Waitingmakes Ha Jin known all around the Ameican literature, and was rewarded the ＂National Book Award＂of America(1999) and the America PEN / Faulkner Award for Fiction which commented him as＂one of the great writers who sticks to realist school in the alienated post-modern period＂(2000). This paper believes that simple plots but profound signifcance makes this novel outstanding and attractive with characters endowed with blood and fesh. The language is beautiful and full of tension. This paper aims at annalyzingWaitingfrom the following:① A beautiful character if not the beauty remains the inexhaustible inspiration of a happy family. ②Love is reciprocal and needs to be constantly nourished and cherished. ③There exists a kind of love named＂hands－off love＂for its not being as an inspiration but as a sort of predicament and plight to one's happiness.Ha JinWaitingmarriage happniessAuthors:Wu Fengjuan,is from The Foreign Languages Scholl of Wuhan Textile Universtiy. Research areas are American literature and translation.Zhou Dan, is from The Foreign Languages Scholl of Wuhan Textile Universtiy. Research areas are American literature and translation. Han Zhengshun, is from The Foreign Languages Scholl of Wuhan Textile Universtiy. Research areas are British and American novels, translation.As a popular saying goes＂All happy marriages are quite alike, yet for an unhappy family, each one can clearly remember counting the number of stairs on the way home＂. InWaiting,Ha Jin portrays the life of Lin Kong, a dedicated doctor torn by his love for two women: Shu Yu and Manna Wu for he profoundly understands the conflict between the individual and society, between the timeless universality of the human heart and constantly shifting politics of the moment. With wisdom, restraint, and empathy for all characters, he vividly reveals the complexities and subtleties of life in China before and after the reform. As his best work to date, it is subtle and complex in presenting us amoving meditation on the effects of time upon love; interspersing these human scenes with achingly beautiful vignettes of natural beauty from the idyllic countryside to the small towns. Jin's depictions are flled with an earthy poetic grace, indeed convincing and rich in detail. His understanding of the human heart and the human condition transcends borders and time and across cultural barriers.No doubt, an amazing and outstanding literary achievement.A brief literature review reveals it has been more sorely commented and sensationally romanticized by scholars and readers from a myriad of dimensions both at home and abroad. Some positive, some negative, and some neutral; some from Confucianism, some from Orientalism, and New Historicism's point of view, etc.This thesis ventures to partake in the marital matters to illustrate the state of mind evolved in the novel, thereby to defend for Lin and refute some prejudices from the domestic scene as the standpoint or purpose, to illuminate and enlighten those unfortunate ones to get out of the muddy jumbo and treasure the second matrimonial choice for life is but a short span and marriage a matter of substantial consequence, especially toward the dusk of one's life. This paper will annalyze the novel as the following:First, a beautiful character if not the beauty remains the inexhaustible inspiration of a happy family. The paradox but true side of life is, just like translation, the beautiful is not faithful, the faithful is not beautiful.I might as well hasten to add two other adjectives,＂functional and everlasting＂. InWaiting,Lin and Shu seem to be a mismatched couple right from the start:＂In fact Lin looked quite young for his age, He was in his late forties, but he did not seem like a middle-aged man. ... By contrast, his wife Shu Yu was a small, withered woman and looked much older than her age. Her thin arm... In every way the couple did not match.＂(Ha Jin 6) Nevertheless, Shu remained faithful, filial and strictly functional. Despite Lin's refusal to letting her visit his hospital for nearly two decades, and his separation from his wife even in bed for 17 years, ＂he didn't love her, nor did he dislike her. In a way, he treated her like a cousin of sorts＂(9). Shu's misery was poured out by her brother Ben Sheng in court: ＂It's unfair for Lin Kong to do this to her. She has lived with the Kongs for more than twenty years, serving them like a dumb beast of burden...He can't treat a human being, his wife, like an overcoat—once he has worn it out, he dumps it.＂(12) ＂Your wife served your family like a donkey at the millstone.＂(12) From this, we can easily see that Shu turns out to be what late her mother-in-law defined her: a fine ,normal girl,＂a pretty face fades in a couple of years, It's personality that lasts. Shu will be a good helper for you＂(8). This, beyond any doubt, demonstrates the traditional ideal of a Chinese womanhood: a virtuous wife and worthy mother. In every way, she commands and deserves our reverence and respect. Besides, at the end , when Lin, knowing that Wu would be a goner for her heart condition, begs Shu to forgive him, she readily accepts his second proposal. Fondling her affectionately, he asks:＂Is that you, Shu Yu?