似与不似——悬解《午夜之子》主人公神话原型

An Ambiguous Identity： on the Mythological Archetype of the Protagonist in Midnight＇ s Children

探寻《午夜之子》主人公萨利姆的神话原型是解读小说神话策略的重要前提。从小说人物与神话人物的对应关系以及小说组织神话材料的方式来看，萨利姆的神话原型似是大神毗湿奴而非大神湿婆。这一推断可以在文本中找到依据：小说中萨利姆的形象特征、萨利姆的女伴、小说人物之间的恋爱关系以及印度文学创作特点等，这几个方面都可以印证萨利姆与大神毗湿奴的呼应关系。但该呼应关系在小说中隐而不宣，这与印度神话策略、小说的技巧以及小说的宗教意义密切相关。

To disclose the archetype of the protagonist in Midnight＇ s Children is the premise to interprete the mythological strategies of Midnight＇ s Children. It＇ s presumed that the archetype of Saleem is Vishnu according to the correpondanee of the characters in the novel and those in the myth, and to the organization style of the mythological materials in the novel. This presumption can be verified from several aspects, namely, Saleem＇ s image and his female companion, the romantic relationships among the characters in the novel and the creative characteristics of the Indian literature. The consideration of the Indian mythological strategies, the creative techniques and the religious meaning of the novel can account for the obscurity of the correpondance between saleem and the God Vishnu.