弗洛姆异化理论对《土生子》的研究

Study of Native Son in Erich Fromm's Theory of Alienation

《土生子》是以城市黑人贫民区为背景,向读者讲述了一个向往白人美好生活,但长期被剥夺平等生存权、发展权的黑人青年托马斯·别格在极端恐惧和慌乱之下失手杀害了白人姑娘玛丽,又害怕被告发而杀死他的黑人女友蓓西走上了逃亡之路,最终受到法律严惩的故事。小说中的主人公托马斯·别格不同于传统黑人文学中顺从、屈服的人物形象,而以暴力反抗种族压迫、黑人歧视。尽管他最后受到了法律的制裁,但却一步步寻回了自身独立的人格。首先,从黑人存在的"被边缘化"的社会现状与他们渴望身份认同的美好愿望的对比来分析小说主人公别格异化的原因;其次,从别格被自我疏离,白人疏离,以及不被理解的黑人疏离来分析别格异化的表现;最后,从主人公别格开始对自己的所作所为进行反思,重新认识自我、找回本真自我、克服疏远,并重塑与他人关系的历程,来分析别格消除异化的过程。从而探讨黑人应该如何生存的问题。

Native Son is based on the urban black slum and tells the story of a black young man Thomas Bigger, who is longing for a better life for white men, but has been deprived of equal rights to survive and develop, has murdered a white girl Mary under extreme fear and panic. He was afraid of being revealed by his black girlfriend and killed her, taking the road to exile. Eventually, he was severely punished by law. In the novel, Thomas Bigger was different from the obedient and yielding character in traditional black literature, and he used violence means against racial oppression and black discrimination. Although he was finally sanctioned by law, he gradually recovered his own independent personality. This article analyzes the reasons for the self-alienation of Bigger from two aspects, which are the "marginalized" social status of blacks and their desire for self-identity. Except his self-alienation, he was also alienated by the whites and other blacks. Eventually, Bigger reflected on what he has done, re-recognizing himself, overcoming estrangement, reestablishing relationships with others and eliminating alienation. Today, so many years after the black slave liberation movement, the question of how blacks survive still deserves our discussion.