DubiousprogressinDHLawrence27sTicketPlease学习资料.docx

DubiousprogressinDHLawrence27sTicketPlease学习资料.docx

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DubiousprogressinDHLawrence27sTicketPlease学习资料

DubiousprogressinD.H.Lawrence's"Tickets,Please"

Bernard-JeanRamadier

1"Tickets,Please"isoneoftheshortstoriesinthecollectionEnglandMyEngland,publishedin1922.Itisasimpleanecdotetoldindeceptivelysimplelanguage;ayounginspectorofthetramwaysystemseducesalltheconductressesontheMidlandsline.Oneofthem,Annie,eventuallyfallsforhimonaspecialoccasion,butshewantsmorethanaflirtation.Asshebecomesmoreandmorepossessive,theyoungmanletsherdownandpicksupanothergirl:

Anniethendecidestotakerevenge.Asalltheotherconductressesmoreorlessconsciouslybearagrudgeagainsttheseducer,theysetatrapforhim;oneeveningtheymanagetoattracthimintotheirwaiting-roomatthedepotwheretheymolesthim.Thegirls'pretextforharassinghimistomakehimchooseoneofthemforhiswife:

eventuallyhespitefullychoosesAnniewho,farfrombeingproudandcontented,fallspreytoconflictingfeelings.Freedatlast,theinspectorwalksawayaloneinthenightwhilethegirlsleavethedepotonebyone"withmute,stupefiedfaces"（346）1

∙2 Women'sstrugglefortheirrightsandarealsocialstatuswasattimesveryviolent;inAugustan（...）

2Yet,forallitsapparentsimplicity,theplotisasbafflingforthereaderastheirnewly-acquiredidentityisforthegirls.Thereismorethanmeetstheeyeinthestory:

itwaswrittenduringtheFirstWorldWaranditusesthemoralandsocialupheavalbroughtaboutbytheconflict,insistingonthepsychologicalconsequencesofthechangeinwomen'sstatusresultingfromemploymentandfollowingtheirfighttobegivensocialrecognitionandthevote.2Atthetime,thatnewsocialroleofwomenwasregardedasaformofprogressbythemale-dominatedsocietyandbysomewomen,asLawrencemakescriticallyclear.Thegirlconductorsbenefitfromtheirnewstatusinthemicrocosmofthetramsystembeforebecomingawareoftheirrealsecond-ratestatuswhenitcomestodirecthumanrelationship.Livingunderthedelusionofbeingrealactorsrecognisedasfullyresponsiblehumanbeings,theyarebrutallyshownbythechiefinspector'soffhandattitudehowwrongtheyhavebeen.Theirsubsequentviolentreactionrevealstheirdeepfrustrationandtheambiguousrelationshipsbetweenthesexes,marredandwarpedbyprogress.

3Likethegirls,theminersarebothbeneficiariesandvictimsofprogress;theyformthesocialbackgroundofthestory,atthesametimerealisticandsymbolicalastheintroductionoftheshortstoryshows.Theminers'economicfunctionisladenwithanimplicitsymbolicalvalue;extractingcoaltofueltheindustryislikerapingtheearthbyplunderingitsriches,whichhasfar-reachingconsequencesforhumanbeings.Germanmythologyprovidesasimilarimageofagressionwhendwarveswrestgoldfromtheearth,turningthelatterintoawastelandwherespiritualityandtranscendentalismaredead.In"Tickets,Please",theincidentaleffectsofprogressonhumanityareshownthroughtheLawrentiancentralthemeoftherelationshipbetweenmenandwomen.Here,theweakersexandthestrongersexarerespectivelyandironicallyembodiedbyAnnieStoneandJohnThomasRaynor.

4Thegirlconductorsare"fearlessyounghussies"（335）whobravelyfacethedangersofthetramjourneysandthemalepassengers'advances;assuch,theybelongtoadifferentclassofwomenwhosejobisexceptional:

"This,themostdangeroustram-serviceinEngland,astheauthoritiesthemselvesdeclare,withpride,isentirelyconductedbygirls".（335）Suchapositiveandindirectlyself-congratulatorystatementisimmediatelytemperedwiththegrimlyhumorousdescriptionofthegirls,tranformedintohybrids:

Intheiruglyblueuniform,skirtsuptotheirknees,shapelessoldpeakedcapsontheirheads,theyhaveallthesang-froidofanoldnon-commissionedofficer.（335）

∙3 InthedescriptionofTavershall,"allwentbyugly,ugly,ugly".LadyChatterley'sLove（...）

5OneofLawrence'skey-words—ugly3—isusedheretodescribethedevaluedofficialuniformwornbythegirls,justasthewordisrepeatedtostigmatisetheindustriallandscapecrossedbythetraminalliterativephrases（"longuglyvillages,""lastlittleuglyplaceofindustry,"334）.Resemblingtransvestitesintheiruglyuniforms,theconductorsretainonlyabawdysortoffeminitywiththeir"skirtsuptotheirknees."Theyarethedrivers'fitcounterparts;thelatterare"menunfitforactiveservice:

cripplesandhunchbacks"（334）whocompensatefortheirphysicaldeficienciesbytakingfoolishriskswhileothers,effeminate,"creepforwardinterror."（335）Excessiveprudenceorrashnessbetraystheirdeepimbalance,adefectreinforcedbythechaoticrhythmofthesyntaxinthelongopeningparagraphsoftheshortstory.Theylackthe"sang-froid"whichcharacterizesthegirls,asiftheymightjustaswellswapjobswiththem.Aparallelcanbedrawnbetweenthedrivers'lossofmanhoodandtheconductresses'lossofwomanhood.Lawrencemakesitclearthatthepricetopayforsocialprogressisthelossofgenderdifferentiation:

thegirlsassumeanewauthority,whichturnsthemintoshamsoldiers（"non-commisionedofficer,"335）withamasculine,sailor-likebehaviour:

thisrovinglifeaboardthecargivesthemasailor'sdashandrecklessness.Whatmatterhowtheybehavewhentheshipisinport?

