《心灵的谎言》:男性自我身份认同的幻梦

A Lie of the Mind——Imagination of Masculine Self-identification

山姆·谢泼德于1985年创作的剧作《心灵的谎言》往往被看作是其前四部家庭剧的融合与总结。该作品描绘了两个家庭中夫妻、父子、兄弟、母女等错综复杂的关系,剖析了以美国西部边疆神话为信仰,以父辈为遗传代码,以女性为道具的男性自我身份认同的心路历程,成为了美国现实社会的缩影图。然而,美国男性所信仰的自我身份认同方式只是一个无法实现的幻梦,是沉积在美国文化、美国经验与美国精神中的一则谎言。其寻梦的旅程就是奥德赛式的归家之旅,一个无法逃避的圆圈,梦的尽头则是迷失的深渊。

A Lie of the Mind written by Sam Shepard in 1985 is always regarded as the fusion and summary of his previous four family plays. In this play the complicated relations between brothers, husbands and wives, fathers and sons,mothers and daughters are described, and the mental experiences of masculine self- identification with the belief of the myth of West, through the genetic codes of fathers and domestication of women are analyzed in detail, so it is the epitome of American realistic society. However, the way of self- identification is only an imagination which cannot be realized, and a lie which is created on the basis of American culture, experience and spirits. Thus, the journey of persuing the dream becomes Odyssey＇ s way of going home and an unescapable circle of eternal loss.