家庭·社会·自然:《大瀑布》的共同体解读

Family,Society and Nature:the Interpretation of the Community in The Falls

《大瀑布》是融合个人、家庭、社会和自然关系的小说。小说运用心理现实的手法来建构哥特式情节,体现出乔伊斯·卡罗尔·欧茨敏锐的文学洞察力。小说中人与自我、社会与人、人类与自然的关系是无序和失衡的。个体矛盾呈现为外部世界对人的思想干涉及其自身斗争,如婚姻信仰;社会金钱利益和个体物欲是破坏现实秩序和毁灭不同阶层关系的首要因素,如德克之死;人类为一己私利开发并毁坏自然,导致生态破坏,如爱的运河。小说揭示了通过建立家庭、精神和生态共同体,能够实现人、社会、自然的和谐统一和共生共存。

The Falls is a novel which integrates with individual,family,society and nature relationships.It is organized with technique of writing of gothic plot and psychological reality,which reflects Oates′s literary insight.This thesis lay emphasis on the imbalance and disorder between man and self,society and man,as well as human and nature.The individual contradictions are mainly manifested as the external world′s interference in man′s thoughts and their own struggles,such as marriage and belief;in society,money interest and material desire acts as the primary factors to destroy the realistic order and relations between different classes,such as Dirk′s death;human exploits nature for their own interest,resulting in ecological destruction,such as Love Canal.The novel reveals that by establishing the blood,spirit and ecological community,people,society and nature can achieve harmonious coexistence,which expresses Oates′s community imagination in ideal life.