欧茨悲剧艺术展现生存危机

刘丽红

摘要：乔伊斯·卡洛尔·欧茨被称作“心理现实主义大师”，欧茨以大量的心理描写进入人物灵魂深处，着力刻画人物心灵感受来营造一种恐怖，压抑的气氛。欧茨以细腻的笔法展现人物的心理创伤和精神苦闷。《奇境》成为心理现实主义代表作之一。欧茨通过凶杀，暴力等描写来激发人们对人生，对社会，对美国，对人类命运的严肃思考。本文作者通过《奇境》中威拉德·哈特的悲剧展现生存危机并分析产生悲剧原因。

关键词：乔伊斯·卡洛尔·欧茨；《奇境》；悲剧；暴力

Keywords：joycecaroloates；wonderland；tragedy；violence

ManycriticshavepointedoutthattheSecondWorldWarmarksawatershed，whichmakeswesternartsintoanewaestheticandanewhistoricalperiod.Duringtheperiod，manycharactersintheliteraryworksarecharacterizedasthedisillusionedintheabsurdworld.Asaseriousrepresentativewriterof"psychologicalrealism"，JoyceCarolOatesrepresentsthetruesituationincontemporaryAmericansocietyinnearlyallaspects.WonderlandisoneofthemostrepresentativenovelsofOates'inthe1970s，basedonrecollectionofthirtyyears.InWonderlandOatesusesrealisticapproachtothetraditionaldescriptionofsociallifeandpersonaldestinywithavividreproductionoftheAmericaneconomicdepressionin1930s，WorldWarII，the1950s'ColdWarandthelifeofmiddle-classprosperity，thecivilrightsmovementandthehippiecounter-culturemovementin1960s，butalloftheseareonlythebackgroundofthestory.

Oates'fictionmainlydescribesthetragiccharactersinAmericansociety;andherfictionworldisalwaysviolent，fullofnightmare.Bydescribingviolence，Oateswantsthereaderstogetawareofthedarkestsideofthesocietyandtoformnewconsciousnessandself-affirmation.Violencebecomesameansofassertingoneselfandofourpersonalimpotence.WhatOatesconcernsisthetragicsensetothereallife.Shetriestoawakencontemporarypeople'sawarenessoftheirowndestructivefatethroughherworks.InWonderland，Jesse'sfather，WillardHartewhoisplacedintosuchadevastatingfate，ismarkedwithasenseofloss，bothphysicaldestructionandemotionalruin.

1TragicAtmosphere

Atthebeginningofthenovel，Oatesimpressesthereadersakindoftragicatmosphere:unusualenvironmentalphenomenon，asceneoffamilyviolence，abloodbath，justasthereadersareabandonedinthestrangeandsinisterfateandcannotescapefromit.Whereverthereadersgo，andnomatterwhattheyseeorhear，doorexpect，thereisalwayssomethingtodestroythem.Oatesdoesnottellthereaderswhatishappening.ButthereaderscanfeelsomethingterriblethroughJesse'sfeeling，"Jessewakes，startled.Someonehaspassedbyhisbed…Jesse'sfatherunabletosleep.Allthatfallandwinter，hehasbeenunabletosleepmuchofthenight…walks，walks…"（Oates1971:13）Jessethinks，observesandasks，butthefourteen-year-oldboycannotunderstandthereasonwhyhisfatherchangessomuch.

Willardisdeeplyhurtinthesociety;heturnstonatureforfreedomandcomfort.Willardtrampsinthenatureandseeksfortemporarycomfortasifnaturefunctionsastherefugefortheself.Usually，peoplehavetogetcloserelationshipwithnatureandotherpeopleinordertosurviveandgetconsolation.Therelationshipbetweenmanandnatureconstitutesthefirstlayerofhumanrelationships.Naturecannotonlyprovidefreedom，comfort，butalsoitfunctionsastherefugefortheself.However，associalbeings，peoplearethesumofallsocialrelations.Notonlydopeoplecontactwithnaturebytheirownactivities，butalsotheygeneratealotofrelationshipswithothers，societyandtheself.Itistherelationshipthatmakespeopleaspeoplesurviveandrealizetheirownvalue.Otherwisepeoplecanonlyliveintragedywithoutidentity.SometimesJessehearshisparentsquarreling，whichfrightenshimverymuch.

