《獻給阿爾吉儂的花束》：白癡孤單，天才孤獨

禾搖

丹尼爾·凱斯（Daniel Keyes），1927年出生于美國紐約，曾于布魯克林學院修習心理學，畢業(yè)后相繼擔任過雜志編輯、中學老師等，1966年后在美國俄亥俄大學教授英語與創(chuàng)意寫作課程。其作品以科幻類小說為主，尤以描寫多重人格的人物而著稱，代表作有《獻給阿爾吉儂的花束》（Flowers for Algernon）、《第五位莎莉》（The Fifth Sally）、《24個比利》（The Minds of Billy Milligan）等。《獻給阿爾吉儂的花束》最初以短篇小說發(fā)表于1959年，榮獲雨果獎，1966年作者將此故事長篇化，又獲得星云獎。小說講述了智障人士查理·高登通過手術提高智商，變成天才，但一段時間后智商又慢慢回落，其間所經(jīng)歷的各種見聞和心情起伏。該小說曾多次被改編成電影、電視劇和舞臺劇。

Excerpts1）

When the haircut， shave， sun treatment， and the rest were over， I sat in the chair limply2）， feeling light， and slick3）， and clean， and Matt4） whisked the neckcloth off and offered me a second mirror to see the reflection of the back of my head. Seeing myself in the front mirror looking into the back mirror， as he held it for me， it tilted for an instant into the one angle that produced the illusion of depth; endless corridors of myself ... looking at myself ... looking at myself ... looking at myself ... looking ...

Which one？ Who was I？

I thought of not telling him. What good was it for him to know？ Just go away and not reveal who I was. Then I remembered that I wanted him to know. He had to admit that I was alive， that I was someone. I wanted him to boast about me to the customers tomorrow as he gave haircuts and shaves. That would make it all real. If he knew I was his son， then I would be a person.

“Now that youve got the hair off my face， maybe youll know me，” I said as I stood up， waiting for a sign of recognition.

He frowned. “What is this？ A gag5）？”

I assured him it was not a gag， and if he looked and thought hard enough he would know me. He shrugged and turned to put his combs and scissors away. “I got no time for guessing games. Got to close up. Thatll be three-fifty.”

What if he didnt remember me？ What if this was only an absurd fantasy？ His hand was out for the money， but I made no move toward my wallet. He had to remember me. He had to know me. But no—of course not—and as I felt the sour taste in my mouth and the sweat in my palms， I knew that in a minute I would be sick. But I didnt want that in front of him.

“Hey， you all right？”

“Yes ... just ... wait …” I stumbled into one of the chrome6） chairs and bent forward gasping for breath， waiting for the blood to come back to my head. My stomach was churning7）. Oh， God， dont let me faint now. Dont let me look ridiculous in front of him.

“Water ... some water， please …” Not so much for the drink as to make him turn away. I didnt want him to see me like this after all these years. By the time he returned with a glass， I felt a little better.

“Here， drink this. Rest a minute. Youll be okay.” He stared at me as I sipped the cool water， and I could see him struggling with half-forgotten memories. “Do I really know you from somewhere？”

“No ... Im okay. Ill leave in a minute.”

How could I tell him？ What was I supposed to say？

Here， look at me， Im Charlie， the son you wrote off the books？ Not that I blame you for it， but here I am， all fixed up better than ever. Test me. Ask me questions. I speak twenty languages， living and dead; Im a mathematical whiz8）， and Im writing a piano concerto that will make them remember me long after Im gone.

How could I tell him？

How absurd I was sitting in his shop， waiting for him to pat me on the head and say， “Good boy.” I wanted his approval， the old glow of satisfaction that came to his face when I learned to tie my own shoelaces and button my sweater. I had come here for that look in his face， but I knew I wouldnt get it.

“You want me to call a doctor？”

I wasnt his son. That was another Charlie. Intelligence and knowledge had changed me， and he would resent me—as the others from the bakery resented me—because my growth diminished9） him. I didnt want that.

“Im okay，” I said. “Sorry to be a nuisance.” I got up and tested my legs. “Something I ate. Ill let you close up now.”

