An Analysis of the Ghosts' Cultural Meaning in The Woman Warrior

文化园地| WEN HUA YUANDIAn Analysis of the Ghosts' Cultural Meaningin The Woman Warrior李琳/广州大学华软软件学院外语系{ Abstract ] The subtitle of The Woman W rrior is Memoirs of A Girlhood among Chosts. The decoding of“ghost" from the culturalangle is the key point to comprehend this book.“Ghost” in here means Chinese traditional culture and American mainstream White culture.By the usage of the imagery of“Ghost" , Maxine Hong Kingston displays Chinese American' $ bewilder ness, pain, wish under the twodifferent cultural contexts and the hard process of the seeking of cultural identity.[Key words]The Woman Warior ghost image cultural angle1. Introductionnarrates.Maxine Hong Kingston (1940- ) was born in Stockton,Since its publication in 1976, lots of people regard it 88Caiformia. She is regarded as the first Chinese American writer who Kingston' s autobiography. And, Maxine Hong Kingston evergreatly inAuences the American literary circle.declared that the book is just a novel, which belongs to AmericanThe Woman Warrior consists of five short stories，“No Name novel. ( 方慧佳.2006) Because The Woman W arior focuses onWoman"，“White Tigers"，“Shaman" ，“At the Western both her life experience and the common feling of second generationPalace"，“A Song for a Barbarian Reed Pipe” . The first three of immigrant.parts are several stories that the narrator“I” heard from her motherThis book' s subtitle is Memoirs of a Girlhood arnong Chosts.in childhood, and the next two chapters are the stories the author“Chost" is everywhere from the beginning to the end. There贫同样不是。只是如同富贵之后最好能学诗书礼乐来升华自己乐观， 精神豁达。颜回家境闲窘，生活匮乏，却安生乐生，心一样， 能够达到不被顺逆荣辱外在境遇系累其心，不受欲望牵境愉悦。 历代哲人对颜回的精神都为之赞叹，到宋朝，理学家制、不为环境左右，仍然能够坚定意志、自得其乐，这乐就是周敦颐向弟子程颗、 程颐提出了一个重要问题:“寻孔颜乐处，仁者之乐、君子之乐。所乐何事?”程颐回答日:“颜子之乐， 非乐箪瓢陋巷也，不孔子认为学习的最重要的便是以德修身，把自己培养成为以贫篓 累其心而改其所乐也。”4杨慎《说苑醍醐》也说:“有君子。颜回被孔子称为在他的弟子中最为好学时，形容他“不向子颜子不改其乐， 所乐者何事?予日:且问子人不堪其忧，迁怒、不贰过”,而这全是对道德修养的评价。在“孔门十哲”所忧者何事? 知世人之所忧，则知颜子之所乐矣。”图的“德行”-科中，颜回排名第一，以德行著称。当孔子问颜孔颜之乐是不被欲望牵制、不为环境左右的仁者之乐。孔.回与子路“盍各言尔志”时，颜回便以“愿无伐善，无施劳”子认为 “成仁”能使人超越声色食货感官享受,能使人漠视顺(《论语.公冶》)相答。朱熹释“伐无善、无施劳”日:“伐， 逆荣辱外在境遇，能使人“久处约”、“长处乐”，遭遇贫寒詩也，善谓有能。施亦张大之意，劳谓有功。”网以不夺己能、困苦 、颠沛险阻都能“不改其乐”,“岁寒,然后知松柏之后凋”。不扬己功为其意。但此说不确。元人所著《四书辩疑》驳朱说君子 “成仁”，就是要以“仁”立身，做到“无终食之间违仁，云:“伐善之善, 乃其己所长之总称,伐忠、伐直、伐力、伐功、造次必於是， 颠沛必於是"。孔颜师徒是具备如此崇高的精伐才、伐艺，通谓之伐善。又育伐无巧，止是不伐之一事。分神品质和健全豁达心态的“仁人志士”，因而能够“仁者不忧”,而为二，颜子之志，岂别无可道焉? ..该.‘无施劳' 者,不安生 乐生。在忧患挫折的生命历程中,老师孔子能“乐而忘忧”;以劳苦之事加于民也。夫劳而不恤，乃古今之通患。...颤子在贫寒困苦的生活境遇中，学生颜回能“不改其乐"之言，于世厚矣。"此说最为妥当。因此,颜回这里所育志向，因此，孔子视颜回为自己的精神传承之子。在公元前481乃是欲内修克己之德、外施爱民之政,最与孔子意见相得。在年, 颜回先孔子而去世，孔子对他的早逝极为悲痛，不禁哀叹颜回看来，唯以此志施行于天下，方能实现孔子所谓“老者安说; “噫! 天丧予!天丧予!之，少者怀之,朋友信之”(《论语●公冶》)之愿,达到“浴古时几千年，人们都受到“原宪贫”与“颜回乐”的精神乎沂，风乎舞等，咏而归”的社会理想。由此可见，颜回真正的激励， 今人也不应该例外，要努力去明白和理解原宪和颜回继承了孔子的以德修身，从而进-步以德治天下民的愿望。的心态，幸福感与拥有物质的多少关系不大。传云:“古有居颜回生活于天下大乱、礼崩乐坏之时，儒家的尚仁义之志、岩穴而神不遗， 末世有为万乘而日忧悲”同大抵就是这个意思实施王者之政、以德治国的政治理想常被斥为“迂远而阔于世吧事”。但他在“世以混浊莫能用”同的社会环境中,丝毫不愿改其志一-“举世混浊， 清士乃见" ,仍“尚三教"即“夏教忠、([1]庄周庄子M北京;中国纺织出版社200, 340.殷教敬、周教文”，期于“承衰救弊,欲民反正道" (《白虎通.三[2]朱熹四书集注M泰安;岳麓书社2004, 93.教》)。这样，颜回就只能终生不仕，惟以“愿贫如富、贱如贵，3]司马迁史记M泰安;岳麓书社 20010 684.无勇而威，与士交通，终身无患难”(《韩诗外传》卷十)自4]朱真四书生注M泰安:岳葡书补2004, 99.勉自慰。“- -單食、-瓢饮，在陋巷。人不堪其忧，回也不改中国煤化工东师范大学出版社其乐!”(《雍也》)。颜回这种注重志气、追求人生远大抱2006,负并以之为乐的精神，与孔子本人“饭疏食饮水.曲肱而枕之，张鼻予，1989年出生。女。汉族。贵州仁怀人。现为西作ICNMHG乐亦在其中”(同上) 实同一旨趣。