王偉濱
從1978到1991,共13年,是美國(guó)漫畫家Art Spiegelman的Maus(《鼠族》),一本不到300頁(yè)的漫畫,從創(chuàng)作到成書的時(shí)間,這對(duì)于一部如此厚度的書來(lái)說(shuō),顯得有些長(zhǎng),而對(duì)于一部漫畫書來(lái)說(shuō),顯得尤其長(zhǎng)了——這種篇幅的漫畫,也許不到兩個(gè)小時(shí),你便可以把它讀完,但是,它的確要花那么長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間來(lái)創(chuàng)作,因?yàn)榫鸵粋€(gè)兒子理解父親,進(jìn)而理解自己這件事來(lái)說(shuō),這時(shí)間甚至還不夠長(zhǎng),而理解,便是在父親(一個(gè)“屠猶”[Holocaust]幸存者講述有關(guān)“生存”的故事)和兒子(一個(gè)總在努力擺脫父親影響的年輕藝術(shù)家)轉(zhuǎn)述父親故事的過(guò)程中漸漸形成的。
有關(guān)Holocaust與Auschwitz(奧斯維辛集中營(yíng))的故事,委實(shí)不少,受難者的無(wú)助令人唏噓落淚,施暴者的惡行令人切齒憤慨,而像Schindler’s List(《辛德勒名單》)這樣充滿人性光輝的故事,又令人們對(duì)于英雄無(wú)比景仰,然而,就像被講述了太多遍的種種戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)與災(zāi)難一樣,Holocaust與Auschwitz,當(dāng)然也包括我們的“南京”,似乎漸漸成為僅僅是某種“故事”的東西,既然是“故事”,便難免帶有“故事”的不真實(shí)感。比如,“害人者”與“施暴者”常被描述為截然對(duì)立,當(dāng)然,有時(shí)候講述者也會(huì)“溫情地”或“思辨地”把“施暴者”族群中某些人描寫得頗為無(wú)辜,甚至友善,然而,從這些講述中,不曾親歷者得到的,除了淚水、憤怒、景仰,或者偶爾盲目放松警惕的樂(lè)觀之外,總少了一份更加深刻的東西。
電影《活著》
與以往關(guān)于這段歷史的敘述相比,故意用漫畫這種“輕松的”載體來(lái)講述一個(gè)沉重故事的Maus顯得十分另類 (書中的猶太人被安上鼠頭,非猶太德國(guó)人是貓頭,非猶太波蘭人則是豬頭,其他種族的人也被安上各式動(dòng)物之頭,既示區(qū)別,又具象征之意)。作為首部被“學(xué)術(shù)界”重視的漫畫,Maus極富后現(xiàn)代味道,書中現(xiàn)在與過(guò)去交織呼應(yīng),講述者與被講述者重疊參照,令這部書超越了普通“講故事”的范疇,實(shí)際上,Spielgelman曾多次拒絕善于“講故事”的好萊塢將它搬上銀幕的請(qǐng)求。的確,Maus也許不是個(gè)“好故事”,至少不是個(gè)適合在電影院中觀賞的“好故事”,因?yàn)樗鼘?shí)在沒(méi)有Schindler’s List中那種性格巨大轉(zhuǎn)變,由小人物而變?yōu)槭ト说膽騽』楣?jié),它甚至沒(méi)有Life Is Beautiful(電影《美麗人生》)中為了保護(hù)兒子的純真心靈,而忍受苦難,甚至犧牲自我的偉大形象,它有的,只是一群像小老鼠一樣掙扎著想要活下來(lái)的人們。
初讀Maus,我感覺(jué)它和余華的《活著》頗為相似,至少它們都是一個(gè)老人在向一個(gè)年輕人講述他在苦難的歲月里是如何設(shè)法活下來(lái)的,但是關(guān)于“生存”,二者又很不一樣?!痘钪分械母YF,其實(shí)并不懂得如何在亂世“活著”,因?yàn)樗^(guò)慣了被人照管、看護(hù)的日子,當(dāng)那一切頃刻失去時(shí),他只能像一片羽毛,任憑自然的力量帶著它飄來(lái)飄去。在Spiegelman的故事中,福貴這樣的角色,或許會(huì)被安上個(gè)小寵物狗的頭,在離開(kāi)主人之后,只能游蕩于城市或鄉(xiāng)村的角落,無(wú)傷大雅,對(duì)這個(gè)世界無(wú)益也無(wú)害。與福貴相比,Vladek 更像我們普通人,因?yàn)樗炊氖澜绺雍诎?,與靠運(yùn)氣活下來(lái)的福貴不同,Vladek是靠著“技能”活下來(lái)的,而這“技能”最根本的,便是深信人性內(nèi)心的黑暗,就像Maus開(kāi)篇,1958年, 童年的Art Spiegelman被同伴甩掉,自己一個(gè)人哭著回家,向爸爸Vladek抱怨說(shuō),朋友們不管他了;正在忙著干木工活的爸爸不屑地說(shuō),“Friends?Your friends? If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week, then you could see what it is, friends!”
