《幸存者回忆录》中的动物形象研究

论文总字数：39561字

摘 要

多丽丝·莱辛作为2007年诺贝尔文学奖获得者，留下了许多旷世名作。其中《幸存者回忆录》描绘了灾难后的人类世界。本论文将从生态女性主义的角度，对《幸存者回忆录》中的动物形象进行分析，通过探讨小说中的女性与动物形象的联系，进一步理解莱辛在小说中的生态女性主义思想。

本文将从三部分来讨论莱辛的生态女性主义思想。第一部分为小说中动物形象的分析。通过梳理小说中的动物形象，尤其是艾米丽的宠物狗雨果，揭示了一个道理，即尽管饱受歧视和压迫，动物依然对人类报以忠诚。第二部分从小说中人物与动物的关系入手，探讨莱辛笔下人类与动物之间的互动和本质联系。在这之中，人与动物互相支持。人性和动物本能在灾难面前毫无保留地暴露出来，甚至有时两者的界限非常模糊。第三部分着手于前两部分的基础之上，根据小说具体内容了解莱辛在小说中表现出来的生态女性主义思想。莱辛在小说中通过塑造雨果和艾米丽两个形象，表达了自己反对人类中心论和父权文化的想法。

通过这部小说的创作，莱辛呼吁人们关注人与自然，男性与女性之间的关系，重新建立一个和谐平等的世界。

关键词：多丽丝·莱辛 《幸存者回忆录》 动物形象 生态女性主义

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments i

English Abstract ii

摘要 iii

Introduction 1

Doris Lessing and The Memoirs of a Survival 1

Literature Review 1

Animal Study in Ecofeminist Criticism 3

Thesis Structure 4

Chapter One Animal Images in The Memoirs of a Survival 6

1.1 Under Discrimination and Oppression 6

1.2 With Loyalty and Hope 8

Chapter Two Human-Animal Relationship in The Memoirs of a Survival 10

2.1 Co-existence Between Mankind and Animals 10

2.2  Elimination of Animality and Reestablishment of Humanity 11

Chapter Three Ecofeminist Thoughts Reflected from Animal Images 14

3.1 Criticism of Anthropocentrism 14

3.2 Defiance of Patriarchal Culture 15

Conclusion 18

Works Cited 19

Introduction

Doris Lessing and The Memoirs of a Survivor

Doris Lessing (1919-2013), a well-known British female writer, is one of the most remarkable female writers after Woolf. She won the Nobel Prize for Literature and several other world-class awards. When Lessing was young, she moved to a farm in southern Rhodesia, Africa with her father who yearned for an idyllic country life. Years of farm life bred Lessing’s fantasy and imagination, and it also provided many sources of writing for her future creation. Life in Africa was hard. Some novel masters in 19^th century such as Dickens, Stendhal, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, became the most important spiritual companions of Lessing, and also laid a solid foundation for her literary life. Having been writing for more than 50 years, Lessing was a prolific writer with numerous patterns, from early critical realism to mid-term psychological analysis, from Sufism myth to advanced "inner space" exploration. Her novels are not only reflective of the living situation of human beings, but also attentive to the survival of animals.

In Lessing's diverse works, one of the major themes is to use fables and fantasies to show human crisis and to predict the future world. The Memoirs of Survivors is such a novel which tells a surreal story. After a disaster, the city is ruined and people flee to safer areas. The story depicts the life of a single middle-aged woman with a 12-year-old girl Emily and Emily's pet Hugo in an absurd but reasonable, chaotic but orderly world. In the novel, there are a lot of descriptions about animals, among which there is a representative, Hugo, Emily’s dog. The exquisiteness from women, the care for animals, and the exploration of the future world make The Memoirs of Survivors a typical and unique feature of Lessing's many works.

