冷战下的生育焦虑和家庭:欧茨小说《奇境》中的阈限性与美国神话

Fertility Anxiety and Family in the Cold War:Liminality and American Myth in Joyce Carol Oates’s Wonderland

冷战期间,生育和家庭成为美国维系资本主义优越性及国家神话的对内策略。此时,《奇境》中的母亲海伦困于个人生育焦虑与社会生育焦虑之间,落入阈限的境地;作为生育焦虑产物的谢莉则竭力挣脱掌控,成为“失控的孩子”和阈限的一代。她们的阈限经历表明,政府在工具理性下忽视人性和个人经验,妄图维系美国神话的企图终将落败,继而引发无尽的混沌。小说结局则暗示,在这样的阈限真空之中,唯有对话和反思才能避免悲剧的发生,这也昭示着欧茨对沟通的呼吁和对人性的呼唤。

During the Cold War, fertility and family became an internal strategy for the U.S. to maintain its myth of capitalist superiority. In this situation, Helen, the mother in Wonderland, falls into a liminal situation as she wanders between personal fertility anxiety and that of the society. On the other hand, the product of fertility anxiety,Shelley, tries to break away from social control, ending as a “runaway child” and liminal entity. Their liminal experiences indicate that the government’s attempt to maintain the American myth by ignoring human nature and individual experience under instrumental rationality would end up in failure and chaos. The ending of the novel suggests that in such liminality, only through dialogue and ref lection could the tragedy be averted, which signals Oates’ s call for communication and humanity.