穿條紋睡衣的男孩

John Boyne (約翰·伯恩，1971～)，愛爾蘭新銳作家，卡耐基勛章獲得者。其作品主要有《偷時間的賊》(The Thief of Time)、《騎手議會》(The Congress of Rough Riders)等。

《穿條紋睡衣的男孩》(The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas)是伯恩的第四部小說，該作品出版后很快成為《紐約時報》暢銷書，并榮登歐洲許多暢銷書排行榜，先后獲得愛爾蘭圖書獎、意大利原創(chuàng)文學(xué)獎等諸多獎項。其同名改編電影于2008年9月被搬上銀幕。

《穿條紋睡衣的男孩》這本書有兩個主人公，一個是德國納粹軍官的兒子布魯諾(Bruno)，一個是被監(jiān)禁的猶太男孩什穆埃爾(Shmuel)，兩個孩子生活在完全不同的世界里，但純潔的友誼將他們聯(lián)系在一起。小說中故事發(fā)生的地點為奧斯威辛(Auschwitz)，它是納粹德國在二戰(zhàn)期間修建的最大集中營。納粹德國曾在這里監(jiān)禁過數(shù)百萬人，并屠殺了其中的110多萬人，其中以猶太人居多，因此奧斯威辛有“死亡工廠”之稱。

The walk along the fence took Bruno a lot longer than he expected; it seemed to stretch on and on for several miles. He walked and walked， and when he looked back the house that he was living in became smaller and smaller until it vanished from sight altogether. During all this time he never saw anyone anywhere close to the fence; nor did he find any doors to let him inside， and he started to despair that his exploration was going to be entirely unsuccessful. In fact although the fence continued as far as the eye could see， the huts and buildings and smoke stacks1) were disappearing in the distance behind him and the fence seemed to be separating him from nothing but open space.

After walking for the best part of2) an hour and starting to feel a little hungry， he thought that maybe that was enough exploration for one day and it would be a good idea to turn back. However， just at that moment a small dot appeared in the distance and he narrowed his eyes to try to see what it was. Bruno remembered a book he had read in which a man was lost in the desert and because he hadn't had any food or water for several days he had started to imagine that he saw wonderful restaurants and enormous fountains， but when he tried to eat or drink from them they disappeared into nothingness， just handfuls of sand. He wondered whether that was what was happening to him now.

But while he was thinking this his feet were taking him， step by step， closer and closer to the dot in the distance， which in the meantime had become a speck3)， and then began to show every sign of turning into a blob4). And shortly after that the blob became a figure. And then， as Bruce got even closer， he saw that the thing was neither a dot nor a speck nor a blob nor a figure， but a person.

In fact it was a boy.

Bruno had read enough books about explorers to know that one could never be sure what one was to find. Most of the time they came across something interesting that was just sitting there， minding its own business， waiting to be discovered (such as America). Other times they discovered something that was probably best left alone (like a dead mouse at the back of a cupboard).

The boy belonged to the first category. He was just sitting there， minding his own business， waiting to be discovered.

Bruno slowed down when he saw the dot that became a speck that became a blob that became a figure that became a boy. Although there was a fence separating them， he knew that you could never be too5) careful with strangers and it was always best to approach them with caution. So he continued to walk， and before long they were facing each other.

\"Hello，\" said Bruno.

\"Hello，\" said the boy.

The boy was smaller than Bruno and was sitting on the ground with a forlorn6) expression. He wore the same striped pyjamas7) that all the other people on that side of the fence wore， and a striped cloth cap on his head. He wasn't wearing any shoes or socks and his feet were rather dirty. On his arm he wore an armband with a star on it.

When Bruno first approached the boy， he was sitting cross-legged on the ground， staring at the dust beneath him. However， after a moment he looked up and Bruno saw his face. It was quite a strange face too. His skin was almost the color of grey， but not quite like any grey that Bruno had ever seen before. He had very large eyes and they were the color of caramel8) sweets; the whites were very white， and when the boy looked at him all Bruno could see was an enormous pair of sad eyes staring back.

Bruno was sure that he had never seen a skinnier or sadder boy in his life but decided that he had better talk to him.

\"I've been exploring，\" he said.

\"Have you?\" said the little boy.

\"Yes. For almost two hours now.\"

This was not strictly speaking true. Bruno had been exploring for just over an hour but he didn't think that exaggerating9) slightly would be too bad a thing to do. It wasn't quite the same thing as lying and made him seem more adventurous than he really was.

