美国高考小说必读之伟大的狄更斯（下）《雾都孤儿》与狄式小团圆

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你谈到一个很有趣的话题：为什么狄更斯在写《远大前程》时，明明Pip已经山穷水尽，最终却偏偏要给一个不算那么悲凉的结局？

其实我在你这个年纪，上高中时，也有这种疑问：比如《雾都孤儿》明明应该是Oliver早夭或者最终沦为小偷，为什么却能有一笔遗产，最终变成绅士？《简爱》明明应该被孤立，一辈子穷困潦倒，嫁不出去，凭什么也能因为一份遗产而咸鱼翻身？……进而，当时的我，就会认为这些英国经典文学是假道学，脱离现实，弃之如敝履。

现在想来，当时的自己，也和大多数那个岁数的同龄人一样，很愤青，很叛逆，争勇斗狠，所谓“少小不识愁滋味，为赋新诗强说愁”。还记得《远大前程》最后一章的一个细节吧：Pip再回到故乡的时候，已经是11年后。这个设定很符合情理。这11年恰恰是一位年轻人从20岁出头进入社会，到30余岁经历过各类社会变迁、人生起伏，可以第一次心平气和地看待周围事物所需要的时间。

对于每一位30岁以上的人来说，大家身上都有Pip的影子；因为到了这个岁数，我们都或多或少经历过若干次幻想的破灭，经历过价值观的重塑，经历过友情和爱情的考验。这也是经典名著的力量和底蕴。经典所阐述的，是普世价值，是你在最开始阅读时，可能体会不深，但当你真正遇到困难或者到了一定岁数时，突然发现，我们的生活，其实并没有跳出经典的设定，进而豁然开朗，体任自然。

好了，闲话了这么久，我现在来试着回答你最开始的问题：为什么狄更斯在写《远大前程》时，明明Pip已经山穷水尽，最终却偏偏要给一个不算那么悲凉的结局？

我先给出一个基本说法，就是“狄更斯式的小团圆”，简称“狄式小团圆”。同时声明，这个说法不是我原创的，而是在一本书里读到的，那就是我之前和你推荐过的，木心先生的《文学回忆录》。我甚至不确定这是否是木心先生的原创。不过无所谓，信息爆炸的年代，能找到这一则信息已经不易。（一笑）

我来摘引一下木心先生对狄更斯的评价：

木心说，“狄更斯的小说结尾，失散或久别的亲友又在一起了，总是夜晚，总是壁炉柴火熊熊燃，总是蜡烛、热茶，大家围着那张不大不小的圆桌，你看我，我看你，往事如烟，人生如梦，昔在，今在，永在。这种英国式的小团圆，比中国式的大团圆有诗意得多。”

这就是我现在很看好、很喜欢的“狄式小团圆”模式，很暖心，很温情脉脉，很好。具体细节，我们后面聊《雾都孤儿》的时候，慢慢谈。

（一）

《雾都孤儿》这本书的结构并不复杂，我们可以按照之前讲过的三段式阅读方法，粗略将这本小说分为三部分：

第一部分：从主人公Oliver Twist在贫民窟诞生，同时母亲身亡讲起；用极其辛辣阴沉的笔法，描述当时所谓的“贫民习艺所”黑暗现实；之后描述Oliver Twist作为幼童，却不得不参加工作，同时饱受虐待，最终逃亡伦敦；

第二部分：写主人公Oliver Twist在伦敦的经历，最初落入小偷集团的魔掌，险些沦为盗贼，之后两次被善良人士所救，并逐渐揭开Oliver的身世，最终正义战胜邪恶，小偷集团首脑活罪；

第三部分：尾声；以“狄式小团圆”收尾，给出小说中主要角色的各自结局，善有善报，恶有恶报。

小说脉络上很清楚，同时精彩段落数不胜数，尤其是前7章，回回精彩，笔法凝练，人物鲜活，我试举两例，你再体会一下。

（1）Oliver在习艺所询问更多的食物（Chapter 2）

The room in which the boys were fed, was a large stone hall, with a copper at one end: out of which the master, dressed in an apron for the purpose, and assisted by one or two women, ladled the gruel at meal times. Of this festive composition each boy had one porringer, and no more -- except on occasions of great public rejoicing, when he had two ounces and a quarter of bread besides. The bowls never wanted washing. The boys polished them with their spoons till they shone again; and when they had performed this operation (which never took very long, the spoons being nearly as large as the bowls), they would sit staring at the copper, with such eager eyes, as if they could have devoured the very bricks of which it was composed; employing themselves, meanwhile, in sucking their fingers most assiduously, with the view of catching up any stray splashes of gruel that might have been cast there on.Boys have generally excellent appetites.

