《苏菲的选择》中的创伤与复原_英语论文

Trauma and Recovery in Sophie’s Choice

摘要

《苏菲的选择》是美国作家威廉·斯泰隆的代表作之一。自1979年出版以来，这本书成功引起了社会各界的广泛讨论。《苏菲的选择》是一本非常有价值的大屠杀文学，我们若想全面地透彻地了解这段大屠杀历史，阅读这本书是十分必要的。这本著作列入二十世纪百部最佳小说之一，曾获1980年美国国家图书奖。《苏菲的选择》是美国大学生的必读书目之一。因为他们不仅可以通过这本书更好地了解大屠杀历史，更是因为这本著作是西方小说史上的重要里程碑。

《苏菲的选择》一书中涵盖了很多主题，并且都被国内外学者热烈讨论并进行深度研究。有些评论家对父权社会，女权主义，种族压迫以及宗教信仰方面进行了评论。还有一些专家研究其挣扎求生，不公平现象以及斯泰隆独特的叙述手法。有些评论家说威廉·斯泰隆是想要通过这本书为大家呈现出一个充满邪恶的世界。正是因为恶魔的无处不在，苏菲才会最终再也承受不住精神危机从而走上自杀之路。然而，目前将研究目光集中于苏菲的创伤与复原方面的研究还是很少。所以本论文将会针对这一研究空白，利用创伤与复原理论研究苏菲的创伤事件以及她的复原历程。

本论文基于朱迪思·赫尔曼的创伤与复原理论展开研究。在赫尔曼的著作《创伤与复原》中，她提出创伤者想要得到复原要经历三个阶段， 首先是重建安全感，其次是重忆伤痛，最后是重建联系。论文将会以这三个阶段为出发点，依次研究每个阶段的苏菲所经历的创伤以及她的复原历程。  

最终论文得出的结论是，正如威廉·斯泰隆想要通过这本小说所诠释的一样，这个世界上确实是存在恶魔的，甚至有时候邪恶是无处不在的。我们不能避免经历一些痛苦的事情，也不能避免有时候我们会感到很无助很无奈，但我们应该学会通过正确的方法得到复原。苏菲的悲剧---选择死亡作为自己的复原终点，看似是可以避免的，然而这个悲剧结局是早已注定的。 大屠杀的邪恶，它带给幸存者的悲伤与痛苦是永不能抹去的，这道伤疤是永远不会被抚平的。

关键词： 《苏菲的选择》； 威廉·斯泰隆； 创伤； 复原

Abstract

Sophie’s Choice is one of the American writer William Styron’s representative works. Since its publication in 1979, it has aroused wide discussion among the public. It is a necessary reading if we want to know this part of history comprehensively. It won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 1980. For the American college students, they are required to read Sophie’s Choice not only because they need to learn the Holocaust history, but also because this novel is a milestone work in history of western fiction. 

Sophie’s Choice contains several themes which have been deeply discussed and researched by scholar home and abroad. Some critics make comments on patriarchal society, feminism, racial oppression ahd religion. A few critics also explore the struggle to survive, injustice and the narrative method of this story. Some critics said that William Styron wanted to present a world of evil through this story. Because of the existence of evil, Sophie finally could not bear any more and suicide. However, there are few researches focusing on the trauma and recovery which Sophie experienced. So this thesis is aimed to fill this gap and explore the traumatized events of Sophie with trauma and recovery theory. 

The thesis utilizes trauma and recovery theory of Judith Herman to analyze Sophie’s trauma and her recovery process. In Herman’s famous work Trauma and Recovery, she put forward three periods of trauma recovery --- reestablish sense of security, recall the pain and reconstruct sense of connection. This thesis takes these three periods as points of departure to discuss Sophie’s sorrow and her struggle to be cured. 

Finally, the thesis comes to a conclusion that just as what William Styron wanted to interpret by the novel, evil does exist in this world and sometimes it even exists everywhere. We cannot avoid experiencing something painful and being helpless, but we should learn to get recovery in a right way. It seems that Sophie’s tragedy--- chose death as her termination could be prevented if she cured herself in a more calm way. However, this tragic ending is doomed because the Holocaust was so evil that the pain and sorrow which the survivor bear are so heavy that they can never be erased.    

Keywords: Sophie’s Choice: William Styron; trauma; recovery

Contents

Acknowledgements I

摘要 II

Abstract III

Introduction 1

Chapter One  Reestablishment of security 5

1.1Sohpie's Autonomy 5

1.2 Reliance on Nathan 7

Chapter Two  Recalling of Trauma 10

2.1 Evasion from Her Sufferings 10

2.2 Distortion of Facts 10

Chapter Three  Reconstruction of connection 12

3.1Sophie's Attempt on Integration 12

3.2Engaging in Group 17

Conclusion 20

Works Cited 23