Literature Review

The research of The Memoirs of a Survivor at home and abroad is mainly divided into three categories. The first one is to explore the writing techniques and influences in The Memoirs of a Survivor from the perspective of autobiography. Lessing herself called this work "an attempt at autobiography", so many scholars such as Arron Rosenfeld explores the embodiment of autobiographical literature in this novel. These scholars generally believe that The Memoirs of a Survivor contains some of the characteristics of autobiography, but it is not entirely an autobiography.(Rosenfeld 15) It’s between autobiography and novel, or can be called semi-autobiographical novels. Rosenfeld calls it an "autobiographical experiment" by Lessing.

The second is to explore the post-disaster world constructed by The Memoirs of a Survivor from the perspective of humanity and ethics. This kind of research is mainly done by domestic scholars. For example, Zheng Dan and Wang Lijuan evaluate the ethical and moral orientation expressed by the author by interpreting the mental state of the people and animals in the text, especially female and lower-class people. (Wang 173; Zheng 66) These scholars believe that Lessing puts forward a new ethical relationship between man and man, man and animal in the book, including both thinking of human nature and thinking of feminist.

The third category is to interpret Lessing's creation from the perspective of spatial narratology in response to a major theme in the novel, the fusion of two worlds. Scholars argue that in this novel, Lessing achieves a perfect transformation in the contradictory world of reality and non-reality, subverting the traditional linear order through the use of space to retell a story.

In addition, there are many studies at home and abroad that pay attention to the animal image and ecological awareness in Lessing's works. In many works, Lessing portrays vivid and rich animal images, such as On Cat, and thinks about the ecological environment. Scholars such as Wang Feifei and Yao Yanping interpret the animal image and ecological description in Lessing's works from the perspective of ecocriticism. They mainly study about the protagonist Emily’s experiences and the environmental description to discuss Lessing’s underlying ecofeminist thoughts. They believe that Lessing intends to convey her ecological concept in her works and arouse readers' attention to ecology. (Yao 105; Wang 38)

However, most of these studies focus on the representative works of Lessing, or give a general overview of Lessing's works, and few scholars pay attention to the animal images in the book The Memoirs of a Survivor. Studies from the perspective of animal images and ecologism usually ignore the close relation between feminism and ecologism in Lessing’s work, and research about ecofeminism often forgets that animal images are also an essential part in Lessing’s work.

Therefore, this paper will focus on the animal images in The Memoirs of a Survivor with the hope to provide new insights of Lessing’s thinking of ecofeminism in this book.

Animal Study in Ecofeminist Criticism

Animal images in literature are not rare. In the past twentieth century, there have been many outstanding works that use animal images, such as George Orwell's Animal Farm, Natsume Soseki's I am a Cat, Farley Mowat's Ecological Literature Series, and Shen Shixi's Series of animal novels and so on. Research on animal images also varies. In this paper, the relevant theories and concepts of animal image mainly come from Professor Zhu Baorong. Professor Zhu believes that the animal image in literature is mainly divided into two categories, the instrumental-type animal image and the realistic animal image. Instrumental animal image usually has animal-like appearance but with human emotions, that is, it is transformed into a symbol with a certain meaning by animal anthropomorphism. Realistic animal image refers to the author's focus on the fate of the animal itself and the relationship between animal and human being, reducing the personification of the animal, and trying not to transcend the animal's original characteristics in the animal image. (Zhu 116) This article will focus on the realistic animal images in the novel.

 With the development of women's liberation movements and ecological movements, as a result of the combination of both these two movements, ecofeminism has developed rapidly in the past 30 years, and there has emerged a lot of ecofeminist scholars such as Francoise d'Eaubonne and Carolyn Merchant. Francoise d'Eaubonne calls women to launch a campaign about ecological revolution. (d’Eaubonne 23) Ecofeminism links ecology with feminism, inheriting past theories and opening up new areas of research. With the rapid development of ecofeminism, the perspective of ecofeminism has gradually begun to occupy a place in literary criticism. It provides scholars with a new perspective on the study of literary works. Ecofeminism believes that there are some similarities between women and nature, that is, they are all oppressed. Scholars advocate analyzing the relationship between man and nature from the perspective of women, re-examining this relationship to reconstruct a harmonious world with the principles of feminism and ecology.

