因為讀墨的介紹文太吸引,昨晚臨睡前忍不住開了惡童三部曲,爽快地看完了第一部《大筆記本》(另有中譯《惡童日記》)英文譯本(The Notebook)。很想馬上看第二部,但因為網上書介說繼續看下去,看第一部時的感覺會反轉,所以我先說說對第一部的感想。

簡單直白的言語(本書特色!孿生子(下稱兄弟)決定只在日記中記述客觀事實而不記感覺),很直接地描述了戰爭殘酷的面貌。在資源極度稀缺的情況下,掌握資源的人為所欲為,而底層的人則處於弱肉強食的原始狀態。

(以下有提及性侵/性暴力情節,慎入)

未開始看時我以為「惡童」的惡是指沒有底線的損人利己,但看了前半部分已經知道不是這個意思——他們會向弱者伸出援手,他們殘忍對待的對象某程度上都有可恨之處。兄弟兩人(或者說,作者)行「惡」的邏輯,對讀者我而言是清晰的。

🙈關於我的一件事:打開書不久,看到兔唇女孩人犬交媾的情節時,我大為驚駭,因為腦海裡浮現了一段一樣情景的中字描述,即是這書的中譯本我在很久以前(小時候?!)打開看過,不過似乎沒有讀完,所以對後面的劇情亳無印象。

下文會談談書中有關性暴力的描寫。(網上的書介好像都沒看到人談這個,該不該標R18)

除了肢體暴力,書中也有好些性侵犯和性虐待的情節。作者以孩童的視角和語言平鋪直敍,畫面反更為深刻。以下節錄一些段落——

鬥雞眼(crossed-eyes)的兔唇女孩和她長期沒有反應的母親快要在家餓死,兩兄弟說他們可以給她帶點食物,但需要一點錢(用錢買一點點東西,掩飾自己的偷竊行為),兔唇女孩便叫他們找教堂的祭司:

She thinks about it and says: ‘Go and ask the parish priest. He sometimes used to give me money when I let him see my slit.’

‘He asked you that?’

‘Yes. And sometimes he put his finger in. And afterwards he gave me money not to tell anybody. Tell him Harelip and her mother need money.’

祭司在兔唇女孩示意下侵犯她,在兔唇女孩眼中這某程度上是交換資源的手段。其他人對她做的事更嚴重,而且並不涉及任何資源交換,這我在下文繼續寫。

兄弟們也有受到同樣掌握資源的祭師管家侵犯。他們在外婆家住後一直沒機會洗澡,祭師管家著他們洗澡時做了這樣的事:

She strokes and kisses us all over our bodies. With her tongue she tickles us on our necks, under our arms, between our buttocks. She kneels down in front of the seat and sucks our cocks, which get bigger and harder in her mouth.

She is now sitting between us; she puts her arms around us and presses us to her: ‘If I had two pretty little babies like you, I’d give them lovely sweet milk to drink, here, like this.’

She pulls our heads down to her breasts, which are sticking out of her bathrobe, and we suck the pink ends, which become very hard. She puts her hands under her bathrobe and rubs herself between the legs: ‘What a pity you aren’t older! Oh! How nice it is, how nice it is to play with you!

She sighs, pants, then, suddenly, stiffens.

沒有一個暴力的字眼,但大人以提供資源誘使無法在家裡洗澡的兄弟為她所猥䙝,不就是赤裸裸的軟暴力?事後,管家說兄弟兩人每星期六都可以來洗澡,兄弟回應說將會帶她柴薪、還有魚和磨菇(如有)作為交換。很明顯,兄弟們抗拒以性換取洗衣服和洗澡的機會。

除了這件事,管家對貧苦大眾的涼薄,兄弟們也看在眼裡,永不忘記:

The housekeeper smiles and pretends to offer the rest of her bread she holds it closer to the outstretced hand, then, with a great laugh, brings the piece of bread back to her mouth, takes a bite and says: ‘I’m hungry, too!’

We go tinto the kitchen. The housekeeper hands us our parcel of clean washing. We each take a shirt. The housekeeper says: ‘You’re too sensitive. The best thing you can do is to forget what you’ve seen.’

‘We never forget anything.’

She pushes us to the door: ‘Off you go and don’t worry! None of that has anything to do with you. It’ll never happen to you. Those people are only animals.

兄弟最後如何處置管家,在這裡不劇透。🤫

接下來我想寫寫故事中兔唇女孩的悲劇(也跟性和暴力有關)。她和她長期沒反應的母親是兄弟的鄰居。第一次接觸到兔唇女孩是在她偷喝兄弟家山羊奶的時候。

We look at her. It’s the first time we have seen her close to. She has a harelip, she is cross-eyed, she has snot in her nose and, in the corner of her red eyes, yellow dirt. Her legs and arms are covered with pimples.

