自我的囚徒——Eveline

詹姆斯·喬伊斯(James Joyce， 1882～1941)是世界級的現(xiàn)代主義文學大師。他出生于愛爾蘭都柏林，幼年接受的是天主教教會學校的教育，成年后卻放棄了宗教信仰。1898年喬伊斯進入都柏林大學攻讀哲學和語言學，畢業(yè)后曾經(jīng)短暫轉學醫(yī)學。喬伊斯自1904年開始創(chuàng)作短篇小說集《都柏林人》(Dubliners)，小說集十年后出版。1916年，喬伊斯完成了半自傳體的小說《一個青年藝術家的肖像》(A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)。這兩部作品奠定了喬伊斯的文壇聲譽。被奉為現(xiàn)代文學集大成之作的《尤利西斯》(Ulysses)發(fā)表于1922年。喬伊斯生前出版的最后一部小說《為芬尼根守靈》(Finnegans Wake)出版于1939年，這是一部迷宮一樣的作品，充滿了實驗特色?！兑淋搅铡?Eveline)選自他的短篇小說集《都柏林人》，是其中較為精彩的一篇。

She2) was about to explore another life with Frank3). Frank was very kind， manly， open-hearted. She was to go away with him by the night-boat to be his wife and to live with him in Buenos Ayres4) where he had a home waiting for her. How well she remembered the first time she had seen him; he was lodging in a house on the main road where she used to visit. It seemed a few weeks ago. He was standing at the gate， his peaked cap pushed back on his head and his hair tumbled forward over a face of bronze. Then they had come to know each other. He used to meet her outside the stores every evening and see her home. He took her to see The Bohemian Girl and she felt elated5) as she sat in an unaccustomed part of the theatre with him. He was awfully fond of music and sang a little. People knew that they were courting and， when he sang about the lass that loves a sailor， she always felt pleasantly confused. He used to call her Poppens6) out of fun. First of all it had been an excitement for her to have a fellow and then she had begun to like him. He had tales of distant countries. He had started as a deck boy at a pound a month on a ship of the Allan Line going out to Canada. He told her the names of the ships he had been on and the names of the different services. He had sailed through the Straits of Magellan7) and he told her stories of the terrible Patagonians8). He had fallen on his feet9) in Buenos Ayres， he said， and had come over to the old country just for a holiday. Of course， her father had found out the affair and had forbidden her to have anything to say to him.

“I know these sailor chaps10)，” he said.

One day he had quarrelled with Frank and after that she had to meet her lover secretly.

The evening deepened in the avenue. The white of two letters in her lap grew indistinct. One was to Harry11); the other was to her father. Ernest12) had been her favourite， but she liked Harry too. Her father was becoming old lately， she noticed; he would miss her. Sometimes he could be very nice. Not long before， when she had been laid up for a day， he had read her out a ghost story and made toast for her at the fire. Another day， when their mother was alive， they had all gone for a picnic to the Hill of Howth. She remembered her father putting on her mother’s bonnet to make the children laugh.

Her time was running out， but she continued to sit by the window， leaning her head against the window curtain， inhaling the odour of dusty cretonne13). Down far in the avenue she could hear a street organ14) playing. She knew the air. Strange that it should come that very night to remind her of the promise to her mother， her promise to keep the home together as long as she could. She remembered the last night of her mother’s illness; she was again in the close dark room at the other side of the hall and outside she heard a melancholy air of Italy. The organ-player had been ordered to go away and given sixpence. She remembered her father strutting15) back into the sickroom saying:

“Damned Italians， coming over here!”

As she mused the pitiful vision of her mother’s life laid its spell on the very quick of her being—that life of commonplace sacrifices closing in final craziness …

She stood up in a sudden impulse of terror. Escape! She must escape! Frank would save her. He would give her life， perhaps love， too. But she wanted to live. Why should she be unhappy? She had a right to happiness. Frank would take her in his arms， fold her in his arms. He would save her.

She stood among the swaying crowd in the station at the North Wall. He held her hand and she knew that he was speaking to her， saying something about the passage over and over again. The station was full of soldiers with brown baggage. Through the wide doors of the sheds she caught a glimpse of the black mass of the boat， lying in beside the quay16) wall， with illumined portholes17). She answered nothing. She felt her cheek pale and cold and， out of a maze of distress， she prayed to God to direct her， to show her what was her duty. The boat blew a long mournful whistle into the mist. If she went， tomorrow she would be on the sea with Frank， steaming towards Buenos Ayres. Their passage had been booked. Could she still draw back after all he had done for her? Her distress awoke a nausea18) in her body and she kept moving her lips in silent fervent19) prayer.