Animals, as an essential part of nature, therefore become a focus of the study of ecofeminism. The images of animals usually reflect authors’ attitudes towards nature. At the same time, animals are the most emotional creatives in nature. Through their experience and emotion, readers can understand the same plight that women and natures are suffering.

Thesis Structure

This paper will explore the animal images appearing in Lessing's The Memoirs of a Survivor from the perspective of ecofeminism to understand the ecofeminist ideas that Lessing shows in this book. The detailed description of animals and women in the novel actually metaphorizes Lessing's own ecofeminist consciousness.

Based on the purpose and concepts above, this paper will discuss the animal images in The Memoirs of Survivors in three chapters. The first chapter of the thesis details and explores the animal images represented by Hugo in the novel, and then discuss Lessing's attitudes and views on animals through the study of these animal images. In Lessing's works, animals have the same rich feelings as human being. The second chapter focuses on the interaction between female characters and animals in the novel to study Lessing's understanding of the relationship between women and animals. Women and animals in Lessing's works have similarities, and they understand each other. These two images together convey the love and hope that Lessing expresses in the text. Based on the analysis of the preceding chapters, the third chapter explores Lessing's ecofeminist thoughts. The novel attempts to convey to the readers about the care and thinking of women and animals. At the same time, it will analyze the merits and shortcomings of the ecofeminism in the text from the perspective of ecocriticism to further deepen the understanding of Lessing's attitude towards ecologism and feminism.

Chapter One Animal Images in The Memoirs of a Survivor

As a novel describing the city after disaster, The Memoirs of a Survivor undoubtedly contains many descriptions and fragments related to nature. Among them, there are many animal images of which Emily's partner Hugo is the most representative one. Hugo appears when the story begins, and at the end, it also accompanies Emily into the new, wonderful world. No doubt Hugo occupies an important position in the novel. The image of Hugo, suffering from abuse and injustice but spreading love and kindness appears repeatedly in the text, and different sides of Hugo’s images are applied to different situations and play different roles. Studying the images of Hugo can help readers better understand Lessing's attitude towards nature.

• 1. Under Discrimination and Oppression

Hugo's first appearance in the text is very inconspicuous. He appears at “my” home with Emily, but there is no description about him in the novel until Emily settles down and says “The room will be a bit small for Hugo and me, but it doesn’t matter a bit.” Then he seems to be invisible to me until now, and "I" carefully look him up and down.

“I saw that she had beside her a dog----no, a cat. What was it? An animal, at any rate. It was the size of a bulldog, and shaped more like a dog than a cat, but its face was that of a cat.”When the narrator finally finds him, his appearance definitely shocks me. “It was yellow. Its hide was harsh and rough. It had a cat’s eyes and whiskers. It had a long whip-like tail. An ugly beast. Hugo.” (Lessing 21)

The narrator’s first impression on Hugo is that he is an ugly dog. He has both the features of a dog and the appearance of a cat. The result of combining these two distinct animal images together is that he is so ugly that the narrator cannot see its true species, what she can only say is that he is an animal, a beast.

Hugo has the characteristics of both cats and dogs. Lessing’s arrangement is not only to show his unsightly appearance, but also to show a deeper meaning – Hugo, here, is not just an ordinary dog. He is also a cat, or something else. He represents all the animals that have suffered the same treatment, and is the embodiment of the animals that have been discriminated against and oppressed by human beings. In the text, Hugo plays a role as an instrumental animal image, that is, his image is actually a symbol with a meaning that transcends a dog itself.

At the same time, Hugo is a dog with no sense of existence. Emily suddenly appears in “my” home. In shock, the narrator does not even notice that there is a dog beside the girl. Maybe the narrator notices him, but just thinks that he is not worth mentioning. This aspect shows that for one thing, Hugo may have experienced any abuse and oppression in its previous life, so that he develops such a weak character that does not dare to appear in front of people; for another, he also shows that the dog has a low status for “me”. In the city after the disaster, everyone rushes for life. The narrator only cares about people who suddenly appear in the house, and Hugo, a dog, is not something worth noting. This is also a clear manifestation of the status of animals.

