An Analysis of Inequality in Hemingways Indian Camp.docx

An Analysis of Inequality in Hemingways Indian Camp.docx

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AnAnalysisofInequalityinHemingwaysIndianCamp

AnAnalysisofInequalityinHemingway’s“IndianCamp”

院系：

外国语学院英语系

学科、专业：

英语语言文学

学生姓名：

学号：

二○○八年十二月二十七日

AnAnalysisofInequalityinHemingway’s

“IndianCamp”

Abstract

Itsays,“Hemingway’scharactersarepeopledisillusionedbythelossoffaithandhope,mostlywarwounded,ormenofsimplecharacterandprimitiveemotions”[1]inabookofaprofessor,LuMing. Thehusbandcommitssuicidebecauselosthisfaithandhope.Hedoesnotfindanyreasontohimselftohavealife.AndIthinkdeath,war,andespeciallyinequalityarearecurrentthemeinhisworks.MyownessaybaseontheinequalitywhatHemingwayshowsinIndianCampandgiveabriefanalysisofthethemebylistingthecontraryscenes.AndshowHemingway’sattitudeaboutrace,genderandperson.

KeyWords:

IndianCamp,inequality,contrast,race,gender,person

摘要

卢敏说“海明威小说里的人物都是一些散失了信念和希望的人，主要是战争中受伤的人，或性格简单和有很原始情绪的人”。

文中的这个丈夫的角色之所以自杀是因为他散失了自己的信念和希望，他也未能找到活下去的理由。

我同样认为死亡、战争，尤其是不平等是海明威著作中的主要主题。

我的本篇文章将基于海明威在印第安人营地里所展现的在种族、性别和人物上的不平等，通过一系列对比的方法来展现他在这个故事中所要表达的关于不平等性的主题。

关键词：

印第安人营地；不平等；对比；种族；性别；人物

Contents

Abstract………………………………………………………………............ⅱ

摘要…….......................................................................................................ⅲ

PartIItroduction….................................................................................…….1

A．ThebackgroundofIndianCamp…………………………………….1

B．TheoutlineoftheIndianCamp………………………………………1

C.Thebriefintroduction…………………………………………………..2

PartIIInequalityinrace….................................................................................2

PartIIIInequalityingender…………………………………………………….4

PartⅣInequalityinperson…….………………………………………………5

PartⅤConclusion…….……………………………………………………7

Notes……………………………………………………….……………………7

References……………………………………………………….………………8

PartIIntroduction

A．ThebackgroundofIndianCamp:

IndianCampisashortstorywrittenbyErnestHemingway.Thestorywasfirstpublishedin1924inFordMadoxFord'sliterarymagazineTransatlanticReviewinParisandrepublishedbyBoni&LiverightinHemingway'sfirstAmericanvolumeofshortstoriesInOurTimein1925.Hemingway'ssemi-autobiographicalcharacterNickAdams—achildinthisstory—makeshisfirstappearanceinIndianCamp,toldfromhispointofview.[6]

B．TheoutlineoftheIndianCamp

Thestorybeginsinthedark,beforesunriseyoungNickAdams,theprotagonistaccompanieshisfather,aphysician,aresummonedtoanIndianCamp.AsNick,hisfather,andUncleGeorgearerowedacrossthelakebysomeIndianmen.OntheirwaytoIndianCamp,Nick’sfatherexplainsthattheyaregoingtothecamptotreatan“Indianladywhoisverysick.”Whentheyarrive,theyseethatonawoodenbunkthepregnantwomanlieswhohasbeeninlaborfortwodaysandtheupperberthofwhichholdsherhusbandwhohurthisfootwithanaxthreedaysbefore.Afterstrugglingmanyhours,thefatherdeliversababybycesareansectionusingonlyhisjackknife,butwithoutanesthetic.Andthehusbandsilentlycommitssuicidewitharazor.NickaskshisfatheraseriesofquestionsaboutdeathafterhewitnessthedeathofthehusbandandthebirthofthelittleIndianboynearlyatthesametimeintheshortnight.ThenNickcomestoaveryshockinganswerthat“Hefellquitesurethathewouldneverdie.”

C.Thebriefintroduction

IndianCampjustaveryshortstorywhichonlyhas1463words,butthethemesofthestoryarevarieties.Andthestoryhasstrongconflictswhenthechildwasdeliveredthefatheriskillinghimself.Italsoshowsthatdeathiseasybutbirthishard.MyfocusinthisessaywilluncoverthewaysHemingway’sworkhasbuiltonracialidentity,genderissuesandthedifferenceindifferentperson.AndIwilllistandanalysissomecontraryscenestoexposethethemebaseonsuchasystemofinequality.Justasthewhiteandtheblack,menandwomen,andthedoctor’sattitudetoNick,UncleGeorgeandtheyoungIndianwomanthesecontraryscenesshowtheinequalityinIndianCamp.

PartIIInequalityinRace

Racismisamajorthemeinliterature,inIndianCampitalsoreflectaspecialracism.Iprefertocallitinequalityinrace.Inequalityinracemeanstheunfairdifferencebetweenraces,whensomehavemorewealth,statusoropportunitiesthanothers.

