摘  要

本文以意大利文化为例讨论外来文化与美国主体文化的冲突，以及外来移民后裔在美国社会的去疆域化的过程。美国社会究竟怎么样？它是不是理想社会？本文分析小说《教父》三方面：《教父》当中对个人身份的双重性的描写，体现美国社会的“隐形面”；《教父》中意大利文化与美国主体文化的冲突，影射出外来文化在美国社会的命运沉浮；作为第一代意大利裔美国人的去疆域化过程及其意义。由此得出结论：在美国这一资本主义大国，外来移民的“美国梦”在当时的社会背景下，无法用正常的渠道实现，体现出美国社会对外来文化的态度。

关键词：马里奥•普佐；移民文化；文化冲突；去疆域化

Abstract

      The paper is to explore the conflicts between external cultures (taking Italian culture as an example) and the American host culture, and the deterritorialization of the descendants of immigrants. What is the essence of America? Is it a real ideal wonderland? The paper will analyse The Godfather from three aspects: the dual identities in The Godfather reflect the covert side of America; the clashes between Italian culture and American host culture insinuate the fate of external cultures in America; the deterritorialization of the first generation of Italian American implies its significance of culture fusion. In conclusion, America, as a capitalist power, is far from perfection. Immigrants are not able to realize their “American Dreams” without sly or devious ways.  The novel has become the strongest evidence to present the attitude of America to immigrant cultures.

Key Words: Mark Puzo；immigrant culture；cultural conflicts；deterritorialization

1 Introduction

The writer of The Godfather, Mario Puzo, completed his great work in 1969 to tell the readers a different America. What is the relationship between the experience of the writer and his work? Did other scholars study about The Godfather before? So the background is very crucial to its study.
1.1 An introduction about Mario Puzo and The Godfather
   The author, Mark Puzo, was born in an Italian immigrant family in New York. He served in American Army during the World War II, and then went to Columbia University to study literature. He started writing his criminal fiction since the 1950s. His two earlier works, The Dark Arena and The Fortunate, were published respectively in 1955 and 1964. But the two works had not aroused any acclamations. While his third novel, The Godfather, had hardly topped the best-seller chart of New York Times when it just came out, and the record had been kept for twenty-two weeks. Soon it was translated into many foreign languages and well sold around the world.