白老虎

用戶評(píng)論 (總計(jì)4條)

•   　　作者通過(guò)風(fēng)趣的寫法辛酸諷刺了印度當(dāng)代社會(huì)民主的可笑，豐富的細(xì)節(jié)讓人有更加深入思考的沖動(dòng)。富人與窮人之間的巨大差異讓人汗顏。用一個(gè)“雞籠”的比喻形象的說(shuō)出了印度大多數(shù)窮人所處困境，通過(guò)主人公的種種心境還描繪出人們還極力維護(hù)這個(gè)“雞籠”的存在那種茫然無(wú)知的心態(tài)。作者估計(jì)是迫切的希望印度人們能夠沖出“雞籠”。真正的掌握自己手里的民主。或許是小說(shuō)有些夸張的，印度社會(huì)可能沒(méi)有那么黑暗，富人撞死人可以找司機(jī)頂罪，可以直接行賄部級(jí)官員，個(gè)人的選舉權(quán)可以買賣，富人和窮人各種巨大差異等等或許都有些夸張，但是這些能燃起人們心中那種抵抗奴性、為自己人生奮斗的勇氣。不失為一部極好的小說(shuō)。 同時(shí)中國(guó)存在的問(wèn)題和印度比也有很多相似之處，中國(guó)也不能盲目自信，沖破傳統(tǒng)的牢籠才是關(guān)鍵。 就是沒(méi)想明白為什么是寫給溫家寶的信？
•   　　This is first book I ever read about India, which recommended by a financial theory professor. But I don't think he implies us to follow the strategy of Balram to become an "entrepreneur" by murdering his master, taking possession of his money which supposed to bribe some politicians, and then fled to Bangalore to start a brand new life and "entreprise" with the black money. It's not a simple story about homicide or how to turn a destitute servant to a successful millionaire. It reflects a rife corruption thoroughly rotted in the hierarchy and the servitude among the majority of substratum.
  　　　　
  　　Referring to India I can only be reminded of Gandhi, Buddha, Caste system , Bollywood ,pilaf, slums, teenage whores and recently added ,rapist. I also know Indians once was a colony of European empires. This novel digs a pit and allows me to peek inside this mysterious nation , and the bottom seems too dark.
  　　　　
  　　I am so astonished by the ever existing Caste system dated from hundred or thousand years ago, still playing a significant role in modern India. This is unimaginable. Employees, or servants are judged by their family names which indicate their ancestral occupation. Names from high ranks win more respect and better impression compared to those from low ranks, even though they are from same slum. Hierarchy is favored by landlords, officials, politicians any one from the upper class , forming an invisible siege within which poors are trapped and restrained and can only struggle in the mud till submerged silently underneath the marsh.
  　　　　
  　　Masters shows no mercy to their servants, treating them no differently from the animals in the fields , or as the Nepali guard warned Balram-- The two pet dogs are more expensive than him. A chauffeur serves anything requested by his lord when he's free and resting in his lord's compound. Ranging from cooking, feeding pets, cleaning house, feet massage. Any order given by his master will be executed with loyalty and humble obedience. While all of these work are took for granted without any gratitude and poorly paid.
  　　　　
  　　Somehow I feel a little bit relief and proud to say ,there's a country I know more corrupted than China, unlucky Indians.Anything can be solved with money and bribery. The common phenomenon rotted in the culture evolves everybody in corruption: police, doctors, landlords, politicians,ministers, president, more sarcastically, servants .It can be found in a vacant position in a public hospital, votes for election, income tax dodging, crime cover-ups. Everybody hates the rule but follows it tacitly.
  　　　　
  　　Servitude accounts partially for the poors' misery. Balram describes those drivers who kill time with "Murder Week" magazine and obsessed in the imagination to slit their master's throat and fuck their wivies, are the most loyal servants. They are sort of proud of their loyalty. Their high sense of self-consciousness immune them to humiliation. " We don't have balls otherwise we will rule the country." quoted by the vitiligo-lips driver. Nonetheless, there still some men with balls tried to fight back and claimed for their right as a human being. Were their voices too feeble to be heard? Were their fight not outstanding? No. It's such a waste of sacrifice for they being tortured by the police or guards to death while their fellowmen standing by in numb . Let's hope they will learn more than despair from the bloody revolts. Take actions, to live as a man.