《活著》,英文譯作To Live,而不是Living,因?yàn)樗w現(xiàn)的是一種目的,一種欲望,而不是一種存在的狀態(tài)。而要實(shí)現(xiàn)這目的或欲望,往往是需要以犧牲別人為代價(jià)的。有句俗話是“l(fā)ive and let live”,但是,卻有人把它改作,“l(fā)ive and let die”。其實(shí),“l(fā)ive and let live”是何等之難,而“l(fā)ive and let die”又是何等之“理所當(dāng)然”。
就像一首歌唱的:
When you were young
and your heart was an open book
You used to say live and let live
you know you did
......
But if this ever changin’
in which we live in
Makes you give in and cry
Say live and let die
Live and let die
What does it matter to ya
When ya got a job to do
Ya got to do it well
You got to give the other fella hell
You used to say live and let live
you know you did
.......
But if this ever changin’
in which we live in
Makes you give in and cry
Say live and let die
Live and let die
在這個(gè)世界上,有多少“受害者”不同時(shí)也是“施暴者”嗎?施暴者的理由也許同樣“正義”——“我要活著”。就像Defoe(英國(guó)作家笛福)的小說(shuō)Moll Flanders(《摩爾·弗蘭德斯》)中的女主角Moll,原本要做個(gè)gentlewoman(淑女),然而,所謂“良心喪于困地”,在衣食無(wú)著的時(shí)候,她便去搶了一個(gè)孩子的金項(xiàng)鏈,從此開(kāi)始了犯罪生涯,雖然良心上有些過(guò)不去,但還是為自己找了些理由:“Poverty, as I have said, hardened my heart, and my own necessities made me regardless of anything. The last affair left no great concern upon me, for as I did the poor child no harm, I only said to myself, I had given the parents a just reproof for their negligence in leaving the poor little lamb to come home by itself, and it would teach them to take more care of it another time”。
在Maus中,“弱者們”可以偷走獄友僅有的面包、可以出賣好心收留自己的同類,甚至可以遵照命令將自己的伙伴活生生燒死……只是為了自己可以“活著”。在一列擁擠不堪、密不透風(fēng)的悶罐車中,鼠族們渴望同類死去,渴望定期有貓頭看守來(lái)打開(kāi)車廂,讓他們把死尸扔下去,“They closed us again. We were very happy we had now room where to stand. Near to the door we piled new dead ones. Each day the Germans opened:“How many dead?”And we threw out, and soon we had room even to sit.”
正是這種想要成為“survivor”的想法,最終使人們喪失了面對(duì)邪惡做出反抗的力量,甚至助紂為虐。Art問(wèn)父親,“I don’t get it... Why didn’t the Jews at least try to resist?”這大概也是多年之后的我們,在反觀我們自己那并不算遙遠(yuǎn)的歷史時(shí)會(huì)問(wèn)的吧。父親Vladek說(shuō),“It wasn’t so easy as you think. Everyone was so starving and frightened, and tired, they couldn’t believe even what’s in front of their eyes.... And the Jews lived always with Hope.They hoped the Russians can come before the German bullet arrived from the gun into their heads, and... In some spots people did fight... But you can kill maybe one German before they kill fast a hundred from you. Then it’s everyone dead....And this way it was also everyone dead.”死亡的確時(shí)時(shí)刻刻發(fā)生,但我們總希望自己能夠不必死,于是我們便“可恥地”活下去。
當(dāng)然,在像大屠殺這樣的事情中,某些“滅絕人性”的人的確起著重要作用,然而,悲劇在很多時(shí)候,卻正是因?yàn)椤叭说谋拘浴保辽偈乔笊谋拘栽斐傻?。在講述了那么多的劫難、欺騙與背叛的故事之后,書的末尾,而非“鼠尸”堆積大半頁(yè)畫面的高潮部分,也許更令人觸動(dòng)。老Spiegelman的鄰居,開(kāi)面包店的Gelber一家?guī)缀醣患{粹滅門,最后有個(gè)孩子活了下來(lái),“One of the sons survived and came back home...”如今住在他家里的是一群“豬頭”波蘭人(肯定也曾遭受納粹迫害),“What do you want?”,開(kāi)門的波蘭人問(wèn)。“This is my family’s house. I’m Gelber”, 小老鼠Gelber說(shuō)。豬頭說(shuō),“We thought Hitler finished you off! Go away, Jew! This is our bakery now!”小老鼠不知道該怎么辦,“He didn’t know what to do. He spent the night in the shed behind his house... The Poles went in.They beat him and hanged him.”這位“幸存者”就落得這么個(gè)下場(chǎng),“For this he survived. His brother came from the camps a day later, and only stayed long enough to bury him...”