Ugly appearance, low status, and invisible to the narrator - these could possibly be the manifestations of injustice Hugo has suffered from.

Emily tries to integrate into the crowd on the street, so she takes Hugo with her. Hugo has already known what is waiting for him. He is afraid to reach out to others - his fears have indeed become reality. People laugh about him and pretend to kill him to make fun of Emily. In their minds, Hugo, a dog, is not even a life at all. He is like garbage that can be discarded at any time. People make jokes about his life. Everyone seems to be above Hugo himself, arbitrarily controlling his life. Just after Emily leads Hugo to the public, three children appear. They want to kill him. For them, Hugo is just their food. They call him "what you eat", and even hate to eat such an ugly dog.

And Hugo, weak, helpless, can't do anything about it. When Emily takes him to the street, he can only hide behind the girl; when the children want to eat him, he relies on "I" to solve the crisis; when Emily leaves him to join the crowd, what he can do is only to look at her silently by the window.

In the post apocalypse, the relationship between human and animals is magnified by disasters, and the word “animal” gradually equals “food”. Besides being placed on the table, the existence of animals does not make any sense. People don't care about their lives, and they also don't care about their inner thoughts. This is an extremely unequal relationship. People control everything, and the animals themselves, including Hugo, can only silently bear all the oppression and injustice that occurs on them. They dare not resist and do not want to resist. It seems that being dominated by humans is a fate that cannot be changed.

• 1. With Loyalty and Hope

Most of the animals in The Memoirs of a Survival live a hard life in the city after the disaster. The appearance of these animal images is often accompanied by stories such as oppression and discrimination. But despite this, from the novel, it is not difficult for readers to see the positive side that Lessing tries to present from these animal images.

For Hugo, his master Emily is the only hope and guarantee for his life in this ruined city. So when Emily abandons him in order to join the crowd in the street, for people do not accept a dog to join their group, this is undoubtedly a disaster for Hugo. Emily no longer belongs to him alone, and even Emily is gradually stepping into a world that he cannot enter.

However, Hugo still insists on the responsibility he should do - loyalty. When Emily goes on the street and has carnivals with those street communities, he stares at her by the window all the time. When Emily is frustrated, he tries his best to comfort her. Even when Emily is in danger, though he is scared too, he accompanies her, trying to protect the girl. Emily falls in love with Gerald, and Hugo is angry that she completely forgets him. But when the girl sincerely apologizes to him for his forgiveness, he immediately accepts her again.

Loyalty seems to be an instinct of Hugo. No matter how Emily treats him, he always gives guardianship and love back. Emily, or this loyalty itself, becomes Hugo's hope of life in the world after catastrophe. No matter what kind of injustice and oppression he suffers, he still has a hope for Emily and the future. He offers the girl with his most passionate feelings. It is this loyalty and hope that saves him. At the end of the novel, Emily and Hugo walk together to the new world. In this beautiful world of fantasy, Hugo is handsome and tall. With his loyalty and hope, he accompanies his master and heads for a new future. Lessing here, through the images of Hugo, calls for the importance of love, loyalty and responsibility.

Chapter Two Human-Animal Relationship in The Memoirs of a Survivor

In addition to the image of Hugo, in this novel, more attention is paid to the relationship between human beings and animals. In this post-disaster world, there is warmth of harmony between people and animals, as well as hostility and conflict. The relationship between humans and animals actually shows the humanity and animal nature in time of disaster. The interaction between the characters in the novel, especially the female characters, and Hugo, is a non-negligible part of the study of Lessing's ecofeminist views.

2.1 Co-existence between Mankind and Animals

Emily and Hugo occupy a large part of the story of the relationship between human and animals in The Memoirs of a Survivor. They live together and enter into the new world at the end. Their relationship is clearly a focus of the novel. Hugo accompanies Emily through everything, but he is not just a simple pet dog to accompany his owner. His role is more essential than anyone around Emily, including her parents. He accompanies Emily through all the hardships until the end.

