（英语语言文学专业论文）鲍德温小说《向苍天呼吁》和《如果比尔街能说话》中的父子主题.pdf

iii 内容摘要内容摘要 詹姆斯 鲍德温是 20 世纪杰出的美国黑人作家。他的代表作向苍天呼吁 （1953）主要描写加布里和他继子约翰之间的冲突。 加布里害怕白人力量， 并 认为它是黑人的苦难之源。 然而约翰却相信他可以在世俗的成功里找到自己的救 赎。 对他来说， 世俗成功的主要吸引力源于白人世界的世俗享乐。 在这本书 里， 鲍德温主要考察了约翰在个人成长过程中为打破黑人“现实牢笼”所做的 努力。 如果比尔街能说话 （1974）是鲍德温后期值得关注的一部作品。 作家 重拾父子主题， 描述了一种不同的父子关系。 该小说讲述两个黑人家庭是如何 帮助他们共同的儿子弗尼脱离牢狱之灾的故事。 通过展示以“社会父亲”为基 石的黑人社区的力量， 鲍德温指明了另一条打破白人神话的拯救之路。 本论文 通过比较鲍德温对向苍天呼吁和如果比尔街能说话中父子关系的不同艺 术处理， 旨在窥探作家在不同语境下对父子主题和对美国种族关系的思考。 本论文包括六部分。引言部分介绍了国内外对鲍德温这两部小说的主题研 究， 同时也简要对比了作家对这两部小说中父子关系的艺术处理。 第一章阐述了父子关系有关的理论。 弗洛伊德的弑父情结常常被用于解读 儿子早期的心理发展。 不过， 我们还可以从其他心理学家的理论视角来探讨父 子关系。 比如， day 对于影响父子关系的诸多因素就做了较好的分析和阐述。 第二章主要分析两部小说中父与子的形象， 并从不同侧面展示父与子不同 的思想性格。 下一章重点分析向苍天呼吁的不合格的“社会父亲” （unqualified social fatherhood）和无法履行的“父亲需要” （unfulfilled fatherneed） 。 小说描写了 一位无法帮助儿子成长的父亲加布里。他和儿子之间无法履行的“父亲需要”主 要源于加布里的冷漠 暴力 压迫以及他的宗教伪善。 第四章指出鲍德温在如果比尔街能说话中理想化地描写了一个产生黑人 力量的黑人社区。 “社会父亲”是该黑人社区的支柱。 该小说是作家对向苍 天呼吁里缺乏黑人力量进行的一次“文学补救” 。 最后， 基于前面的讨论， 论文作者作出结论。 关键词：关键词： 鲍德温小说 父子关系 “社会父亲”“父亲需要”白色神话。 i synopsis james baldwin was an outstanding american black writer of the 20th century. his masterpiece go tell it on the mountain (1953) is about the conversion of a black boy named john who has just experienced sexual awakening. this novel mainly unfolds a troubled father-son relationship which has greatly afflicted both gabriel and his sons. gabriel fears the white power and views it as a destructive force which would bring pain and suffering; however, his stepson, john, has a revelation that he can find his salvation in secular success whose appeal is the secular joy, which is prevalent in the white world. in this book, baldwin mainly examines johns personal struggle to break “that cage of reality” of blacks to pursue his growth. if beale street could talk (1974) is a noteworthy novel in baldwins later writing career. in this novel, he picks up the father-son motif again by depicting a different father-son relationship. this book concentrates on how two black families cope with their mutual sons imprisonment. by revealing the power of black community whose pillar is the union of social fathers, baldwin illuminates another way of salvation for blacks to break the white myth. this thesis mainly focuses on the father-son motif in go tell it on the mountain and if beale street could talk by juxtaposing baldwins different literary treatments of the father-son relationship, aiming to examine baldwins quest for a father in different discourses and his exploration of racial relationship in america. there are six parts in this thesis. “introduction” serves as a leading part, presenting an introduction of the thematic criticism of these two novels and briefly comparing baldwins different treatments of the father-son relationship. the first chapter is devoted to the construction of theories which are related to the father-son relationship. freuds oedipus complex is usually employed to interpret the father-son relationship in a boys childhood. however, there are many dimensions that can reflect the status of the father-son relationship. the purpose of this chapter is to outline various factors that influence the father-son relationship by adopting randal d. days approaches to researching fathering. ii the second chapter concentrates on analyzing fathers and sons in these two novels in an attempt to demonstrate the different dimensions of the images of fathers and sons. the forward chapter places the emphasis on the unqualified social fatherhood and unfulfilled fatherneed in go tell it on the mountain. there is a lack of qualified social fathers who are able to help the sons grow in this novel. gabriels ignorance, violence, oppression, combined with his religious hypocrisy, should be blamed for the unfulfilled fatherneed between him and his sons. the fourth chapter investigates baldwins literary efforts to compensate for the lack of black power in go tell it on the mountain. in if beale street could talk, baldwin idealizes a black community from which the black power is generated. the pillar of black power is the social fatherhood. finally, a conclusion will be made based on the discussions above. key words: baldwins novels, the father-son relationship, social fatherhood, fatherneed, the white myth. ii 学位论文版权使用授权声明学位论文版权使用授权声明 本人同意授权华侨大学有权保留并向国家机关或机构送交学位论文和 磁盘， 允许学位论文被查阅和借阅。 学位论文作者签名：_指导教师签名:_ 签 名 日 期：_ 签 名 日 期：_ 原原 创创 性性 声明声明 本人声明兹呈交的学位论文是本人在导师指导下完成的研究成果。 