那些豬頭人不過(guò)是要保護(hù)他們自己的家罷了。
在浩劫面前,其實(shí),沒(méi)有誰(shuí)是真正的“幸存者”,包括像作者Art Spiegelman這樣生于戰(zhàn)后的“無(wú)關(guān)”者,也不能幸免。因?yàn)榫褚钟?,Art每周都要去見(jiàn)心理醫(yī)生。這位同樣是Auschwitz幸存者的猶太醫(yī)生,面對(duì)活在“survivor”父親陰影下的Art,這樣說(shuō),“Then you think it’s admirable to survive. Does that mean it’s not admirable to Not survive?... Life always takes the side of life, and somehow the victims are blamed, but it wasn’t the best people who survived, nor did the best ones die. It was random. ... I’m not talking about your book now, but look at how many books have already been written about the Holocaust. What’s the point? People haven’t changed... Maybe they need a newer,bigger Holocaust...”
當(dāng)然,在這故事中,確有兩個(gè)在“活著”之上,還有更高信念的人:一個(gè)是長(zhǎng)著“豬頭”的波蘭牧師,他知道自己也許不會(huì)活著出去,但是,卻愿意為長(zhǎng)著“鼠頭”的Vladek帶來(lái)希望:看到在角落中哭泣的Vladek,牧師(他甚至不是猶太人,自然更不信猶太教)走過(guò)來(lái)說(shuō),“Why are you crying, my son?”Vladek賭氣地說(shuō),“Should I be happy? Am I at a carnival?”牧師說(shuō),“Let me see your arm...”(Vladek的胳膊上烙著他的編號(hào)175113)“Hmm...Your number starts with 17. In Hebrew that’s ‘k’minyan tov.’Seventeen is a very good omen... It ends with 13, the age a Jewish boy becomes a man... And look! Added together it totals 18. That’s ‘chai’. The Hebrew number of life. I can’t know if I’ll survive this hell, but I’m certain You’ll come through all this alive!” 那個(gè)牧師讓Vladek重新相信上帝是存在的?!癐 started to believe. I tell you, he put another life in me.”老Vladek對(duì)兒子回憶說(shuō)。
另一位是匈牙利姑娘Mancie,她因?yàn)殚L(zhǎng)相甜美,結(jié)識(shí)了位S. S. Man(納粹黨衛(wèi)軍),于是得以在集中營(yíng)謀得個(gè)“管人”的差事(這姑娘如果能夠“幸存”,戰(zhàn)后將會(huì)受到所有“通敵”的女人所應(yīng)當(dāng)受到的處罰)。不過(guò),在這個(gè)人人竭力自保的地方,她是唯一不圖任何物質(zhì)利益,卻冒著生命危險(xiǎn)幫助Spegelman夫婦互通消息的人——不為別的,她說(shuō),“If a couple is loving each other so much, I must help however I can.”對(duì)于她來(lái)說(shuō),愛(ài)情,也許并不屬于她的愛(ài)情,比活著更重要。
記得在Schindler’s List結(jié)尾,Schindler面對(duì)簇?fù)碇臐M懷感恩的人們,卻滿臉淚水,為自己沒(méi)能拯救更多的人而抱歉,“I could’ve got more, I could’ve got more...”,雖然因?yàn)樗呐Γ?,200名猶太人幸免于難。然而,Maus也許傳達(dá)出另一個(gè)信息,要想拯救更多的人,甚至消滅戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng),至少消滅像Holocaust這樣的大浩劫,僅憑Schindler這樣的英雄遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不夠,那更要靠我們自己,靠我們摘下自顧自的小老鼠面具,真正成為人。