存在的意义及选择的自由——析多丽丝·莱辛《老妇与猫》

摘要

Doris Lessing＇s short story, The Old Woman and the Cat, depicts a semi--gipsy old woman＂ s pathetic life. Unlike others, the old woman rejects what she is supposed to be, makes her own choice and way to live. In existential point of view, the old woman＂s struggles carry meaning and significance： her renunciation and seemingly unreasonable choices are attempts to seek for spiritual freedom and dignity, to confirm her gipsy heritage and to prove the worthiness of her existence.%多丽丝·莱辛的短篇小说《老妇与猫》描写了一个有着吉普赛血统的老妇人赫蒂与她的猫贝蒂的悲惨生活。小说中赫蒂在悲惨处境中的抗争给读者留下了不可磨灭的影响。在存在主义的视觉下，赫蒂为捍卫自己的基本权利而执着抗争具有积极的意义：她的主动放弃和选择体现出她对自由的追求，是她为自己人生设计的蓝图，是她由被动生存向主动生存、独立生存转化的过程。通过选择生活方式，赫蒂追寻自我身份的认同，与命运进行对抗，始终保持着自由、尊严和独立，实现了作为一个独立的主体而存在的意义。