写出都市下层社会的生存噩梦——端木蕻良《吞蛇儿》与契诃夫《牡蛎》之比较

Writing About the Nightmares of the Urban Underworld:A Comparative Study of Duanmu Hongliang's“Snake Swallowing”and Chekhov's“Oyster”

端木蕻良受到契诃夫影响,其短篇小说《吞蛇儿》与契诃夫的《牡蛎》异曲同工:都描写都市下层社会的生存噩梦,以少年的视角与心理感受描写噩梦般的乞讨经历,有少年人的梦境的书写。不同之处:《吞蛇儿》采取第三人称叙事视角,《牡蛎》采取第一人称叙事视角;《吞蛇儿》中有朦胧的反抗意识,《牡蛎》中有鲜明的畏惧色彩;《吞蛇儿》写出都市社会对于苦人的凉薄,《牡蛎》写出上流社会对于乞丐的奚落。从《吞蛇儿》也可见端木蕻良短篇小说的臻于完美。

Affected by Chekhov’s works,Duanmu Hongliang’s short story＂Snake Swallowing＂is quite similar to Chekhov’s＂Oyster＂.They both portray the hardships of survival in the urban underworld through the eyes and life of a young beggar.They both have descriptions of the beggar’s dreams.But while＂Oyster＂is told by a first-person narrator,＂Snake Swallowing＂is told through a third-person narrator.While fear is predominant in＂Oyster＂,a sense of rebellion can be felt in＂Snake Swallowing＂.While＂Oyster＂describes how the upper class scorns the beggars,＂Snake Swallowing＂pictures how the urban society is merciless toward the poor.＂Snake Swallowing＂represents the perfection of Duanmu Hongliang’s short stories.