When Emily feels frustrated from her love to Gerald, or is repeatedly defeated in her own “big family”, she can only speak her inner discomfort and despair to Hugo. At that time, Hugo usually quietly lies in Emily's arms, listening carefully to her troubles, and purring from time to time to respond to her. Hugo has always been loyal to his master and will never leave. Regardless of Emily's situation, he is always kind to her, which is very precious for a child abandoned by her parents. Although he can't express his emotions clearly in words, his behavior reveals his love and loyalty to his master. "I believe this was how he saw his function: he was to look after her...He wished to be her only friend and love." (52)

This also happens in Emily. She is eager to join the crowd on the street and flee the city with them, but when she finds out that people don't want to take Hugo with them, she chooses to stay with Hugo. Hugo transcends all people and things and is the most important part of her life. No matter how busy she is every day, she always has time to get along with him. They gain power from each other and support each other to continue their tough life.

The relationship between Emily and Hugo is the ideal harmonious human-animal relationship in Lessing's mind. They care for each other and cherish each other, showing a harmonious and beautiful living state between human and animals. Hugo saves Emily. His companionship fills Emily's inner emptiness and loneliness. His lasting loyalty, responsibility and love inspire Emily to rebuild a new spiritual home in the endless pains of the catastrophe. It can be said that without him, there is no beautiful and confident Emily.

Hugo has surpassed the word "pet". He can not only be the best companion, but also generous and reasonable. At a critical juncture, Hugo will come forward. While Emily comes back from a whole-day busy work, the first thing she does must be to confirm Hugo's safety. She always thinks about satisfying his food and drink. The equality of human and animals and mutual care are presented in the novel. This is also a beautiful picture of the harmony between human beings and animals in Lessing's mind.

2.2 Elimination of Animality and Reestablishment of Humanity

Facing this disaster, animals seem to be the most human, such as Hugo. Hugo is not only an animal in Lessing's fictional world. He is comparable to human beings. Although he has the shape of an animal, his thoughts and emotions are no less than human. Hugo's emotional world is very rich. He is cautious, sensitive, patient and deep, and he seems to be quietly overthrowing human’s prejudice that they are superior to other species. "Our emotional life is shared with the animals... Perhaps the only emotion not known to a cat or a dg is----romantic love." (Lessing 80)

Hugo has his own perceptions and attitudes about things, and he can effectively control his emotions. When Emily and Gerald get along, he will be in a long-term jealous sadness. Emily rarely goes home for a while, ignores him, and he is angry. "He licked her hand at last and lay himself patiently down, saying to her by the way he did this: it is to you. I don't care to live if you don't care for me." (Lessing 165) At this moment, who would have remembered that Hugo is just an animal? The mood that swings in his inner world is vividly portrayed. Angry, sad, jealous, spoiled, and finally reconciled, he is emotional, and there is no difference between him and ordinary people. Here, Hugo, as a typical realistic animal image, has his own feelings and destiny. Lessing pays attention to his inner activities and his relationship with Emily, making him the most human in the city.

The opposite of Hugo is the humanity and civilization that have gradually collapsed in this world. The Memoirs of a Survivor records a human disaster, a catastrophe where the primitive and natural self in human nature is smothered by the indifference of society.

In the book, the cause of Emily's tragedy can be traced back to her childhood experiences and memories—the indifference and forgetting of the most primitive humanity of “love” in adult society. She has a violent mother and an obscene father, and this lack of humanity has become the pain in Emily's childhood memories. Emily's childhood is spent in a white, stuffy room. The “white” here certainly does not mean purity, but implies the blank of love and the rejection of human nature. The “stuffy” that permeates the whole room is not the stuffy weather, but the personality of the girl when she is abandoned and rejected by her parents. This is a sense of suffocation. Hugo's loyalty and perseverance to Emily in the novel makes him a symbol. He represents the instinct of love in Emily's nature, and this instinct is distorted into an "ugly yellow beast" under the refusal and denial of Emily's mother.

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