论《银雀》中的亲子关系对儿童成长的影响

On Parent-Child Relation and Child Development in Silver Sparrow

新生代美国黑人女作家塔雅丽·琼斯的第三部作品《银雀》,记录了两个黑人女孩从懵懂幼稚到成熟睿智的蜕变与成长过程,生动地再现了美国社会中黑人亲子关系的样貌。本文运用McMaster家庭功能理论,结合美国黑人历史以及当代黑人女性的书写语境,分析了亲子关系对于成长中的黑人儿童特别是黑人少女所带来的各种影响:父亲缺位和淡漠疏离的父女关系对儿童成长,特别是在自我认同、异性交往方面产生消极影响,而母亲的关爱和亲密健康的母女关系在肯定自我价值、传承黑人母亲身份内涵方面带来积极影响,从而能够弥补父亲带来的负面影响,使儿童最终得以健康成长。琼斯在《银雀》中一如既往地关注儿童成长问题,为美国黑人女性文学的发展开拓了新的方向。

Tayari Jones, one of the most promising African-American female writers of a younger generation, depicts the growth of two black girls who have experienced innocence and maturity in her third novel Silver Sparrow. Based on the McMaster Model of family functioning theory, this paper explores the effects of parent-child relation on African-American children especially African-American girls by referring to African-American history and the context of contemporary African-American women’s writing. It is found that father absence and estranged father-daughter relationship have adverse effects on the formation of children’s self-identity which leads to failed romantic relationship;while mother’s care and close mother-daughter relationship play a positive role in helping children build self-worth and pass down motherhood, which compensates for the negative effects of father absence. Jones displays her focus on children’s growth and development in this novel, which has brought a new direction to the development of African-American women’s literature.