\"Have you found anything?\" asked the boy.

\"Very little.\"

\"Nothing at all?\"

\"Well， I found you，\" said Bruno after a moment.

He stared at the boy and considered asking him why he looked so sad but hesitated because he thought it might sound rude. He knew that sometimes people who were sad didn't want to be asked about it; sometimes they'd offer the information themselves and sometimes they wouldn't stop talking about it for months on end， but on this occasion Bruno thought that he should wait before saying anything. He had discovered something during his exploration， and now that he was finally talking to one of the people on the other side of the fence it seemed like a good idea to make the most of the opportunity.

He sat down on the ground on his side of the fence and crossed his legs like the little boy and wished that he had brought some chocolate with him or perhaps a pastry10) that they could share.

\"I live in the house on this side of the fence，\" said Bruno.

\"Do you? I saw the house once， from a distance， but I didn't see you.\"

\"My room is on the first floor，\" said Bruno. \"I can see right over the fence from there. I'm Bruno， by the way.\"

\"I'm Shmuel，\" said the little boy.

布魯諾沿著鐵絲網(wǎng)圍墻走了很久，比他預(yù)想的時間要長得多;這道鐵絲網(wǎng)延延綿綿，似乎有好幾英里長。他走啊走啊，每當(dāng)他回頭就能看到，自己家的房子變得越來越小，最后從視線中完全消失了。途中，他在鐵絲網(wǎng)附近沒有看到一個人;也沒找到任何可以進去的地方，他開始感到絕望，這次探險要徹底地失敗了。事實上，雖然這道鐵絲網(wǎng)還看不到頭，但小屋、大樓和煙囪逐漸在他身后消失了，而這道鐵絲網(wǎng)好像只是把他和一片空地隔了開來。

布魯諾走了大半個鐘頭，開始感覺有點餓了，他想，今天的探險也差不多了，應(yīng)該回去了。但是，就在那一刻，遠處出現(xiàn)了一個小點。他瞇起眼睛，努力想看清那是什么。布魯諾想起他曾看過的一本書里說:有個人在沙漠里迷了路，好幾天沒有食物和水，于是就開始出現(xiàn)幻覺，覺得自己看到豪華的飯店和巨大的噴泉，可當(dāng)他想過去吃喝時，一切都消失殆盡，只剩下一把一把的沙子。布魯諾暗自納悶，不知道自己是否遭遇了相同的情況。

他一邊想，一邊卻身不由己地一步一步往前走，離遠處那個小點越來越近了。那個小點慢慢變成一個小斑，然后又開始變成一個小塊，繼而又變成一個影子。很快，當(dāng)布魯諾繼續(xù)靠近時，他發(fā)現(xiàn)那不是一個小點，不是小塊，也不是一個影子，而是一個人。

事實上，那是一個小男孩。

布魯諾讀過很多關(guān)于探險家的書，他知道一個人永遠也無法對自己將要發(fā)現(xiàn)什么胸有成竹。大多數(shù)時候，他們是偶然碰上一些有趣的東西，它就那么待在那兒、自顧自做著自己的事，等著別人來發(fā)現(xiàn)(例如美洲大陸)。而其他時候，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)的東西還不如不被發(fā)現(xiàn)(比如碗櫥后面的一只死老鼠)。

這個小男孩屬于第一類。他就坐在那兒，干著自己的事，等著別人發(fā)現(xiàn)他。

當(dāng)看到這個小點變成小斑、變成小塊、變成影子、變成小男孩時，布魯諾放慢了腳步。盡管他們之間還有一道鐵絲網(wǎng)隔著，但布魯諾知道對待陌生人越小心越好，接近陌生人時最好要謹慎。于是他繼續(xù)走過去，很快，他們就面對面了。

“你好?！辈剪斨Z說。

“你好。”小男孩說。

小男孩比布魯諾矮小，坐在地上，面有戚容。他穿著和鐵絲網(wǎng)那邊所有人一樣的條紋睡衣，戴著一頂條紋布帽子。他沒有穿鞋，也沒有穿襪子，一雙腳臟兮兮的。他胳膊上戴著一枚臂章，臂章上有一顆星星。

布魯諾剛靠近小男孩時，他正盤腿坐在地上，盯著身下的泥土。但過了一會兒，他抬起頭，布魯諾看到了他的臉。這是一張很奇怪的臉。他的皮膚幾近灰色，但又不像布魯諾所見過的任何一種灰色，眼睛大得出奇，是焦糖一樣的黃褐色，眼白非常白。當(dāng)小男孩看著他時，布魯諾在他那雙眼睛里所能感受到的只是無盡的憂傷。