颜回的志趣向往在一定程度上可谓是孔子志向的再演绎，师生俩都不为环境所困,心态藏民族学院 09级中国哲学先秦研究方向在读硕士研究生378科学时代.2010年第23期科学时代decoding of“ghost” is the key point to comprehend this book.Chinese customs. In The Woman w arrior, the first sentence“You2. The General Meaning of Ghostsmust not tell anyone [*" what 1 am about to tell you”(Kingston,According to Moderm Chinese Dictionary,“ghost” has seven 1981) impressed readers very much. Mother breaks down father' Smeanings. Except the sense of the spirit of a dead person, it also has prohibition of“don' t ell" and tells no name aunt' s story tothe other four negative senses. For example,“讨厌鬼(tao yan“I” , then,“1” regardless of mother' g interdic, ltting the storyyui)- skunk” 、"胆小鬼(dan xiao gui )一 cowardly was known by writing it on her book. In fact, saying female itself isperson”;“ 鬼天气(gui tian qi )一damned weather"， etc. a callenge on Chinese traditional male culture. By using language,What we should pay attention is that sometimes“ghost” can be Kingston presents the traditional idea of‘male supremacy overused a poitive sense in spoken chinese, meaning" smart” . Take female"(薛玉凤,2003) since several thousand years. No name“小鬼(xiao gui)," for example,”小鬼 ”bhere means‘"smart sunt is the secrifice in the male- dominated society.litle child." In the Modem Chinee, "ghost” has become a term,After the hury-up wedding, aunt' s husband and other malewhich is used to express Chinese people' s hate to those foreigners in the village sailed for the Gold Mountain in order to search forwho want to invade China. For instance,“洋鬼子一westem gold. Several years later, aunt had an adulterous afair, and had aninvader"，“日本鬼子一 -Japan invader" ,etc.illegitimate pregnancy. On the night the baby was to be born theIn Chinese litrature, it seemns that witers would like to use the vllagers raided the family house. The aunt had to give bith in theimage of ghost. In The Strange Tales of Liao Zhai (a clasic literature pigsty that night, and plug up the family well with her baby the nextwork with a clletion of about 500 stories by Pu Songlingof the Qing morming. From then on, the family kept science on the matter TheyDynasty)”, each fox ghost in this book is young, kind, beautiful, deny her. Her betrayal disraced them. She would like to be frgottenfervid, who impresed readers grealy. Jourmey to the West, one of the as if she had never been borm. They deliberately fretting her andFour Chinese Classical Novels, also is a world enclosed by ghosts.‘punished her forever"-- suffer forever, even after death. (Kingston,The diferent is that those ghosts mostly are devil. Thus the image of 1981)ghost in literary works is the same as people understands on ghost inIn Chinese traditional idea of male- dominancy, female are notreal life. Sometimes, those images are paradoxical.allowed to pursue love and freedom. In literary works, "becomingAlso, America is not a place without ghost. From Edgar Allan ghost” is a way for female seeking after freedom and love. ThePoe' 8 tenifying description of ghost to Henry Thoreau' s indignant heroine in‘No Name Woman”also gets her freedom whenspirit cry on‘"under each rail lie an Irish”( 薛玉凤,2003) ;From becomes“ ghost"” and releases her oppresed voice and desirethe small ghost revenges his mother after 18 years in Toni Mrrison' 8 asBeloved to the moving ffction between people and ghost in the ingorious new-bormed baby in the well. Their blood is fitering intomovie Chost, we can see there is also a ghost tradition in American the well water. ht' 9 impossible for her family to expel her draticallyliterature. .Besides, when they drink the well' 8 water which contains her andThe Chinese American critie Frank Chin, thinks that it is just her baby' s blood, the vllage' 8 people could not shake off hersatisfy the White people' 8 curiosity at the cost of distorting Chinese shadow forever, let alone clarify the genealogical line. On the othertraditional culture and the true feeling of Chinese Americans. (张子hand, she didn' t telll the inseminator' s name until die, which make清，2000 ) However, this understanding is linited. In The w oman her family lose the change to revenge him forever. And the way sheWarrior, Kingston describes different ghosts, including concrete, suicide was retaliatory. Kingston wrote "The Chinese are alwayshaving legend colorific Chinese ghosts, attachable