As I headed towards the door， his voice called after me sharply. “Hey， wait a minute！” His eyes met mine with suspicion. “What are you trying to pull10）？”

“I dont understand.”

His hand was out， rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. “You owe me three-fifty.”

I apologized as I paid him， but I could see that he didnt believe it. I gave him five， told him to keep the change， and hurried out of his barbershop without looking back.

1. 節(jié)選部分選自小說的《進步報告14》，主要講述的是查理來到父親的理發(fā)店，父親為他理發(fā)卻完全認不出他，查理經(jīng)過內(nèi)心的一番掙扎最終放棄與父親相認。

2. limply [l?mpli] adv. 無生氣地，無精神地

3. slick [sl?k] adj.〈主美〉光滑的，滑溜的

4. Matt：馬特，小說中查理的父親

5. gag [ɡ?ɡ] n. 惡作劇，戲弄

作品賞析

海倫·凱勒說“假如給我三天光明”，丹尼爾·凱斯則說“假如給白癡一個天才大腦”。《獻給阿爾吉儂的花束》一書的主人公查理·高登就是這樣一位“幸運”的白癡。經(jīng)過一場腦部手術，查理在短時間內(nèi)智商飆升，從人皆可欺的傻瓜變成了名副其實的天才。然而，一次本應令人刮目相看的醫(yī)學試驗最終卻演變成對人類智識的苦澀自嘲。小說作者借查理之口，對高速發(fā)展的現(xiàn)代科技加以反思，也對個體在此背景下的生存狀態(tài)進行了充滿關切的審視。

32歲的查理智商只有68，僅相當于一個孩童。查理自幼被父母拋棄，平時在一家面包店里做雜工，備受身邊人取笑，可他卻毫不知情，反當大家都是朋友。在紀尼安小姐的成人低能班上，查理表現(xiàn)出最強烈的“變聰明的動機”，也正因為如此，他被比克曼大學的尼姆教授和斯特勞斯博士選中，進行一場腦部手術。這個手術的目的是大幅提升查理的智商，此前該手術已經(jīng)在天竺鼠阿爾吉儂身上試驗成功。鑒于術后的阿爾吉儂智商明顯高于同類，兩位博士相信，查理身上也會發(fā)生同樣的變化。事情初期的發(fā)展果真符合他們的預期：查理在很短的時間里智商升至185，迅速掌握了多國語言，并且精通數(shù)學、物理、哲學等多門學科，甚至開始親自研究發(fā)生在自己和阿爾吉儂身上的變化。

然而，智商提高后的查理卻不得不開始面對真實世界的殘酷，那個白癡查理曾經(jīng)向往的“聰明人的世界”在他的眼前慢慢展開。查理智商的增高被身邊的人視為一種背叛，面包店里以欺侮查理為樂的伙計們開始害怕他，并最終合伙將他驅(qū)趕了出去。之前在查理看來像巨人一般的教授和博士們也漸漸顯露本質(zhì)：他們不過是一群見識短淺、追名逐利的凡人。查理雖與紀尼安小姐墜入愛河，卻無力擺脫自己童年夢魘的糾纏，只能讓愛情變得愈發(fā)緊張，令人疲憊。最讓人心碎的是，時隔17年之久，當查理來到父親的理發(fā)店，父親竟全然沒認出他來;查理站在母親面前時，這個老年癡呆的女人更是滿眼恐懼地舉起刀子，再次將他逐出家門……終于變聰明的查理不過是個游蕩街頭的落寞天才，只能靠酒精和肉體關系自我麻醉。

更令人始料未及的是，一直與查理相伴的天竺鼠阿爾吉儂在數(shù)日的焦躁和低迷之后死去。查理在悲痛之余，也加快了對“高登—阿爾吉儂理論”的探究。他愈發(fā)清楚地了解到，這項不成熟的醫(yī)學試驗終究難逃失敗的命運，自己也必然會像阿爾吉儂一樣經(jīng)歷智商退化的過程。隨后一段日子里，查理雖然掙扎著不愿遺忘，但還是逐漸失去了各項語言技能和推理能力，直到最終再次成為一名智障。故事復歸平靜，但查理的世界已不再像最初那樣充滿希望。