Oliver Twist and his companions suffered the tortures of slow starvation for three months: at last they got so voracious and wild with hunger, that one boy, who was tall for his age, and hadn't been used to that sort of thing (for his father had kept a small cook-shop), hinted darkly to his companions, that unless he had another basin of gruel per diem, he was afraid he might some night happen to eat the boy who slept next him, who happened to be a weakly youth of tender age. He had a wild, hungry eye; and they implicitly believed him. A council was held; lots were cast who should walk up to the master after supperthat evening, and ask for more; and it fell to Oliver Twist.

The evening arrived; the boys took their places.The master, in his cook's uniform, stationed himself at the copper; his pauper assistants ranged themselves behind him; the gruel was served out; and a long grace was said over the short commons. The gruel disappeared; the boys whispered each other, and winked at Oliver; while his next neighbors nudged him. Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger, and reckless with misery.He rose from the table; and advancing to the master, basin and spoon in hand,said: somewhat alarmed at his own temerity:

'Please, sir, I want some more.'

The master was a fat, healthy man; but he turned very pale. He gazed in stupefied astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for support to the copper. The assistants were paralyzed with wonder; the boys with fear.

'What!' said the master at length, in a faint voice.

'Please, sir,' replied Oliver, 'I want some more.'

The master aimed a blow at Oliver's head with the ladle; pinioned him in his arm; and shrieked aloud for the beadle.

The board were sitting in solemn conclave, when Mr. Bumble rushed into the room in great excitement, and addressing the gentleman in the high chair, said,

'Mr. Limbkins, I beg your pardon, sir! Oliver Twist has asked for more!'

There was a general start. Horror was depicted on every countenance.

'For _more_!' said Mr. Limbkins. 'Compose yourself, Bumble, and answer me distinctly. Do I understand that he asked for more, after he had eaten the supper allotted by the dietary?'

'He did, sir,' replied Bumble.

'That boy will be hung,' said the gentleman in the white waist coat. 'I know that boy will be hung.'

当时的绅士立下的“规矩”，是所有的穷人都可以呆在习艺所里缓慢地饿死，或者离开这里立即饿死，二者间任选其一。因此，男孩们分到的食物，就是苟延残喘，直到最后被活活饿死。当一个大男孩，要求Oliver去讨要更多的食物时，一个经典场面发生了：厨师需要用手去扶铜锅才不会被吓倒，并用粥勺打Oliver的头；周围的人，都为之一惊，惊慌失措；教区管事更是一语中的，“那孩子将来准给绞死”。而这所有事情的起因，只因为Oliver的一句话：“求您，先生，我想还要再添一点儿”。

（2）Oliver受到殴打和虐待（Chapter7）

This flood of tears left Mr. Sowerberry no alternative. If he had hesitated for one instant to punish Oliver most severely, it must be quite clear to every experienced reader that he would have been, according to all precedents in disputes of matrimony established, a brute, an unnatural husband, an insulting creature, a base imitation of a man, and various other agreeable characters too numerous for recital within the limits of this chapter. To do him justice, he was, as far as his power went--it was not very extensive--kindly disposed towards the boy;perhaps, because it was his interest to be so; perhaps, because his wife disliked him. The flood of tears, however, left him no resource; so he at once gave him a drubbing, which satisfied even Mrs. Sowerberry herself, and rendered Mr. Bumble's subsequent application of the parochial cane, rather unnecessary. For the rest of the day, he was shut up in the back kitchen, in company with a pump and a slice of bread; and at night, Mrs. Sowerberry, after making various remarks outside the door, by no means complimentary to the memory of his mother, looked into the room, and, amidst the jeers and pointings of Noah and Charlotte, ordered him upstairs to his dismal bed.

It was not until he was left alone in the silence and stillness of the gloomy workshop of the undertaker, that Oliver gave way to the feelings which the day's treatment may be supposed likely to have awakened in a mere child. He had listened to their taunts with a look of contempt; he had borne the lash without a cry: for he felt that pride swelling in his heart which would have kept down a shriek to the last, though they had roasted him alive. But now, when there were none to see or hear him, he fell upon his knees on the floor; and, hiding his face in his hands, wept such tears as, God send for the credit of our nature, few so young may ever have cause to pour out before him!

For a long time, Oliver remained motionless in this attitude. The candle was burning low in the socket when he rose to his feet. Having gazed cautiously round him, and listened intently, he gently undid the fastenings of the door, and looked abroad.

It was a cold, dark night. The stars seemed, to the boy's eyes, farther from the earth than he had ever seen them before; there was no wind; and the somber shadows thrown by the trees upon the ground, looked sepulchral and death-like, from being so still. He softly reclosed the door.Having availed himself of the expiring light of the candle to tie up in a handkerchief the few articles of wearing apparel he had, sat himself down upon a bench, to wait for morning.

