莫里森的三重文化身份及其小说中的女性形象解读

The Three Cultural Identities of Toni Morrison and the Portrayal of African American Women in Her Novels

托妮·莫里森是美国当代著名黑人女作家,在其迄今为止发表的11部小说中,黑人女性是贯穿其中的主角,是作家始终关注的对象。对莫里森作品的解读需要关照其独特的三重文化身份:美国人、黑人、女人。身为进入美国主流社会的作家,莫里森对西方经典了如指掌;身为黑人,莫里森对非洲文化传统秉承与热爱;身为女人,莫里森一直坚持女性立场。因此,在解读莫里森小说中的女性形象时须掌握与《圣经》、非洲文化相关的知识并具有女性意识,三者的结合是解读其作品中女性形象的必要条件。

Toni Morrison is one of America＇s most famous modern African American authors. To date, she has published 11 novels, in which African American women consistently play the leading roles and protagonists, exposing the author＇s unwavering focus on this demographic. When analyzing the works of Toni Morrison, it is necessary to look independently at the three aspects of identity which inform her works： she is American, Black, and female. As an American author describing popular modern society, Morrison has a good command of Western classics（especially the Bible and Christian tradition）. As a Black American, she advocates a passion and adherence to propagating African culture and traditions. As a woman, Morrison has consistently insisted on portraying strong female characters as main proponents in her works. Therefore, it is only by acknowledging the combination of Morrison＇s three identities that we can understand the intricacies in her command of Christian tradition, African culture, and feminine perspectives as she weaves her novels.