论 文写作中不包含其他人已经发表或撰写过的研究内容， 如参考他人或集体 的科研成果， 均在论文中以明确的方式说明。 本人依法享有和承担由此 论文所产生的权利和责任。 学位论文作者签名：_日期:_ 华侨大学硕士学位论文： the father-son motif in baldwins novels: go tell it on the mountain and if beale street could talk 1 introduction james arthur baldwin (19241987) was an eminent african american novelist and essayist of the 20th century. born in a family of a single mother in harlem of new york city, baldwin was adopted by a preacher, david baldwin, who married his mother when baldwin was still young. david baldwins whole lifetime saw more conflicts than harmony between him and baldwin. baldwin showed a budding talent in writing in high school where he became editor of a magazine. meanwhile, baldwin converted to christianity and became a pentecostal preacher at the age of 14. however, when he was 17 years old, baldwin chose to write and rejected the church. he later moved to greenwich village which was famous for its artists and writers, and did some odd jobs to support himself. the shift proved to be one of the major changes that occurred in baldwins life, for it allowed him to pursue writing without the influence from his step father. it is during this time that baldwin began to recognize his own homosexuality. however, disillusioned by the social prejudice against the blacks and homosexuals, baldwin flew to paris in 1948 and he lived there for most of his later life. paris saw baldwins success of his literary career, and his first novel go tell it on the mountain was published in 1953. this novel firstly established his fame as a novelist. baldwins second novel, giovannis room (1956), centers on a young american white man, david, who is dumped by his girlfriend and lives alone in paris where he begins an affair with an italian man, giovanni. this novel triggered much controversy mainly due to its explicit homoerotic descriptions. baldwins next two novels, another country (1962) and tell me how long the trains been gone (1968), are works of experiment, mainly dealing with black and white characters, some of which are heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual. 1970s saw the publication of baldwins two novelsif beale street could talk (1974) and just above my head (1979), in which baldwin shifted his emphasis back on the black issues. baldwin was a writer who experimented with different literary genres including novels, essays, poetry and plays. he was also a brilliant essayist. his first collection of 华侨大学硕士学位论文： the father-son motif in baldwins novels: go tell it on the mountain and if beale street could talk 2 essays, notes of a native son (1957), increased baldwins influence as a writer. nobody knows my name: more notes of a native son appeared in 1961. his another influential book, the fire next time (1963) contains two essays: my dungeon shook - letter to my nephew on the one hundredth anniversary of emancipation, and down at the cross - letter from a region of my mind. it deals with the race and religion, and shows baldwins discontent of racial relationship in america. however, this book focuses on baldwins experience as a preacher in particular. baldwins next book-length essay, no name in the street (1972), discusses his own experience in the context of the later 1960s, especially the assassinations of three of his personal friends: medgar evers, malcolm x, and martin luther king, jr. baldwins other collections of essays are the devil finds work (1976), the evidence of things not seen (1985) and the price of the ticket (1985). besides, baldwin wrote two playsthe amen corner (1954) and blues for mister charlie (1964). baldwin finished his writing career by publishing a volume of poetry, jimmys blues (1983), as well as the book-length essay, the evidence of things not seen. he died from stomach cancer on november 30, 1987. the publication of go tell it on the mountain was the initial success of baldwins writing career after years of hard work. this novel has “a long and extensive history of composition, extending across two continents and at least three countries”(harris 1996: 1). it has drawn considerable comments from generations of reviewers, most of whom “responded warmly to the story of the grimes family and johns quest for a spiritual as well as a secular father”(harris 1996: 15). early criticism focused on baldwins writing style, which won the author some credit for “the linguistic quality and evocative power”(harris 1996: 15). many critics have noted a variety of themes, ranging from the troubled father-son relationship, which “would prove to be a recurring theme in baldwins works”(harris 1996: 3), to the religious subjects such as sin and suffering. there are some recent studies by a host of prominent scholars. trudier harris argues that church has played a role that “imprisons the black women characters and creates in them a sense of guilt so profound they will never achieve true self-realization and introspection”(harris 1996: 华侨大学硕士学位论文： the father-son motif in baldwins novels: go tell it on the mountain and if beale street could talk 3 23), while michael f. lynch illuminates “baldwins dedication to the personal quest for hidden god” in the novel. cla journal (college language association journal）has made considerable contribution to the research of baldwins go tell it on the mountain, playing a pioneering role in publishing creative essays on the novel from different perspectives. some essays are notable. “religious alienation and homosexual consciousness in city of the night and go tell it on the mountain” by james r. giles investigates the religious and homosexual consciousness in black fiction. 1 shirley s. allens “religious symbolism and psychic reality in baldwins go tell it on the mountain” discusses the religious theme, providing readers with rich biblical allusions in the novel and laying the foundations for the followers.2 richard courage, however, highlights the significance of black church in maintaining collective consciousness of blacks in “james baldwins go tell it on the mountain: voices of a people”.3 moreover, michael fabres fathers and sons in james baldwins go tell it on the mountain (kinnamon 1974: 120-38) examines the religious and psychological symbolism of the novel. monographs by different scholars have extended to baldwins other works, and the research has covered but not limited to cultural, historical, psychological, racial, religious, sexual and formula studies. the death of baldwin in december of 1987 triggered a new round of critical studies. besides, a documentary film named the price of ticket was made in honor of him. the two decades fore-and-aft new millennium have seen new publications of monographs and collections of essays, some of which are noteworthy: horace porters stealing fire: the art and protest of james baldwin (1989), david lemmings james baldwin: a biography (1994), randall keenans james baldwin: american writer (1994), new essays on go tell it on the mountain (1996) edited by trudier harris, dwight mcbrides james baldwin 1 this essay was originally published in cla journal, vol. 7, no. 3, march, 1964, pp. 369-80. see 2 this essay was originally published in cla journal, vol. xix, no. 2, december, 1975, pp. 173-99. see 3 this essay was originally published in cla journal, vol. 32, no. 4, june, 1989, pp. 131-42. see 华侨大学硕士学位论文： the father-son motif in baldwins novels: go tell it on the mountain and if beale street could talk 4 now (1999), and clarence e. hardy iiis baldwins god : sex, hope, and crisis in black holiness culture (2003). black fathers and sons are major characters in james baldwins works, especially in go tell it on the mountain and if beale street could talk. the relationship between gabriel and his three sons in go tell it on the mountain is subject to gabriels selfish religious consideration, whose consequence is to alienate the father-son relationship in return. however, frank and his son, fonny, in if beale street could talk forms a union of father and son. unfortunately, the father-son union is cut off ruthlessly by american racism, and as a result, frank commits suicide at last. baldwins representation of the father-son relationship in fiction is closely connected to the transformation of his relationship with his stepfatherdavid baldwin, on whom baldwin portrays johns stepfather in go tell it on the mountain. in his notes of a native son, baldwin looks back on his relationship with his stepfather, which is characterized by conflicts until the death of baldwins stepfather. however, baldwin expresses his reconciliation with him, accepting his stepfather eventually. therefore, baldwin desalinates the father-son dichotomy in another novelif beale street could talk, which is baldwins magnum opus