《麥田里的守望者》：迷惘的成長

羅詠勤

About the author

杰羅姆·大衛(wèi)·塞林格（J.D. Salinger，1919年1月1日—2010年1月27日），美國杰出作家。塞林格出生于紐約一個猶太商人家庭，15歲時，加入一個軍事學(xué)院學(xué)習(xí)并獲得文憑。1942年，他開始軍旅生涯，親歷二戰(zhàn)，1946年退伍之后，開始文學(xué)創(chuàng)作。他于1951年發(fā)表的長篇小說《麥田里的守望者》（The Catcher in the Rye）被認為是二十世紀美國文學(xué)的經(jīng)典作品之一，引起世界性轟動。他的著作還包括《弗蘭尼和卓埃》《高舉屋梁，木匠們》和一部短篇小說集《九故事》。

塞林格的作品以其對青少年心理和成長問題的深刻描繪而聞名，常涉及對社會和成人世界的批判，以及對純真和真實的追求。他的作品風(fēng)格簡潔明了，語言幽默，深受讀者喜愛。

About the novel

《麥田里的守望者》的創(chuàng)作背景是二戰(zhàn)之后。當時美國人們的精神世界充斥著恐懼與空虛，淺薄和庸俗，年輕人迷茫又沮喪，開始用離經(jīng)叛道的行為去對抗這令人窒息的社會，并以此向體面的傳統(tǒng)價值標準發(fā)起挑戰(zhàn)，因此他們也被稱為“垮掉的一代”（the Beat Generation）。故事的主人翁霍爾頓就是二戰(zhàn)過后美國年輕人最真實的寫照。

小說以第一人稱的口吻講述了一個中產(chǎn)階級出身的16歲少年霍爾頓第四次被學(xué)校開除后在社會上流浪三天的經(jīng)歷。整本書以霍爾頓的心理獨白為主線，通過他的敘述，讀者可以看到霍爾頓內(nèi)心的孤獨和迷茫，他試圖尋找真實、純潔和真理，但又與周圍的世界格格不入。主人公不斷地在尋找和失意中掙扎，卻始終無法適應(yīng)現(xiàn)實世界的虛偽和冷漠。這部小說深入展現(xiàn)了青少年的焦慮、困惑和對自我認同的探索。主人公的經(jīng)歷與思想引起無數(shù)青少年的強烈共鳴。

About the excerpt

本文節(jié)選自《麥田里的守望者》第二十二章。霍爾頓列舉了他厭惡學(xué)校的種種理由，姐姐一針見血地指出霍爾頓的問題：他不喜歡一切事物。這時霍爾頓說出了他的理想：守護在麥田的懸崖邊，做一個麥田里的守望者。

重難點詞匯

smack v. 拍；打

chew the fat 閑談；閑聊

horse around〈口〉捉弄人；開玩笑；胡鬧

swear v. 咒罵；鄭重承諾

dough n.〈美俚〉錢；金錢

hotshot n.〈美俚〉高人；能人

phony n. 偽君子；裝腔作勢的人；假內(nèi)行

閱讀難點

1. 霍爾頓對學(xué)校的厭惡以及姐姐對他的批評和期望之間的矛盾。

2. 讀懂霍爾頓的理想，感知霍爾頓在現(xiàn)實和理想之間的掙扎。

文本分析

What

霍爾頓表達了對學(xué)校的厭惡以及他的理想——守在麥田的懸崖邊上保護孩子們，這反映了現(xiàn)實和夢想之間的關(guān)系。

Why

通過對比霍爾頓的現(xiàn)實和理想，作者表達了對現(xiàn)實生活的不滿和對理想生活的追求，以及霍爾頓內(nèi)心的掙扎。

How

作者通過霍爾頓的內(nèi)心獨白和他與姐姐的對話來展現(xiàn)現(xiàn)實和夢想之間的關(guān)系。霍爾頓對學(xué)校的厭惡以及他對于守護孩子們的憧憬，揭示了現(xiàn)實生活和理想生活之間的矛盾和對比。

Then all of a sudden， she said，“Oh， why did you do it？”She meant why did I get theax again. It made me sort of sad， the way she said it.

“Oh， Phoebe， don＇t ask me. I＇m sick of everybody asking me that，”I said.“A millionreasons why. It was one of the worst schools I ever went to. It was full of phonies and mean guys. You never saw so many mean guys in your life. Even the couple of nice teachers onthe faculty， they were phonies， too，”I said.

“Don＇t swear so much.”

Old Phoebe said something then. She had the side of her mouth right smack on the pillow， and I couldn＇t hear her.

“What？”I said.“Take your mouth away. I can＇t hear you with your mouth that way.”

“You don＇t like anything that＇s happening.”

