《午夜之子》与后殖民混杂身份的构建

Hybrid Identities in Midnight’s Children

《午夜之子》是萨曼.拉什迪的名作之一,笔者以霍米.巴巴的混杂身份和第三空间这两个概念为依据,分析作品中人物身份的混杂性,从而重新思考后殖民的印度人身份。笔者将阐述小说中的意象和人物身份;由意象的混杂性揭示后殖民话语下人物身份的分裂性;由人物形象混杂性审视二元对立下主体性的缺失;从主人公身份混杂性的阐述转入后殖民身份的重构,分析主人公沙林身份的混杂性,并指出由沙林之子阿当所代表的"第三空间"。沙林——从追求"纯净"身份到生命最后时刻承认自我身份的混杂性——成为了历史的负载者,最终也因负载过多而失败。

Midnight’s Children is one of the most discussed novels written by Salman Rushdie.The present study,based mainly on Homi Bhabha’s notions of hybridity and 'third space',focuses on how Rushdie constructs the hybrid identities of his characters in Midnight’s Children,with a view to reevaluating postcolonial Indian identity.It analyzes the images of symbols and characterization of main characters;and discusses the fragmentation from the hybridized symbols and the ambivalence from the characters and protagonist Saleem’s true identity and the third space.It is suggested that Saleem’s hybrid identity and the 'third principle' represented by his son Aadam are essential to Rushdie’s construction of the Indian identity.Rushdie depicts Saleem as a seeker for his 'pure' identity at the beginning,but he is defeated in the end and has to admit his hybrid identity.