暴露抑或隐藏：《玻璃动物园》中汤姆的同性恋倾向研究

论文摘要

一直以来,关于《玻璃动物园》的研究主要集中于对田纳西·威廉斯的戏剧手法、主题及对阿曼达母女的同情和性格分析等,但对于汤姆这个剧中人物的关注明显缺失。然而,汤姆在戏剧开幕的一段突兀的演讲令人不解,而威廉斯在观看《玻璃动物园》的演出时表现出的明显的不满,皆暗示剧中仍有“错觉”掩盖下的“真相”尚未被发觉。本文认为威廉斯真正想要揭示的真相是汤姆的同性恋情结。本文试通过文本细读,从三个方面分析汤姆的性取向。第一,《玻璃动物园》被公认为威廉斯最具自传性的一部作品,汤姆更被认为是威廉斯本人的化身。二人的家庭背景有着惊人的相似,或者说威廉斯将自己的生活经历移植到作品中。威廉斯的同性恋情结跟其家庭有着密切的关系,处于同样家庭背景下的汤姆在爱好及行为上与威廉斯有极大的相似性,显示出相当的同性恋倾向。第二,威廉斯在作品中运用多种创作手法,尤以象征手法的运用著称,剧中人或物的名字都有着特定的代表意义,而剧中更充斥着各种意象。本文试从剧中主要意象的象征意义分析汤姆的同性恋倾向及其艰难处境。第三,作家在创作过程中会有意无意地模仿前人,而威廉斯不仅从前人的作品中吸取精髓,更擅长“借用”其本人的前作,其作品文本间的互文性不容忽视。本文试从这一角度挖掘汤姆的同性恋倾向及他在家庭与社会中的艰难处境,进而分析其“逃避主义”的真正原因,发掘《玻璃动物园》中隐藏的“真相”,即汤姆作为男同性恋者在家庭及社会中的艰难处境及其所作的抗争：逃跑。作为同性恋剧作家,威廉斯一直致力于创作同性恋人物形象。一方面,威廉斯迫于当时社会对同性恋的抵制和严格的审查制度不得不隐藏其动机；另一方面又“刻意’留下可供追寻的提示,将其真实意图嵌入文本的字里行间。威廉斯徘徊于对汤姆的同性恋倾向的“暴露”和“隐藏”中,凸显了其本人对自己同性恋倾向的困惑和挣扎。而汤姆的被迫离家又暗含了威廉斯对当时社会抵制同性恋的不满和无声的反抗。

论文目录

• Abstract
• 摘要
• Introduction A Critical Review of Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie
• 1 Tennessee Williams the Playwright
• 2 Homosexuality Concealed and Revealed in Williams's Major Works
• 3 Homosexuality Hidden and Exposed in The Glass Menagerie
• Chapter One Williams's Homosexuality Transplanted into Tom
• 1.1 Biographical Strategies
• 1.2 Williams's Homosexuality Transplanted into Tom
• 1.2.1 Problematic Family Relationship and One's Sexual Orientation
• 1.2.1.1 An Alcoholic and Missing Father Results in One's Effeminacy
• 1.2.1.2. A Controlling and Puritan Mother Leads to Abnormal Sex
• 1.2.1.3 Intimacy with a Physically and Mentally Ill Sister Contributes to One's Unusual Sexual Orientation
• 1.2.2 Shared Fancy:Seeking for Sexual Experience in Movie Houses and Intimacy in an All-male Condition
• Chapter Two Tom's Sexual Orientation from the Perspective of Imagism
• 2.1 Imagism in Williams's Works
• 2.2 Tom's Homosexuality Revealed through the Images
• 2.2.1 Tom's a Unicorn out of Place with His Bizarre Behavior
• 2.2.2. The Gentleman Caller:Love and Sex All the Three are Coveting
• 2.2.2.1 Amanda is Expecting Her Gentleman Caller
• 2.2.2.2 Laura is Expecting a Gentleman Caller
• 2.2.2.3 Tom is Expecting a Gentleman Caller
• 2.2.3 The Coffin:Suffocating Environment for Tom as a Gay
• Chapter Three Tom's Sexual Orientation from the Perspective of Intertexuality
• 3.1 Intertextuality in Wiliams's Works
• 3.2 Tom's Gayness revealed from the Perspective of Intertextuality
• 3.2.1 Borrowed from an Early Play:a Dominating Mother and a Homosexual Son
• 3.2.2 The Good-looking Man and Gayness
• 3.2.2.1 Being Good-looking is Prone to Homosexual
• 3.2.2.2 Being Good-looking is Being Stared at
• 3.2.3 A Brother-sister Story Retold:the Two Hold Affection over the Same Guy
• Chapter Four Tom's Escape in Pursuit of Homosexual Experience
• 4.1 Escapism Spirit
• 4.2 The Real Reason for Tom's Escapism:Pursuing Homosexual Experience
• 4.3 Tom's Gayness:Compelled to Conceal and Desiring to Reveal
• Conclusion
• Works Cited
• Acknowledgements