Philip's redemption
Philip's inner qualities made him embark on a journey of redemption from tradition to connecting souls. Every time Philip returns to Southampton, England from Italy, his reaction is different. After returning from Italy for the first time, he "assumed the posture of a prophet and greatly changed or abandoned the posture of the Southorn". However, his ideal has not been realized, and neither he nor Southampton has changed. Philip's trip to Italy can be said to be a process of pursuing perfect personality.
Italy has always maintained a sacred impression in Philip's mind. There are customs and habits that maintain the charm of the Renaissance, hospitable people and art halls that are pregnant with dreams. However, all these beautiful things seemed to be replaced by "greed, barbarism, ignorance and even vulgarity" during his second trip to Italy. Philip hates Gino because Gino "destroyed" the ideal in his life. For Philip, Italy not only has extraordinary artistic attraction, but more importantly, it is Philip's ideal and moral residence. However, Gino made Philip see clearly that this beautiful land of Italy "can't change the people and things in its arms". This fact made Philip feel extremely painful, but the pain was not out of sympathy, but because of "the final disillusionment." After disillusionment, it shows the real reality. Italy is no longer a place where Philip indulges in fantasy and imagination. Although this reality is cruel, it makes Philip really mature.
At the urging of his mother, Mrs. Herrington, Philip went to Italy for the second time to stop Lilia's marriage. Philip admired Italy, but he "never wanted anything to do with Italians". Philip's enthusiasm for Italy is only superficial, and the effect of distance and close-up is very different.
When Philip arrived in Italy, Caroline met him at the station. On the bus, Philip asked Caroline Gino about her condition. Philip felt disgust and pain when he learned that Gino's father was only a dentist. Philip's fierce reaction showed his inner fierce collision and shock. Philip's previous understanding of Italy and life originated from academic fields such as aesthetics, and this cruel reality made Philip return to the real world painfully. Philip only saw Italy's past glory and dazzling achievements, but could not see the pain and cruelty of life. The existence of Gino forced Philip to face the real Italy, not the image he could use to escape Southampton and his mother. Obviously, this is the first lesson of Philip's moral education. For the first time, he faced the "truth", not Italy in the guidebook. It is a painful process to wake up from fantasy and face up to the cruel reality, but it is also a necessary stage for him to pursue his ideal personality.
The formation of ideal personality generally goes through four stages: reflection, evaluation, sublimation and integration.
The first two trips to Italy made Philip wake up from the illusion, and began to face and accept the real Italy and re-recognize himself. Philip went to Italy for the third time, shouldering the mission of saving children. Compared with his first and second trips to Italy, his feelings have changed.
After meeting Gino and the children, Philip and Caroline had a talk in San Diego Cathedral. Caroline hopes that Philip can make moral choices for the children's future. However, Philip could not give a definite answer immediately. Caroline can't stand Philip's passivity. She said frankly, "You admire all of us and see the strengths of all of us, but you are still a dead man, a dead man, a dead man!" Three consecutive "dead people" exposed Philip's character weakness. Philip's answer shows his insight and unprecedented sober self-evaluation to some extent. Regarding Caroline's insistence, Philip thinks that he is destined to be "a passer-by in this world", and life is just a "visible scenery" for him.
Philip is telling the truth. In Southampton, he was emotionally poor, morally confused and hesitant. However, in the real Italy, he and Caroline can have a heart-to-heart talk like this. Although Italy is chaotic and implies betrayal, the relationship between people is warm and frank.
Philip tried hard to make a moral choice, and finally he chose a moral position similar to Caroline's and left his children in Italy. For Philip, the rescue ended in failure, but Philip called it a "decent failure." He made a better choice for the child and left him in a beloved place. Although Philip finally returned to Southampton, back to the original boring life, although he still had moral and ideological confusion, he was able to make the right choice, and he dared to face the responsibilities entrusted to him by life. After this trip to Italy, Philip found himself in love with Caroline, a woman who changed his view of life. Southampton is still boring, boring and conservative, but Philip has a powerful force supporting him inside. He no longer runs away from life. For him, life is no longer just an appreciation.
Caroline's redemption
Caroline played the role of a guide in Philip's redemption journey. First of all, Caroline herself experienced a process of ideological transformation and moral redemption. At the beginning of the story, the Herrington family allowed Lilia to go to Italy, thinking that Caroline would take good care of Lilia. Mrs. Herrington said, "Anyone who lives with Caroline Albert for three months will get better." In fact, it was Caroline who urged Lilia to marry Gino.