  　　　　
  　　How important is a family to an Indian? Every month Balram sends his salary back home and only keeps a small saving for his daily expense. Granny assumes full control over family's finance and affairs. Her undoubted supremacy is responded to family members' absolute submissiveness, whilst complaints and grievance are overpowered by family value . Money as Granny's predominant value and standard, collected from her sons/grandsons and distributed to feed every member of the family. The over-sized families squeeze in a shabby room where they eat, fight , fuck, and deliver babies. All the open mouths need to be fed especially hordes of children. The burden falls onto Balram, Kishan or any paid labors who occupied in backbreaking work as rickshaw puller, "human spider" in tea shop and driver. They work hard and harder all year long but all the income flows into Granny Kushum to support family. It's still not enough. Marriage can be a palliative for groom's family by screwing the bride's family out ,adding fortunes and dowry to men's property. Soon bundles of babies will be born and consequently aggravate family's poverty. Children are discouraged to attend school and forced to do whatever they can to make a living. The deprivation of early education result in considerable illiterate population, who can only undertake physical work and earn a low wage.
  　　The edifice of family value restrains every body inside from defection. Especially for Balram. He's the main financial source to keep his big family alive, thus Granny will never allow let him slip away. She sends mails to him to strengthen his sense of responsibility based on family relation by complaining how long he hasn't send money back home. He ignores it .As a final resort, Granny sends Dharem -- one of boys of one of Balram's aunties who he never heard of -- to his side , and requests Balram to treat him like his own son as a punishment for his disobedience. In the middle of family value and self benefit, he choose the latter by murdering his master Mr Ashok and running away with his money while leaving his whole family at home in danger. Only in this way can he find they way out, to future.
  　　"Family is a good thing" , is it really a good thing? Don't let the superficial merits blind our eyes.
  　　　　
  　　Funny enough, the book was dictated for the His Excellency- Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. I don't think he even heard of this book nor read it. Why did Balram choose Wen to tell his story, not anybody else ? I guess as developing countries, India and China share some similarities and face common problems. Urbanization and GDP at expense of environment. Beneath the dazzling city there live millions of impoverished people struggling to make ends meet. The enlarged polarity between the rich and poor hold back young generation from dreaming. They are too desperate to resist the destined injustice. Their fate is doomed, more pathetically ,they are accustomed to it and unwilling to make a change, nor allow their fellowmen to make any change. We may find the similar demerits shared by our people. As for the "entrepreneur", "don't we have to kill someone or many in order to success?" Balram asked Wen. Sure he did, probably numerous I guess. There's no difference between politician and "entrepreneur", you know, Wen's son is engaged in real estate no wonder the house price can never drop. I bet this bastard earned a lot with his father's background.
  　　　　
  　　Anyway I think I talk too much irrelevant to the plot. This is an excellent book to know something about Indians. There are many other topics inside worth discussing. Though we may enjoy superiority ahead of Indians ,we shall never underestimate this sleeping white tiger. I believe one thing can save this country from falling into the abyss---education. Just as Balram pointed out in the end. Someday he will open a school to impose the sense of freedom and democracy to every child and get them up to be their own masters. "They are looking for the keys ,but the doors are already open" . We shall keep an eye on our neighbor.
•   　　 10多年前去過(guò)印度，印象里是一邊是混亂骯臟的馬路，一邊是安靜美麗的校園，以及一些是如馬路一樣臟亂但安于生活的人和一些在漂亮房子里光鮮而富有活力的人。貧富差異對(duì)印度是與中國(guó)一樣不能回避的問(wèn)題，但或許是種姓制度、或許是宗教的信仰緩釋了一定的壓力，似乎矛盾沒(méi)有中國(guó)這樣的尖銳，可能因?yàn)槲覀儾辉诰种小?
