摘 要

艾萨克·什维斯·辛格是一位著名的美国犹太作家，发表过多部长篇小说和短篇小说集，在写作中始终坚持犹太特色，揭露犹太民族的悲惨命运。《来自美国的儿子》是辛格最出名的短篇小说之一，生动描绘了一战前东欧犹太人的生活图景，体现出辛格的写作特点。

本文旨在从历史-宗教维度解读《来自美国的儿子》的主题思想，即分别分析老一辈和年轻一辈犹太人对其待传统和宗教的态度。通过研究，本文发现尽管儿子塞缪尔在生活方式和所处社会文化背景上与其父母伯尔和蓓查有较大差异，但他们都坚守犹太传统，笃信犹太教义，表现出对犹太文化的深刻认同。

本文分为四章。第一章简要介绍作家辛格和他的作品以及文献综述。第二章从历史角度分析小说的主题思想，表现出犹太人对犹太传统和习俗的认同。第三章则从宗教角度探讨小说的主题思想。通过讨论两代人对犹太教持有的态度，本文旨在揭示他们以不同的方式坚守犹太教。第四章总结全文，指出论文研究的局限性，并展望未来研究的可能性。

关键词： 艾萨克·什维斯·辛格；《来自美国的儿子》；犹太历史；文化认同；犹太教

Abstract

As an American Jewish writer with great reputation, Issac Bashevis Singer has published a number of novels and short story collections, always adhering to the Jewish characteristics in his writing which reveals Jews’ tragic destiny. The Son from America, one of Singer’s best-known short stories, vividly depicts the lives of Eastern European Jews before WWI and is typical of Singer’s writing style.

This paper aims at interpreting the motif of The Son from America from a historical-religious perspective, analyzing the old and young Jews’ attitudes towards their tradition and religion respectively. The study finds that although Berl and Bercha differ from their son in lifestyle and the sociocultural context where they are respectively situated, they all stick to Jewish values and doctrines, reflecting their in-depth consensus on cherishing Jewish culture.

This paper consists of four chapters. The first chapter includes an introduction to Issac Bashevis Singer, his works and literature review. Chapter Two analyzes the motif of the short story from the historical perspective, presenting Jews’ identification with Jewish tradition and custom. Chapter Three explores the motif from the religious perspective. By discussing the two generations’ attitudes towards Judaism, this study intends to reveal that they both firmly believe in Judaism but in different manners. The last chapter concludes the research by addressing limitations and proposing the further study of the story.

Key Words: Issac Bashevis Singer; The Son From America; Jewish history;

cultural identification; Judaism

Contents

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Issac Bashevis Singer and his works 1

1. 2 Literary review 2

1.3 Structure of the paper 3

2 Analysis of the Motif from the Historical Perspective 4

1. 1 Crisis of Jewish people 4

2.1.1 Exiling Jews 4

2.1.2 Immigration to other countries 5

2.2 Identification with Jewish history 6

2.2.1 Berl's and Berlcha's identification and preservation 6

2.2.2 Samuel's identification and adaptation 7

3 Analysis of the Motif from the Religious Perspective 9

1. 1 Crisis of Judaism 9

3.1.1 Shock of modernization 9

3.1.2 Temptation of money 10

3.2 Identification with Judaism 11

3.2.1 Berl's and Berlcha's identification and persistence 11

3.2.2 Samuel's identification and innovation 12