A bell clanged upon her heart. She felt him seize her hand:

“Come!”

All the seas of the world tumbled about her heart. He was drawing her into them: he would drown her. She gripped with both hands at the iron railing.

“Come!”

No! No! No! It was impossible. Her hands clutched the iron in frenzy. Amid the seas she sent a cry of anguish.

“Eveline! Evvy!”

He rushed beyond the barrier and called to her to follow. He was shouted at to go on but he still called to her. She set her white face to him， passive， like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition.

1.節(jié)選部分選自小說的后半部分，主要描述的是離別在即，主人公伊芙琳卻對現(xiàn)有的一切戀戀不舍了，最后她改變了初衷，放棄了出走。

2.she：指小說的主人公伊芙琳

3.Frank：弗蘭克，小說中伊芙琳的男友

4.Buenos Ayres：布宜諾斯艾利斯，阿根廷首都，也是阿根廷最大的城市，素有“南美巴黎”的美譽。

5.elated [??le?t?d] adj. 興高采烈的

6.Poppens：文中指小寶貝、小乖乖

7.Straits of Magellan：麥哲倫海峽，南美洲大陸南端同火地島等島嶼之間的海峽。因航海家麥哲倫于1520年首先由此通過而得名。

8.Patagonian [?pat??g??n??n] n. 巴塔哥尼亞人(南美洲南端巴塔哥尼亞印第安人)

9.fall on one’s feet：交好運

10.chap [t??p] n.〈口〉家伙；小伙子

11.Harry：哈利，小說中伊芙琳的哥哥，主要干的是裝飾教堂的活兒。

12.Ernest：歐內(nèi)斯特，小說中伊芙琳的哥哥，已經(jīng)夭折。

13.cretonne [kre?t?n， ?kret?n] n. (做窗簾等用的)大花型瑰麗印花裝飾布

14.organ [???(r)ɡ?n] n. 風琴；管風琴

15.strut [str?t] vi. 大搖大擺地走

16.quay [ki?] n. 碼頭

17.porthole [?p??(r)t?h??l] n. 舷窗

18.nausea [?n??zi?] n. 惡心

19.fervent [?f??(r)v(?)nt] adj. 熱烈的，熱情的

作品賞析

人生隨時隨地需要面對選擇：從小處而言，是選擇吃中餐還是吃西餐、選擇穿皮鞋還是穿球鞋、選擇坐地鐵還是乘出租車等諸如此類的小事；從大處來說，是選擇什么樣的工作、嫁給什么樣的人、過哪種生活等舉足輕重的大事。前一類選擇不會產(chǎn)生深遠影響，后一類則會改變整個人生軌跡。小說《伊芙琳》中的女主人公伊芙琳所面對的就是后一類抉擇。

伊芙琳生活在20世紀初的都柏林，是一個19歲的女孩。她的母親早已去世，父親酗酒，脾氣暴躁，有暴力傾向。她小小年紀已經(jīng)是家里的頂梁柱，既要操持家務，又要賺錢養(yǎng)家。伊芙琳不喜歡這樣的生活，于是決定隨在船上當水手的男朋友弗蘭克私奔去南美洲。船即將啟航，弗蘭克率先登船，伊芙琳卻忽然喪失了出走的勇氣，改變了初衷，任由弗蘭克如何催促，她最終還是選擇了留在碼頭上。

小說《伊芙琳》的篇幅很短，但作者卻在有限的文本空間內(nèi)(從伊芙琳決定出走到最后放棄)將伊芙琳的內(nèi)心掙扎呈現(xiàn)得立體而豐滿。伊芙琳善良而懂事，她幼年喪母，作為家里唯一的女孩，她早早就承擔起了母親的角色，照顧父親，呵護家人?？墒窃谶@樣的生活中，她沒有做自己的權利，她的存在是為了服務他人。她需要扮演乖巧的女兒，還需要充當操持家務的免費女傭。父親將收入都揮霍在了酗酒上，而她則時常為如何維持生計而發(fā)愁。她有兩個疼愛她的哥哥，但一個哥哥常年離家在外，另一個已經(jīng)病故。她有一份工作，但工作卻無法給她帶來成就感，而且上司對她挑剔而苛刻。更糟糕的是，這樣的生活并沒有任何好轉的跡象。

