身份危机与道德困境——解读麦克尤恩的《阿姆斯特丹》

Identity Crisis and Moral Dilemma:An Interpretation of Ian McEwan's Amsterdam

本文借助后现代理论家齐格蒙特·鲍曼有关后现代道德的理论,探讨英国当代作家伊恩·麦可尤恩的小说《阿姆斯特丹》里主人公遭遇的中年身份危机和道德困境问题。无论是从事高雅艺术的作曲家克莱夫还是大众通俗报业传媒人弗农,都遭遇了中年身份危机——外在社会“角色”自我和内在真我之间存有强烈冲突。他们在体验对死亡和疾病的恐惧后,并没有发展出有力量的内在真我,没有抱持肯定人性尊严、滋养内在真我的价值取向;在面临后现代道德困境做出选择时,他们始终摆脱不了“角色”自我追逐名利的价值取向;在社会道德退化的大环境下,克莱夫和费农沦为社会黑色讽刺剧的棋子,这对好友最终反目为仇,谋杀了对方。小说辛辣地讽刺了后现代时期“文明生存的本质”。

Drawing on postmodern theorist Zygmunt Bauman􀆳s theories about postmodern morality,this paper examines the midlife identity crisis and moral dilemma of the protagonists in the novel Amsterdam by the contemporary British writer Ian McEwan.Both Clive,a music composer in the refined arts,and Vernon,a media man in the popular press,suffer from a midlife identity crisis—a strong conflict between their external social“role”selves and their fragile inner selves.After experiencing the fear of death and illness,they fail to develop a powerful inner self,and do not embrace the value of affirming human dignity that nourishes the inner self;when confronting the moral dilemma of making a choice in the postmodern era,they are guided by the value of chasing fame and fortune by the“role”self.In the context of social moral degradation,Clive and Vernon become the pawns of social black satire,and the two friends eventually turn against each other and murder each other.The novel sarcastically reveals the“nature of civilized existence”in the post-modern era.