Abstract

English immigrant literature is a significant part of the world immigrant literature. In recent years, Immigrant writing has increasingly drawn attention from readers and critics worldwide and immigrant writers have also got more and more recognition from the academic circle. As an immigrant to the developed countries, Kazuo Ishiguro, along with V.S. Naipaul and Salman Rushdie, is called as “the greatest immigrant writer”. Many critics consider Ishiguro as a representative of both Japanese and English writers. However, Ishiguro considers himself neither as a Japanese writer nor an English writer, but an international writer. His works concern more about the complicated inner world of mankind rather than the real outside world.
All of Ishiguro’s works have been critically acclaimed overseas. But fewer studies have been carried out on his novels in mainland China. Also his works have been approached solely from the perspectives of post-colonialism and cultural studies in the academia. There are few studies about Ishiguro’s fundamental concerns for human existence. Therefore, this study is devoted to the exploration of the recurring motifs in Ishiguro’s A Pale View of Hills through the examination of the trauma of the main characters, namely, Etsuko, the mother and Keiko, the daughter. In the novel, Etsuko moved to England hoping to find a new life after World War II. However, Etsuko did not realize Keiko was afflicted by the turbulent and volatile experience in her childhood. In Ishiguro’s works, most children have lost their parents and family in their childhoods, which turn out to be the cause of their troubled and displaced adult lives. Keiko committed suicide in her home in Manchester, which only exacerbated Etsuko’s pain. Keiko was trapped in her traumatized memory. The protagonists struggled and endeavored to get away from the ever-haunting past, which highlights the powerful effects of the traumatic past on their mind and life.

Key Words: Kazuo Ishiguro; A Pale View of Hills; trauma; memory
 
摘要

英国移民文学是移民文学的一个重要组成部分。近年来，移民写作日益受到关注，移民作家群体也获得了越来越多的肯定。石黑一雄与奈保尔、拉什迪并称“英国文坛移民三雄”。作为移民作家，石黑一雄被认为是英国文学与日本文学的双重代表，同时他自诩为一个国际主义作家。他关心的不是外部世界，而是人复杂的内心世界。
石黑一雄属于相对年轻的作家，虽然在国外颇受关注，但国内学界对其作品的系统性研究却明显不足。对其作品的解读也往往局限于后殖民与文化批评的视角，鲜有对其笔下主人公个体生存状态的诠释。由此，本文旨在以创伤理论为依据，分析石黑一雄处女作《远山淡影》中主人公悦子与其大女儿景子所遭受的创伤，以此来探讨石黑一雄作品中反复出现的主题：回忆、伤痕与逝去的童年。主人公悦子在经历战争的创伤后从日本到英国寻求新的生活，却忽略了动荡不安的生活经历对女儿景子的童年所带来的伤害。如同石黑一雄多部作品中的人物一样，景子在童年失去了父母、家庭的关爱，这对她后来的人生造成了巨大的影响。最终景子在曼彻斯特的家里自杀，悦子也因此陷入悔恨的情绪中，加剧了她的创伤。小说展现了受创者努力忘却，但无法忘记的挣扎与痛苦，凸显了创伤经历给她们带来的影响，从而传递了作者的强烈同情与深切共鸣。

关键词：石黑一雄；《远山淡影》；创伤；记忆