《獻給阿爾吉儂的花束》全書由17篇日記體的“進步報告”組成，從一開始的錯字滿篇、標點濫用，到后來的行文流暢甚至富有哲思，最后再次變得稚嫩無序，直到終于無聲，查理的故事像打在人胸口處的一記悶拳，讓人體味到難以紓解的傷感與絕望。最初作為白癡的查理是孤單的，他的身邊鮮有同類，但他卻覺得自己擁有很多朋友。家人的冷眼、同學的嘲笑、同事的捉弄都無法摧毀查理的善良和單純，無法阻止他時時刻刻被甜美和溫暖所環(huán)繞。而作為天才的查理卻是孤獨的，除了阿爾吉儂，他孑然一身。盡管獲得了常人難以企及的智慧，但他在情感世界里卻是一個十足的侏儒，缺乏最基本的愛與感知幸福的能力。查理就像那個被喂食了知識樹果實的亞當，在告別“無知”的伊甸園之后，他坐上了用科學打造的智慧扁舟，但洞悉的真相卻充滿無奈：人與人之間無法跨越的鴻溝，人性背面難以言說的卑劣，以及滿世界蔓延的冷漠。

柏拉圖在《理想國》中有一則著名的洞穴寓言，與查理的故事有相似的隱喻。柏拉圖設想，一個陰暗的洞穴里鎖著一群囚徒，他們只能看見洞穴墻壁上映射的影子，以為這些影子就是現(xiàn)實。某天一個囚徒掙脫枷鎖走出洞穴，發(fā)現(xiàn)外面的世界才是本體。刺眼的光讓他困惑甚至痛苦，然后他慢慢接受，并開始憐憫自己以前的信仰以及其他同伴。于是他回到洞穴要去拯救同伴，從光明回到黑暗，眼睛再度遭遇不適。在《獻給阿爾吉儂的花束》一書開頭，作者便引用了《理想國》中的一段話，讀完故事全篇再來看這段話，更顯意味深長：“記得這件事的人，當他們看到別人迷茫、虛弱的眼神，他們不會任意嘲笑，而會先詢問這個人的靈魂是否剛從更明亮的生命走出來，因為不適應黑暗而無法看清周遭，或是他剛從黑暗走進光明，因為過多的光芒而目眩。”在習慣性自以為是的間隙當中，人們或應反問自己：我們究竟置身何處？“溫情白癡”和“痛苦天才”的世界，哪個才是我們要逃離的洞穴？或許查理術前寫下的那些笨拙卻充滿希望的“近步抱告”更像是來自“明亮世界”的星星火光？

眾所周知，18世紀席卷歐洲的啟蒙運動（The Enlightenment）正是“以光啟智”的代表，人們搖著理性和實證科學的大旗，吶喊著要去解放黑暗中的同胞。然而幾乎是伴隨著整個運動進程直至現(xiàn)代，對啟蒙和智性的懷疑和批判之聲就未停歇過：被視為人類進步階梯的科學真的是通往幸福和自由的必經(jīng)之路嗎？同樣，丹尼爾·凱斯也通過他筆下的查理表達了憂慮和反思：對科學和知識的過度崇拜會導致對愛和尊嚴的擱置，引發(fā)個體或群體自我認同的混亂以及道德和心智的崩潰。以“聰明優(yōu)雅”自居的現(xiàn)代人，有多少都像那個智商超群的查理一樣，迷失在對“我是誰”以及“活著的意義是什么”的無解追問之中。

在丹尼爾·凱斯完成此書半個世紀后的今天，科技的巨大車輪愈發(fā)飛速地旋轉(zhuǎn)，時代的揚塵將所有人裹挾其中，日益繁華的表象之下是難以為繼的焦慮和孤獨。此時的我們更需要走出喧囂，傾聽一位白癡的低語—只有澄澈、完整、充滿愛的靈魂才是開啟人類幸福的鑰匙，而非那些標識智商的冰冷數(shù)字。只有如此，人類才能在追尋智慧的沿途中擁有善良的眼睛，即使孤單也不孤獨，痛苦過卻終將安寧。