从《宠儿》透视美国黑人女性的悲剧与成长.docx

从《宠儿》透视美国黑人女性的悲剧与成长.docx

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从《宠儿》透视美国黑人女性的悲剧与成长

从《宠儿》透视美国黑人女性的悲剧与成长

Abstract

ToniMorrisonistheonlyAfro-AmericanwomanwriterwhowinstheNobelPrizeforliterature,andherworksarewell-knownforvividimages,copiousemotionsandprofoundthoughts.Herworksarealwayspresentedonbehalfoftheblackwomenandfulloftragedies.Ageneralthemegoesthroughallherfictions:

thetragiclifeoftheblackpeopleandtheconflictbetweenthewhitecultureandtheblackculture.

InBeloved,Morrisontellspeopleastoryaboutablackslavewomanwhohasatragiclifebutnevergivesupherfaithinself-growth.Throughthedifferentgrowingexperiencesofthreegenerations,thefictionrevealsthehumblepositionoftheblackwomenandtheirdifficultprocessofgrowthundertheoppressionofracismandsexism.OntheonehandMorrisonshowstherealsituationoftheblackwomenfromadistinctpointofview,anddemonstratestheirpainsandsufferings.Ontheotherhand,throughthetragicstoryofBeloved,Morrisonalsoshowspeoplethegreatstrengthandself-growthoftheblackwomen.Althoughthegrowingprocessisfullofdifficulties,theblackwomen,throughtheeffortsofgenerations,finallybuildthemselvesup,andbravelyfacethepresentandthefuture.

KeyWords

Blackwomen;discriminationandoppression;tragedy;strength;growth

摘要

托尼•莫里森是美国唯一一位获得诺贝尔文学奖的黑人女性作家,其小说以鲜明的形象,丰富的感情和深刻的思想而著名,她的作品总是代表着黑人女性并充满了悲剧色彩。

在她的小说中始终可以感受到一个主题：

“美国黑人命运的残酷,以及白人文化和黑人传统文化之间的冲突和对峙。

”

在《宠儿》中,莫瑞森就讲述了一个生活在悲剧中但却始终不放弃信念的黑人女奴的悲惨故事；通过三代人不同的成长经历展现了处于弱势地位的黑人妇女在种族主义和性别主义的双重压迫下艰难的心路历程。

一方面,莫里森用她独特的视角讲述黑人妇女真实的处境,使人们可以强烈深刻地感受到黑人妇女的痛苦经历。

另一方面,通过《宠儿》的悲剧故事,莫里森向人们展示了黑人妇女的力量与自我成长。

尽管成长的过程充满荆棘,但通过一代又一代的努力,黑人女性最终成长起来,开始勇敢地面对现在和未来。

关键词

黑人妇女；歧视和压迫；悲剧；力量；成长

Introduction

ToniMorrisonistheonlyAfro-AmericanwomanwriterwhowinstheNobelPrizeforliterature.ItconfirmsherrenownandmakesheroneofthemostinfluentialwritersinAmericahistory.FromTheBluestEyetoLove,eachofherfictionshasexertedvibratinginfluenceupontheliteraryworld.InthefictionsofToniMorrison,thereisadistinctandeternalthemewhichcanbefeltandtouchedclearly:

thetragiclifeoftheblackpeopleandtheconflictbetweenthewhitecultureandtheblackculture.

Beloved,afamousfictionbyToniMorrisonin1987whichwinsthe1988PulitzerPrize,bestexemplifiesthethemeandherthoughtsabouttheblacks,especiallytheblackwomen.ThestoryofBelovedcomesfromatrueevent:

In1850,MargaretGarner,aKentuckyfugitiveslavewoman,wouldratherchoosedeathforherselfandherchildrenthanbeingreturnedtoslavery.Butsheonlykilledoneandtherestwererecapturedandsold（Zhu144）.WhenToniMorrisonheardthisstory,shewasdeeplymovedanddecidedtowritedownit.After10yearsofgestatingand3yearsofwriting,shefinallyfinishedthisgreatwork.Onceitwaspublished,itshookthewholeAmericanliterarycircleandculturalcircle,andwasconsideredamilestoneinthehistoryofAfro-Americans.

Peoplealwaysthinkthattheblackwomenarecoquettish,crude,strongandhumble,andtheycanbearmorepressurethanthewhitewomen.However,Morrisonarguesthattheyarewrong.ThroughherfictionsMorrisonrevealsthattheblackwomenhavethesameemotionjustasotherpeopledo.Morrisonisalwaysproudofherblackstatus.Infact,theblackwomencontributealottoAmerica,andeventothewholeworld,buttheystillcan’tbeacceptedbythesociety.

Actually,peopleknowverylittleabouttheblackwomen,andaboutthetroublestheymetandtherespecttheyshouldgetintheirwork,intheirmarriage,intheircharacterasamother,intheirspirituallifeandtheirbelief.Morrisonalwaystriestoexpresstootherpeoplethatthoughtheblackwomenhaveatragiclifetheynevergiveuptheirfaithinself-growth,andthoughtheirgrowingprocessisfullofdifficulties,theyfinallybuildthemselvesup,andbravelyfacethepresentandthefuture.

