內容簡介
Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to "Mister," a brutal man who terrorizes her. Celie eventually learns that her abusive husband has been keeping her sister's letters from her and the rage she feels, combined with an example of love and independence provided by her close friend Shug, pushes her finally toward an awakening of her creative and loving self.
全書由九十四封書信構成,分彆是女主人公西莉亞寫給上帝,妹妹內蒂以及愛慕的女性黑人布魯斯歌手薩格的書信,信中所提及的故事,構成瞭西莉亞整個關於童年的迴憶以及現今生活的畫麵。小說以書信體格式來記錄故事是一個非常獨特的方法,這也形成瞭本書獨特的魅力,另外書信中姓名的留白(即所有男性的名字作者都用“——”來錶示),也帶給讀者非常不一樣的感受。
《紫色》的情節並不復雜,故事的年代大約在20世紀初到第二次世界大戰前夕,背景是美國南方佐治亞鄉村。十四歲的黑人女孩西麗被後父奸汙,生下兩個孩子。多病的母親不瞭解真相活活氣死瞭。她的孩子被後父搶走失蹤,她本人又被迫嫁給已有四個孩子的鰥夫。丈夫另有所愛,對她百般虐待,而她受舊思想舊習俗的影響隻是自嘆命苦,從不反抗,隻在給上帝寫的信裏傾訴內心的痛苦。她對丈夫毫無感情,甚至不願意叫他的名字,隻稱他為某某先生。善良的西麗發現後父和丈夫都對妹妹耐蒂不懷好心,便幫助她離傢齣走。另一方麵,她任勞任怨地把丈夫前妻的兒女撫養成人。大兒子哈波結婚以後,想像父親那樣使喚打罵老婆,但兒媳婦索菲亞生性倔強,不肯對丈夫俯首貼耳唯命是從,在生瞭好幾個孩子以後還是離開瞭哈波。西麗丈夫以前的情人,歌唱傢莎格患重病流落街頭。某某先生把她接到傢裏,她在西麗的精心護理下恢復瞭健康,兩人成瞭知心朋友。莎格開導西麗要充分認識自己的聰明纔智,要跟大男子主義思想作鬥爭,主動爭取女人應有的權利。莎格的啓發開闊瞭西麗的眼界,她開始用新的眼光觀察世界、考慮問題。後來,莎格發現西麗的丈夫一直把耐蒂從非洲寫來的信件秘密收藏起來不讓她知道。西麗在憤怒之餘決定脫離某某先生,跟莎格去孟菲斯。她走齣傢庭學習縫紉,成為手藝精湛的裁縫,開起裁縫鋪,過上瞭獨立自主的生活。某某先生經過痛苦的思想鬥爭,認識到過去大男子主義思想的錯誤,嚮西麗作瞭誠懇的檢討,獲得瞭西麗的原諒。他們不再是夫妻,但成瞭知心朋友。西麗的妹妹耐蒂齣走後到黑人牧師塞繆爾傢乾活,又隨他們去非洲做傳教士。她發現牧師的一兒一女就是西麗失去的孩子。塞繆爾一傢在非洲生活得很艱難,他妻子染上非洲瘧疾不治身亡。英國殖民者為種植橡膠肆意破壞當地奧林卡人民的土地和村落。塞繆爾和耐蒂趕到英國嚮教會求救,但遭到冷落和侮辱。他們返迴非洲時當地人民對他們大為失望,紛紛投奔住在森林深處反抗白人的母布雷人。耐蒂此時已經跟塞繆爾結成夫妻,決心帶著兒子亞當、女兒奧莉維亞及兒媳婦塔希迴國。小說結尾處,西麗跟妹妹和兒子、女兒重新團聚,過上快樂的生活。
作者簡介
Alice Walker won the Pulitzer prize and the American Book Award for The Color Purple. She is the author of many bestselling novels, essays and collections of poetry.
艾麗絲·沃剋,美籍黑人,曾受邀拜訪馬丁·路德·金傢中,並參與瞭《我有一個夢想》演講,1972年至威爾斯利大學任教,開設瞭“婦女文學”課程,是美國大學中最早開設的女性研究課程之一。後受邀齣任《女性》雜誌編輯,並在刊文中首次提齣“Womanist”(女權主義)一說。
精彩書評
"Intense emotional impact . . . Indelibly affecting . . . Alice Walker is a lavishly gifted writer."
—The New York Times Book Review
"Places Walker in the company of Faulkner."
—The Nation
"Superb . . . A work to stand beside literature of any time and place."
—San Francisco Chronicle
"The Color Purple is an American novel of permanent importance."
—Newsweek
"Marvelous characters . . . A story of revelation . . . One of the great books of our time."
—Essence
精彩書摘
You better not never tell nobody but God. It'd kill your mammy.
Dear God,
I am fourteen years old. I am I have always been a good
girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what
is happening to me.
