浅析《献给爱米丽的玫瑰》的叙事结构.doc

浅析献给爱米丽的玫瑰的叙事结构2008年l1月第14卷第6内蒙古民族大学Nov.2008V01.14No.6OUlalofInnerMongoliaUniversityforNationalitiesABriefAnalysisontheCultivation0fARoseforEmilyZHAOJing,CHENYamin(InnerMongoliaUniversityforNationalitiesForeignLanguageCollege,Tongliao028043,China)W.IIi锄FaulknersARoseforEmilyis81-1absorbingmysterystorywhosechillingendingcontainsgruesomesurprise.Whenwediscover,alongwiththenarratorandtownspeople.whatwasleftofHomersbody,wemaybesurprisingornot,dependinguponhowcarefullywehavebeenreadingthestoryandkeepingtrackofdetailssuchasEmilyGfiersonspurchaseofratpoisonandHomersdisappearance.ProbablymostreadersanticipatefindingHomersIxxtyattheendofthestory,becauseFaulknercarefullypreparesthegroundworkfordiscoveryasthetownspeopleforcetheirwayintothatmysteriousupstairsroomwherea”thin,acridpallasofthetombseemedtolieeverywhere”(53).Butveryfewreaders,ifany,arepreparedforthestorysfinalparagraph,whenwerealizethatthestrandofirongrayhair”onthesecondpillowindicatestheEmilyhassleptwithHomersinceshemurderedhim.ThislastparagraphproducestherealhorrorinthestowandanextraordinaryrevelationaboutEmilyscharacter.ThefinalparagraphseelnsliketherightplacetobeginadiscussionofthisstorybecausethesurpriseendingnotonlycrearesapowerfulemotionaleffectonusbutalsoraisesanimporrantquestionahoutwhatwearetothinkofEmily.Isthisisolated,eccentricwomansimplemad?Allthecircumstantialevi.denceindicatesthatsheisamurdererandnecrophilia,andyetFaulknertitlesthestoryARoseforEmily”,asifsheisduesomekindoftribute.Thetitlesomehowqualifiesthegapofhorrorthatthestowleadsuptointhefinalparagraph.Whywouldmwoneofferthiswomana”r0se”?Whatsbehindthetitie?Faulknerwasoncedirectlyaskedthemeaningofthetitleandreplied:Itssimplythepoorwomanhadhadnolifeatal1.Herfatherhadkepthermoreorlesslockedupandthenshehadaloverwhowasabouttoquither,shehadtomurderhim.Itwasjust”ARoseforEmily”一thatsal1.(GwyunandBlotner8788)sreplyexplainssomeofEmilysmotivationformurderingHomerbutitdoesntactuallyaddressthepurlxandme/1一ingofthetitle.IfEmilykilledHomeroutofakindofemotionalnecessityI.utofafearofabandonmenthowdoesthatex?plainthefactthatthetitleseemstosuggestthatthestoryisawayofpangrespecttoEmily?Thequestionremains.WbateverrespectsthestorycreatesforEmilycannotbetheresultofheractions.Surelytherecanbenoconvincingexcusemadeformurderandnecrophilia;thereisnothingtopraiseaboutwhatshedoes.Insteadthetributecomeintheformofhowherstoryistoldratherthanwhatwearetoldabouther.TodothisFaulknerusesanarratorwhotellsEmilysstoryinsuchawayastomaximizeoursympathyforher.Thegriminforma.tionaboutEmilys”irongrayhair”onthepillowiswithhdduntiltheveryendnotonlytoproduceasurprisebuttopermitthereadertodevdopasympatheticunderstandingofherbeforeweareshockedanddisgustedbyhernecrophilia.Significantly.thenarratorbeginSthestorywithEmilysdeathratherthanHomers.Thoughanumrofstudiesdiscussthestorysnarrator(see,forexample,Kempton;Sullivan;andWatkins),TerryHdlersisoneofthemostcomprehensiveinitsfocusonthenarratorseffectsonthereadersresponsetoEmily.AsHenerpointsout,beforewelearnofEmilysbizarrebehaviorweseeherassympatheticifantiquatedfigureinatownwlifeandconcernhavepassedbetby;hence,”wearedisposedtoseeEmilyasvictimized.Herrefusaltopayhertaxesisanindextoherisolationandeceentrlcity,butthisincidentalsosuggestsadegreeofdignityandpowerlackinginthetownofficialsofJeffersonwhetherintheformofthesneak?