布魯諾確信，自己從未見過比他更瘦骨嶙峋、更悲傷哀憐的小男孩，他覺得應(yīng)該和他聊聊。

“我在探險?！彼f。

“是嗎?”小男孩說。

“是的，差不多有兩個小時了?！?/p>

嚴格地說，這并不是事實。布魯諾只不過才探險一個多小時，但他覺得稍微夸張一點點也無傷大雅。這和撒謊完全不是一碼事，而且會顯得他更有冒險精神。

“你發(fā)現(xiàn)什么了嗎?”男孩問。

“幾乎沒有?！?/p>

“什么都沒有?”

“呃，我發(fā)現(xiàn)了你?！边^了一會兒，布魯諾說。

布魯諾盯著這個男孩，想問他為什么這么憂傷，但又有些遲疑，因為他覺得這樣可能會不太禮貌。他知道，憂傷的人有時是不想被別人問起的;有時他們自己會說出來，有時會連著嘮叨好幾個月，但是現(xiàn)在，布魯諾想還是先等等再說吧。他在這次探險中已經(jīng)有了發(fā)現(xiàn)，而且現(xiàn)在終于能和鐵絲網(wǎng)那邊的人聊一聊，他似乎應(yīng)該好好把握這個機會。

他在鐵絲網(wǎng)這一邊的地上坐下來，像小男孩那樣盤著腿，他真希望自己帶了一些巧克力或糕點，可以兩人一起分享。

“我住在鐵絲網(wǎng)這一邊的房子里。”布魯諾說。

“是嗎?我從遠處看見過那棟房子，但是我沒看到你?！?/p>

“我的房間在二樓，”布魯諾說?！皬姆块g里我能看到鐵絲網(wǎng)的那一邊。對了，我叫布魯諾?！?/p>

“我叫什穆埃爾。”小男孩說。

Vocabulary

1.stack [stAk] n. (輪船、火車、工廠的)排氣管，煙突，煙道;大煙囪

2.the best part of: 絕大部分;多半

3.speck [spek] n. (在相比之下或置于遠處而顯得)微小的東西

4.blob [blCb] n. 無一定形狀(或難以名狀)的東西;黑糊糊的一堆

5.can never...too: ……無論怎樣……也不過分，越……越好

6.forlorn [fE5lC:n] adj. 被遺棄的，孤苦伶仃的;可憐的;愁苦的

7.pyjamas [pE5dVB:mEz] n. (尤指男人的)睡衣褲

8.caramel [5kArEmel] n. 卡拉梅爾糖(一種焦糖味的耐嚼奶糖)

9.exaggerate [I^5zAdVEreIt] vt. 夸張，夸大;對……言過其實

10.pastry [5peIstrI] n. 各式烘烤糕點(如蛋糕、甜面包等)

賞析

《穿條紋睡衣的男孩》講述的是二戰(zhàn)時期，德國納粹軍官的兒子布魯諾與猶太小男孩什穆埃爾之間奇特而感人的友誼故事。

布魯諾從小在優(yōu)越的生活環(huán)境中長大，單純開朗、天真爛漫。他對世界充滿好奇，喜歡探險。他擁有孩子固有的善良本性，在他眼中，世界上的一切都是那么美好，哪怕是面對噩夢般的納粹，他也有著自己想當(dāng)然的美好理解:他自始至終誤把“元首”( 希特勒 )讀作“炎首”，誤將“奧斯威辛”讀作“一起出去”(Auschwitz與Out With讀音相近);每當(dāng)父親教他敬禮的姿勢:立正站好，腳跟并攏，手掌伸平，把右臂揮至空中，嘴里高亢地喊出兩個詞:“嗨，希特勒!”時，他就會理解為“好的，再見!”

