wgolding.lordoftheflies-第2部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


ding；　the　aim　of　the　narrative　is　〃to　trace　the　defects　of　society　back　to　the　defects　of　human　nature〃；　the　moral　illustrated　is　that　〃the　shape　of　society　must　depend　on　the　ethical　nature　of　the　individual　and　not　on　any　political　system　however　apparently　logical　or　respectable。〃4　And　since　the　lost　children　are　the　inheritors　of　the　same　defects　of　nature　which　doomed　their　fathers；　the　tragedy　on　the　island　is　bound　to　repeat　the　actual　pattern　of　human　history。
　
　2。A　longer　discussion　of　Golding's　use　of　Ballantyne　appears　in　Carl　Niemeyer's　〃The　Coral　Island　Revisited。〃　See　pp。　217…223　in　this　volume。
　3。See　John　Peter's　〃The　Fables　of　William　Golding〃　on　pp。　229…234　of　this　volume。　A　less　simplistic　view　is　offered　by　Ian　Gregor　and　Mark　Kinkead…Weekes　in　their　Introduction　to　Faber's　School　Edition　of　Lord　of　the　Flies　reprinted　on　pp。　235…243　in　this　volume。
　
　
　The　central　fact　in　that　pattern　is　one　which　we；　like　the　fatuous　naval　officer；　are　virtually　incapable　of　perceiving：　first；　because　it　is　one　that　constitutes　an　affront　to　our　ego；　second；　because　it　controverts　the　carefully　and　elaborately　rationalized　record　of　history　which　sustains　the　ego　of　〃rational〃　man。　The　fact　is　that　regardless　of　the　intelligence　we　possess…an　intelligence　which　drives　us　in　a　tireless　effort　to　impose　an　order　upon　our　affairs…we　are　defeated　with　monotonous　regularity　by　our　own　irrationality。　〃History；〃　said　Joyce's　Dedalus；　is　a　nightmare　from　which　I　am　trying　to　awake。〃　5　But　we　do　not　awake。　Though　we　constantly　make　a　heroic　attempt　to　rise　to　a　level　ethically　superior　to　nature；　our　own　nature；　again　and　again　we　suffer　a　fall…brought　low　by　some　outburst　of　madness　because　of　the　limiting　defects　inherent　in　our　species。
　If　there　is　any　literary　precedent　for　the　image　of　man　contained　in　Gelding's　fable；　it　is　obviously　not　to　be　found　within　the　framework　of　a　tradition　that　embraces　Robinson　Crusoe　and　Swiss　Family　Robinson6　and　includes　also　those　island　episodes　in　Conrad's　novels　in　which　the　self…defeating　skepticism　of　a　Heyst　or　a　Decoud　serves　only　to　illustrate　the　value　of　illusions。7　All　of　these　offer　some　version　of　the　rationalist　orthodoxy　we　so　readily　accept；　even　though　the　text　may　not　be　so　boldly　simple　as　Ballantyne's　sermon　for　innocent　Victorians。　Quite　removed　from　this　tradition；　which　Golding　invariably　satirizes；　is　the　directly　acknowledged　influence　of　classical　Creek　literature。　Within　this　designation；　though　Golding's　critics　have　ignored　it；　is　an　obvious　admiration　for　Euripides。8　Among　the　plays　of　Euripides　it　is；　The　Bacchae　that　Golding；　like　Mamillius　of　The　Brass　Butterfly；　knows　by　heart　The　tragedy　is　a　bitter　allegory　on　the　degeneration　of　society；　and　it　contains　the　basic　parable　which　informs　so　much　of　Golding's　work。　Most　of　all；　Lord　of　the　Flies；　for　here　the　point　of　view　is　similar　to　that　of　the　aging　Euripides　after　he　was　driven　into　exile　from　Athens。　Before　his　departure　the　tragedian　brought　down　upon　himself　the　mockery　and　disfavor　of　a　mediocre　regime　like　the　one　which　later　condemned　Socrates。　The　Bacchae；　however；　is　more　than　an　expression　of　disillusionment　with　the　failing　democracy。　Its　aim　is　precisely　what　Golding　has　declared　to　be　his　own：　〃to　trace　the　defects　of　society　back　to　the　defects　of　　human　nature；〃　and　so　account　for　the　failure　of　reason　and　the　inevitable；　blind　ritual…hunt　in　which　we　seek　to　kill　the　〃beast〃　within　our　own　being。
　
　4。　Quoted　by　E。　L。　Epstein　in　his　〃Notes　on　Lord　of　the　Flies。〃　See　below；　p。　277。
　5。　Ulysses　（New　York：　The　Modem　Library；　1961）；　p。34。
　6。See　Golding's　remarks　on　these　novels　and　Treasure　Island　in　his　review　called　〃Islands；〃　Spectator；　204　（June　10；　1960）；　844…46。