Caroline urged Lilia to make a decision that the Herrington family considered "immoral" and "degrading". In Southampton, Caroline lives with her neighbor's father. In the eyes of people in the town, Caroline is a model citizen. Although she is not lively enough, she is kind, quiet and amiable. She carefully observes the potential rules and stubborn moral values of the Southorn. But she is also eager to break this unchangeable life, leave Southampton, go to Italy to feel a new life, let her mind breathe freely, and leave something "worth remembering" and "worth talking about" for her future life.
The author points out in the novel that Caroline, like a "female explorer", has many questions to answer and many responsibilities to bear. At first, Caroline was afraid to express her feelings. Even in Italy, she couldn't escape the control of Xiudun Palace. Both she and Lilia fell in love with Gino, but as a "model citizen" of Southampton, she was afraid to show her feelings. So she pinned her hopes on Lilia and contributed to the marriage between Lilia and Gino.
Lilia's life in Italy was short, and a year later she died in childbirth, leaving a child. Caroline thinks she is responsible for what happened to Lilia. She decided to adopt the child, so she returned to Italy. When she came to Monteriano again, her thoughts quietly changed. Before negotiating with Gino, Caroline and Philip watched an Italian opera, which was a display of Italian cultural life. During the opera performance, the audience shouted loudly, and Caroline in the audience was "strangely dangling". Caroline's performance fully proves her acceptance, love and love for Italian culture.
Caroline plays different roles in different chapters of the novel. She is Lilia's companion; She went to the station to wait for Philip and help him clear his mind: she provided the impetus for Philip's third trip to Italy, where she led Philip to self-redemption. However, Caroline is still a complete and independent figure. She is honest and rational.
Caroline's understanding of Italy is based on women's sensitivity and intuition. Caroline was able to speak frankly about what she had hidden in her heart for a long time during this trip to Italy. Her moral transformation is that she dares to face her feelings. On the train back to Southampton, Caroline admitted to Philip that she had always loved Gino. "If he wanted to, I might have given him my body and spirit." Caroline's love for Gino is not attracted by status and money. Gino is neither a gentleman nor a Christian, nor has any other advantages. He never complimented Caroline or gave her any honor. However, he is handsome and beautiful, which is enough.
Children's redemption
Moral redemption runs through the whole work. In the process of saving children, Philip and Caroline completed their self-growth and self-transformation. The important image of children really appears in the works in Chapter 7. In the seventh chapter, Caroline realizes that although she thinks a lot about the baby, she thinks about his happiness, his soul, his personality and his possible weaknesses. However, like most unmarried people, she only thinks of the word "child", just as healthy people only think of the word death rather than death itself.
Children occupy an important position in the novel, and his appearance eliminates the misunderstanding and estrangement between the main characters in the novel. Philip and Caroline once again went to Italy with the mission of saving children. This trip to Italy has greatly changed the ideas of Philip and Caroline. Philip and Caroline escaped the shackles of Southampton and completed their moral growth in Italy. The relationship between Philip, Caroline and Gino has also become more subtle and complicated, and the journey of saving children has become their journey of self-redemption.
Philip's second trip to Italy to stop Lilia from marrying Gino ended in failure and was pushed down on the bed by Gino, which made Philip always bitter. It was not until Philip went to Italy for the third time to save the children that Caroline told him that Gino was sorry for him, and he was really relieved. Philip's sister stole the child without permission. On the way back, two cars collided and the child was killed in the car accident. Philip went alone to tell Gino the bad news. Gino almost strangled him, but in the end, under Caroline's mediation, they made up and met again next year. The death of the child triggered a life-and-death contest between Philip and Gino. Philip almost died, but he finally passed the test.
After Lilia died, Caroline insisted on getting her children back. At that time, Monteriano in her eyes became "Sin City". She can't let a child of English descent stay there. In her view, "seeking children's happiness" is not a matter of self-esteem or emotion, but her "sacred duty". However, when she saw the real child, her thoughts changed. "It is her responsibility to save the child from the bad influence. She still wants to fulfill this responsibility. However, her sense of virtue of self-satisfaction has disappeared. " When Caroline really realized that children were no longer a word, but a real existence, she also broke free from the shackles and had a new and better understanding of life. At this moment, Caroline began to understand that it was not a wise choice to bring her children back to England.
In Southampton town, the child may be trained as a gentleman, but no one loves him, he will never lack love, and his mind will never be fully developed. Although he is polite, he is indifferent at heart. In Italy, a child may not have a "good upbringing", but he is loved; Under the influence of Caroline, Philip's point of view has also changed. He and Caroline finally reached an agreement that the child should stay in Italy. The unanimous opinion of Philip and Caroline shows that they have taken similar moral positions. It is better for the child to grow up in Italy with a "fully developed heart" than to grow up in Southampton with an "underdeveloped heart".