Last spring after little Lucious come I heard them fussing. He was pulling on her arm. She say It too soon, Fonso, I ain't well. Finally he leave her alone. A week go by, he pulling on her arm again. She say Naw, I ain't gonna. Can't you see I'm already half dead, an all of these chilren.
She went to visit her sister doctor over Macon. Left me to see after the others. He never had a kine word to say to me. Just say You gonna do what your mammy wouldn't. First he put his thing up gainst my hip and sort of wiggle it around. Then he grab hold my titties. Then he push his thing inside my pussy. When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git used to it.
But I don't never git used to it. And now I feels sick every time I be the one to cook. My mama she fuss at me an look at me. She happy, cause he good to her now. But too sick to last long.
Dear God,
Mr. ______ finally come right out an ast for Nettie hand in marriage. But He won't let her go. He say she too young, no experience. Say Mr. ______ got too many children already. Plus What about the scandal his wife cause when somebody kill her? And what about all this stuff he hear bout Shug Avery? What bout that?
I ast our new mammy bout Shug Avery. What it is? I ast. She don't know but she say she gon fine out.
She do more then that. She git a picture. The first one
of a real person I ever seen. She say Mr. ______ was taking somethin out his billfold to show Pa an it fell out an slid under the table. Shug Avery was a woman. The most beautiful woman I ever saw. She more pretty then my mama. She bout ten thousand times more prettier then me. I see her there in furs. Her face rouge. Her hair like somethin tail. She grinning with her foot up on somebody motocar. Her eyes serious tho. Sad some.
I ast her to give me the picture. An all night long I stare at it. An now when I dream, I dream of Shug Avery. She be dress to kill, whirling and laughing.
Dear God,
I ast him to take me instead of Nettie while our new mammy sick. But he just ast me what I'm talking bout. I tell him I can fix myself up for him. I duck into my room and come out wearing horsehair, feathers, and a pair of our new mammy high heel shoes. He beat me for dressing trampy but he do it to me anyway.
Mr. ______ come that evening. I'm in the bed crying. Nettie she finally see the light of day, clear. Our new mammy she see it too. She in her room crying. Nettie tend to first one, then the other. She so scared she go out doors and vomit. But not out front where the two mens is.
Mr. ______ say, Well Sir, I sure hope you done change your mind.
He say, Naw, Can't say I is.
Mr. ______ say, Well, you know, my poor little ones sure could use a mother.
Well, He say, real slow, I can't let you have Nettie. She too young. Don't know nothing but what you tell her. Sides, I want her to git some more schooling. Make a schoolteacher out of her. But I can let you have Celie. She the oldest anyway. She ought to marry first. She ain't fresh tho, but I spect you know that. She spoiled. Twice. But you don't need a fresh woman no how. I got a fresh one in there myself and she sick all the time. He spit, over the railing. The children git on her nerve, she not much of a cook. And she big already.
Mr. ______ he don't say nothing. I stop crying I'm so surprise.
She ugly. He say. But she ain't no stranger to hard work. And she clean. And God done fixed her. You can do everything just like you want to and she ain't gonna make you feed it or clothe it.
Mr. ______ still don't say nothing. I take out the picture of Shug Avery. I look into her eyes. Her eyes say Yeah, it bees that way sometime.
Fact is, he say, I got to git rid of her. She too old to be living here at home. And she a bad influence on my other girls. She'd come with her own linen. She can take that cow she raise down there back of the crib. But Nettie you flat out can't have. Not now. Not never.
Mr. ______ finally speak. Clearing his throat. I ain't never really look at that one, he say.
Well, next time you come you can look at her. She ugly. Don't even look like she kin to Nettie. But she'll make the better wife. She ain't smart either, and I'll just be fair, you have to watch her or she'll give away everything you own. But she can work like a man.
Mr. ______ say How old she is?
He say, She near twenty. And another thing-She tell lies.
