《岂力马扎罗的雪》中真实性的分量毕业作品.docx
《《岂力马扎罗的雪》中真实性的分量毕业作品.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《《岂力马扎罗的雪》中真实性的分量毕业作品.docx(9页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
《岂力马扎罗的雪》中真实性的分量毕业作品
英语
《岂力马扎罗的雪》中真实性的分量
TheWeightofAuthenticityinTheSnowsofKilimanjaro
摘要
《岂力马扎罗的雪》是海明威最著名的短篇小说之一。
它主要讲述了一个作家在临死时回忆一生中未写作的片段和经历这一故事。
由于故事结构的复杂性,现有文献中对主角的分析不一,以致产生了对主人公哈里多种不同甚至相反的评价。
因此,本文尝试使用一种统一的视角检视主人公的个性特征。
通过哈里作为观察者和作者这两种身份时的真实性来分别进行阐述。
通过这一分析,本文厘清了现存的各种相反或相对的观点,并且得出结论,即作为观察者的哈里一直保持着他的真实性,而作为作家的哈里在死前完成了向真实性的转变。
关键词:
岂力马扎罗的雪;真实性;拖延
Abstract
TheSnowsofKilimanjaroisoneofHemingway'smostfamousshortstories.Itisastoryaboutadyingwriterlookingbackonalifetimeofunwrittenstories.Duetothecomplexityinthestructureofthestory,analysesofitsmaincharacterHarryvaryinexistingliterature,whichleadstodifferent,evensharplycontrastingwaysofevaluation.Therefore,thisarticleventurestoexaminetheprotagonistinaunifiedpointofview.Thisisachievedthroughlookingatthecharacterinthelightofhisauthenticitybothasanobserverandasawriter.Throughthisexamination,itclarifiesvariousconflictingpointsofviewthatcurrentlyexists,andarrivesattheconclusionthatHarryisanauthenticobserverwhohasbeentransformedtoanauthenticwriterbeforehisdeath.
Keywords:
TheSnowsofKilimanjaro;authenticity;procrastination
Contents
AbstractII
1.Introduction:
1
2.ThePsychologicalWeightofAuthenticity2
2.1HarryasanAuthenticObserver2
2.1.1ToFacetheUnfamiliar3
2.1.2ToFacetheIncongruous4
2.1.3ToFacetheFutilityofTheorizing5
2.2HarryinhisStruggletobeanAuthenticWriter6
2.2.1ResistancefromthePublic6
2.2.2ResistancefromLovedOnes7
2.3TheTransitionbeforeDeath8
3.Conclusion8
Bibliography10
Acknowledgments10
1.Introduction:
TheSnowsofKilimanjaroisoneofHemingway’smostfamousshortstories.TheframeofthestoryisaboutawriternamedHarrywhowasdyingofgangreneonaremoteplainofAfrica.(Logsdon,29)Whileonasafariwithhisgirlfriend,Harryreceivedaslightwoundwhichresultedgangreneinhisleg,andwiththeirtruckbrokendowntheywerestranded,withlittleprospectofimmediatehelp.Dyingaslowbutpainlessdeath,Harrycalledbacktomemoryalifetimeofstoriesthathehadpostponedtowrite(Logsdon,30)andrealizedthathewouldneverhaveachancetowriteagain.
Throughthereminiscenceoftheprotagonist,Hemingwaypresentsamontageofimagesrecollectedfromhisownpast(Bonds,132),includinghiswartimeexperience,pastloveaffairs,andlifeofmenandwomeninthepoorquartersofParis.Theseaccountsalsoformaconcretepartofthestory.Thistypeofstory-telling,whichresemblestheancientstyleof“frametale”,allowstheauthortointegrateavastamountofdiversified“sub-stories”andscatteredaccountsintoafluentwhole,followingtheflowofconsciousnessofHarry.Butduetotheset-upofthestory,aconfusionwascreatedastowheretodrawthelinebetweenthewriterandtheprotagonist.AnditisalsonotimmediatelycleartowhatextentcanHarry'scharacteristicsbeattributedtohiscreator.
Thetwodifferentpointsofview,whichseparateandconvergeatdifferentpointswiththedevelopmentofthestory,haslentavaguenesstotherelationshipbetweenthecharacterandtheauthor.Differentunderstandingsofthisparticularrelationship,orlackofconcernofit,hasledtodifferencesoftheoverallinterpretationinthephilosophyofthewholestory,whichspansboththenegativeandpositiveextremesofthesamespectrum,andleadstodisparityofinterpretationinthesmallestdetails.
Forinstance,MüllerdescribedHarryasan“inauthenticself”thatHemingwayissymbolicallykillingoff.(Müller,38)StoltzfusregardsHarryasadecliningwriter,andHemingway,asHarry'screator,“understandstheflawsinboththeirlives.”(Stoltzfus,218)AccordingtoIbañez,Harryisaself-destructivewriterwhofeedsonhisownrottenandinventedlies.(Ibañez,105)InLiYananandOuLin'spointofview,however,Harryis“neitheraheronoracoward”(Li,94)butanormalpersonatthemercyofhispainfulmemoriesimposedbyhistime.
Thediscrepancyhasledtodisparityininterpretationsonvariouslevels.Forexample,StoltzfusreasonsthatTheSnowsofKilimanjaroisabout“failure,badfaithandHemingway'srecuperationoffailure”.(Stoltzfus,217-218)Andtheframenarrativeisthusveiledwithanegativeatmosphere-“Heisangry,hequarrelswithhiswife,hehallucinates,andhedies.”(Stoltzfus,217)MüllerdescribedthecentralthemeofHarry'sflashbacksas“theproblematicidealofdoingtherightthing”(Müller,35).