The final reconciliation between Philip, Caroline and Gino should be attributed to this child. In order to "save" the children, Philip and Caroline came to Italy again. It was here that Philip found his moral ideal and made a reasonable moral choice for his children. The child died in a car accident. He told Gino about the accident and took the responsibility and consequences. It is also here that the upright and rational Caroline left memories for her later life, and she began to face her true feelings.
Lilia's tragedy
Lilia, one of the protagonists in the novel, is mainly a tragedy of marriage and love. In essence, her marriage tragedy is not only a tragedy of her personal fate, but also a social tragedy. False religious morality and ethics imprison people's thoughts and destroy women all over the place.
Lilia lives in a country where male chauvinism prevails, whether in Britain or Italy. After Lilia's husband died, she was still bound by the ghost of that man and still had to abide by female morality for that meaningless zombie. In the end, Lilia bravely took a step of self-liberation, left Britain, where male chauvinism was deeply rooted, and married in Italy, but did not expect to enter a patriarchal society again.
Lilia's life has always been in a patriarchal society, so it is particularly bumpy. Because her personal strength is too weak, precisely because the male power is too strong, Lilia is finally in a helpless state of life, such as a stagnant pool. Although she tried and fought for it, she ended in failure. Lilia's tragedy has both social factors and personal factors. In a society where male chauvinism prevails, her destruction is inevitable and inevitable. The title of the novel Where Angels Dare Not Tread contains irony. Angel is an Englishman related to Southampton. The Englishman related to Southampton is not an angel in the naive sense, but an angel in another sense-ignorance of the nature of reality. Therefore, the "Englishman" related to Southampton is afraid to step into the Italian world full of opportunities and emotions. However, for the "British" associated with Southampton, it is ironic and unfortunate that they have to set foot in the real world to defend their ideas. Foster hinted that this idea is the cornerstone of England. The dramatic events that followed formed the logical center of the novel. People living in Southampton lost to Italy in this battle, which was proved by the argument in Monteriano, Italy. The possibility of unplanned became the leading factor of British failure. For example, Lilia Herrington died in childbirth and her son died in a car accident. These accidents are the main turning point of the story. Those "events" dampened the confidence of the British and exposed the shortcomings of Britain.
The place where angels dare not set foot is a tragicomedy that satirizes social customs. The author observes the world and human phenomena with a slightly ironic eye. The author juxtaposes two different cultures to find their respective strengths and weaknesses, focusing on moral standards. The concepts of conformism, complacency and family status in British cultural tradition are in sharp contrast with the unrestrained and unrestrained characteristics in Italian culture. It is with these comparisons that enlightened British talents will further discover their own shortcomings, and then actively change themselves and find the right development path. First, the allusions of Pan Shen
In Greek mythology, "Pan" is the god of the forest, the son of Hermes and the lovely fairy Penelope. Pan is a cold and hairy country beast, with the upper body of human and the body and limbs of goat. His mother was frightened by his appearance and left him and fled to the forest. He and other forest gods and fairies often wander in the forest and live a completely free life. He represents nature and country life. Later, his father Hermes took him back to Olympia, where he soon became the darling of the gods. They endowed him with musical talent and the ability to make the herd productive. He spent a lot of time hunting, fishing and taking care of the herds in the mountains to make them productive.
Pan has a strong desire for women. Once, he fell in love with a charming girl, Cyrus, but to his disappointment, his love was not returned. Cyrus fled from Pan in fear, but made Pan's love fire more intense. Pan chased Ju Lushi, and when she was about to catch up with her, Gaia, the mother of the earth, turned her into a clump of reeds at the request of Ju Lushi. In the face of this change, Pan burst into tears. In grief, he picked a bunch of reeds and made a bagpipe. He played so sweetly that even Apollo, the god of music, was ashamed before him. So this instrument is called Paixiao.
During the marathon, Pan met an Athenian envoy to Sparta. He asked the messenger to tell the Athenians that although they didn't like him, he was still willing to treat them kindly and help them when they were in trouble. When the Athenians were fighting the enemy near the marathon, they were surprised to find that Persian soldiers were suddenly shrouded in an inexplicable fear and fled the scene in confusion. It turned out that Pan injected a kind of fear into the hearts of Persian soldiers. Since then, this fear has become a well-known panic. After the war, the Athenians built a temple to thank Pan and offered sacrifices and prey to him as a sign of respect. Therefore, Pan is often portrayed as a kind and upright god who can play all kinds of musical instruments.
Second, Pan Shen's presentation of the theme of the novel.
