《螺絲在擰緊》：誰(shuí)是鬼？

陳榕

亨利·詹姆斯（Henry James， 1843～1916）出生于美國(guó)紐約知識(shí)分子家庭，父親亨利·詹姆斯（Henry James Sr.）是神學(xué)家，哥哥威廉·詹姆斯（William James）是美國(guó)19世紀(jì)最為重要的哲學(xué)家，他則是蜚聲英美文壇的大師級(jí)作家。詹姆斯早年接受的是精英式教育，在童年時(shí)就隨父親到歐洲各大城市游歷。成年后他選擇在文化傳統(tǒng)更為悠遠(yuǎn)的英國(guó)定居，在一戰(zhàn)爆發(fā)后因不滿美國(guó)立場(chǎng)加入了英國(guó)國(guó)籍。詹姆斯終生未婚，將生命獻(xiàn)給寫(xiě)作，創(chuàng)作生涯長(zhǎng)達(dá)五十余年，撰寫(xiě)了大量的文學(xué)評(píng)論、游記，還嘗試過(guò)戲劇創(chuàng)作。他尤其擅長(zhǎng)的是用小說(shuō)來(lái)捕捉天真的美國(guó)人遭遇老于世故的歐洲人時(shí)產(chǎn)生的沖突，借此類小說(shuō)傳達(dá)他對(duì)文化差異、倫理選擇、認(rèn)知局限等命題的思考，《黛西·米勒》（Daisy Miller）、《貴婦畫(huà)像》（The Portrait of a Lady）、《使節(jié)》（The Ambassadors）、《鴿翼》（The Wings of the Dove）、《金碗》（The Golden Bowl）等是其中的代表作。然而，他的小說(shuō)創(chuàng)作不拘囿于“國(guó)際主題”，《螺絲在擰緊》（The Turn of the Screw）、《歡樂(lè)的角落》（The Jolly Corner）等是美國(guó)文學(xué)“鬼故事”中的珍品。

Excerpts1）

I remember the whole beginning as a succession of flights and drops， a little seesaw of the right throbs and the wrong. After rising， in town， to meet his appeal， I had at all events a couple of very bad days—found myself doubtful again， felt indeed sure I had made a mistake. In this state of mind I spent the long hours of bumping， swinging coach that carried me to the stopping place at which I was to be met by a vehicle from the house. This convenience， I was told， had been ordered， and I found， toward the close of the June afternoon， a commodious2） fly3） in waiting for me. Driving at that hour， on a lovely day， through a country to which the summer sweetness seemed to offer me a friendly welcome， my fortitude4） mounted afresh and， as we turned into the avenue， encountered a reprieve5） that was probably but a proof of the point to which it had sunk. I suppose I had expected， or had dreaded， something so melancholy that what greeted me was a good surprise. I remember as a most pleasant impression the broad， clear front， its open windows and fresh curtains and the pair of maids looking out； I remember the lawn and the bright flowers and the crunch of my wheels on the gravel and the clustered treetops over which the rooks circled and cawed in the golden sky. The scene had a greatness that made it a different affair from my own scant home， and there immediately appeared at the door， with a little girl in her hand， a civil person who dropped me as decent a curtsy as if I had been the mistress or a distinguished visitor. I had received in Harley Street a narrower notion of the place， and that， as I recalled it， made me think the proprietor still more of a gentleman， suggested that what I was to enjoy might be something beyond his promise.