I.TheTragedyandGrowthoftheBlackWomen

A.TheTragedyoftheBlackWomen

Whitepeoplebelievedthatwhateverthemanners,undereverydarkskinwasajungle.Swiftunnavigablewatersswingingscreamingbaboons,sleepingsnakes,redgumsreadyfortheirsweetwhiteblood.Themorecoloredpeoplespenttheirstrengthtryingtoconvincethemhowgentletheywere,howcleverandloving,howhuman,themoretheyusedthemselvesuptopersuadewhitesofsomethingNegroesbelievedcouldnotbequestioned,thedeeperandmoretangledthejunglegrewinside.Thescreamingbaboonlivedundertheirownwhiteskin;theredgumsweretheirown.（Morrison198）

InBeloved,theschoolteacherisatypicalwhiteman;heseemstobeimpartialandobjective.Butwhatheandhisnephewsdidwasreallybrutal:

inordertodoso-calledresearch,heusedtogaugetheblackslaves,likethedraughtanimals.OneofthenephewshadnursedSethewhilehisbrotherheldherdown.Thewhitepeopledogoodorevilthingsjustastheylike,andtheblackpeoplehavenochoices,butreceiveall.Withthecomingofthemodernsociety,thescientificanddemocraticspirithasbeenputaroundtheUnitedStates,butnevertheAfrica-Americans.Theghostsoftheblackslavesaretheirrefutableevidence.Morrisononcesaid,herworksarefortheblackpeoplethemselves.Theblackpeopleshouldlovethemselves;especiallytheblackwomenneeddoso.

InBeloved,Sethehastokillherdaughter,andundoubtedlythat’sabigtragedy.Besides,Belovedherselfisatragedytoo.Shecomestothisworldatawrongtime,andiskilledbyhermother.Whenshecomesback,sheistreatedasanevil.AttheendoftheBeloved,Morrisonwrites:

Everybodyknewwhatshewascalled,butnobodyanywhereknewhername.Disrememberedandunaccountedfor,shecannotbelostbecausenooneislookingforher,andeveniftheywere,howcantheycallheriftheyknowhername?

Althoughshehasclaim,sheidnotclaimed.Intheplacewherelonggrassopens,thegirlwhowaitedtobelovedandcryshameeruptsintoherseparateparts,tomakeiteasyforthechewinglaughtertoswallowherallaway.（Morrison274）

Althoughthedaughter’snameisBeloved,shenevergetslove.Nobodylovesher,sheisjustconsideredaghost,andeverybodyexpelsher.Infact,theblackwomenareborntobelookeddownupon.Theyarelookeddownuponbythewhitepeople,andevenbysomeblackmale.Soactually,theyarethemosttragicpeopleintheworld.Theyalwayshavetobearthepainsandsufferingsbothfromraceandsexdiscriminationwhichisheavilyimposedonthem.

Theblackwomenarelookeddownuponforthecoloroftheirskinallthetime.AlthoughtheAmericanConstitutionsaysthateveryoneisequalinthesociety.Butinreality,coloredpeople,especiallytheblackwomen,neverhaveequalrightsandrespect.Theyusuallystayatthebottomofthesociety.

InAmericansociety,generally,peopleholdtheideathatonlythewhitepeopleareinthemainstream.TheywouldliketodivideAmericansintoseveralclasses.Ofcoursethewhitepeoplearethefirstclasspeople,andtheyarethecenterofthesociallife.Therearenoblacksorothercoloredpeoplewhocanbethepresident,oreventheleadingofficers.Forthewhitepeople,theybelievetheyare,undoubtedly,superiortotheblackpeople;theblackpeoplewereborntobeslaves,orthelowestclasspeople.Atthelateofthe19thcentury,theblackpeople’shumanrightsandcivilrightshadbeenacceptedinlaw,butinpracticetheywerestilloppressedphysiologicallyandintelligently.Forlaw,itprescribesthateveryoneisequal,butitdoesnotprescribethatthewhiteandblackpeoplecansittogether,sharethepublicequipmenttogether,orworktogether.Therefore,inmanyplaces,thewhitesandtheblacksaresegregated.Inrestaurant,therearetheWhites’ZoneandtheBlacks’Zone;inthetrain,therearedifferentcarriagesforthewhitesandtheblacks.

Inthepast,theblackpeopleweretoldthatthereasonwhytheywereblackwasbecausetheirbloodwasblack,andtheyweredyedwiththeblackblood.Somanyblackwomentriedtofindhusbandswhichwerewhitertomixbecausetheybelievedthattheblacknesswoulddisappearinthatway.InBeloved,grandmaBabySuggsponderedcolorduringherlostyears.“Tookheralongtimetofinishwithblue,theyellow,thengreen.Shewaswellintopinkwhenshedied.”（Morrison201）Sheusedthelittleenergyleftherforponderingallkindsofcolors,exceptredandblackwhichreferstothebloodandtheblackpeople.Shesaid,thecolorswouldn’thurtpeople.However,it’sthecolorthatreallyhurtspeople,evenkillspeople–theBlacks.Inthewhites’opinion,beingdarkisugly,andblackisequaltoevil,whilebeingwhiteisbeautiful.Thentheblackwomenwerefacedwithevenmoreproblems.Theirfigureswereusuallyabused,disparaged,distortedandevenusedasweaponstoattackthemselves.Manyblackwomencouldn’tbearsuchmiseries,theyhadtoabandontheirownfigures,andturntomasks.

Inthesociety,menareconsideredtobeindependent,offensive,competitive,rational,andintrepid,whilewomenaresuchagroupthatmostofthemareoppressedbysexdiscrimination.Manyblackwomenfeelthattheyalwaysseethemselvesthroughothers’eyes,treasuretheirownsoulsbythewhites’rule,andtheworldalwayslooksdownuponthemandshowsnomercytothem.Theyreallyfeelhorrorintheirinnerheart.Theysuffernotonlyintheirsouls,butalsointheirbodies.

Although“Everybodyhashislibertyandright.”（詹妮特412）,femaleisunequaltomaleeverywhere,forexample,inthefamilyfemaleusuallytakesonallthehousework,andtakecareofthechildren.Itisconsideredthatwomenareborntobehousewives.Theyarebornt