从“失语”到“发声”:《我如何学会驾驶》中女性话语权的转变

From “Aphasia” to “Voicing”: the Transition of Discourse Power in How I Learned to Drive

《我如何学会驾驶》是当代美国女性剧作家保拉·沃格尔的成名作。剧中家庭成员的话语和行为背后无不隐藏着深刻的两性之间的权力对抗关系。作为男权主义的代表,外祖父和派克姨父用各自的方式掌控家中的话语权;而处于劣势的外祖母、母亲、玛丽姨母和丽尔·贝特则只能保持沉默。但丽尔·贝特最终通过主动掌控话语权结束了与派克之间的不伦之恋,也折射出现代女性企图通过摆脱男权压抑来改变社会地位的强烈愿望。

How I Learned to Drive is the masterpiece of Paula Vogel, who is a contemporary American woman playwright. Almost all the behaviors and discourses of the family members in the play imply intersexual power confrontations. As representatives of patriarchy, Big Papa and Uncle Peck control domestic power of discourse in their respective ways, while female family members such as Grandmother, Mother, Aunt Mary and Li'l Bit, are in a disadvantageous position and could do nothing but keep silence. However, Li'l Bit finally ends her forbidden love with Peck by controlling power of discourse actively, which also reflects modern women's aspiration of improving social status through getting rid of patriarchal oppression.