"Old Man" Lalasti's monologue "Paris, I'm coming!" .
Stegne is one of the central figures in Balzac's human comedy. He was born into a declining aristocratic family. In order to change his poverty situation and realize his dream of getting rich at an early date, he abandoned morality and conscience, desperate and climbed up by various means. Finally, he realized his dream and became a typical aristocratic youth corroded by capitalist society. The process of his climbing is the process of losing his moral conscience and human nature.
Human nature, as its name implies, is human nature. Human nature has two meanings. Yi Yi, as a neutral word in China culture, is represented by Confucian Mencius. There is also an inherent vice view, one meaning refers to the positive qualities that people should have, such as kindness and kindness. Generally speaking, the latter meaning of human nature accounts for the majority. In the latter sense, this paper mainly discusses the extinction of Rasty's humanity from three aspects.
First, combined with the background, it shows that the capitalist society with money first will inevitably lead him to the extinction of human nature.
(A) capitalism to replace the feudal aristocracy is a historical necessity.
France was full of contradictions and turmoil during the Bourbon Restoration in the 1820s and 1930s. Affection is valued, but the development of the bourgeoisie is the general trend. Politically, under the political oppression of the financial bourgeoisie and the temptation of money, the weak aristocratic class has long been unable to compete with the bourgeoisie. Economically, the feudal economy represented by nobles was destroyed, the economic strength was seriously weakened, capitalism developed to a considerable extent, and money became the master of society.
The hero Rasty Nie started his activities in Paris in 19 18 1. At this time, it was the period when Louis Stanislas Xavier was in power in French history. Facing the reality that French experienced bourgeois revolution in the19th century and feudal relations were destroyed, Louis Stanislas Xavier had to make a certain degree of compromise and implement constitutional monarchy, so that the bourgeoisie also had a certain degree of rights. Then came the daughter of the bourgeois nouveau riche's victory over the descendants of the emperor, and the reception of the banker's wife by the senior aristocratic salon. In other words, the development of the feudal ruling class needed the support of the capital bourgeoisie. In a word, it is the general trend and historical necessity for capitalism to replace feudal aristocratic rule.
(2) The birth of nobles paved the way for them to take the capitalist road.
Rasty Nie was born in a declining aristocratic family in Mi country, Angula. "Usually, he only wears an old robe ... his boots have changed soles." . Although he was poor, it was the feudal aristocracy who held the state power at that time, so he could climb to his distant cousin, Viscount Buselon, who was the "leader of aristocratic society" and her living room was the dream place of bourgeois women. "Being able to appear in that magnificent living room is equivalent to having a certificate to read all kinds of things in the world, and other places are convenient and unimpeded." [1] Her surname touched people around her like a magic wand, so Rasty's aristocratic background facilitated his upward climb and made it possible for him to enter the middle class.
(C) the social essence of capitalism, money first, human nature is bound to die.
What was the capitalist social situation at that time? Bunova snatched food from the orphan's plate and later defeated the aristocrat De? Renard became the mayor of Villier. Newchingen cheated his wife of her property, made financial speculation and eventually became a duke and financial tycoon. Miss Mi promised to betray her neighbor for 3,000 francs, and Votoring made a plan to murder Rasty Nie in order to get 200,000 francs ... They ignored shame, abandoned moral standards, measured everything by money, and money became the master of society. Success in such a society "depends neither on virtue nor talent, on the contrary, it is to lose virtue and waste talent." [2] Therefore, living in such a social environment, Rasty Nie, who is eager to climb, will inevitably be corroded by capitalist society, losing his conscience and humanity.
Secondly, starting with the conflict between divinity and humanity in the values of individual strugglers in Western Europe19th century, it shows that Rasty Nie is an atheist.
(1) Deny God, replace it with reason, and then believe in inner secrets.
The most important influence of the Enlightenment on the human spirit (in fact, it started from the Renaissance) lies in fundamentally denying the concept of God and replacing it with human rationality. Compared with the medieval European life in which theocracy ruled the world, this completely different value orientation proves that man can be his own master. This is the great liberation of people's minds and an important beginning for all mankind to achieve great success in industry and commerce, especially in science and technology. But the negative effect of this liberation is to hide people's hearts deeply, because from then on, God no longer asks about people's hearts. From then on, people began to believe in their inner secrets like believing in God, just as Stendhal famously said, "God is forgiven because God does not exist" [5] and just as China people's mantra says, "Heaven knows the earth, you know me"-among them, "Heaven knows the earth" is only "white" knowledge, because of course heaven and earth will not interfere with people's behavior; And "you know what I know" is effective. The secrecy of this inner activity is a lever for people to adjust their immoral and indecent behavior: bad things spread thousands of miles is a bad thing, and silent mistakes are not mistakes.