  　　 龍象之爭(zhēng)是近些年來(lái)不能回避的一個(gè)話題，我們偉大祖國(guó)確有讓同為金磚國(guó)的鄰居羨慕的地方，我們大抵也都會(huì)喜歡在別人的問(wèn)題里找到安慰。但印度的高等教育、印度在外交中的兩面玲瓏、印度的民主卻實(shí)在是我們需要仰視的。
  　　 一直有興趣我們的溫總理假設(shè)真的會(huì)讀完這些名義寫給他的信會(huì)有何反應(yīng)，可能永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)，因?yàn)槲覀冏约河刑嗪诎祬擦掷锏陌桌匣ⅰ捌髽I(yè)家”更需要溫總理去操心的。
•   　　叢林中唯一變異的稀有肉食性動(dòng)物，是白老虎。
  　　也就是這本「白老虎」所影射的主角、自己。單單只有掠食的兇猛本性是不夠的，要比本性更兇狠，才能夠越過(guò)印度社會(huì)的不公階級(jí)與吃人世俗。
  　　
  　　作者阿拉文德·阿迪加運(yùn)用的筆法和「Q&A」的維卡斯·史瓦盧普一樣都是稍微有點(diǎn)戲謔取笑的方式來(lái)描述故事，也同樣地逐漸帶領(lǐng)閱讀者體會(huì)他們輕鬆言語(yǔ)下的弦外之音，不同的是阿拉文德·阿迪加的弦外之音聽起來(lái)更沉重陰暗。維卡斯·史瓦盧普總不忘留給他的主角一點(diǎn)光明，也還是在憤慨中帶有一絲悲天憫人的溫暖，
  　　但是阿拉文德·阿迪加完全沒(méi)有這些東西，他的幽默是某種無(wú)可奈何讓人發(fā)洩不了鬱悶的苦笑，他的嘲諷更像是直擊人心深處的吶喊，他以輕鬆詼諧的態(tài)度敘述著印度種姓社會(huì)的不公，又以荒謬真實(shí)的形容讓讀者很快地就能理解雞籠裡論而無(wú)法不為之嘆息，駁斥了行獨(dú)裁之實(shí)的民主神話，戳穿了空虛的金磚經(jīng)濟(jì)。
  　　在這樣的印度裡，除了原本的既得利益者之外，沒(méi)有低下種姓階層見(jiàn)縫插針的機(jī)會(huì)，社會(huì)呈現(xiàn)垂直分工體態(tài)，正如同所謂的上品無(wú)寒門，下品無(wú)世家。
  　　書中的主角如願(yuàn)地當(dāng)上了穿著制服的僕人衣錦還鄉(xiāng)，但他確發(fā)現(xiàn)即使如此，也不過(guò)是下者之上，高級(jí)奴才罷了。而他服侍的主人雖然如他自己承認(rèn)的是比其他人還要溫柔體貼下人，但他畢竟還是地主，還是少數(shù)的既得利益者，本質(zhì)的上與下心態(tài)是不會(huì)改變的。
  　　就算努力也不能改變一切，這才是最大的悲哀，所以；他成了白老虎。在印度殘酷叢林法則及鐵箍般堅(jiān)固的世俗規(guī)條中突變的猛獸，擁有的力量是習(xí)慣養(yǎng)尊處優(yōu)的貴族無(wú)法相比的。
  　　令人訝異的是；我沒(méi)有能夠譴責(zé)主角不義之行的理由，而他也從不做辯解和掩飾，因?yàn)樗钚旁谟《饶芊淼霓k法除此之外少有其他，這不是對(duì)的，卻無(wú)法說(shuō)是錯(cuò)的，而我發(fā)現(xiàn)我除了能夠選擇相信他所深信的以外，也找不出更好的方法了。
  　　
  　　真要說(shuō)的話，我反而覺(jué)得；一個(gè)孕育出白老虎的世界，一個(gè)非得成為白老虎才可以成功的世界，恐怖罪惡得多了。

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