＂,＂Yes，it's me, your wife Shu Yu＂(306). Dear reader, where on earth can you find such a magnanimous, understanding and pardonable wife? Or can you be a faithful wife to your husband to the very end even if he abandons you and deserts you for a convenient marriage? and now comes back as an old and decaying man for you to take care of? Why not go on with your romance with Wu? Why not count on her? One may wonder too many why's? Now Lin's old mentality is:＂between love and peace of mind, he would choose the latter, He would prefer a peaceful home. What was better than a place where you could sit down comfortably, read a book, and have a good meal and an unbroken sleep?＂(303) So, in fact, it is Shu who really cares for him and gave him the sense of a real home: its comforts,warmth,consummation. It's her beautiful personality that matters most, indeed, the＂panacea＂of a happy and lucky marriage.Secondly, love is reciprocal and needs to be constantly nourished and cherished, what mattersmost is nothing but mutual tolerance and admiration in the years to come. InWaiting, Lin gives Shu 40 (9) from his monthly salary of 94 Yuan(25) to cover the family expenses in the country. This demonstrates his strong sense of responsibility towards his family. In addition, when Wu manages to secure an empty room from Niu Haiyan for them to cohabit, Lin, who constantly reminded himself that he was a married man and behaved rather rationally, frmly refused her offer and said that＂just a moment's pleasure will ruin our lives for good＂(68)， thus mocked as＂a model monk＂(69).Isn't Lin rather conservative in love matters? On the other hand, their constant companionship and friendship nurtured and nourished their mutual love for binding relationship that remains for so long a time to divorce. So, Wu's love for Lin runs parallel with Lin's family responsibility for Shu. Lin cherishes them both: one is within reach, before him and accompanying him, while the other one, out of his reach but frmly planted in his heart due to his sense of family.＂An ideal solution might be to have two wives: Wu in the city and Shu in the country.＂(94)Isn't this what he has in mind for real? He's enjoying actually these two bowls of chicken soup for his tormented soul.Thirdly, There exists a kind of love named＂hands -off love＂, or let go of one's grip on love for its not being as an inspiration but rather as a sort of predicament and plight to one's happiness. Thanks to the undeniable fact that Wu is suffering from a heart condition and soon to die in a year or two, yet at 44, ＂she turned out to be a passionate lover and her passion often unnerved Lin—He tired out easily, most of the time before she could calm down＂(245);＂No wonder the saying goes 'At thirty she is like a wolf; at forty a tiger'＂(248); besides, the twin sons that Wu bore for him totally disrupt Lin's peaceful life rhythm and make him hustle-bustle with washing diapers and feeding babies. Oh, what a mess! Is this a life that Lin desired? Absolutely not! This is certainly beyond his wildest imagination, and even worse, Wu's strong sense of envy and daily roaring often perplex Lin, making him almost faint all over. So he cursed his marriage as a deviled one. Therefore, in the author's view, Wu's approaching death will turn out to be a blessing in disguise. That means he will no longer have to face her embarrassingly very soon. Instead, he would have a very happy big family of five: He, his endearing Shu, his daughter Hua, and the two twins. What a harmonious, embracing and well－integrated family in the traditional sense! What a family of boundless love, of reciprocal tolerance, of mutual support. So Lin must have remained satisfed and happy and contented. He has experienced all he wants: two kinds of love: one is traditional and faithful and strictly functional, the other, modern and stylish and fckle; one is short, slim and tiny, the other tall, slender and well-suited to his height; and above all, two sons and one girl, some kind of super luxury in this family-planning country of China. So let the burden go free, and Lin would have a very very bright, happy and joyous prospect. Just wait for a blessed life and a stable, peaceful solitude.Le Changement, C'est le Maintenant.
[1]郭栖庆：《无奈的等待 等待的无奈》，载《外国文学》2001年第7期，第84—88页。
[2]蒋冬梅：《哈金研究现状》，载《学术前沿》2008年第3期，第39—41页。
[3]Ha Jin. Waiting. London: Vintage, 2000.
[4]刘俊：《西方语境下的“东方”呈现——论哈金的〈等待〉》，载《世界华文文学论坛》2003年第1期，第24—27页。
吴凤娟 周 丹 韩征顺
(谁动了我的婚姻，有多少爱可以重（宠）来？)
哈金因《等待》誉满美国，荣获1999年“国家图书奖”和美国笔会/福克纳小说奖，被后者赞誉为“在疏离的后现代时期，仍然坚持写实派路线的伟大作家之一”（2000）。 笔者认为，小说的无穷魅力在于情节简单而意蕴深刻，人物形象栩栩如生，文字优美而极富张力。论文旨在从以下方面对小说进行分析：①性格和睦是家庭和美不竭的活水源头。②爱情是需要经营的。③有一种爱叫作放手，错误的爱是折磨、痛苦而不是幸福之源。
哈金 《等待》 婚姻 幸福
吴凤娟，武汉纺织大学外语学院，主要研究美国文学、翻译等。周丹，武汉纺织大学外语学院，主要研究美国文学、翻译等。 韩征顺，武汉纺织大学外语学院，主要研究英美小说、翻译。
作品【Works Cited】
最新评论