伊芙琳生活在都柏林一個普通的社區(qū)，住在一套普通的公寓房里。她的人生就像她窗外的街道一樣，平庸而寂寥。因此，弗蘭克的出現(xiàn)對伊芙琳來說具有特別的吸引力?！捌鹣?，她為有了個親密的伙伴很激動，隨后，漸漸喜歡他了。”顯然，伊芙琳是喜歡和弗蘭克在一起的。對于伊芙琳來說，家庭生活沉悶，工作沒有意思，和性格活潑的弗蘭克談談戀愛是一種暫時的逃離和解脫，她的生活為此平添了一種新的色彩。同時，伊芙琳一直生活在都柏林，而弗蘭克卻隨船到過很多地方，見多識廣，和弗蘭克在一起讓伊芙琳大開眼界。然而，喜歡不等于至死不渝的愛。伊芙琳為了這份不夠確定的情感決定離家出走，深層的原因只有一條：弗蘭克為她提供了一種新的生活方式。她要離開陰冷的都柏林，離開沒有吸引力的工作，離開背負不完的家庭責任。私奔不是為了愛，而是為了抵達沐浴在南美洲艷陽下的布宜諾斯艾利斯；成為弗蘭克太太不是為了和深愛的人終生廝守，而是為了贏得全新的身份，開始全新的人生。

伊芙琳是如此渴望過上新的生活，舊生活中有那么多她想拋棄的重負。正因如此，伊芙琳在結尾處選擇留在都柏林的決定才顯得格外具有悲劇性色彩。小說沒有詳細說明伊芙琳放棄出走的原因，或許是因為在最后一刻她無法徹底擺脫親情的羈絆，但最深刻的原因應該還是她對未知世界的恐懼。她還沒有踏上漂洋過海的旅途，就已經(jīng)感覺到“全世界所有的海浪都在她的心頭翻滾。他(弗蘭克)正拉著她往那里面去。他會淹死她的?！泵Ｃ５拇蠛Ｏ笳髦床坏桨兜拿半U，曾經(jīng)令她歡欣雀躍的未來在這一刻卻讓她感到莫名的驚恐。

美國詩人羅伯特·弗羅斯特在《未選擇的路》這首詩中寫道：“一片樹林里分出兩條路——/而我選擇了人跡更少的一條/從此決定了我一生的道路。”站在碼頭的伊芙琳也面臨著人生的岔路：一條路延伸向遠方，一條路指向舊家的方向，她即將踏上旅程，卻選擇了停在原地。自此以后，布宜諾斯艾利斯的風景只能是裝飾她回憶的一場夢。她的生活又回到了之前一成不變的人生軌跡。舊街區(qū)的燈光昏黃，老房子的窗簾散發(fā)著棉布和灰塵的陳腐氣味。她將繼續(xù)上班做一份沒有意思的工作，下班照顧一家老小。在不久的將來，留在都柏林的伊芙琳多半會走上她母親的老路，年紀輕輕便被生活壓彎了腰，甚至是榨干了生命。

小說作者詹姆斯·喬伊斯本人就在都柏林長大。他討厭這個城市的保守和墨守成規(guī)，更討厭這里一成不變、毫無光彩的生活狀態(tài)。無數(shù)生命在沉默中像行尸走肉一樣活著，他們的靈魂疲倦而灰暗，偶爾做一個美麗的夢，也會被動地等待夢想的燭光一點點熄滅?！鞍洳恍遥洳粻帯?，喬伊斯將人們精神上的這種無力感稱為“癱瘓癥”。這些人就像是罹患了癱瘓癥的病人，喪失了行動能力，一代一代就這樣在默默忍受中度過了一生。

喬伊斯的《伊芙琳》完成于1904年，曾經(jīng)單獨在愛爾蘭當?shù)氐奈膶W雜志上發(fā)表，1914年被收入短篇小說集《都柏林人》。在1904年完成《伊芙琳》后不久，喬伊斯便決定離開他所厭倦的故鄉(xiāng)，和妻子諾拉一起動身前往歐洲。他們先后在巴黎、蘇黎世等地生活，成為世界公民。即便窮困而漂泊，他們也不愿再回到都柏林去過安穩(wěn)而缺乏意義的生活。

當眼前出現(xiàn)一條嶄新的路，有多少人真正有勇氣選擇踏上征程，隨時準備著承受這一選擇所帶來的風險？伊芙琳靜靜地退回生活的舊囚牢，她就像是在籠子里被養(yǎng)得太久的鳥兒，沒有堅強的翅膀，懼怕過于廣闊、過于湛藍的天空。不知道該埋怨是生活使她膽怯，還是該埋怨她的膽怯使她只能擁有這樣一份生活，但事實的確是如此：敢于做夢的人很多，敢于行動的人很少。