among his later novels. this book is neglected by many critics. however, detweiler appreciates baldwins efforts and his passion for writing“baldwin shows that he can still write with passion and empathy”(detweiler). in this book, the father-son dichotomy is replaced by a father-son union. however, unlike baldwins enthusiasm for religion in go tell it on the mountain, religion has become a minor theme that has merged into a broader and more complicated background in if beale street could talk. trudier harris argues that the production of this novel is an “attempt to provide a literary healing”, commenting that fathers love is “so sincere that his inability to get his son out of jail leads him to commit suicide”(harris 1996: 3). it seems that the father-son relationship in these two novels has gone from one extreme to the other, and that baldwin has made efforts to literarily compensate his negative attitudes toward his stepfather, by reversing a demon-like father figure in go tell it on the mountain to a jesus-like one in if beale street could talk. 华侨大学硕士学位论文： the father-son motif in baldwins novels: go tell it on the mountain and if beale street could talk 5 fatherhood has huge impact on children especially when they are in the formative years of their personality. black fatherhood in america has unusual influence on black children because they are situated in bicultural discourse within a white-dominated society where the scope of their choices has been greatly narrowed. it is interesting to explore how black fathers and sons in african american literature have responded to this issue. and correspondingly, afro-american essayists and novelists, critics and dramatists, poets and even politicians have made their voices heard radically or gently, which have formed the history of literary salvation of afro-americans. the literary exploration of salvation for afro-americans begins with exposure of negros suffering by their painful narration. protest is what the blacks usually resort to after their failure to improve their plight and achieve freedom and racial equality. on the literary level, it has been largely reflected in richard wrights novels and those of his followers. however in baldwins works, it is clearly demonstrated that the protest novels fail to manifest the complexity of psychology of the black characters. some critics have argued that baldwin has achieved little breakthrough on the issue of racial relationship after he betrays right literarily. but i think that baldwin has gone further compared to his predecessors mainly because he has not only urged the white world to face the issue, but also because he has examined the struggles of black fathers and sons with introspection, and situated them in a broader historical background of america to explore a more feasible way of salvation for the blacks and their next generation through his novels and essays. much research on baldwin has been done in many respects by foreign scholars. some chinese scholars, however, have extended their observation to other themes and produced some creative findings. li hong-yan has done considerable and exploratory research on baldwin. her “an interpretation of the father images in james baldwins works in the perspective of biblical archetypes” investigates the striking fathers who bear allusions to some biblical male characters.4 she observes baldwins “idea of 4 this essay was published in journal of northeastern university (social science), vol. 10, no.4, july, 2008, pp.371-376. 华侨大学硕士学位论文： the father-son motif in baldwins novels: go tell it on the mountain and if beale street could talk 6 racial integration” in “inheritance and transcendenceon james baldwin and protest tradition in afro-american literature”,5 while she defends baldwin on the issue of race in “plea for james baldwin: reading eldridge cleavers soul on ice”.6 besides, li hong-yan examines baldwins perplexity of interracial sexuality in “on the confusion in interracial sexuality in baldwins novel another country”,7 and analyzes anti-religion and love in “the awakening of a sainton the theme of james baldwins drama the amen corner”.8 qiu mei-ying discusses the narrative perspectives of go tell it on the mountain.9 tan hui-juan examines baldwins literary patricide and the relationship between wright and baldwin, and further discusses the american litera