双语有声阅读:The Catcher in the Rye 麦田守望者

The Catcher in the Rye 麦田守望者

Banned by many schools and libraries when first published in 1951, “The Catcher in the Rye” has been courting controversy¹ for half a century. J.D. Salinger’s soul-searching novel of youthful alienation² has long since faced down its initially³ hostile reception. Nowadays it is one of the most frequently taught books in high school English classes in the United States.

In the deeply conservative early 1950s, many Americans were shocked by “Catcher”’s explicit⁴ language and open treatment of delicate issues such as psychological instability and sexuality. Most of the controversy nowadays, however, concerns how the book and its precocious1 hero are interpreted.

Holden Caulfield is the 16-year-old schoolboy whose first-person narrative⁶ of his mental breakdown⁷ over several days forms the basic plot. Critics generally agree that he is the only substantial character in the novel. However, opinions are divided on the outcome of Holden’s constant raging against the hypocrisy2 of the adult world: Some see his eventual⁹ acceptance of reality as a positive view of his maturation, while others view his capitulation3 as an indictment¹⁰ of an oppressive society.

The author has fueled controversy himself by remaining a reclusive4 figure who has refused to comment on his work or publish anything further. Whatever his opinions, there is no doubting the book that made him famous presents a challenge to readers who care to contemplate¹¹ the emptiness and isolation¹² of the human condition.

Holden Caulfield, the central character in “The Catcher in the Rye”, has been compared with Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain’s naive5 adolescent runaway¹⁴ in the novel of the same name. Both boys are trying to make sense of the world while seeking stability and independence.

At the beginning of “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden has just been kicked out of yet another boarding school. Having a few days to kill before returning home for the Christmas break, he hops¹⁵ on a train to New York. There he spends his time wandering aimlessly from one brief encounter6 to another, getting progressively more disgusted with what he calls the phoniness of the adult world.

Holden craves¹⁶ the innocence¹⁷ and simplicity¹⁸ of childhood, while at the same time doing a number of “adult” things such as trying to get a drink in a bar and meeting with a prostitute. Eventually, with the help of his younger sister, he comes to the realization¹⁹ that children cannot be protected forever from the imperfections of the adult world. This is not achieved, however, without Holden first driving himself to the brink7 of insanity²¹.

Like “The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn”, “The Catcher in the Rye” is a coming-of-age8 novel. It is written in the language of its time, yet covers issues that are still relevant to young people today. It is likely to retain its status as a thought-provoking, if somewhat depressing, read for quite some time.

1. precocious⁵ a. 早熟的

2. hypocrisy⁸ n. 伪善

3. capitulation n. 投降

4. reclusive a. 隐遁的

5. naive¹³ a. 天真的

6. encounter n. 遭遇，邂逅

7. brink²⁰ n. 边缘

8. coming-of-age n. 成年，成熟

在1951年首次出版时被许多学校和图书馆列为禁书的《麦田守望者》，半个世纪以来不断引发争议。塞林格的这本描述年轻人疏离感的内省小说自此一直从容地面对开始时对它的敌意。现在，它却成为了美国中学英文课程中最常使用的教材之一。

在极度保守的20世纪50年代初期，“守望者”口无遮拦的粗话，和对心理不稳定状态及性欲等敏感话题的开放态度，使许多美国人为之震惊。然而，现在有关该书的争论则大多围绕如何诠释这本书及书中早熟的主人翁展开。

小说的主人公霍尔顿·考尔菲德是一名16岁的男学生，书中以第一人称的方式叙述了他在几天内精神崩溃的经过，这就是这本书的基本情节。书评家普遍认为，霍尔顿是小说中唯一重要的角色。然而，对霍尔顿对成人世界伪善面目的愤恨的结局，意见出现了分歧：一方认为他最终接受了现实，这是他走向成熟的积极表现；另一方则将他的屈服视为（作者）对沉闷压抑的社会的一种控诉。

这些争议因为作者始终保持隐遁的姿态、拒绝对本书发表评论或进一步出版其它作品而变得更加激烈。无论作者本人持什么意见，这本让他一举成名的著作对于那些有意于仔细思忖人类的状况的空虚和孤独的读者来说，无疑是一大挑战。

《麦田守望者》的中心人物霍尔顿，时常被拿来与哈克贝利·费恩──马克吐温的同名小说（中译本为《哈可贝利·费恩历险记》）中那名天真无邪的少年脱缰之马做比较。两个男孩都在寻求安定和独立的过程中，试着弄懂人世的意义。

在《麦田捕手》故事开始时，霍尔顿又一次被一所寄宿学校开除。还得熬上几天才能回家过圣诞假期，于是他跳上了一辆开往纽约的火车。在纽约，他终日漫无目的地闲逛，在经历了一次又一次短暂的邂逅和遭遇之后，他对被他称为“虚假”的成人世界越来越反感。霍尔顿渴望孩提时代的天真和单纯，同时他却又做着许多“大人”才做的事，譬如试图在酒吧里喝酒，还到过妓院。最后，在妹妹的帮助下，他终于明白了：孩子不可能总受到保护，而远离不完美的成人世界。然而，要不是霍尔顿先把自己推向疯狂的边缘，他也不可能会有这种认识。

《麦田守望者》跟《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》一样，都是成长纪事小说。尽管它是按当时的语言写成的，却仍然包含了许多与现在的年轻人相关的问题。这本书虽然有点压抑，但作为一本发人深省的读物，它势必在相当长的一段时间里保持其地位
 

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 alienation   

n.疏远；离间；异化

参考例句：

• The new policy resulted in the alienation of many voters.新政策导致许多选民疏远了。
• As almost every conceivable contact between human beings gets automated,the alienation index goes up.随着人与人之间几乎一切能想到的接触方式的自动化，感情疏远指数在不断上升。

3 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

4 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

5 precocious   

adj.早熟的；较早显出的

参考例句：

• They become precocious experts in tragedy.他们成了一批思想早熟、善写悲剧的能手。
• Margaret was always a precocious child.玛格丽特一直是个早熟的孩子。

6 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

7 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

8 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

9 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

10 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

11 contemplate   

vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视

参考例句：

• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
• The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。

12 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

13 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

14 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

15 hops   

跳上[下]( hop的第三人称单数 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• The sparrow crossed the lawn in a series of hops. 那麻雀一蹦一跳地穿过草坪。
• It is brewed from malt and hops. 它用麦精和蛇麻草酿成。

16 craves   

渴望，热望( crave的第三人称单数 )； 恳求，请求

参考例句：

• The tree craves calm but the wind will not drop. 树欲静而风不止。
• Victory would give him a passport to the riches he craves. 胜利将使他有机会获得自己梦寐以求的财富。

17 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

18 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

19 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

20 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

21 insanity   

n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐

参考例句：

• In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。
• He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。