向死而生:从海德格尔哲学观探究贝娄《洪堡的礼物》中的死亡意蕴

Being Towards Death:A Study of the Meaning of Death in Bellow's Humboldt's Gift from Heidegger's Philosophy

贝娄从未视死亡为禁忌,其作品中有诸多关于死亡事件或者死亡意象的描写。通过对作品中死亡的分析,可发掘贝娄对于生命的哲思。《洪堡的礼物》中西特林以一个世俗的与官僚、反犹主义者同流合污的形象出现,他想随波逐流,在日常的操劳中浑浑噩噩地度日。从存在论角度看,此在纠缠于要么活要么死的线性死亡观,将死亡交给“常人”并逃避“能在”而沉沦于世。为了与他人彼此共在,此在听任他人的摆布陷于非本己的存在样式。然而,小说中恩师洪堡的死逼迫西特林对死亡进行重新审视,构成了小说主人公转变的契机。当此在确切领会了良知的召唤并意识到自己根本的罪责存在之后,它将对自己的不作为进行补偿,最终向本己本真性回归。小说所推崇的死亡认知与海德格尔“向死而在”的存在主义哲学相一致:感受此在的本真、了解生命真正的意义。

Bellow never regarded death as a taboo and there are many descriptions of death events or death images in his works.Bellow’s philosophy of life can be explored through the analysis of death in his works.In the book of Humboldt’s Gift,Citrin appears as a secular figure,mingling with bureaucrats and anti-Semites.He wants to drift with the tide and muddle through the day.From the ontological point of view,“Dasein”,obsessed with this linear view of death:to live or to die in daily life,gives death to“the one”and avoids“Seinknnen”by sinking into the world.In order to get along with others,Dasein is dominated by others and falls into the nonself existence pattern.In the novel,the death of his mentor Humboldt forces Citrin to re-examine death,which constitutes an opportunity for the protagonist to change.Having understood the call of conscience and realized the existence of its fundamental guilt,Dasein is willing to compensate for its inaction and finally returns to his own authenticity.The cognition of death advocated in the novel is consistent with Heidegger’s existential philosophy of“Being-towards-death”:feeling the essence of Dasein and understanding the real meaning of life.