厄普代克小说《马人》解读

On the Boundary between Heaven and Earth——On John Updike's Novel The Centaur

在《马人》这部小说中,约翰·厄普代克采用了神话与现实相结合的创作手法,突显了现代人的精神困惑。现代社会中的人如同故事的主人公一样,忍受着生活苦闷与失望的同时,仍在寻找精神寄托。然而在一个神性丧失的时代,这一切注定是徒劳的。神话与现实生活的并置增强了对现实表述的可能性,借此厄普代克细致地刻画了现代人的真实生活,即处于天国与尘世之间的人,已经远离天国,堕入尘世。《马人》的写作手法体现了主题与表现形式的完美融合。

In his novel The Centaur, John Updike mixed myth with reality to emphasize the confusion of modem people by telling a story happening between a father and a son. Modem people suffered the hardship and disappointment of life, but looked for spiritual belief in vain in a society without worship. The juxtaposition of myth and reality made it possible to express modem world in art. By doing this, Updike conveyed to us that modem people had been far away from heaven and fallen to the earth, which was the true portrait of modem people. The writing skill in this novel reflected the perfect blend of theme and form.