Withthisconfusionitisrelativelyhardtopindownthephilosophythatthestory-tellerholds.Therefore,theaimofthispaper,istotrytoclarifythetangleinthemixedpointsofview,bystickingwithasinglecharacteristic,authenticity,whichshinesthroughtherecollectedscenesaswellastheframenarrative.Throughthissinglepointofview,itseekstoclarifytheconfusioncreatedbytheframestructureofthestoryandreachanewunderstandingaboutitsprotagonist.
2.ThePsychologicalWeightofAuthenticity
WaitingforhisdeathtocomeontheAfricanplain,Harryrecollectsalifetimeofstorieswhichhehadneverwritten.Theyincludehismemoriesaboutwar,hisloveaffairsandthelifeofmenandwomenashewitnessedinthepoorquartersofPariswhichheusedtolive.Diversifiedastheyare,theyareusuallyboundtogetherinseparate“bundles”byasharedelement.Thefirstbatchoftheseaccounts,forexample,isboundbyasharedimageofsnow,fromthesnowthatkilledpeopletothatwhichheskiedon.Thereareevenaframestorywithintheexistingnarrativeframe–aquarrelwithhiswomaninParis–forhimtoputinotheraccountsofexperienceincludingtheoneabout“poppyfieldhorror”,whichistobediscussedlater.Andtherestareintroducedwithreferencetothemainframe.Forinstance,whenHarrywascontemplatinghisownpainlessdeath,herememberedtheofficerWilliamsonwhodiedaunbearablypainfuldeath.Butwhathelpstoachieveasenseofunityamongthediversifiedthemes,isthevalueofauthenticity(Müller,36),whichmeanstoseethingsastheyare,andrejectthetemptationoftheorizingwherethingsareincomprehensible,ortheinclinationofbestowingmeaningonthingsthatarebynatureabsurd.
2.1HarryasanAuthenticObserver
Withinthenarrativeframe,amontageofimagesrecollectedfromHemingway'sownpastwerepresented(Bonds,132).Theseaccounts,writtenwithextremeskillfulness,alsoformaconcretepartofthestory.TheyincludeHarry'smemoriesaboutwar,hisloveaffairsandthelifeofmenandwomenashewitnessedinthepoorquartersofParis.Whathelpstoachieveasenseofunityamongtheextremelydiversifiedrecollections,isthevalueofauthenticity(Müller,36),whichmeansthecapabilityorwillingnesstoseethingsastheyare,andtorejectthetemptationoftheorizingwherethingsareincomprehensible,ortoforcemeaningonthingsthatarebynatureabsurd.
Inthissense,Harrycouldbecountedasanauthenticobserverofhistime,asacloseexaminationoftheaccountswouldshow.WhentheGreatWarbrokeoutinthe1910s,itdisruptedthenormalorderoflifeandbroughtdeathandhorrorintonormalpeople'slives,evenwheretheyweretheleastexpected.Asthefollowingexaminationofthedetailedaccountswillshow,tobeauthenticmeanstofacetheunfamiliar,theincongruousandthefailureofreasonandtheinsecuritiesthattheyincur.
2.1.1ToFacetheUnfamiliar
Theout-brokenofWorldWarIdisruptedthenormalorderoflifeandbroughtdeathandhorrorintonormalpeople'slives,evenwhereitistheleastexpected.Peoplebegantoseedeath,whichusedtobeamysterioussubject,nowjuxtaposedwiththeirdearfriends,families,orwhateverdailyobjectsthatgaveoneasenseofcommonplaceness.AndthecontrastwasshockingasitwasdisplayedinHemingway’saccountofpoppyfieldhorrorwhichHarryexperiencedonenightwhileleavingforAnatolia:
Thatwasthedayhe'dfirstseendeadmenwearingwhiteballetskirtsandupturnedshoeswithpomponsonthem...Laterhehadseenthethingsthathecouldneverthinkofandlaterstillhehadseenmuchworse.(Hemingway,21)
Theimageof“whiteballetskirts”and“upturnedshoeswithpomponsonthem”conjuresupdifferentimaginationsfordifferentindividuals,butonlyinrarecaseswillitbeassociatedwiththeharshimageofadeadman.Avoidofexpectationwasthuscreatedandwhentheimageregisteredthevision,theimpactwasimmediate.
Itiscommonexperiencethatwhenoneissurprisedorshocked,hewillbeunabletothinkorspeakforatleastatransientmoment.Thatisoftenmetaphoricallydescribedas“losingorientation”asifpeoplehadforsomereasonsteppedofftherealmoffamiliarityandintothestrangeness.Mostwillrecoverby“makingsenseof”whathappened,butinthiscase,evenrealizingthestrangenessofthepicturedoesnothelptoputitintoanyexistingmentalcategory.
Familiaritymaybedullandcontempt-breeding,butitalsoprovidesasenseofsecurityandcomfort.Theunfamiliarqualityofhisexperience,andthedifficultyofre-orientationorintegratingitintotheoldsystemofthinkingiswhatmakesitmentallydisturbing,andthereforeextremelyhardtoface.Asaresult,whenHarrywasbackinParisagainhe“couldnottalkaboutitorstandtohaveitmentioned”.Theheavinessoftruthhadweighedhimdown.Hencetheprocrastinationinwritingthemdown,despitethattheycouldhavebeenextremelyvaluableandrarewritingmaterialsforawriter.
2.1.2ToFacetheIncongruous
Anothercharacteristicoftheaccountsistheincongruityofreasoningtheydisplayedintheplaceofthemuchmorefamiliarapriorireasons.I