　7。Thus　far；　attempts　to　pare　Golding　and　Conrad　have　been　unsuccessful。　See　Golding's　remarks　on　Conrad　（and　Richard　Hughes's　High　Wind　in　Jamaica）　in　the　interview　by　James　Keating　on　p。　194　in　this　volume。　See　also　William　R。　Mueller's　essay；　p。　251。
　
　The　Bacchae　is　based　on　a　legend　of　Dionysus　wherein　the　god　（a　son　of　Zeus　and　the　mortal　Semele；　daughter　of　Cadmus）　descends　upon　Thebes　in　great　wrath；　determined　to　take　revenge　upon　the　young　king；　Pentheus；　who　has　denied　him　recognition　and　prohibited　his　worship。　Dionysus　wins　as　devotees　the　daughters　of　Cadmus　and　through　his　power　of　enchantment　decrees　that　Agave；　mother　of　Pentheus；　shall　lead　the　band　in　frenzied　celebrations。　Pentheus　bluntly　opposes　the　god　and　tries　by　every　means　to　preserve　order　against　the　rising　tide　of　madness　in　his　kingdom。　The　folly　of　his　proud　resistance'　is　shown　in　the　defeat　of　all　that　Pentheus　represents：　the　bacchantes　trample　on　his　edicts　and　in　wild　marches　through　the　land　wreck　everything　in　their　path。　Thus　prepared　for　his　vengeance；　Dionysus　casts　a　spell　over　Pentheus。　With　his　judgment　weakened　and　his　identity　obscured　in　the　dress　of　a　woman；　the　defeated　prince　sets　out　to　spy　upon　the　orgies。　In　the　excitement　of　their　rituals　the　bacchantes　live　in　illusion；　and　all　that　falls　in　their　way　undergoes　a　metamorphosis　which　brings　it　into　accord　with　the　natural　images　of　their　worship。　When　Pentheus　is　seen　he　is　taken　for　a　lion9　and；　led　by　Agave；　the　blind　victims　of　the　god　tear　him　limb　from　limb。　The　final　humiliation　of　those　who　deny　the　godhead　is　to　render　them　conscious　of　their　crimes　and　to　cast　them　out　from　their　homeland　as　guilt…stricken　exiles　and　wanderers　upon　the　earth。
　
　8。On　several　occasions　Golding　has　stated　that　he　has　read　deeply　in　Greek　literature　and　history　during　the　past　twenty　years。
　
　
　For　most　modern　readers　the　chief　obstacle　in　the　way　of　proper　understanding　of　The　Bacchae；　and　therefore　Golding's　use　of　it；　is　the　popular　notion　that　Dionysus　is　nothing　more　than　a　charming　god　of　wine。　This　image　descends　from　〃the　Alexandrines；　and　above　all　the　Romans…　with　their　tidy　functionalism　and　their　cheerful　obtuseness　in　all　matters　of　the　spirit…who　departmentalized　Dionysus　as　'jolly　Bacchus'　。　。　。　with　his　riotous　crew　of　nymphs　and　satyrs。　As　such　he　was　taken　over　from　the　Romans　by　Renaissance　painters　and　poets；　and　it　was　they　in　turn　who　shaped　the　image　in　which　the　modern　world　pictures　him。〃　In　reality　the　god　was　more　important　and　〃much　more　dangerous〃：　he　was　〃the　principle　of　animal　life　。　。　。　the　hunted　and　the　hunter…the　unrestrained　potency　which　man　envies　in　the　beasts　and　seeks　to　assimilate。〃　Thus　the　intention　and　chief　effect　of　the　bacchanal　was　〃to　liberate　the　instinctive　life　in　man　from　the　bondage　imposed　upon　it　by　reason　and　social　custom。　。。。〃　In　his　play　Euripides　also　suggests　〃a　further　effect；　a　merging　of　the　individual　consciousness　in　a　group　consciousness'　so　that　the　participant　is　〃at　one　not　only　with　the　Master　of　Life　but　his　fellow…worshipers　。　。　。　and　with　the　life　of　the　earth。〃10　Dionysus　was　worshiped　in　various　animal　incarnations　（snake；　bull；　lion；　boar）；　whatever　form　was　appropriate　to　place；　and　all　of　these　were　incarnations　of　the　impulses　he　evoked　in　his　worshipers。　In　The　Bacchae　a　leader　of　the　bacchanal　summons　him　with　the　incantation；　〃O　God；　Beast；　Mystery；　e！〃　11　Agave's　attack　upon　the　lion〃　（her　own　son）　conforms　to　the　codes　of　Dionysic　ritual：　like　other　gods；　this　one　is　slain　and　devoured；　his　devotees　sustained　by　his　flesh　and　blood。　The　terrible　error　of　the　bacchantes　is　a　punishment　brought　upon　the　land　by　the　lord　of　beasts：　〃To　resist　Dionysus　is　to　repress　the　elemental　in　one's　own　nature；　the　punishment　is　the　sudden　collapse　of　the　inward　dykes　when　the　elemental　breaks　through　perforce　and　civilization　vanishes。〃12