I had no drop again till the next day， for I was carried triumphantly through the following hours by my introduction to the younger of my pupils. The little girl who accompanied Mrs. Grose6） appeared to me on the spot a creature so charming as to make it a great fortune to have to do with her. She was the most beautiful child I had ever seen， and I afterward wondered that my employer had not told me more of her. I slept little that night—I was too much excited； and this astonished me， too， I recollect， remained with me， adding to my sense of the liberality with which I was treated. The large， impressive room， one of the best in the house， the great state bed， as I almost felt it， the full， figured draperies7）， the long glasses in which， for the first time， I could see myself from head to foot， all struck me—like the extraordinary charm of my small charge—as so many things thrown in. It was thrown in as well， from the first moment， that I should get on with Mrs. Grose in a relation over which， on my way， in the coach， I fear I had rather brooded8）. The only thing indeed that in this early outlook might have made me shrink again was the clear circumstance of her being so glad to see me. I perceived within half an hour that she was so glad—stout， simple， plain， clean， wholesome woman—as to be positively on her guard against showing it too much. I wondered even then a little why she should wish not to show it， and that， with reflection， with suspicion， might of course have made me uneasy.

But it was a comfort that there could be no uneasiness in a connection with anything so beatific9） as the radiant image of my little girl， the vision of whose angelic beauty had probably more than anything else to do with me restlessness that， before morning， made me several times rise and wander about my room to take in the whole picture and prospect； to watch， from my open window， the faint summer dawn， to look at such portions of the rest of the house as I could catch， and to listen， while， in the fading dusk， the first birds began to twitter， for the possible recurrence of a sound or two， less natural and not without， but within， that I had fancied I heard.

亨利·詹姆斯

1. 節(jié)選部分選自小說(shuō)第一節(jié)，主要描寫(xiě)了小說(shuō)主人公初到自己做家庭教師的布萊莊園的感觸。

2. commodious [k??m??di?s] adj. （房間或房子）寬敞的，大的

3. fly [fla?] n. 馬車

4. fortitude [?f??（r）t?tju?d] n. 勇氣，堅(jiān)韌

5. reprieve [r??pri?v] n. 暫緩

6. Mrs. Grose：格羅斯太太，布萊莊園的女管家

7. drapery [?dre?p?ri] n. （尤指有寬松、優(yōu)美褶皺的）罩，簾，窗帷等

8. brood [bru?d] vi. 憂思，擔(dān)憂

9. beatific [?bi???t?f?k] adj. 極樂(lè)的；天使般的

作品賞析

亨利·詹姆斯的《螺絲在擰緊》中的主人公是一位家庭女教師。她受雇主所托，來(lái)到倫敦郊外的布萊莊園教書(shū)，學(xué)生是雇主去世的哥嫂留下的女兒。她原來(lái)?yè)?dān)心任務(wù)艱巨，卻發(fā)現(xiàn)學(xué)生弗勞拉是個(gè)乖巧的女孩，“就像拉斐爾筆下的圣嬰一樣帶著深深的、甜甜的平靜”。弗勞拉的哥哥邁爾斯在女教師到達(dá)的第二天被寄宿學(xué)校退學(xué)，回到布萊莊園，當(dāng)女教師看到有著天使面孔的邁爾斯時(shí)，她無(wú)論如何也不能相信學(xué)校對(duì)“邁爾斯對(duì)其他同學(xué)造成威脅”的指控，雇主送信來(lái)，將邁爾斯也交由她教育。

雖然多了一個(gè)學(xué)生，但對(duì)女主人公來(lái)說(shuō)并沒(méi)有增加繁重的工作。邁爾斯和弗勞拉聽(tīng)話又懂事。管家和仆人也各安其位。因此，女主人公在大宅里過(guò)上了安寧和輕松的生活。然而，這樣的舒心日子沒(méi)有能持續(xù)下去。有一天，女教師在散步時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn)有人站在塔樓頂端盯著她。過(guò)了兩天，她又再次與這個(gè)男子相遇。當(dāng)時(shí)她在屋內(nèi)，對(duì)方在室外，把臉貼在玻璃上窺視她。她嚇壞了，向女管家詢問(wèn)她所看到的紅頭發(fā)的邪惡男人可能是誰(shuí)，方才得知此人可能是雇主的貼身男仆彼得·昆特。昆特曾勾引了前任家庭女教師耶賽爾小姐，使對(duì)方墮落失貞。不久后，昆特因醉酒跌下濕滑的陡坡而身亡，耶賽爾小姐也去世了，死因不詳。

