfearsanddesires.
1.2TheMajorWorksofMorrison
Sinceherfirstnovelthebluesteyewhichpublishedin1970,Morrisonhasalreadywrittenninenovels.ThoughMorrison’sfirstnovelwasnotanimmediatesuccess,shecontinuedtowrite.Sula,whichappearedin1973,wasmoresuccessful,earninganominationfortheNationalBookAward.In1977,SongofSolomonlaunchedMorrison’snationalreputation,winninghertheNationalBookCritics’CircleAward.Hermostwell-knownwork,Beloved,appearedin1987andwonthePulitzerPrice.HerothernovelsincludedTarBaby(1981),Jazz(1992),andParadise(1998).In2008,TonyMorrisonpublishedanewfiction:
AMercy.InthenovellaAMercyshetookusbacktothelate17thcenturyAmerica.MorrisonpowerfullyevokedinherfictionsthelegaciesofdisplacementandslaverythathadbeenbequeathedtotheAfrican-Americancommunity.AllofherfictionsexploredboththeneedforandtheimpossibilityofrealcommunityandthebondsthatbothunitedanddividedAfrican-Americanwomen.TonyMorrisonhadbeendescribedbytheNewYorkTimesas“theclosestthingthecountryhastoanationalwriter.”
2ThelastestmasterpieceAMercyin2008
2.1Thebackgroundofthework
NobelPrize-winningauthorMorrison’slatestmasterpieceAMercycenteredonapowerfultragedyinvolvingamotheranddaughter,andrevealedhowactsofmercyhadunforeseenconsequences.Asforme,shedidn’tfocusonblackslavesbutshefocusedonthephysicalandemotionalenslavementofwomenintheearly17thcentury.BysettingthenovelinthisspecifictimeinhistoryshewasabletotapintoauniquetimeinAmericanHistorywheretheslavetradewasjustbeginning,andwasnotlimitedtoblackslaves,butincludedwhiteandNativeAmericanindenturedservants.Insomeways,AMercywasaprequeltoMorrison’smostcomprehensiveandunanswerableexpressionofthoseideas.ItwassetatatimejustbeforetheearliestpartsofBeloved,beforebondedlaborbecameaprincipalfoundationofAmericanwealth,whenthatgrotesqueideawasjustforminginthemarketplace.Inthe1680stheslavetradewasstillinitsinfancy.IntheAmericans,virulentreligiousandclassdivisions,prejudiceandoppressionwererife,providingthefertilesoilinwhichslaveryandracehatredwereplantedandtootroot.AndyetAMercywasnotjustakindofhistorynovel.ThesettingwasimportantbutMorrisonwasmuchmoreinterestedinhercharacterspresentedinthenovelwithdepthandinsight.Thisconcentrationwasreflectedintheformofthebook-wegottoknowabouttheeventsfromthecharactersinaseriesofmonologueswhichculminateinthefinalmonologueofFlorens’smotherwhichtiedsomeofthebook’slooseendsandanswerssomeofitshauntingquestions.Eachofthemonologuecamefromacompletelydifferentcharacter–aslave,anativeAmerican,aDutchetc.
2.2TheMainIdeaofAMercy
JacobwasanAnglo-Dutchtraderandadventurer,withasmallholdingintheharshnorth.Despitehisdistastefordealingin“flesh,”hetookasmallslavegirlinpartpaymentforabaddebtfromaplantationownerinCatholicMaryland.ThiswasFlorens,“withthehandsofaslaveandthefeetofaPortugueselady.”Florenslookedforlove,firstfromLina,anolderservantwomanathernewmaster’shouse,butlaterfromahandsomeblacksmith,anAfrican,neverenslaved.Therewereothervoices:
Lina,whosetribewasdecimatedbysmallpox;theirmistress,Rebekka,herselfavictimofreligiousintolerancebackinEngland;Sorrow,astrangegirlwhohadspentherearlyyearsatsea;andfinallythedevastatingvoiceofFlorens’mother.Thesewereallmenandwomeninventingthemselvesinthewilderness.
3TwoNarratorsofthe“TradeDaughterToBeSlave”
3.1TheMainCharactersinAMercy
3.1.1TheMainNarrator-Florens
Florens,themaincharacter,beingablackslaveborninAmerica,wastradedwhenshewasasmallchildbyhermother.Shesawtheeventasanactofabandonment,whenreallyhermothersoughttogivehertoJacobVaarkinanattempttosaveher.Theblackmotherjustwantedherdaughterliveabetterlife,ratherthenbeleftberapedbythecrudemenontheplantation.However,Florensmightneverexorcisethatabandonment.Shewashauntedbyhermother’sdecision.Besides,shewasalsodrivenbyloveforafree,Af