HemingwaytransportNick,hisfather,andhisunclefromtheirownsophisticatedandcivilizedworldofthewhitemanintothedarkandprimitiveworldofthecamp.Butnottransportthemintoanotherplacewhereispleasant.TheblackarelivinginIndianCamp,butnowthewhitearearrivingatIndianCamp.Thisjustasthehistorythattheancestorsofthewhitecametoherethencontroleverything,andnowthedescendantsofwhitealsocomeheretodominatetheIndianCamp.[4]Thehusbandlayintheupperbunkbecausehehurthisfootwithanaxthreedaysbefore.Hecanseeeverythingwhatthewhitedoctordoesorthecolorofhissonfromtheupperbunk,andhecan’tdoanythingbutlookingathiswifeiscutopenbythewhitedoctor.Thisshowsthattheblackisdominatedbythewhiteandtheblackdonothaveanythingtoagainstitbutjustchoosetodeath.Forthelong-termoppressiontheyjustendureitsilentlyandneverhadtheideaoffightingback.

TheyoungIndianwomanisscreamingbecausesheisbeinginlabor.WhenNickaskshisfather“OhDaddy,can’tyougivehersomethingtomakeherstopscreaming?

”[3]Thewhitedoctor’sanswerisshockedme.Hesays“No.Ihaven’tanyanesthetic.Butherscreamsarenotimportant.Idon’thearthembecausetheyarenotimportant”.FromthatIfeelthatthewhitedoctorhavenoregardfortheyoungIndianwomanbutforhisoperation.Hedoesnotregardherasamanbutananimal.Soitshowsthewhitestillhavediscriminationtotheblack.

AndInoticedthatUncleGeorgeissmokingacigar,butthehusbandissmokingpipe.AndwhentheyoungIndianleadsthemthroughthewoodshecarriesalantern.Butwhenthedoctorhasalookatthehusbandhecarriesalamp.Inthesamestage,thewhiteandtheblackhaveawidelydifferentlife.Itseemsthattheydonotliveinasametime.TheIndiansstillliveaveryprimitivelife.ThethreewhitesNick,doctorandUncleGeorgearebalancedbythethreeIndianswhohelpholddownthewoman.Thearrangementisalsoshowsthattherestillhaveinequalitiesbetweentheblackandwhite.

PartIIIInequalityinGender

Genderisalsoaprimarythemeinliterature,IndiaCampalsorefertogender.Andthereisinequalityinmanandwoman.

Hemingwaywritesthat“Shelayinthelowerbunk,verybigunderaquilt.Herheadwasturnedtooneside.Intheupperbunkwasherhusband.”Thearrangementthatthewomanlayinthelowerbunkandherhusbandlayintheupperbunk.Whythehusbanddoesnotlayanotherplacebutlayintheupperbunk?

AndhealsocanleavetheshantyandstaywiththeotherIndianman.Theloweranduppernotonlytellusthelocationthatthecouplelaybutalsoshowsthatthepositionofmanandwomaninsocietyandfamilies.Menhaveasuperiorpositionandtheyoppresswomenallthetime.

Hemingwaymentionedthat“Alltheoldwomeninthecamphadbeenhelpingher.Themenhadmovedoffuptheroadtositinthedarkandsmokeoutofrangeofthenoisethatshemade.”Thementhinkthescreamingthatshemadebecauseofpainisnoise.Andtheygetawayfromit.Butwomenhavetosufferfromeventhoughitispainbadly.Andthereisavividlydescribedthat“AfterwhenhestartedtooperateUncleGeorgeandthreeIndianmenheldthewomenstill.”ItmeansthatwhenthewhitedoctoroperatesontheyoungIndianwomanthereisnowomantogiveahelp.Theyarepureman.JeffreyMeyerssaidthat“Wemightexpecttofindlove,equalityandsolidarityinthestory,butinfactHemingwaydisappointsourexpectationsbyrevealingtheopposite---forthereisnoevidenceoflove,equalityorsolidarity.TheIndiansarestrikinglyaffectlessandisolated.Themenshouldgivetheconcernmovedoutofrangeofthescreams,thehusbandrolledoveragainstthewall,andtheonlydirectcontactwiththesquawismadebythethreeIndianswho,withUncleGeorge,heldherdown”inhisanalysis.[2]Sowecanseethatthepositionofmaleishigherthanthatoffemaleinthattime,andHemingwayispaymoreattentiontomalethanfemale.Wecanrealizethatwomenareinaweakposition,menandwomenstatusisunequal.“AconsiderablenumberofcriticsarguethatHemingwayisagreatmanwhodiscriminatewomen.Therefore,inhisworksonly‘CodeHeroes’”ZhengQingqiusaidinheressay.[5]FromthatIcometoaconclusionthatthereisinequalityingenderinIndianCamp.Theydonothavetheirownrightsandthewhitemendonottreatthemasman.TheyhaveabadlifeinIndianCamp.

PartⅣInequalityinPerson

Intheprocessofinterpersonalcommunicationwehavedifferentattitudestowardsdifferentpeople.Andthereisnoobviousinequalityinperson.ButwecanseethereisinequalityinpersoninIndianCamp.Forexample,itmentionedthat“‘Iwillputsomeperoxideonthat,George’,thedoctorsaid.”ItshowsthatthewhitedoctorpaymoreattentiontoUncleGeorge’sinjury,whichisbittenbytheyoungIndianwomanandhecareaboutUncleGeorge.Hecannotstandawhitemantosufferjustthelittleaffair.Buttherearesentencesthat“‘No.Ihaven’tanyanesthetic,hisfathersaid’”and“They’reusuallytheworstsuffersintheselittleaffairs”.ThewhitedoctorregardsthecesareansectionasalittleaffaireventhoughtheyoungIndianmakessuchloudscreambecauseofpain.Hesimplyreversesthepositionbetweencaesareansectionandthebite.Heregardsthebitemoreseriousthanthecaesareansecti