American ghosts; very frightened of the drowned one, whose weeping ghosl, wet hairghots in virtual world, and ghosts in the real life. Apparenly, hose hanging and skin bloated, waits silently by the water to pull down aimages of ghosts couldn' t be simply concluded that Western subsitute." (Kingston, 1981) The no name aunt' s behavior let anreaders’curious about the mysterious Eastem country. Actually,indelible horror in vllagers. The moan of her ghost lingers around“ghost" in this book is not single but diversifies into many, and the well surroundings in a long time and villagers are uneasy for theirit' B complex in both positive and negative meaning. Is meaning nuthless they' ve dome for her. The silent death of no name and norelates to the cultural background closely.voiced aunt became the most powerful whoop on her revenge. And3. The Specific Meaning of Ghostsseveral years later, she was rebom in Kingston ' s words 88 the imageShirley G Lim points out that ghost actually embody“the(” “WonWarrior”. Kingston neglects her mother’8 waming,threat of personal self- consciousness results from two opposite devotes pages of paper to the no name aunt. She is tlling to her aunt.world and cllision." (Lim, Shirley Geok, 1991) When one side By this new way, Kingston liberatle the no name aunt from the malethreatens the other in spirit and values or breaks norms and rules of oppression.the conventional life, so as to hurt the opposite side' B emotions andTo Chinese immigrant group, Kingston is also a half ghost.arouse his fears and humiliation, then this side becomes a ghost in the With the age increasing, Kingston begins to conflict with China'other side' s eyes.behavior code. In real life, Kingston' s behavior was accused of not3.1 Chinese Ghost- Chinese Traditional Culturelike a girl by her Chinese neighbors. She was isolated from ChineseThere are all kinds of Chinese ghosts in The Woman Warrior, immigrant group.wall ghosts, blithering ghosts, starving ghosts, broom ghosts, drownedIn the second chapter“White Tigers" , Kingston begins toghosts, etc.write her legend. In the dream, she became the woman warrior like Farom the second-generation immigrants’ perspectives, China Mulan.中国煤化工Sigmund says, "Happyand the Chinese traditional culture are mysterous. Kington fele one nevEns it The motivation ofherself moving farther and farther apart from the Chinese culture hallucinY片C N M H Gachieved. Each ilusion8 she attends school with Americans and accepts American ways can accomplish the wish that can t be carried out in real life"of life. Kingston couldn’t understand Chinese culture correctly (Punter, David. 1980) Kingston feels depressed in Chinese immigrant科学时代.2010年第23期379■文化园地WEN HUA YUAN DI哥特文化艺术传统对工艺美术运动的影响杨建华/扬州工业职业技术学院[摘要]自十二世纪晚期哥特艺术风格逐渐融入到西方文化主流，形成了较完整的心理和美学基础。工艺美术运动在西方哥特文化艺术传统的影响下，使一度语言廉乏的设计导找到新意念和品味。文章将从西方哥特文化艺术传统的解析:哥特文化对工艺美术运动的影响:工艺美术运动中设计表现的哥特式审美心理效果等几方面论述哥特文化艺术传统对工艺美术运动的影响。[关键词]哥特艺术 工艺美术运动 审美效果1.西方哥特文化艺术传统的解析却被罗马灿烂文化所征服，很快被同化，约在公元7世纪从历7世纪西班牙和意大利的入侵者演变出一种死气沉沉的亚史中消失。 -千多年后，当文艺复兴席卷而来，意大利人文主文化群，这便是哥特文化群。按照词源学进程我们很难理解是义 者瓦萨里( Vasr,1511-1574)将野蛮怪诞、缺乏艺术趣味什么使-一个古代欧洲默默无闻的条顿部落群在以后世界文化里的中世纪建筑， 称之为“哥特式”(Gothic) 。在文艺复兴思占有如此重要地位。公元476年罗马城被攻陷,胜利的哥特人想影响下， 很快“哥特”一词被赋予了三种主要含义:野蛮，group, but she can' t counterbalance with the powerful society. So, the Chinese. However, Chinese people like Kingston' B mother Braveshe abreacted her wish in dream. And, this value was expressed by Orchid also viewed the white as the hostile“other" , they use thethe new Fa Mulan story. That is: as a female, when she grows up, she term of° ghosts" to name foreigners, and name white Americans beshould not only be other' s wife or servant, but also be the woman' White Ghosts”. The“ghost" takes on the meaning of ' devil"warrior fighting off any oppression.nd“ 'demon” . To some extent, Chinese