By+Allison+Pataki
This month we will celebrate our fathers and the important men in our lives. In their honor I've come up with my list of top 7 great father figures in literature.
本月我們將要為我們的父親以及我們生命中那些重要的男人慶祝。為了感念他們,我特地列出了文學(xué)名著中我認(rèn)為最偉大的七位父親。
Mr. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice
The relationship that Jane Austen created between Elizabeth "Lizzy" Bennett and Mr. Bennett seems like the right place to start. Mr. Bennett is the father of five girls and husband to an incredibly high-strung1) and fatalistic2) wife. He finds solace3) in his close relationship to his second girl and the novel's heroine, Lizzy. It's hard not to be moved when, at the end of the book, Lizzy tells her father her love for Mr. Darcy and her intention to marry him. Mr. Bennett, as usual, has just the right thing to say on the matter: "I cannot believe that anyone can deserve you ... but it appears I am overruled. So, I heartily give my consent. I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to anyone less worthy."
Hans Hubermann from The Book Thief
The relationship between young Liesel and her adopted father, Hans Hubermann, is in many ways the heartbeat that makes this entire book pulse4). While Mama addresses Liesel only as pig-man, and is quick to offer a slap across the face, Hans, or Papa, adores Liesel, playing his accordion for her and teaching her to read in a series of secret, late-night sessions. Hans Hubermann's soft and understated5) brand of strength shines throughout Markus Zusak's novel as a positive force in the otherwise harrowing6) and tragic setting of Nazi Germany.
"Baba" from The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini's novel, set in war-ravaged7) Afghanistan, is filled with complex and poignant8) father/son relationships. In "Baba", Hosseini has created a bulwark9) of integrity and courage, a father figure before whom son Amir can't help but feel that he constantly falls short. But Amir discovers a truth about Baba later in life, a revelation that casts an entirely new light on10) the unimpeachable11) character of Baba and calls Amir's memories of his upbringing12) into question. And then there are the two servants, Ali and his son Hassan, who serve as the heart and soul of the novel. It's the death of Hassan that prompts Amir to return to Taliban-occupied Afghanistan, where he hopes to right the wrongs of his past and save Hassan's orphaned son. These characters will have you crying tears of both joy and heartbreak.
Otto Frank from The Diary of Anne Frank
Only Anne's father, Otto Frank, survived the Nazis. And he is the reason that Anne's diaries were published, revealing to the world the experience of a young Jewish girl in hiding during World War II. Anne loved her father dearly, and wrote often of their close relationship. And yet, even Otto Frank learned something from reading her diary, saying of Anne's writing: "I must say, I was very much surprised by the deep thoughts Anne had. It was quite a different Anne I had known as my daughter ... And my conclusion is, since I had been in very good terms with Anne, that most parents don't know really their children."
Jean Val Jean from Les Miserables
In Victor Hugo's masterpiece, Jean Val Jean credits his adoption of the abused orphan girl Cosette as the saving grace13) of his life. Jean Val Jean, an escaped convict14), believes that without Cosette he might have slipped back into a life of criminality and baseness15). Cosette proves to be the one bright spot in Hugo's otherwise harrowing look at some of French society's most unfortunate members. And Jean Val Jean, as a result, becomes Hugo's most exemplary16) and moral character: an honest man and a father so devoted to Cosette that he is willing to lay down his life17) so that she may find happiness with Marius.
Gerald O'Hara from Gone With the Wind
While Margaret Mitchell's iconic heroine idealizes and reveres18) her forbearing19), sensitive mother, Scarlett O'Hara realizes that, in temperament20) and personality, she is her father's daughter. It is from her father, the Irish immigrant Gerald O'Hara, that Scarlett gets her fighting spirit, her quick wit21) and her even quicker temper. So too does she possess his strength of will and his love for their beloved home, "the red earth of Tara".
Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird
The name Atticus Finch might as well22) be synonymous with the title of "world's greatest dad". In this Harper Lee classic, set in the 1930's in racially-segregated23) Alabama, Atticus Finch teaches his two children, Scout and Jem, of the importance of respecting each individual, regardless of their skin color or socioeconomic status. Atticus, a widower, holds true to his principles even when to do so means to face social ostracism24) and outright threats. It's hard not to be inspired by Atticus Finch and his quiet25), humble brand of integrity and strength.