在昆特的鬼魂出現(xiàn)不久后，耶賽爾小姐也幽靈現(xiàn)身。當(dāng)女教師帶著弗勞拉在湖邊玩耍時(shí)，女教師看到了湖邊的灌木叢中站著面色蒼白、身著黑衣的女鬼。兩個(gè)鬼魂的出現(xiàn)讓女主人公開(kāi)始懷疑自己的學(xué)生：據(jù)說(shuō)邁爾斯和昆特關(guān)系特別好，邁爾斯卻從未提及昆特的名字；耶賽爾小姐和弗勞拉曾經(jīng)非常親密，弗勞拉卻沒(méi)有說(shuō)起過(guò)她。女教師將孩子們的守口如瓶理解為他們和鬼魂之間一直有勾連，他們緘默是因?yàn)橄胍Ｊ剡@個(gè)秘密。

有秘密的孩子肯定不會(huì)是乖孩子。于是，在女教師眼中，這些孩子越來(lái)越任性，越來(lái)越狡猾。入夜后他們會(huì)馴順地上床，假裝已經(jīng)安睡，然后再悄悄爬起來(lái)。弗勞拉躲在窗簾后窺視窗外。邁爾斯則跑到草坪上，在月光下溜達(dá)。他們的詭異行為呼應(yīng)著女教師在深更半夜的大宅樓梯上先后遭遇的男鬼和女鬼。兩兄妹還會(huì)協(xié)同作戰(zhàn)，邁爾斯故意吸引女教師的注意力，好讓弗勞拉跑得不知所蹤，弗勞拉也同樣會(huì)為邁爾斯打掩護(hù)。女教師要守護(hù)兩個(gè)孩子不受神出鬼沒(méi)的鬼魂騷擾，顧此失彼，心力交瘁，和孩子們的矛盾也日益激化。終于，弗勞拉沖著女教師歇斯底里地大發(fā)脾氣，稱不想再見(jiàn)到她，后因情緒激動(dòng)和受驚嚇發(fā)起了高燒。女管家只能帶著弗勞拉離開(kāi)莊園，回倫敦找男主人。女教師則決定利用獨(dú)自面對(duì)邁爾斯的機(jī)會(huì)逼他坦白。當(dāng)女教師和邁爾斯在餐廳吃完飯后，女教師看到了昆特在窗外窺視的面龐，她搖撼邁爾斯的身體，要求他說(shuō)出在窗外看到了誰(shuí)，邁爾斯在女教師的逼問(wèn)下說(shuō)出了昆特的名字，卻又問(wèn)出了模棱兩可的問(wèn)題“他在哪兒？”，繼而就停止了呼吸，死在了女教師的懷中。

《螺絲在擰緊》作為小說(shuō)標(biāo)題是個(gè)很奇怪的名字，在這個(gè)鬼故事里沒(méi)有出現(xiàn)螺絲釘?shù)膶?shí)物，也沒(méi)有人做過(guò)擰螺絲的動(dòng)作。它其實(shí)是隱喻，隱喻故事的緊張氛圍如同擰螺絲一樣在層層疊加：先是邁爾斯退學(xué)的懸疑，繼而昆特的鬼魂出現(xiàn)，第二個(gè)鬼魂耶賽爾小姐隨后登場(chǎng)；邁爾斯開(kāi)始和昆特的鬼魂成對(duì)出現(xiàn)，弗勞拉則和耶賽爾小姐聯(lián)系在一起；邁爾斯與弗勞拉建立攻守同盟，鬼魂們的行為也越來(lái)越肆無(wú)忌憚。隨著故事情節(jié)的步步展開(kāi)，女主人公的神經(jīng)越來(lái)越緊繃，從聽(tīng)到午夜走廊步音的不安感，到見(jiàn)到鬼魂的驚悚感，到看到兩個(gè)孩子時(shí)的疑神疑鬼，乃至到結(jié)尾處的草木皆兵。

