摘 要

索尔·贝娄作为美国20世纪最杰出的小说家之一，是第一位荣获诺贝尔文学奖（1976年）的当代美国犹太作家。贝娄以长篇小说闻名，但其短篇小说也深刻反映了当下社会的现状，具有明显的启示意义。《准父亲》作为贝娄出名的短篇小说之一，形象地刻画了战后城市知识分子在物质社会中挣扎并为此焦虑困惑的现象。

本文旨在从现实世界和精神世界两个方面解读《准父亲》，即通过分别分析这两个世界更好地了解主人公罗金的性格以及一系列心理活动背后的原因。本文通过研究发现知识分子罗金常常陷入对于当今社会现状以及身边事物的思考中，尤其是人际关系，而又郁郁不得其终，表现了贝娄文学创作中常涉及的主题：自我的探索。

本文分为四章，第一章简要介绍作家贝娄的生平和他的作品以及文献综述。第二章侧重分析主人公罗金所处的现实世界，分析他所面对的现实因素，有助于理解其精神状态。第三章主要剖析罗金的精神世界，他内心的活动影射了其纠结复杂的心理。第四章总结全文，指出了论文的局限性同时也展望对于未来研究的可能性。

关键词：索尔·贝娄；《准父亲》；现实世界；精神世界

Abstract

Saul Bellow, as one of the most outstanding novelists of the 20th century, was the first contemporary American Jewish writer who awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (1976). Bellow is known for his novels, but his short stories also have considerable significance. A Father-to-be , one of Bellow's famous short stories, vividly portrays the post-war urban intellectual’s struggles in the material society and their anxiety and confusion.

This paper aims at interpreting A Father-to-be from two worlds: the physical world and the spiritual world, making it better to understand the character of the protagonist Rogin, and the causes behind his thoughtful speculations. The research finds that the intellectual Rogin often falls into self-meditation, especially interpersonal relationships, but all in vain at last. Identity-exploration is the theme often involved in Bellow's literary works.

This paper consists of four chapters. The first chapter includes an introduction to Saul Bellow, his works and literature review. Chapter Two focuses on the physical world, analyzing his life, which helps to understand his mental state later. Chapter Three mainly pays attention to Rogin’s spiritual world, and his mental activities reflect his complex psychology. Chapter Four summarizes the paper by pointing out the limitations and proposing the further study of the story.

Key Words: Saul Bellow; A Father-to-be; the physical world; the spiritual world

Contents

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Saul Bellow and his Works 1

1.2 Literature Review 2

1.3 Structure of the Paper 3

2 Analysis of the Physical World 5

2.1 Materialism and Consumerism in Society 5

2.1.1 Money-oriented Social Background 5

2.1.2 Joan’s Attitude towards Money 6

2.1.3 Economic Pressure of Rogin 7

2.2 Disharmony of Family and Social Relationships 8

2.2.1 Relations among Family Members 8

2.2.2 Relation with Joan 9

2.2.3 Relation with Strangers 9

3 Analysis of the Spiritual World 11

3.1 Rogin’s Fear of the Present and the Future 11

3.1.1 Rogin’s Suffering and Confusion at Present 11

3.1.2 Rogin’s Doubt and Uncertainty of the Future 12

3.2 Transformation of Rebellion to Tolerance 13

3.2.1 Ideal Living State in Rogin’s Mind 13

3.2.2 Reconciliation with Society 14

4 Conclusion 16

4.1 Summary 16

4.2 Limitations and Further study 17

References 18

Acknowledgements 20