逐出伊甸园后的痛苦与醒悟——《人树》宗教主题解读

Agonizing and Awakening after being Expatriated from the Garden of Eden——A Religious Interpretation of Tree of Man

《人树》具有多层次、多侧面的主题。怀特通过一位普通丛林人斯坦的心路历程深刻地表现了自己对澳大利亚自我的深层思考,对旧的宗教的问难质疑和对新的信仰的寻求期盼。文章从作家的家庭背景、过去的经历以及澳大利亚屈辱的历史等方面分析了作家对旧的宗教产生怀疑的根源。作家最终顿悟了:在被上帝从母国伊甸园驱逐到蛮荒的丛林里,澳大利亚人不仅要靠自己的双手建造一个新的家园,还必须靠自己的心灵去重塑一个新的上帝、新的信仰。

Tree of man is thematically multi - level and multi - facet. From the religious perspective, Patrick White conveys, through the bushman Stan's interior passage, to his readers his deep reflections on the old belief, which the forefathers brought with them from the Mother Country (the United Kingdom) to Australia, and his hanker for and pursuit of a new religion. This article explores the roots for such reflections from the writer's own family background, experiences and the humiliating Australian history as well. Finally, Stan comprehends completely that, after Australians were exiled from the Garden of Eden, the Mother Country, they would have to establish a new homeland with their hands and also a new God with their soul.