可以想像兔唇女孩是典型會被社會唾棄排擠的邊緣人。兔唇女孩怎麼介紹自己呢?她說:她叫Harelip(兔唇),喜歡喝奶,但其實她喜歡的是吸吮乳房(sucking the udder),因為感覺很好,它同時是硬的又是軟的。然後,她走向兄弟們,說:「我還喜歡吸吮其他東西。」她伸出手,兄弟們退後一步,她又說:「你不想要嗎?不想和我玩耍嗎(意指口交)?我非常想要。你們都很漂亮。」說罷,她垂下頭:「我讓你們感到厭惡了。(I dusgust you.)」

兄弟們說沒有,只是他們從不玩耍,只會幹活和學習(We work and study.)。兔唇女孩說她懇求別人、偷竊和玩耍。(I beg, steal and play.)

兄弟說兔唇女孩照顧病母,是個好女孩,若她需要什麼,可以問他們要,他們可以給她蔬果、魚和奶。這是The Notebook中少有的對人的評價,在記述兄弟和兔唇女孩的對話時,作為事實一部分被記錄下來。 兔唇女孩的反應卻是向他們大叫:「我不需要你們蔬果、魚和奶!這我全都可以偷回來。__我只想要你們的愛。__世上沒人愛我,連我媽也不愛我。但我也不愛任何人,我媽和你們我也不愛!我恨你們!

兔唇女孩的自白,揭示了她之後的悲慘命運。她很想被愛,但外形上的缺陷令她覺得自己不可能被愛,退而求其次地渴望被需要,而性是人的一種需要,於是她便試圖向他人甚至小狗提供性(口交,她口中的玩耍)以滿足被需要的渴望。

(比較暴力的性暴力會在以下提及。)

在《The Other Children》一章中,兄弟們看到高大的孩子(大孩)會欺負弱小的小孩。大孩看到兔唇女孩在挑水,他們往她的水裡吐口水,她只好把水倒掉再裝,大孩又再吐了一次,兔唇女孩問他們:「可否停手?我要帶乾淨的水回家。」怎料大孩居然說:「水仍是乾淨的呀,我只是往內吐了點口水。你不是在說我的口水是髒的吧?!我的口水比你家任何一樣東西都要乾淨!」 然後大孩露出他的陽具說:「吮吧。如果你吮,我就給你盛水回家。(Suck it! If you suck me off, we’ll let you fill your bucket.)」(🫣我不懂翻譯sorry🫣)

兔唇女孩於是蹲下來準備為大孩口淫,大孩退後一步,罵她:「你覺得我會把我的陽具放進你那噁心的嘴巴嗎?賤母牛!(Do you think I’m going to put my cock into your disgusting mouth? Filthy cow!)」 大孩由說第一句話開始,已極盡侮辱之能事。當兔唇女孩聽到男孩要她為他口淫,她真的跪下來想給他做,便再一次被他羞辱——跪下來為他口淫是有門檻的,她太噁心。明明是純粹的暴力和羞辱,大孩這話進一步詆毀她,說她連「被羞辱的資格都沒有」。

故事裡的場景存在於戰亂的極端狀況中,但其實想想現實裡也有不少男性會說類似的話詆毁女性,最糟的是甚至有些女性聽到被性侵害的例子,也會用那種眼光打量受害者:「居然會搞她?不是吧?她這個模樣都可以被搞?」 性侵害是以暴力支配對方,跟性吸引是亳無關係的,但我真的見過不少人把兩者混為一談,進一步羞辱受害者。

在故事後半段,敵軍攻進了兄弟們所住的Small Town之後,在《The Fire》一章中,兄弟去兔唇女孩家察看她的情況,發現她被輪姦至死。被輪姦時,她卻是以歡迎的口吻邀請他們蹂躪她的身體:

Harelip is lying on the bed. She is naked. Between her spread legs there is a dried pool of blood and sperm. Her eyelashes are stuck together for ever and her lips are curled up over her black teeth in an eternal smile: Harelip is dead.

‘Yes. She called them in. She went out on to the road and made a sign to them to come. There were twelve or fifteen of them. And as they had her, one after another, she kept shouting: “Oh, this is good, this is good! Come, all of you, come, another one, another one!” She died happy, fucked to death.

兔唇女孩的悲劇能夠避免嗎?從兄弟們說的話,至少我們知道,在社會失序之前,她和她母親有得到社會的資助。當侵略者笑說兔唇女孩和她失明的母親無論如何也渡過不了嚴冬,所以她們餓死並不是他們的錯時,兄弟們說:

‘Yes, it is your fault. Yours and your country’s. You brought us the war.’

‘Before the war, how they do to eat, the blind woman and daughter?’

‘Before the war, they lived on charity. People gave them old clothes and shoes. They brought them food. Now nobody gives anything any more. The people are all poor or are afraid of becoming so. The war has made them mean and selfish.

關於書中性暴力的描述,就寫到這裡。

這書另外有些有趣的地方,例如兄弟們如何「訓練」自己和教育自己,也許我日後另發一文再說。