Short Stories:

"Six Feet of the Country"

  南非
作者
Nadine Gordimer
故事摘要

"Six Feet of the Country"中文情節摘要:

故事敘述一對在鄉村購置田產的白人夫婦透過申報其黑人農僕Petrus的一位非法移民兄弟之遺體所產生的互動。該位農僕之兄弟因為感染肺炎身亡,加上其非法移民的身份,迫使敘事者(白人丈夫)向當地有關當局申報以便做衛生方面之檢驗,敘事者原先並無意幫忙其Petrus索回其兄弟之遺體,之後因Petrus的懇求並負擔手續款項而終於領回遺體,卻在葬禮時發掘領回的遺體乃是一位陌生人,之後敘事者雖向有關當局反應,卻終究找不回Petrus兄弟之遺體也拿不回所繳之款項。除描繪該對夫婦與農僕間的互動外,透過白人丈夫的視角,亦可窺探敘事者對其妻Lerice和夫妻關係間之觀感。

角色名字 敘事者妻子Lerice, 黑人農僕Petrus
Warm Up

問題

 
上課    
課後作業

請由以下問題選擇回答

"Six Feet of the Country":

1. Why does the narrator say that they are not real farmers?   Why do they buy a farm?  How are the couple related to each other?

2. How do they relate to the "farm boys"?  (e.g. p. 97, their report of the death, the illegal immigrants and the death)  Are they helpful to Petrus in the matter of the family death.

3. How are the blacks presented in the story?  (e.g. the way Petrus speaks, donkey carts p. 102, views of money and family death.)  How are the blacks' and the white master's views of money different from each other?

4. Why do the wife and Petrus look alike to the narrator at the end?  

5. What does the title mean?