Oliver明明是受同龄孩子的欺负才奋起反抗，但是，由于女主人的眼泪，使得男主人不得不下狠手殴打Oliver（否则就会得到无尽的坏名声），并对他实行禁闭。受尽虐待的Oliver，也只有在孤身一人时，才痛哭流涕，而此时，寒星点点，树影婆娑，阴森可怖。

（二）

再谈两点《雾都孤儿》的感想，下次希望能够听听你的见解。

（1）关于饥饿与死亡

对于物质生活很丰富的我们来说，去形容或者体会饥饿是很难的。饿殍遍野、易子相食，这些在我们看来，似乎都是发生在很遥远时代的事情了。我读过的书或者看过的电影中，关于饥饿给我印象最深的，有三部：《雾都孤儿》、《四世同堂》、《温故一九四二》。建议你都找来看看，学会珍惜，不忘初心，方得始终。

还有就是Oliver的死亡。当然，由于主角光环，他并没有死，最后还获得了一份不菲的遗产，并被老绅士Mr. Brownlow收为义子，过上了幸福的生活。但是，如果没有主角光环，他会如何？可能刚出生就夭折了！小说的每一章，都预示着Oliver的死里逃生，如果加在一起的话，一本53章节的小说，Oliver可能死亡不下百次。即使到了小说最后，狄更斯还狠心地写到，那个给予Oliver生平第一个祝福的可怜孩子Dick也死了。

同时，不要以为现代社会就没有雾都孤儿或者可怜的孩子，远处是中东难民的孩子，近处是在北上广的乞讨儿童，或者在中国农村的留守儿童，他们的命运将会如何，我无言以对。

（2）再论“狄式小团圆”

无论如何，狄更斯式的小团圆，还是很暖心的，不会像二十世纪之后的很多现代经典小说，最后的结局都是纯粹的悲剧，让读者怔在那里，不知出路，比如《人鼠之间》。读后一类小说，需要很强的心理建设，否则容易困在那里，茫然若失。狄更斯的小说则不同，你尽可放心去读，去领略各色人物的悲欢离合、喜怒哀乐，再大的悲剧，也只是一时之痛，因为你知道，作者在最后，会轻柔地对待读者，为他们找一个支点，一个小团圆。

让我们再看一遍，木心先生对狄更斯的评价：

“狄更斯的小说结尾，失散或久别的亲友又在一起了，总是夜晚，总是壁炉柴火熊熊燃，总是蜡烛、热茶，大家围着那张不大不小的圆桌，你看我，我看你，往事如烟，人生如梦，昔在，今在，永在。这种英国式的小团圆，比中国式的大团圆有诗意得多。”

或许十多年后，等你到了我这个岁数，就会觉得这份小团圆，难能可贵了。（一笑）

（三）

推荐一些《雾都孤儿》的精彩章节，可以试着再精读一下：

Chapter 01  Oliver Twist的诞生；

Chapter 02  Oliver Twist的成长、教育与董事会；饥饿；

Chapter 03  Oliver Twist逃过第一份高死亡率工作（通烟囱）；

Chapter 04  Oliver Twist实际的第一份工作：棺材店；

Chapter 05  Oliver Twist的工作经历：见证饥馑和死亡；

Chapter 07  Oliver Twist的反抗与逃亡；

Chapter 37  Mr.Bumble的婚后生活；

（四）

终于聊完了狄更斯。（一笑）

之前和你说过，阅读经典小说，就像是去深度体验不同的人生经历，每次合上书的时候，驻足四顾，总有恍如隔世之感。这段时间，你跟着我阅读狄更斯的小说，辛苦了，能看的出来，你也是咬着牙坚持过来的，毕竟，狄更斯的句法用词，对一个高中生来说，还是比较困难的。

接下来，我们放松一下，换换口味，开启一个新的小说主题，我姑且称之为“超人奇幻主题”，应该也是高中生最喜欢阅读的小说主题之一了。我遴选出一系列经典小说，如《弗兰肯斯坦》、《指环王》、《德古拉》、《永恒之王》、《美丽新世界》、《福尔摩斯探案集》等，我们下面两个月，好好聊聊，相信会很精彩。

（五）

本月的泛读内容，阅读愉快。

历史类：

1、The Declaration of Independence 《独立宣言》

2、Biography of Washington《华盛顿传》

3、The Federalist Papers《联邦党人文集》

4、《如彗星划过夜空》

小说类：

1、Frankenstein《弗兰肯斯坦》 

2、Dracula《德古拉》

3、The Lord of the Rings《指环王》

4、Sherlock Holmes《福尔摩斯探案集》

5、The alchemist《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》

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