论塞林格短篇小说《在小船里》的国家认同

On Salinger’s National Identity in Down at the Dinghy

塞林格唯一的一部短篇小说集《九故事》塑造了一群“塞林格式的人物”,他们孤独、寂寞、质疑他人的价值观,对周围的生活失去兴趣,经常产生逃离现实的念头,而这些人物在很大程度上都是塞林格自身的真实反映。作为一个出生和成长在美国的半犹太人,他比任何人都缺少归属感,虽然从小接受美国式的价值观念,但反犹主义的盛行和身上的犹太血脉都使塞林格不由地向犹太文化传统靠拢。作为《九故事》中最具有深刻现实主义意义的一部短篇小说,《在小船里》通过一个只有四岁的小男孩因父亲的犹太身份而被歧视的遭遇来深深触动读者的内心,让人们不由得替这个孩子未来的人生道路担忧,并继而思考塞林格(与小男孩有相同的身份背景)在国家认同过程中的艰辛、努力和探索。

Nine Stories,Salinger’s only collection of short stories,builds a series of“Salingerish Characters”,who are isolated and lonely,questioning the values of others,losing interest in the surrounding life and often having the thoughts of escape,while,to a large extent,these characters are real reflections of Salinger himself.As a half-Jewish born and raised in America,Salinger lacks the sense of belonging most compared with others.Though he received typical American education of values,the prevalence of anti-Semitism and the Jewish blood in his body urge him to lean on Jewish cultural traditions.Down at the Dinghy,as a significant work of Nine Stories which has the most realist meaning,deeply touches the readers’hearts through a only four-yearold boy’s sad encounter whose father was discriminated by his Jewish identity,which makes people worry about the boy’s road to the future,thus contemplating Salinger(having similar ethnic background to the boy)on his hardship,efforts and exploration in the process of national identity.