路易斯·厄德里克的《圆屋》的伦理符号解读_英语论文

A Semioethical Analysis on Louise Erdrich’s The Round House    

摘 要

路易斯·厄德里克创作了包括十四部长篇小说、短篇故事、诗歌和儿童文学在内的大量文学作品，她在众多作品中表现出来的对于奥基布瓦历史文化及美国土著人的生存现状的关注，也让她跻身“印第安文艺复兴”的领军人物。厄德里克最新的长篇小说《圆屋》于2012年获得美国国家图书奖。本论文旨在借助伦理符号学的基本理论，分析小说《圆屋》中的主人公乔寻求正义的三个途径：即通过法律、宗教和传统追寻和解读正义。首先，笔者结合小说中的案件的特殊之处梳理法律系统无法合理判案的原因以及反映出来的法律漏洞和不公；其次，介绍印第安宗教信仰的概况并以乔和牧师的谈话为例解释宗教信仰与正义的辩证关系；最后，通过印第安传统文化中的“温迪戈法律”的判定方法和实施过程探讨乔如何惩罚罪犯，从伦理符号学的角度分析圆屋作为核心符号的象征意义。

关键词:圆屋  法律  宗教  传统

Abstract

Louise Erdrich has been a representative Ojibwe writer with numerous works including fourteen novels, a series of short stories, poetry and children literature. Erdrich’s focus on the Ojibwe history and culture as well as the living conditions of native Americans in most of her works makes her one of the leading writers in the “Native American Renaissance”. Her latest novel The Round House is awarded the American National Book Award. Based on theory of semioethics, this paper discusses the three approaches that the hero Joe explores in quest of justice: firstly, the author discusses features of the crime in the novel to identify the reasons of injustice in law system and the loopholes reflected in this case; then, a brief introduction of native American religion is give, after which taking the talk between Joe and the minister Travis as an example, it explains justice in a religious perspective; finally, it summarizes how Joe punishes the criminal according to the criterion of the traditional “Wiindigoo law”and analyzes the emblematic meaning of the core symbol “round house” from a semioethical perspective. 

Key words: round house  law  religion  tradition