2VainPursuit

Allthechildreninthefamilyarepuzzledbytheirparents'abnormalbehavior，andtheyareabletosensetheterribleatmosphere.Itdoesnotseemthattheirparentsloveeachotheranymore.Whathappenstothefamily?Whatmakesthecouplegetsoangryandlosetheirlove?Accordingtothehistoricalbackground，thereaderscanknowthatthestoryhappensattheendoftheGreatDepression.Inthe1930sAmericaneconomiccollapseresultsinthelongestandworstperiodofhighunemploymentandlowbusinessactivity.Manybanks，storesandfactoriesarecloseddown，whichmakesmillionsofAmericanpeoplejoblessandpenniless.

ItisbecausesuchseriouseconomicpressurethattheHartefamilysufferthedislocationandfrustration，whichpushthemtothevergeofbreakdown.EventhoughWillardHarteisfullyenergeticandvigorousandoptimistic，lifeseemstoplaytricksonhim.Willard'sstruggleforsurvivalisinaverypoorsituationandhisneedscannotbemet.Willardhastoworktogettomeethisneedsandhemustengageinpainfullabor.Hemakesalotofattemptstorunbusinessforaliving，buteverythinghetriesthatgoeswrong:adinneronthehighway，alumberyardandthenthegasstation.Hispursuitclasheswiththereality;hisinstinctsareforcedtoacceptakindofrepressivecontrol.TheunemploymentandfrustrationnotonlyextinguishWillardHarte'shopeforlife，silenceshislovetowardshiswifeandchildren，butalsoturnhimfromaenergeticandvigorousandoptimisticpersontoanextremelydepressed，pessimisticandeccentricone.What'sworse，thetensionresultsinaterrifyingcatastrophe.

3EndingbyViolence

SeveraldaysbeforeChristmas，Jesseisshockedbythescenebeforehiseyes."ItisBobbylyingthereonhisstomach…Jean'sfaceisturnedaway…Shirley，doubledover，lyingdoubledoverwithherarmsshieldingherstomach…Hismother…headback，herthroatandchinandtheupperpartofherchestblastedred…"（Oates1971:42）Everythingbursts，comesapartasifinadream.

Thefeelingofimpotenceleadsapersontoviolence.TherepeatedfailureofcareerandtheburdenoflifedriveWillardintoacrazydeadend.EconomiccrisisforcesahappyfamilygraduallytowardsthedestructionandleadsJesse'sfamilytobreakup.Willardmurdershisfamilyinordertoavoidakindofunbearablesituation.Willardendsupallhistroublesbyviolence，andthusbrewsthegreattragedyandsowstheseedsoftragedyinJesse'slife.Themeaningofthenovelliesintheadoptionofthisverycontradictiontorevealtheessenceofsociety.OatesdoesnotdigtherootofevilinWillardHarte'sheartortrytofindoutthereason，butonlyportraystheevilinthenovel.Oatesjustdescribesthesurfaceofthings，butneveranalyzesthedrivingforcethatcausesWillardHartetodosuchevilthings.TheevilthatOatesfocusesonisasocialevil，becausethesocietyiscomposedofpeople;itispeoplethatgenerateevil.Oatesinspirespeople'sseriousconsiderationforlife，society，Americaandhumandestinythroughthedescriptionofmurder，violenceandrepresentsthelivingcrisis.

References

[1]Creighton，J·V.JoyceCarolOates.Indiana:WayneStateUniversityTwaynePublishers，1979.

[2]Johnson，G.UnderstandingJoyceCarolOates.Columbia，SouthCarolina:UniversityofSouthCarolinaPress，1987.

[3]Oates，J·C.Wonderland.NewYork:TheVanguardPress，1971.

[4]刘丽红.艰难求索——马克思主义视角下《奇境》人物评析.黑龙江教育学院学报，2010，29（1）：99-101.