　
　9。　In　Ovid's　Metamorphoses　the　bacchantes　see　Pentheus　in　the　form　of　a　boar。
　10。　E。　R。　Dodds；　Euripides　Bacchae；　Second　Edition　（Oxford：　The　Clarendon　Press；　1960）；　p。　xii　and　p。　xx。　Dodds　also　finds　evidence　that　some　Dionysian　rites　called　for　human　sacrifice。
　11。　From　the　verse　translation　by　Gilbert　Murray。
　
　This　same　humiliation　falls　upon　the　innocents　of　Lord　of　the　Flies。　In　their　childish　pride　they　attempt　to　impose　an　order　or　pattern　upon　the　vital　chaos　of　their　own　nature；　and　so　they　mit　the　error　and　〃sin〃　of　Pentheus；　the　〃man　of　many　sorrows。〃　The　penalties；　as　in　the　play；　are　bloodshed；　guilt；　utter　defeat　of　reason。　Finally；　they　stand　before　the　officer；　〃a　semicircle　of　little　boys；　their　bodies　streaked　with　colored　clay；　sharp　sticks　in　their　hands。〃13　Facing　that　purblind　mander　（with　his　revolver　and　peaked　cap）；　Ralph　cries　〃for　the　end　of　innocence；　the　darkness　of　man's　heart〃　（186…87）；　and　the　tribe　of　vicious　hunters　joins　him　in　spontaneous　choral　lament　But　even　Ralph　could　not　trace　the　arc　of　their　descent；　could　not　explain　why　it's　no　go；　why　things　are　as　they　are；　for　in　the　course　of　events　he　was　at　times　among　the　hunters；　one　of　them；　and　he　grieves　in　part　for　the　appalling　ambiguities　he　has　discovered　in　his　own　nature。　He　remembers　those　strange；　interims　of　blindness　and　despair　when　a　〃shutter〃　clicked　down　over　his　mind　and　left　him　at　the　mercy　of　his　own　dark　heart。　In　Ralph's　experience；　then；　the　essence　of　the　fable　is　spelled　out：　he　suffers　the　dialectic　we　must　all　endure；　and　his　failure　to　resolve　it　as　we　would　wish　demonstrates　the　limitations　which　have　always　plagued　the　species。
　In　the　first　hours　on　the　island　Ralph　sports　untroubled　in　the　twilight　of　childhood　and　innocence；　but　after　he　sounds　the　conch　he　must　confront　the　forces　he　has　summoned　to　the　granite　platform　beside　the　sunny　lagoon。　During　that　first　assembly　he　seems　to　arbitrate　with　the　grace　of　a　young　god　（his　natural　bearing　is　dignified；　princely）　and；　for　the　time　being；　a　balance　is　maintained。　The　difficulties　begin　with　the　dream…revelation　of　the　child　distinguished　by　the　birthmark。　The　boy　tells　of　a　snakelike　monster　prowling　the　woods　by　night；　and　at　this　moment　the　seed　of　fear　is　planted。　Out　of　it　will　grow　the　mythic　beast　destined　to　bee　lord　of　the　island。　Rumors　of　his　presence　grow。　There　is　a　plague　of　haunting　dreams…the　first　symptom　of　the　irrational　fear　which　is　〃mankind's　essential　illness。〃
　
　12。Dodds；　p。xvi
　13。　Lord　of　the　Flies；　p。　185。　All　quotations　are　taken　from　the　edition　contained　in　this　volume。　Subsequent　page　references　will　appear　in　parentheses。
　
　
　In　the　chapter　called　〃Beast　from　Water〃　the　parliamentary　debate　bees　a　blatant　allegory　in　which　each　spokesman　caricatures　the　position　he　defends。　Piggy　（the　voice　of　reason）　leads　with　the　statement　that　life　is　scientific；〃　adds　the　usual　Utopian　promises　（〃when　the　war's　over　they'll　be　traveling　to　Mars　and　back〃）；　and　his　assurance　that　such　things　will　e　to　pass　if　only　we　control　the　senseless　conflicts　that　impede　progress。　He　is　met　with　laughter　and　jeers　（the　crude　multitude）；　and　at　this　juncture　a　littlun　interrupts　to　declare　that　the　beast　（ubiquitous　evil）　es　out　of　the　sea。　Maurice　interjects　to　voice　the　doubt　which　curses　them　all：　〃I　don't　believe　in　the　beast　of　course。　As　Piggy　says；　life's　scientific；　but　we　don't　know；　do　we？　Not　certainly　。　。　。〃　（81）。　Then　Simon　（the　inarticulate　seer）　rises　to　utter　the　truth　in　garbled；　ineffective　phrases：　there　is　a　beast；　but　〃it