Americans tend to treat3.2 American Ghost-foreigners with such an isolated atitude, which is a form of prejudiceThe ghosts in "The Woman Warrior”are not only refer to against American culture and people. By describing the AmericansChinese ghosts, but also mean to“White Ghosts”一American are a devil or demon group-“ghosts" , Chinese Americansghosts. Kingston called all the American be ghosts in this book, who revenge for their race.were divided into White Chosts, Black Chosts, Yello Ghosts, andBased on the above,“ American ghosts" not only refers toso on by their skin color; Gas Ghosts, Sale Chosts, Immigrant Chosts, Americans, but also symbolizes of race, meaning the culture underand so on by their work calegory. Kingston described America was multivariate cultural context and racial discrimination.ull of machines and ghosts; there were Taxi Chosts, Bus Chosts,4. ConclusionPolice Chosts, Fire Chosts, etc.The“ ghosts” is one’售isolation from other people and therhites a“ghosts" , is not only out of the fear of white oppression, in Chinese cultural context; secondly,' ghosts"” also is treatedut also a way of avenge against the injustice they' ve done to as the Americans' racist ideas and prejudice towards minorityChinese-Americans. Kingston' s mother, who used to be a village communities, and the first generation of Chinese immigrants'loctor in China, She was famous for kllinga ghost, but now has to prejudice and distorted view on American society and people. Thevork in the laundry, arranging heaps of socks. She called America woman warrior is the ghost- fighter within Maxine Hong Kingston and↓trible ghost county, where a human being worked her life away. other female, even all the people who stuggle against their restrainedter revenge to this injustce is private:“'No tickee, no washee, surroundings. By the usage of the metaphor of‘ghost" ， Kingstonmama-san?'a ghost waould say, 5s0 embarassing.‘ Noisy Red- displays her painful experience of loosing onesef in the collisionMouth Ghost' , she' d write on its package, naming it, marking its between Chinese and American culture. Meanwhile, she shapes theclothes with its name." (Kingston, 1981)image of the woman warrior like Fa Mu Lan in her own story, fullySince Kingston was born to a Chinese immigrant family, her expressing her hope of finding oneself in the collision of the twofamily and community culture determine her being an expeller in cultures.America, in some way, is a ghost land. KingstonBibliography:expresses this sense of dislocation in the book: "Once upon a time,[1] Kingston, M. H. (1981). The Woman Warrior. London:the world was so thick with ghosts, I could barely breathe; .. I Mamillan Publishers Lud, 11-164.could hardly walk around the White Chost--." (Kingston, 1981)[2] Lim, s. G. (1991). Approaches to Teaching Kingston' sNot only Kingston' s parents'’paranoid but also the injustice she the Woman Warrior. New York: Moderm Language Association ofexperienced of "American white ghosts”or ghost- -like America. America, 139.The course of her tansformation from a quite gid witha“"Zero IQ"[3] Punter, D. (1980). The Literaure oferror. London: Longman(kingston, 1981) to an“American- -normal”people is dificult and Group Limited, 409.srowful. Kingston hates the white for not lting her tlk. ' Sometimes[4] 方慧佳.边缘的呐喊一剖析 <湧士>中“鬼"的意I hated the ghosts for not lting us talk .. It was when I found outI象 [I.had to talk that school became a misry.." (Kingston, 1981)中国煤化工“鬼”的意象之文化Because of the historical racial discrimination, Chinese解读 [J][6)1HJ): 86-89.Americans origin can' t receive equal treatment 8s the white. TheyCN M H G的华膏美国文学(总，are viewed as"foreigners" . In Whites Americans' eyes, they序 )[A]北京:译林出版社，2000:1-2.called Americans of Chinese group“chink" , a crude nickname for380科学时代.2010年第23期