The Silent Man: A Subaltern Analysis of One Out of Many_英语论文

摘要

短篇小说《孤独的人》是由著名英国作家维·苏·奈保尔创作的悲剧故事。小说讲述主人公桑托什生于孟买，在其雇主家中负责厨师一职兼生活事宜。后来由于雇主的工作调动，桑托什跟随其雇主一同搬到华盛顿生活的故事。离开孟买后桑托什意识到自身的属下身份，并在随后作出尝试摆脱该身份与融入华盛顿社会，然而其所有尝试皆以失败告终。最终，精神崩溃的桑托什选择放弃，接受其属下身份后走向消亡。本论文将运用后殖民理论家佳亚特里·斯皮瓦克的属下理论，对主人公的属下形象进行分析。首先对斯皮瓦克主要后殖民思想如后殖民女性及生态批评进行介绍，并着重对其属下研究中的属下这一关键词作出阐释。而后结合文本，论述长期遭受印度种姓制度压迫的桑托什，其属下性早已根植这一事实。进而解析抵达华盛顿后，桑托什寄望摆脱属下身份所做出的种种尝试以及其失败的原因。由此得出桑托什无法摆脱的属下身份必将导致其悲剧收场的最终结论。

关键词： 桑托什； 《孤独的人》； 斯皮瓦克；属下；印度种姓制

Abstract

Created by V.S. Naipaul, One Out of Many depicts tragic story of the protagonist Santosh. Living and working originally in the household of his employer in Bombay, Santosh moves to Washington, a city which he struggles to blend in. Failed attempts of dispensing subaltern identity agonizes Santosh, causing his ultimate emotional breakdown and renouncement on life. By putting the story into the framework of Gayatri Spivak’s subaltern studies, this thesis proposes to analyze subaltern image of Santosh. After brief introduction to Spivak’s major criticisms on feminism, global ecological protection and her subaltern studies, this thesis intends to reveal that Santosh’s subalternity is ingrained from the Indian caste system. Afterwards, through discussions of his futile attempts of casting off subaltern identity, a conclusion could be drawn that despite geological alterations of living environment, Santosh’s identity as subaltern remains indispensible. It is also this very identity that determines his failure and tragic end.

Key Words: Santosh, One Out of Many, Gayatri Spivak, Subaltern, Indian caste system

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Demonstration 2

2.1 Postcolonialism and subaltern studies 2

2.1.1 Gayatri Spivak and her postcolonial theories 3

2.1.2 Introduction of subaltern studies 4

2.2.Ingrained subaltern 5

2.2.1 Formation of subalternity 5

2.2.2 Manifestation of subalternity 6

2.3 Gradually silent subaltern 8

2.3.1 Failure of blending in host country culture 8

2.3.2 Failure of constructing individual identity 10

2.3.3 Failure of escaping from emptiness 11

3. Conclusion 12

Works Cited 13

Bibliography 14