《动物园的故事》中意象的主题学解读

在剧作家爱德华·阿尔比的《动物园的故事》中,"动物园"字眼屡次出现,却意义晦涩,主人公杰利与彼得,其语言行为以及社会关系均渗透着动物化因素。许多评论者运用的异化理论从物质层面给出了答案。而依据存在主义观点,这一意象反映出后进化论时代人类意识层面的焦虑——神性的泯灭、人性的降低,以及人对自身价值的怀疑和否定。"动物园"即指退化了的人类社会。从主题学视角看,类似意象还先后出现于多部美国戏剧中,传承并表达了对人类共同焦虑的人文关注以及对现代人生存困境的反思。

The Thematical Analysis of the Images in The Zoo Story

In The Zoo Story of playwright Edward Albee,the obscure word "zoo" has occurred once and again;the heroes Peter and Jerry,their speech,behavior and social relationships are all animalized.The theory of alienation employed by many reviewers gives the answer on the material level.But according to the existentialist point of view,the image reflects the human anxiety in the era of post-Darwinism,i.e.the wane of divinity,the fall of humanity,and the human’s self-doubt and self-denial."Zoo" does mean the degenerated human society.Viewed from the perspective of Thematology,similar images have appeared in a number of American dramas,inheriting and relating the humanistic concern over human’s common anxiety and the reflection on the predicament of modern people.