The image of Pan God comes from ancient Greek myths and legends. Among the traditional European cultures, Italy is considered to be the best country to preserve Greek culture and spirit, and also the birthplace of the European Renaissance. In the history of world civilization, the ancient Greeks are a nation with outstanding creativity, and their studious, witty, open and energetic national character is in sharp contrast with the British era in which Foster lived at that time. In Foster's view, the British people, especially the middle class, are spiritually empty and lack passion. After traveling in Italy, he thought that Italian culture with Greek spirit was a good medicine to treat the "underdeveloped heart" of the British middle class. Foster is immersed in the experience of art and beauty and projects his personal thoughts into the novel text. He expressed his admiration for Italy through Philip's mouth: "I believe that anyone who goes to Italy will become pure and noble." Italy is a world resort and a school of the world. "
Italy is a free country. Greek culture and spirit have been deeply rooted in Italian soil. Gino, a native Italian, can best embody the Greek spirit. He is warm and frank, but impulsive. He is beaming and never hides his true thoughts. Philip, who represents the British middle class, is a typical English gentleman with empty inner world, fear, lack of passion and suppressed emotional expression. After traveling in Italy, Lilia was deeply influenced by Greek culture. In Britain, she has been cultivated and influenced by her ex-husband's family. After coming to Italy, she dared to resist the British tradition and pursue freedom and love, free from any external factors. In a word, the image of Italy is endowed with positive significance in Foster's novels, and the Greek culture and Greek spirit represented by Italy have also played a therapeutic role for the British middle class, showing great humanistic value.
Foster's novels take Pan Shen as the prototype with inner spirit, presenting Pan Shen's personality characteristics to the characters in the novel, and deepening the theme of the novel.
Third, the presentation of Pan Shen's characters in the novel.
Some personality characteristics of "Pan Shen" are reflected in the three characters in the novel-Gino's vulgarity, Lilia's overbearing feelings and Philip's fear.
(A) Gino's vulgar character
When the writer Foster created the character Gino, he used the natural prototype. This natural prototype is Pan Shen. Pan Shen's rough and crazy characteristics are shown through the character Gino. Gino has no higher education, and his behavior and appearance completely violate the standards of English gentlemen. Gino's thinking is simple and vulgar, and he speaks loudly. His rudeness runs through the whole novel.
(2) Lilia is bossy and affectionate.
Lilia was born in a humble family. Lilia fell in love with and married Gino, a handsome but reckless man from humble origins. Just as Pan God pursues Cyrus the fairy, Lilia is also actively pursuing her own happiness. In life, Lilia is a gentle and lovely wife. She thought, "As long as I can have my little fool, what do I care?" Lilia's love for Gino is actually parasitic on Gino's subconscious career. Her dream marriage is to expect Gino to be grateful and obedient to her after marriage, which is a British central consciousness with imperialist thoughts. As Foster mentioned in the novel: "He loves her passionately, so she can do whatever she wants." At this point, Lilia is exactly the same as Pan's overbearing and strong possessiveness.
Lilia showed her affection before she met Gino. She "told a friend that she liked a certain Mr. Gingrove very much, but she didn't want to get engaged to him". Later, under the education of Mrs. Hilton that "get engaged or lead an honest and clean life, there is no middle state", Lilia left Mr. Gingrove. But later, "they found that Lilia still allowed Mr. Gingrove to write to her in the name of her boyfriend and give gifts to Emma." Lilia's emotional disposition is very similar to Pan Shen's: affectionate and possessive.
(3) Philip extreme panic
Every time Philip returns to England from Italy, his reaction is panic, although the reasons are different. After returning from Italy for the first time, he "seems to be a prophet, either transforming Shaston or abandoning it". However, his ideal has not been realized, "neither Shaston nor himself has changed". At this time, his mood began to panic and he couldn't find the state.
Italy has always maintained a sacred impression in Philip's mind, and it is a dreamy art palace. However, during his second trip to Italy, his life ideal was destroyed because of Gino. This trip to Italy was urged by her mother to stop Lilia's marriage. "For Philip, Italy not only has extraordinary artistic attraction, but more importantly, it is Philip's ideal and moral residence." Although Philip admires Italy, he never wants to get involved with Italians. The appearance of Gino made Philip very painful and panic. Italy may no longer be his ideal paradise. When Philip learned that Gino's father was only a dentist, he felt disgust and pain, and worried about himself. These reactions of Philip showed his intense inner collision and extreme panic. "Philip's previous understanding of Italy and life originated from academic fields such as aesthetics. This cruel reality made Philip return to the real world painfully.
Southampton's carefree life eroded Philip's insight into the nature of complex life through heavy academic works and magnificent pictures. He only saw Italy's past glory and dazzling achievements, but could not see the pain and cruelty of life. The existence of Gino forced Philip to face the real Italy, not the image he could use to escape Southampton and his mother. Compared with the previous two trips to Italy, the experience of saving the child for the third time made Philip sublimate his thoughts from panic and confusion and made the right choice-leaving the child in Italy. Looking at Philip's three trips to Italy, in fact, "it can be said that it is a process of pursuing perfect personality."