《傲慢與偏見》中的貝內(nèi)特先生
本文以簡·奧斯汀筆下的伊麗莎白·“莉齊”·貝內(nèi)特與貝內(nèi)特先生的父女關(guān)系作為開篇似乎很合適。貝內(nèi)特先生有五個(gè)女兒,妻子是一個(gè)相信宿命論且神經(jīng)極其敏感的女人。從與二女兒(也即小說的女主人公莉齊)的父女親密關(guān)系中,貝內(nèi)特先生找到了安慰。在書的結(jié)尾,當(dāng)莉齊告訴爸爸她對達(dá)西的愛慕之情并且說她打算嫁給達(dá)西時(shí),人們很難不被打動(dòng)。像往常一樣,貝內(nèi)特先生對這件事做出了恰當(dāng)?shù)幕貞?yīng):“我無法相信有人能配得上你,但看來是我錯(cuò)了。所以,我由衷地贊成你們在一起。換作是任何一個(gè)不那么夠格的人,我都不可能把你交給他,我的莉齊。”
《偷書賊》中的漢斯·休伯曼
年幼的莉澤爾和她的養(yǎng)父漢斯之間的關(guān)系從很多方面來說就如心跳一般,令整本書有了脈動(dòng)。養(yǎng)母只會叫莉澤爾小母豬,還會動(dòng)不動(dòng)給莉澤爾一個(gè)耳光,而爸爸漢斯則對莉澤爾十分寵愛,他會為她拉手風(fēng)琴,在許多個(gè)不為人知的深夜教她認(rèn)字。在納粹德國悲慘恐怖的背景下,漢斯卻擁有溫和質(zhì)樸的力量,這種力量作為一種正能量照亮了馬庫斯·蘇薩克的這部小說。
《追風(fēng)箏的人》中的“爸爸”
卡勒德·胡賽尼的這部小說以飽受戰(zhàn)爭蹂躪的阿富汗為背景,書中充滿了錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜、令人心酸的父子關(guān)系?!鞍职帧北缓惸崴茉斐梢粋€(gè)正直勇敢的硬漢,他的兒子阿米爾在這樣的父親形象面前總是不由得認(rèn)為自己不夠好。但是后來阿米爾發(fā)現(xiàn)了關(guān)于父親的一個(gè)真相,這一發(fā)現(xiàn)讓他對他那看似無懈可擊的父親有了全新的了解,也使他對自己記憶中接受過的家庭教育產(chǎn)生了質(zhì)疑。書中還有兩個(gè)仆人——阿里和他的兒子哈桑,他們是小說的靈魂所在。哈桑的死驅(qū)使阿米爾回到塔利班占領(lǐng)下的阿富汗,他希望在那里糾正自己曾犯下的過錯(cuò),救出哈桑那已成為孤兒的兒子。這些人物將會令你悲喜交加,潸然淚下。
《安妮日記》中的奧托·弗蘭克
只有安妮的父親奧托·弗蘭克在納粹迫害中幸存了下來。也正是因?yàn)樗?,安妮的日記才得以出版,將一個(gè)猶太少女在二戰(zhàn)期間的躲藏經(jīng)歷呈現(xiàn)于世。安妮深愛著自己的父親,也經(jīng)常寫到她和父親的親密關(guān)系,但是就連奧托·弗蘭克在讀安妮的日記時(shí)也有所收獲。談及安妮的作品,他說:“我必須說,安妮深刻的思想讓我非常驚訝。這完全不像我平日里了解的女兒……鑒于我和安妮的關(guān)系一直都非常好,所以我的結(jié)論是大部分父母并不真正了解他們的孩子?!?/p>
《悲慘世界》中的冉·阿讓
在維克多·雨果的這部杰作中,冉·阿讓將收養(yǎng)飽受虐待的孤女科塞特視為自己生命中唯一的亮點(diǎn)。在逃犯冉·阿讓看來,若沒有科塞特,他也許會再次墜入罪惡與卑劣的深淵。雨果描繪了法國社會最不幸的一些人的慘狀,與之相對的是,科塞特是其中的那一道希望之光。而冉·阿讓則最終成了雨果筆下最具道德的典范人物:一個(gè)正直可敬的男人、一位慈愛無私的父親——他為了讓科塞特能和馬里厄斯幸福地生活在一起,甘愿付出自己的生命。
《飄》中的杰拉爾德·奧哈拉
斯嘉麗·奧哈拉是瑪格麗特·米切爾創(chuàng)作的標(biāo)志性女主人公,她崇拜敬仰她那位寬容隱忍、善解人意的母親,認(rèn)為母親十分完美。但是斯嘉麗明白,她的性情和個(gè)性像自己的父親。她的父親杰拉爾德·奧哈拉是一個(gè)愛爾蘭移民。正是從他那里,斯嘉麗繼承了拼搏不屈的精神、機(jī)敏的智慧,甚至還有比父親更火爆的脾氣。她還和父親一樣具有頑強(qiáng)的意志,也像父親那樣深愛著他們的家園“塔拉的紅土地”。
《殺死一只知更鳥》
中的阿提克斯·芬奇
阿提克斯·芬奇這個(gè)名字可以說是“世上最偉大父親”的代名詞。在哈珀·李的這部經(jīng)典之作中,故事發(fā)生于20世紀(jì)30年代種族隔離盛行的美國亞拉巴馬州,阿提克斯·芬奇教導(dǎo)他的兩個(gè)孩子(斯科特和詹姆)要尊重每一個(gè)人,無論其膚色、種族與在社會經(jīng)濟(jì)方面的高低貴賤。阿提克斯這個(gè)鰥夫堅(jiān)守著自己的準(zhǔn)則,就算這樣做意味著他要面對社會的排擠和公然的威脅。我們很難不被阿提克斯本人以及他的溫和謙遜與剛正果敢所鼓舞。