出刊年月/Date of Publishing

1988.03

所屬卷期/Vol. & No.   第18卷第1期 Vol. 18, No. 1

類型/Type                 研究論文 Research Article

篇名/Title
A Wanderer Between the Pagan Ruins and the Church: Modern Man’s Dilemma in Rabbit, Run
厄普代克小說《兔子快跑》所呈現之現代人的困境

作者/Author
朱炎 Yen Chu

頁碼/Pagination
pp. 1-28

摘要
厄普代克的《兔子快跑》主要是在呈現現代人的困境。綽號「兔子」的哈瑞遇到困境就有往外地或山上跑的衝動。他跑開人群的行爲，表面上看顯然是一種不負責任和逃避現實的惡習；骨子裡卻是源於其尋求眞理的衝動與天性。他每次跑開，心靈都有所收穫；但卻也爲他帶來更多現實的痛苦。由於他最後那次逃跑，他那懶散邋遢的妻子在驚恐失措間竟將他心愛的初生女兒淹死。失女的傷痛使他靈目大開，見到上天的靈光；可是他反常的擧動，卻讓親友更厭惡他。讀完此書，就會感覺到：現代人的心靈境界越高，他在社會上的地位越低；因之，他的境況也就會越來越慘。這本小說的主旨，就是在於表現現代人最大的困境，是來自內心精神境界與功利社會之間的衝突。

當哈瑞在小說結尾獲見眞理之光，心靈獲得解放的時候，也就是他被所有的人唾棄的時候。這眞是一個絕大的諷刺，也是現代人生最大的痛苦。現代人一方面要忠於個人的心靈良知，一方面要應付功利社會對個人的要求，眞是苦不堪言。在讀這部小說時，剛上來對哈瑞逃避責任的行徑，不以爲然；但是讀完之後，掩卷深思，又至感同情。

Abstract
Updike’s novel Rabbit, Run expresses the existential dilemma of modern man. The protagonist Harry’s nickname—“Rabbit”—partly comes from his tendency to run away from the realities of life that annoy him. His behavior of running away on the surface appears to be nothing more than avoidance of responsibility and escape from reality; however, in actuality, it comes from his innate compulsion to search for truth. Every time he runs, his spirit is rewarded, but it also brings him back to the pain of reality. As a result of his last flight, in a panic, his indolent, slovenly wife accidentally drowns his cherished baby daughter. The pain of losing his daughter opens up his soul and gives him a glimpse of the light of heaven. However, his unusual behavior leads his friends and family to shun him. After reading this book, one feels that the higher the limits of the soul of modern man, the lower his place in society, and the more tragic his circumstances. The main focus of this novel is to express the greatest dilemma of modern man—the conflict between the boundaries of the internal spirit and life in a utilitarian society. When, at the end of the novel, Harry can see the light of truth, the time that his soul is set free is also the time that he is abandoned by all his acquaintances. The irony in this situation mirrors the suffering of modern man. On one hand, modern man must be true to his individual spirit of intuitively knowing right from wrong, and on the other he must deal with the demands of utilitarian society, which is unbearably painful. When initially introduced to Harry’s behavior, it is easy to disapprove of his irresponsible behavior, however, after finishing the novel, the reader may be more sympathetic to his plight.

關鍵字/Key Word
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DOI
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學門分類/Subject
文學 Literature