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布松達不但將自己由加勒比海完全切離,而且全面否定它。他在多次訪談中否定千里達:
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在 《任意的殘暴》(A Casual Brutality)中他更建構了一個虛構的加勒比海國家,Casaquemada
(意謂「房子被燒毀」),來批評整個加勒比海地區政治的陰暗不穩定。
在短篇小說〈掘山〉("Digging Up the Mountains")和〈不安全〉("Insecurity")中,他也呈現印裔在加勒比海地區無法生根的情況。主角冉古藍(〈不安全〉)視他出生的小島為「暫時的家」(1985: 72),不斷將錢走私到加拿大,因此小島越不安全,他越覺安全。哈里(〈掘山〉)由於自幼對山的喜愛,對小島有了歸屬感,但在政客陰謀奪財並威脅他的生命之後,他毅然放棄財產,離開家鄉。走前,他掘起了新種的草皮,甚至想把山掘起。 |
布松達的立場是同化式的:他否定自己的族裔性,主張應該有一個「統一的加拿大性」(“an across-the-board standard of what it is to be Canadian ” Hutcheon 316)。
布松達企圖超越族裔性,所以在作品中描寫各種人(如東歐、日本人、越南人等),甚至還在《年代的純真》(The Innocence of Age)中以白人為主角。克拉克的作品與自己的發展平行,由刻劃巴貝多到描寫加拿大,身分則由巴貝多人到心繫家鄉、被客國拒絕的去國者(expatriate),到努力進入多倫多社會的移民,再到一種久居多倫多的西印度-多倫多人(Birbalsingh 1996: 101)。
his major theme:
「沒有歸屬感」是布松達小說的主題,任何國籍或族群的人都會有。如Birbalsingh解釋,布松達呈現「二十世紀常有的現象就是:沒有安全感導致移民,移民導致無家感」(1995:
162)。
about Canadian Multiculturalism
布松達認為多元文化政策造成「一種加拿大式的、溫和的、文化種族隔離政策」(Hutcheon
315)
His Refugee characters:
布松達〈不確定明天的前夕〉("On
the Eve of Uncertain Tomorrow")中的尋求政治庇護的難民角色有海地人、錫克人、斯里蘭卡人、加勒比海人。這些難民有空間和時間雙重的拘禁感。
在空間上,主角周勤只活動在擠滿難民的小公寓,和一個在破舊隱蔽小街上小酒吧——這酒吧是他「陰影中的繭」,在此「昨天變成永恆」(1990:13,15)。多倫多多元的後現代景象(豪華小店、有霓虹燈的咖啡館、韓裔超市、葡裔飯店)他擦身而過,因為在這些地方別人會對他被虐待的手側目。 這種空間的疏離感也是時間上的︰難民逃避過去,對未來也不肯定。在難民公寓,他/她們之間不打交道,不刺探彼此的過去。只有阿明一人不斷對周勤訴說過去,和替他們申請庇護的律師的秘書交往,學習加拿大英文( “eh?”),並樂觀地等待明天。諷刺的是,努力進入多倫多社會的阿明卻第一個被移民局拒絕,必須遣送回國﹐面對死路一條。 受物質環境所限,這些邊緣人在多倫多工整開放的街道、地鐵是走不出開放的空間。當周勤在小酒吧裡克服了他對人的懷疑,和救了一條命之後,他開始覺得環境比較不陌生,開始放慢腳步,欣賞街上平凡住屋的家庭景象。但阿明的被拒又使他面對自己不確定的明天和孤立的邊緣處境。 |
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Hari owning several stores Hari and the political parties, the minister his American connections |
"Insecurity"
Ramgoolam and the island p. 69 R's work and social position; started as a poor noble; on the fringe of events, has a store too; comprehension in the past; lack of it in the present |
Independence; truth as being relative |
Ramgoolam witnesses the historical changes 70
R vs. Black power p. 71 |
sense of identity
the past--Hari and the mountain the present--Hari and the revolver from planting grass to digging up the mountain |
the past--writing, making speech
the present--smuggling money out; exporter p. 71 not trusting the mail system source of satisfaction: his bank book from saving money to buying a house his Hindu devotion 73; 76--"Security" p. 94 |
the older generation
the mother's powers and fragrance, their revolver |
his father in India 77 |
back home
The narrator's shack (p. 187) her relationship with the Doc (188); his indifference; pink, heart-shaped flower (191) working for an Indian family for sixty a month (189) Georgie, the father's outside-child 195 & police corruption |
in Toronto
Annie--Caribana and racism 189; tired 194; "you have to become West Indian" (197); views about Ontario Science Center 201; tall building 201 Sheila--dizzy-dizzy, cloudy-cloudy, faces, faces, faces; mostly white faces 193-94; missing the mother's grave 197; her response to Annie's words 198; surprised at white workers 200; elevator 201; |
'Home, Belonging, Idealism: Empty Spaces in Bissoondath's "There Are a Lot of Ways to Die"'--An Essay