The Multiple Facets of the Past in The Glass Menagerie

論《玻璃動物園》過去主題之多重性

10.29718/TJHSS.201012.0003

王緒鼎(Xu-Ding Wang)

過去 ； 精神陷井 ； 負罪感 ； 懷舊 ； 神話 ； 欺騙 ； 幻覺 ； 反諷 ； 破壞性 ； the past ； spiritual trap ； guilt ； nostalgia ； myth ； deceptive illusions ； destructive force

淡江人文社會學刊

44期（2010 / 12 / 01）

49 - 76

英文

雖然有一些批評家曾經指出田納西•威廉斯劇作《玻璃動物園》過去之主題，到目前為止還沒有任何人詳細系統地論述這一主題的重要性。因此本文試圖詳細系統地探索檢視《玻璃動物園》過去之主題的重要性。作為一部記憶劇，過去扮演着一個不可缺少的，多層次的重要角色。對於劇中的人物而言，過去仍然繚繞縈迴腦際。為了獲取個人自由，湯姆逃離了他的家庭陷井。因為他背棄家庭，過去在他心靈上打上了不可磨滅的負罪烙印。對於阿曼達和勞拉，過去不僅成為带有欺騙性的懷舊之夢，而且成為翻新了的神話。對於吉姆•歐康拉，過去不僅矇蔽了他應該吸取所有歷史和社會教訓的視野，而且為他製造了帶有欺騙性的幻想，而從來也沒有提供過任何有希望的承諾。恰恰相反，過去蒙蔽了他，而他則用他膚淺的過去為勞拉製造了更多帶有假象的幻想。在劇中，過去形成了反諷的模式，父親的照片就是此一反諷的鐵證。它不僅對過去是一個反諷的提示，而且對温費爾德家庭的每位成員產生巨大且帶有諷刺意味的影響。在整個劇作中，過去，無論以何種形式出現，總是一種消極而具有破壞性的力量，而不是一種正面積極的力量。它使人有逃脫不了的負罪感；它利用人的懷舊之情，使人留戀忘返，難以自拔；它製造了過去神話迷思之陷井；它带有欺騙性地迷惑和蒙蔽其他人。總之，在《玻璃動物園》劇中，過去具有很大的諷刺性，誤導性，欺騙性和破壞性。

Although some critics have recognized the theme of the past in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, no one has yet systematically studied the importance of the theme of the past of the play. Thus, this paper intends to systematically explore the importance of the past of the play with careful textual analyses. As a ”memory play,” the past plays an indispensable role in multiple dimensions, and this paper will study these dimensions in the following perspectives: for all the characters of the play, the past is still haunting; the past reveals itself as a trap, as it forces Tom Wingfield to carry a heavy burden of guilt in/on the back of his conscience because of his desertion of his family. For both Amanda and Laura, the past becomes not only a deceptive nostalgia, but also a refurbished myth in which, time freezes, and fantasy creates its own reality. For Jim O'Connor, the past not only blinds his vision for any historical and social lessons he should have learnt, but also generates illusions rather than hopeful promises for him. With his own shallow past, Jim also manufactures illusions for Laura. Throughout the play, the past establishes its own ironic patterns, especially in the case of the father whose photograph is not only an ironic reminder of the past, but also a haunting influence on every member of the Wingfield family. In all cases, the past, appearing in whatever forms, is a negative force rather than a positive one, as it has either made one inescapably guilty, or beguilingly enchanted and deceived some of the characters, or ironically blinded and tricked others, or seriously cheated and crippled the innocent. Although the past is mysteriously enchanting and hauntingly nostalgic, it is indeed ironically unforgiving, misleading, deceiving, and destructive.

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