由于布魯諾爸爸得到“元首”的賞識，升任為奧斯威辛的司令官，負責(zé)“處理”那里大批的猶太人，布魯諾全家從柏林遷移到奧斯威辛。布魯諾無法理解為什么全家人要來這個荒蕪的地方生活，深深的孤獨與難過就像鉗子一樣使他感到強烈的不適。透過自家樓房的窗戶，布魯諾遠遠地看到了被鐵絲網(wǎng)圍在一起穿條紋睡衣的人，隱約間他覺得那些人的生活與他的不同，可是，“到底有什么不同?是誰來決定哪些人穿條紋睡衣，哪些人穿制服?鐵絲網(wǎng)那邊有很多小孩，為什么爸爸媽媽不讓他過去玩?”對這些問題，布魯諾自始至終也沒有得到答案。強烈的好奇心和探險欲驅(qū)使他想要去了解鐵絲網(wǎng)那邊的生活。然而，天真的布魯諾并不知道，鐵絲網(wǎng)的那邊有著他的向往，更有著他無法了解的血腥殺戮。

與布魯諾不同，什穆埃爾是普通猶太家庭的孩子，在被納粹士兵帶到集中營監(jiān)禁后，他常感到饑餓，身體越來越瘦弱，臉色也越來越灰暗。他常被士兵打得眼睛烏青，雙手的血管在皮膚下暴露出來，手指像枯死的樹枝。他意識到生活的變故，在幼小的心靈里萌生了恨意。他恨士兵，覺得是他們改變了自己原本幸福平靜的生活。

在一次沿著鐵絲網(wǎng)的“探險”中，布魯諾遇見了鐵絲網(wǎng)另一邊穿條紋睡衣的什穆埃爾，他們開始隔著鐵絲網(wǎng)交談。上文節(jié)選即描繪了兩個孩子第一次相遇的情景，在他們天真無邪卻又帶著淡淡哀傷的談話中，小說呈現(xiàn)出一種平靜、安詳、緩慢的基調(diào)。兩個孩子隔著鐵絲網(wǎng)互相交流生活經(jīng)歷，他們純真的心靈沒有遭受過野心、欲望、猜忌的污染。他們沒有絕望，沒有冷眼，沒有抱怨;他們沒有對種族優(yōu)劣的分歧，也沒有對戰(zhàn)爭戕害的認知;他們都視對方為這荒涼之地的唯一朋友。

但是，在日復(fù)一日的交談中，偶爾的“尷尬”讓他們體會到了彼此生活的差異。當(dāng)兩個男孩談到理想時，布魯諾說長大后想做像爸爸一樣的士兵，因為很威風(fēng)。而什穆埃爾卻認為士兵都很壞，他的理想是到動物園去工作，因為那里沒有討厭的士兵，也沒有條紋睡衣。生活上的差異造成了孩子對不同事物的向往，而造成這些差異的卻正是戰(zhàn)爭。戰(zhàn)爭帶給孩子們的遠不止疑惑，更多的則是傷害。

故事最后，原本只是布魯諾待在奧斯威辛的最后一天，但這一天竟成了兩個男孩的末日。為了和什穆埃爾享受一次在一起玩耍的快樂，為了體驗幫什穆埃爾找他“失蹤”的爸爸的“終極探險”，布魯諾穿上什穆埃爾從集中營里偷來的條紋睡衣，戴上條紋帽子，從鐵絲網(wǎng)底部的小洞爬了過去，兩個男孩第一次處于鐵絲網(wǎng)的同一邊。正當(dāng)他們在集中營里尋找什穆埃爾爸爸“失蹤”的線索時，他們誤闖入了由布魯諾爸爸下令包圍的區(qū)域，區(qū)域里的人最終被士兵驅(qū)趕進了密封的毒氣室。而布魯諾握著什穆埃爾的小手蹲坐在毒氣室時，他只是天真地想著也許這只是在避雨，不然大家都會感冒的，卻永遠不知道他們再也淋不到雨，再也無法見到天空和太陽，再也無法聽見鳥兒歌唱，再也無法找回爸爸媽媽還有他們的家……兩個善良、純潔的小孩，就這樣被放到殘忍、骯臟的“舞臺中央”。不知是誰犯下的錯，總之，這兩個孩子，承擔(dān)了所有的悲劇。

小孩子純潔美麗的心靈和冰冷殘酷的現(xiàn)實對比讓每一位讀者都如芒在背。到底是誰將這兩個可愛的孩子推向了黑暗的深淵?是年幼無知的“探險”，是執(zhí)著于“愛國理想”的布魯諾的爸爸，還是充斥著鮮血與罪惡的戰(zhàn)爭?

對戰(zhàn)爭進行反思，是我們每個人的義務(wù)。布魯諾和什穆埃爾的故事不僅屬于能夠理解那段歷史的人，更屬于所有已經(jīng)遠離戰(zhàn)爭的孩子，我們要將故事背后的沉重告訴他們，將反思和自省傳遞下去。唯有如此，悲劇才不會重演。