前言/序言
好的,這是一本關於美國南方曆史、女性成長與社會變革的深刻小說簡介。 --- 《靜默之聲:棉花田的低語與希望的微光》 作者: 艾米莉亞·詹姆斯 (Amelia James) 齣版年份: 2023年 頁數: 580頁 裝幀: 精裝 內容提要 《靜默之聲》是一部史詩般的傢庭敘事,它以極其細膩且不加粉飾的筆觸,描繪瞭美國二十世紀初期,在阿拉巴馬州偏遠農業社區中,三代非裔美國女性的掙紮、韌性與最終的覺醒。這不是一個關於簡單的苦難記錄,而是一麯關於如何在極端壓抑的環境中,通過人際連接、自我發現和對教育的渴望,重新構建自我價值的贊歌。 曆史的重量與個人的微光 故事始於1918年,主要圍繞著瑪莎·簡·斯通展開。瑪莎的童年被密集的棉花種植園的勞作和根深蒂固的種族隔離製度所塑造。她的世界由日齣到日落的辛勤勞動構成,由傢族世代相傳的民間故事和福音歌麯所慰藉。作者詹姆斯以極具現場感的描寫,刻畫瞭那個時代南方農場生活的艱辛——泥土的芬芳、赤腳踩踏在灼熱土地上的痛感,以及空氣中永遠揮之不去的塵土和汗水的味道。 瑪莎的母親,一個沉默而堅韌的女性,深知“沉默是生存的唯一語言”,她將對自由的渴望深深地埋藏在心底,並試圖通過嚴格的紀律保護女兒免受外界的殘酷。然而,瑪莎的內心充滿瞭對未知世界的強烈好奇。她偷竊鄰近白人傢庭廢棄的教科書,在昏暗的煤油燈下,用撿來的鉛筆,模仿著她隻能模糊辨認的字母。對知識的追求,成為她對抗命運的第一道微弱但堅定的防綫。 連接與背叛的羅網 隨著故事的推進,我們進入瞭二十年代末期,瑪莎進入瞭青年時代。她嫁給瞭一個老實但被父權思想束縛的男人,生活似乎已經定型。然而,一次偶然的機會,瑪莎結識瞭在小鎮建立初級學校的非裔教師——伊萊亞斯·霍金斯。伊萊亞斯不僅帶來瞭書本上的知識,更帶來瞭關於“進步”和“北方城市”的全新概念。他嚮瑪莎展示瞭一種可能性:一個人的價值不應由膚色或齣身決定。 這段友誼,既是啓濛,也帶來瞭巨大的風險。在那個時代,任何超齣傳統規範的女性交往,都會被視為對社群穩定的威脅。小說極其精妙地處理瞭女性友誼與社會壓力之間的張力。瑪莎必須在維護傢庭名聲與追求個人精神自由之間做齣艱難抉擇。詹姆斯筆下的女性關係,復雜而真實,充滿瞭互相支持,也夾雜著因生存壓力而産生的嫉妒和不理解。 北遷的幻滅與重建 故事的高潮發生在“大遷徙”的浪潮中。為瞭給女兒——小瑪莎(一個充滿活力的、對未來抱有遠大理想的孩子)——一個更好的教育環境,瑪莎做齣瞭一個改變一生的決定:帶著傢人前往芝加哥。 芝加哥的“鍍金年代”景象與她想象中的天堂大相徑庭。她麵對的是擁擠的公寓、陌生的工業噪音、以及一種不同於南方的、更為隱蔽的歧視。她的丈夫在工廠的工作不穩定,而她發現,即使在北方,女性也難以獲得體麵的收入。 小瑪莎的成長綫索在這部分變得尤為突齣。她目睹瞭母親為瞭生存而不得不做齣的妥協,也繼承瞭祖母的韌勁和母親對知識的渴望。在芝加哥的學校裏,小瑪莎展現齣驚人的學習天賦,她將南方傢庭代代相傳的口述曆史與書本知識相結閤,開始以一種全新的、批判性的視角審視傢族的曆史。 主題的深度挖掘 《靜默之聲》深入探討瞭幾個核心主題: 1. 聲音的找迴(Finding Voice): 小說細緻地描繪瞭女性如何從被教導“保持安靜”的環境中,逐步找到發齣自己聲音的勇氣。這種聲音的錶達,不僅僅是語言上的,更是通過藝術(如紡織和音樂)和行動(如參與工會組織)實現的。 2. 土地與流離(Land and Displacement): 失去瞭對南方土地的連接,意味著失去瞭根基。小說探討瞭移民群體在新的城市環境中,如何努力重建一種“精神上的傢園”,以及對故鄉復雜的情感——既是痛苦的迴憶,也是身份的來源。 3. 教育作為解放的工具: 知識被描繪成一種比金錢更強大的貨幣。無論是瑪莎偷來的殘破書籍,還是小瑪莎在黑人大學獲得的學位,教育都是打破代際貧睏循環的關鍵鑰匙。 寫作風格與文學價值 艾米莉亞·詹姆斯的敘事風格樸實而充滿詩意。她擅長捕捉細節,使得場景栩栩如生。她避免瞭將人物臉譜化,即使是那些看似壓迫性的角色,也展現瞭其人性的掙紮和復雜性。小說結構宏大,橫跨瞭半個多世紀的美國曆史變遷,它不僅是對一個傢庭的記錄,也是對美國社會轉型期中,被邊緣化群體集體記憶的有力還原。 《靜默之聲》是一部令人心碎卻又充滿鼓舞力量的作品,它提醒我們,真正的自由,往往始於內心的覺醒,並在無聲的堅持中獲得最終的勝利。它是一份獻給那些在沉默中守護希望的女性的,永恒的紀念碑。