正是因?yàn)榕魅斯牟菽窘员?，令人不禁懷疑女主人公第一人稱敘述的可靠性：從始至終，邁爾斯、弗勞拉以及女管家格羅斯太太等人從未明確承認(rèn)過(guò)他們見(jiàn)過(guò)任何鬼魂。有沒(méi)有可能昆特和耶賽爾小姐是女教師妄想的產(chǎn)物？果真如此的話，這個(gè)故事的正反派就要發(fā)生徹底的翻轉(zhuǎn)：女教師才是作祟的“鬼”。她來(lái)自鄉(xiāng)下牧師家庭，這是她的第一份工作，雇主很有魅力，令她不禁幻想一段浪漫感情的可能，為此她格外戰(zhàn)戰(zhàn)兢兢，怕辜負(fù)雇主信任。過(guò)度的使命感導(dǎo)致她對(duì)孩子調(diào)皮行為的過(guò)度解讀，“疑心生暗鬼”，她所看到的鬼是她的心魔。她以拯救之名對(duì)孩子進(jìn)行迫害，導(dǎo)致弗勞拉受到驚嚇發(fā)高燒，邁爾斯小小年紀(jì)就送了命。

然而，這篇小說(shuō)的總體敘述框架仿佛又在挑戰(zhàn)這一解讀。小說(shuō)的主體部分是女教師的自述。它卻有一個(gè)外層框架：冬日人們圍爐夜話，講鬼故事解悶，一個(gè)名叫道格拉斯的人講述了他在年輕時(shí)從妹妹的家庭女教師那里聽(tīng)來(lái)的故事，這個(gè)故事還有手稿為證。小說(shuō)外層框架的無(wú)名敘述者碰巧是聽(tīng)眾之一，他要來(lái)了手稿謄抄發(fā)表。如果女教師真是妄想狂，邁爾斯之死應(yīng)該會(huì)讓她聲名狼藉，她不可能繼續(xù)教書(shū)生涯，認(rèn)識(shí)道格拉斯。道格拉斯對(duì)她的人品贊譽(yù)有加，顯然是她無(wú)罪的證人。

問(wèn)題在于對(duì)于道格拉斯的話我們也不能全盤相信。他當(dāng)時(shí)年輕，可能是受了蒙蔽，再者他也不是親歷人。而且為了造就懸疑效果，詹姆斯給了小說(shuō)戛然而止的結(jié)尾：小說(shuō)收官于邁爾斯的心臟停跳，我們無(wú)從得知故事的后續(xù)，無(wú)法判斷女教師是在懺悔自己制造了悲劇，還是堅(jiān)定地相信自己在守衛(wèi)孩子們的靈魂。

《螺絲在擰緊》是開(kāi)放的文本，敘述之間相互拆解，無(wú)限擴(kuò)大了文本的闡釋空間。小說(shuō)不僅支持上文的“一鬼說(shuō)”，即女教師心里有鬼，或者上文的“兩鬼說(shuō)”，即昆特和耶賽爾小姐是鬼，也支持“四鬼說(shuō)”，即天使面龐的孩子們有著魔鬼的內(nèi)心，是昆特和耶賽爾小姐這兩只鬼的學(xué)徒。此外，也有可能以上諸人皆為無(wú)辜，操縱著這一切的“暗鬼”是格羅斯太太，或者是遠(yuǎn)在倫敦的男雇主。至于他們成為嫌疑人的理由，文本中也能找到蛛絲馬跡。

開(kāi)放的文本是等待著讀者通過(guò)閱讀發(fā)掘意義，進(jìn)行創(chuàng)作的文本。所以，不妨翻開(kāi)《螺絲在擰緊》來(lái)讀一讀——在布萊的大宅里，你會(huì)找到幾個(gè)鬼？他（們）/她（們）是誰(shuí)？