Tomorrowtheywillbeaboardagain.（336）

6AnnieStoneisoneofthemandhername,whichisevocativeofahard,mineralsubstance,isinkeepingwithherinflexible,adamantwayofassertingherbrandnewsoldier-likeauthority.Lawrenceironicallyinsistsonthegirl'scommitmenttoherjobthroughtapinosis,referringtotheGreekbattleofthe"hotgates":

"Thestepofthattram-carisherThermopylae."（335）Inordertoshowtheambiguityoftherelationshipbetweenmenandwomen,theyounginspectorJohnThomasRaynorisintroducedasacentraldevicetothemeaningfulmelodramathatgraduallydevelops."Afinecock-of-the-walkhewas":

theyoungman'snumerousconquestsmakehimanobjectforscandal;alwaysonthelookoutfor"pasturesnew,"heconsidershimselfastheproprietorofthegirlconductors（"hisoldflock,"340）.Thisvocabularyaimsatrevealinghissimplisticapproachtohisrelationshipwithhissubordinates;heisreducedtoashallowfigureofaman,meanttoembodyamale-dominatedsystemthatgiveswomentheoutwardattributesofauthoritywithinthelimitsofthetramcarandunderman'ssupervision.Annie'spersonalityismorecomplex;shehastwofaces,asuperficialoneonboardthetramandadeep,instinctiveoneoutsidethesystem.Impervioustooneanotherinthefirsthalfoftheshortstory,thetwoidentitiesthenbegintooverlap.Asaconductorshetakesherjobseriously,whichincreaseshernaturalshrewishnessandconsequentlyshefirstadoptsthesameattitudewithJohnThomasRaynoraswiththeothermalepassengers:

"Annie[...]wassomethingofaTartar,andhersharptonguehadkeptJohnThomasatarm'slengthformanymonths"（336）,beforeallowingagradualcomplicity,bothintimateanddistanttodevelopbetweenthem:

Inthissubtleantagonismtheykneweachotherlikeoldfriends,theywereasshrewdwithoneanotheralmostasmanandwife.（337）

∙4 Seetheuseof"impudent",336and341,whichechoes"hussies",p.335

7Eachofthemknowstherulesofthegameandplaysthemonboardthetramwithintheframeofarelationshipsuperficiallyliberalisedbytheirrespectivefunctionsandtheiryoungage4;however,Annie'sfeminineinstinctsandimpulsearestillthere,tobegivenfullplayonafitoccasion.

∙5 Italicsmine.

8ThereisadrasticchangeofattitudebetweenAnnie-the-conductorandthegirlwhohasanightoffandgoesalonetotheNovemberfunfair.Despitethe"saddeclineinbrillianceandluxury,"（337）manypeoplearethereforentertainment,andthegeneralillusory,transientatmosphereoftheeventisindicatedbytheexpression"artificialwartimesubstitutes"（337）,describingersatzcoconuts.Inanenvironmentwhosehostilityissuggestedbytheexpressions"drizzlinguglynight"（337）and"black,drizzlingdarkness"（338）introducingandclosingthefunfairscene,theplace,forallitsshabbiness,isafitplaceforaloveencounter;furthermore,"TobeattheStatuteswithoutafellowwasnofun."Lawrenceexplicitlylinksthechangeofplacewiththechangeofruleswhichatthefunfairdefinethestatusofmenandwomen;thelatterresumetheirtraditionalpassiveattitude,whereasmenasserttheirlong-establishedeconomicsuperiority.Annieisnolongerthewomanincharge;shehasleftheruniformtodonherbestclothes,moreappropriateinthisplacewhereitisadvisabletoobservearitualisticformofbehaviourtobein"therightstyle"（337）,whichisinfactanintimationofsubmissiveness.ThenewqualityoftherelationshipbetweenAnnieandJohnThomasisemphasizedbytherepetitionof"round";liketheworld,"Theroundaboutswereveeringround"5,andthefair,despiteitssham,allowsare-enactmentoftherealpositionsofmenandwomeninsociety:

JohnThomasmadeherstayonforthenextround.Andthereforeshecouldhardlyforshamerepulsehimwhenheputhisarmroundheranddrewheralittlenearertohim,inaverywarmandcuddlymanner.（337）

∙6 J.ChevalieretA.Gheerbrant,Dictionnairedessymboles,Paris:

Laffont,1995,p. 962.

9JohnThomas'spermissiveattitude,acceptedbyAnnieasamatterofcourse,isanimplicitdenialoftherealityofthesocialprogressgivingwomenauthorityandautonomy.TheconformistrulesattheStatutesFairarethoseofthesocietyofthattime:

menpayforwomen,thusresumingincivilactivitiesthedom