“斯芬克斯的第三只手臂”——论《三臂人》中的身份危机与道德寓言

The Third Arm of Sphinx:On Identity Crisis and Moral Fable in The Man Who Had Three Arms

爱德华·阿尔比作品的《三臂人》是一部有关"道德失控"的寓言,剧中主角"第三只手臂"的出现与消失喻示着人类"斯芬克斯因子"的存在及其复杂性,展示出理性意志与自由意志之间的伦理冲突。剧本围绕着"他自己"因为"第三只手臂"先后所遭遇的一系列伦理变故而展开,讲述了人们面对某种畸形与奇观趋之若鹜的怪像,由此引发的价值扭曲与道德失控的局面。论文以文学伦理学批评为研究方法,紧扣剧中"第三只手臂"的出现这一核心伦理事件,剖析"他自己"的伦理遭遇与伦理选择的过程,探究包括"他自己"在内的剧中人物道德失衡及背后的伦理动因,以此窥见剧作家的伦理旨趣:通过书写极端的道德失控,寄寓人们对于理想道德法则的向往与正确伦理秩序的呼唤。

Edward Albee＇ s The Man Who Had Three Arms is a fable about ＂losing control of morality＂. The appearance and disappearance of ＂the third arm＂ of the protagonist in this play not only symbolize the existence of ＂Sphinx Factor＂ and its complexity but demonstrate the ethical conflicts between rational will and free will. The play expands around a series of ethical changes ＂Himself＂ has undergone because of ＂the third arm＂, and narrates a strange spectacle that people have shown up when facing with some kind of deformities and wonders. The play describes the value distortion and moral tailspin caused by this spectacle. Taking the approach of Ethical Literary Criticism, this paper focuses on the appearance of ＂the third arm＂, the core ethical event in the play. Through analyzing the process of ethical encounter and ethical choice of ＂Himself＂, this paper explores the ethJcal motives behind the moral imbalance of characters, in- cluding ＂Himself＂, in order to get a glimpse of the playwright＇ s ethical purport. By writing extreme condi- tion about losing control of morality, Albee commits people about his yearning for the ideal moral law and calling for the correct ethical order.