It made me even more depressed when she said that.

“Yes I do. Don＇t say that. Why the hell do you say that？”

“Because you don＇t. You don＇t like any schools. You don＇t like a million things. You don＇t.”

“I do！ That＇s where you＇re wrong—that＇s exactly where youre wrong！ Why the hell do you have to say that？”I said.

“Because you don＇t，”she said.“Name one thing.”

“One thing I like a lot you mean？”I asked her.

She didn＇t answer me， though. She was in a cockeyed position way the hell over theother side of the bed. She was about a thousand miles away.“C＇mon， answer me，”I said.“One thing I like a lot， or one thing I just like？”

“You like a lot.”

“Anyway， I like it now. Sitting here with you and just chewing the fat and horsing—”I said.“

“That isn＇t anything really！”

“It is so something really！ Certainly it is！ Why the hell isn＇t it？ People never think any?thing is anything really. I＇m getting goddam sick of it.”

“Stop swearing. All right， name something else. Name something you＇d like to be， like a scientist， a lawyer or something.”

“I couldn＇t be a scientist. I＇m no good in science.”

“Well， a lawyer —like Daddy and all.”

“Lawyers are all right， I guess—but it doesn＇t appeal to me，”I said.“I mean they＇reall right if they go around saving innocent guys＇ lives all the time， and like that， but youdon＇t do that kind of stuff if you＇re a lawyer. All you do is make a lot of dough， play golf，play bridge， buy cars， drink Martinis and look like a hotshot. And besides， even if you didgo around saving guys＇ lives and all， how would you know if you did it because you reallywanted to save guys＇ lives， or you did it because what you really wanted to do was be aterrific lawyer， with everybody slapping you on the back and congratulating you in courtwhen the goddam trial was over， the reporters and everybody， the way it is in the dirtymovies？ How would you know you weren＇t being a phony？ The trouble is， you wouldn＇t.”

I＇m not too sure old Phoebe knew what the hell I was talking about. I mean she＇s only a little child and all. But she was listening， at least. If somebody at least listens， it＇s not too bad.

“Daddy＇s going to kill you. Hes going to kill you，”she said.

I wasn＇t listening， though. I was thinking about something else—something crazy.“You know what I＇d like to be？ I mean if I had my goddam choice？”

“What？ Stop swearing.”

“You know that song If a body catch a body coming through the rye？ I＇d like—”

“It＇s If a body meet a body coming through the rye！”old Phoebe said.“It＇s a poem written by Robert Burns.”

She was right， though. It is If a body meet a body coming through the rye. I didn＇t knowit then， though.

“Anyway， I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field ofrye and all. Thousands of little kids， and nobody＇s around—nobody big， I mean， except me.And I＇m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do is catch everybody ifthey start to go over the cliff—I mean if they＇re running and they don＇t look where they＇regoing， I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That＇s all I＇d do all day. I＇d justbe the catcher in the rye and all. I know it＇s crazy， but that＇s the only thing I＇d really like tobe. I know it＇s crazy.”

Old Phoebe didn＇t say anything for a long time. Then， when she said something， all she said was，“Daddy＇s going to kill you.”

Read for plots

1. Holden＇s ideal world and real world.

2. Answer the questions.

（1）What did Holden like？

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（2）Why didn＇t Holden want to be a scientist？

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（3）Why didn＇t Holden want to be a lawyer —like his daddy？

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Read for figures

1. The struggles of Holden.

2. Answer the questions.

（1）What was Holden＇s dream and duty？

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（2）What information can you get from Holden＇s dream？

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（3）What do you think of the relationship between Holden and his sister —old Phoebe？

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Deep understanding

1. Understand the symbolic meaning.

2. Answer the questions.

（1）What does Holden really want to guard？

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（2）Why did old Phoebe always say“Daddy＇s going to kill you.”？

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（3）How did Holden＇s psychological state change？

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（4）Facing his psychological struggle， how did Holden deal with it？

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Post?reading activity

（1）Predict： Will Holden reconciliate （和解）with himself and the surroundings？

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（2）Think： The Catcher in the Rye is a book that makes you feel less lonely because everyone was once a confused teenager. Have you found yourself from Holden？ Do you need a“catcher in the rye”？ And how do you deal with your bitter struggles？

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經(jīng)典語錄

1. The mark of an immature man is that he is willing to die for a cause， while the markof a mature man is that he is willing to live humbly for one. 一個不成熟的人的標志是他愿意為某個事業(yè)獻身，而一個成熟的人的標志則是他愿意為理想而茍且地活著。

2. Remember what should be remembered， and forget what should be forgotten. Alterwhat is changeable， and accept what is immutable. 記住該記住的，忘記該忘記的。改變能改變的，接受不能改變的。