*收稿日期20080920(作者简介赵静(1983一),女,内蒙古通辽人,内蒙古民族大学外国语学院助教,研究方向为英美文学.?42?ingaldermenwhotrytocoverupthesmellaroundherhouseoi”thedruggistwhounsuccessfullytriestogethertoconformtothelawwhenshebuysarsenicplaceherinanadmirablelight.becauseherwillfulnessisbaseduponherpersonalstrength.Moreover,itisrdativdyeasytosidewithEmilywhenthetownspeoplearedescribedastakingpleasureinherbeingreducedtopovertyasaresultofherfathersdeath,because”nowshetoowouldknowtheoldthrillandtheolddespairofapennymoreorle.”WedontreallyknowmuchaboutEmilybecausethenar.ratorarrangesthedetailsofherIifesothatitsdifficulttoknowwhatshesbeingupto.Welearn,forexample,aboutthesmellaroundthehosebeforeshebuysthepoisonandHomerdisappears,sothatthecauseandeffectrdationshipamongtheseeventsisobscured.Thenarratorschronologyofeventsisabitslippery(fordetailedreconstructionofthechronologyseeMcGlynnandNebeekersrevisionofMynnswork),buttheef.feetistosuspendjudgmentofEmily.Bythetimewerealizewhatshehasdonewearealreadyinclinedtoseeherasoutsidecommunityvaluealmostoutofnecessity.ThatsnottosaythatthemurderingofHomerisjustifiedbythenarrator,butitistosaythatherlifemaintainsitsprirate._thoughnolongersecretdignity.Despitethefinalrevelation,Emilyremains”dear,inescapable,impervious,tranquil,andperverse”参考文献】(1Brooks.Cleanth,RobertPennWarren.UnderstandingFictionM.NewYork.Appleton,19,13.2Cmsman,Robert.HowReadersMakeMeaningJ.CollegeLitera.ture9(1982):207153Faulkner,wmiam.ARoseforEmily.TheBedfordIntroductiontoLiterature.Ed.Michae1Meyer.2ndedM.NewYork:BedfordSt.Martins.1990.4753.Thenarrators”setoEmilyishisrecognitionthatEmi-lyisallthesethingsincluding”perverse”.Sheevokes”asortofrespectfulaffectionforafallenmonument”.Sheis,tobesure,”fallen”,butsheisalsosomehowcentrala”monument”一tothelireofthecommunity.FaulknerdoesnotofferadefinitivereadingofEmilybuthedoeshavethenarratorpaytributetoherbyattemptingtoprovideacomplexsetofcontextsforheractions0ontextsthatincludearepressivefather,re.sistancetoachangingSathandimpingingNorth,thepassageoftimeanditsinfluenceonthepresent,andrelatiousbetweenmenandwomenaswellasrelationsbetweengenerations.RobberCrosmanpointsoutthatthe”narratorishimselfareaderofEmilysstory,tryingtoputtogetherfromfragmentsacompletepicture,trngtofindthemeaningofherlifeinitsimpactuponanaudience,thecitizensofJefferson,ofwhichheisamelT1.bet.”ThenarratorrefusestodismissEmilyassimplymadortotreatherlireasmerelyagrotesque,sensationalhorrorstory.Instead,hisnarrativemethodbngusintoherlifebeforewetoohastilyrejeether.andindoingsoitoffersusaccnpleximaginativetreatmentoffiercedeterminationandstrengthcoupledthillusionsandshockingeccentricities.ThenarratorsroseforEmilyispayingherthetributeofplacingthat”longstrandofirongrayhair”inthecontextofherentireI