In theological terms, the secrecy of this inner activity is deceiving God. Man's bullying of God may be traced back to ancient Greece, and this nation who is good at philosophical thinking may explore the relationship between man and God through philosophical discussion of images from the beginning. In Greek mythology, there are many examples of deceiving God. For example, Prometheus was the first person to deceive God from the standpoint of man. Prometheus himself is a god, but after he created man, he actually betrayed God. He has many famous acts of deceiving God. He killed a bull, wrapped it in suet and piled it into a large pile, and covered it with cowhide and piled it into a small pile for Zeus, the great god, to choose. Besides, his behavior of lighting a fire for mankind is to steal things and do things without telling God. In Greek mythology, Tatan Ross was a terrible liar. He killed his son and cooked a dish for the gods to test whether they were really gods. There is an unshakable logic behind these myths, that is, they are all "intoxicated with their superior wisdom", which finally leads to God's terrible punishment. Although the ancient Greeks created these deceptive myths, the logic deciphered in these myths is incredible. Prometheus was nailed to the rock of the overhead cable and endured a hungry eagle pecking at his heart. Tantalus was punished for standing in the water with no chest and enduring hunger and thirst. Deceiving God certainly has no good result, but it is actually impossible. In fact, even Zeus himself can't deceive God-he has no opinion about cheating Hera. The cultural keynote of ancient Greece is humanism, and man is the subject of life after all. By the end of ancient Greece, the era of God had already passed, and the concept of God had actually collapsed.
(2) Rasty's is an atheist.
The history of the Middle Ages proves that it is impossible for human beings to return to lost ignorance, so people must take the road of controlling themselves. But he is hard to control, because people who have lost their divinity have become so practical or snobbish, so calm and so indifferent to dignity ... On the philosophical level, people's spirit has gone bankrupt.
The negative factors in human nature constitute the dominant spirit of individual strugglers in19th century realistic literature. Nie written by Rasty is an individual struggler who naturally grew up in capitalist society after the Enlightenment. He is a thorough atheist, so we can think that Tantalus was a humanist, and he denied the existence of God from a human standpoint.
He believes that the truth realized in this evil society rejects people's conscience and only pursues naked interests. Therefore, his behavior pattern shows a simple indifference: anything can be sold as long as it is beneficial. When Mrs. Busion asked him if he could kill a person for her, the young man eager to take refuge in the upper class sincerely said, "I can kill a couple." He even expressed his dedication and loyalty many times and was willing to light explosives for her. This seemingly sincere confession is actually only for his own good, because he quickly praised Madame Neutsch in front of Madame Busion of the Italian Opera House, which made the Queen of Parisian society very unhappy and reminded him several times that this woman was "white eyelashes", "too big hands" and "tall and arrogant". A man who claimed to be dedicated to the other side couldn't help hearing this sour voice, but Rasty Nie couldn't help it. He immediately admitted that he had "fallen in love" with Mrs. Newchin. This unbridled and even face-saving behavior shows that Rasty Nie has been able to rule out his emotions at this time, and then he completely serves a purpose, a purpose of climbing up and getting ahead in capitalist society. And his dignity can be abandoned at any time if necessary. For example, "He wanted to have a fight with Fu Tuoleng angrily, and suddenly he heard the other party say,' I'll give you this million', so his anger immediately turned into' brushing his hair and licking his lips like a cat who drank milk'." [4] Rasty's behavior has shown that this young man who wants to get ahead in high society can treat life like a shrewd chess player, treat the shady secrets in his heart like a standard layman, and treat it as a bad thing without "making a fuss".
Thirdly, from the relationship between his ambition and social environment, this paper discusses the contest between his ambition and conscience in the process of integrating into society.
"Ambition has many explanations. Webster's dictionary interprets it as: the desire or desire for enterprise, honor, superiority, power or achievement. Johnson, an English writer, believes that if a person's life ideal is strong and he does not hesitate to realize it in an improper way, then he becomes an ambition. Everyone has ideals and wishes. Reality is often cruel, and people's desires are difficult to satisfy. Therefore, some people are forced or take the initiative to take some immoral, unfair and illegal measures. The general explanation of conscience is: a correct understanding of right and wrong, especially related to one's own behavior. In the process of realizing one's ambition, as long as one has a conscience, one may have different degrees of inner conflicts and be condemned by conscience. [5] Then he will face a severe choice; Obey conscience or ambition? Our hero Rasty Nie chose the former, and the process of this choice is a contest between ambition and conscience, which is mainly divided into two stages.
(1) Before entering the society, ambition and conscience were asleep.
Although Rasty Nie is only a declining disciple from other provinces, although his careful annual income can't guarantee 3,000 francs, at least he has the opportunity to study in Paris, and there is no lack of affection. It should be said that during this period, I was calm and psychologically satisfied. He even lives in a sense of superiority, he is happy and simple, and the contradiction between ambition and conscience is still sleeping.
(2) After entering the society, after the "three lessons of life", ambition triumphs over conscience.
"Balzac has the right to use the money he won to love freedom, so he knows how to corrupt from social interaction. Because it is not blood that circulates in society, but gold. " [6] Paris tramples on Rasty's heart like a ruthless iron rider.
When he first arrived in Paris, he was still a pure college student, bent on achieving something by his own efforts. He soon realized that he would succeed by working hard all his life. And suddenly realized "need to socialize." Deciding to join the club, he took action. Explain the distant cousin Viscount Busion through an old story. She is the leader of the aristocratic society in Paris and the queen of negotiation. He went to see his wife, who was frustrated in love, full of grievances and resentment, and told him the secret of high society. "Inadvertently gave this young man the' first lesson' of social education-extreme egoism." [7] She earnestly warned her cousin: "Mr. Rasty Nie, you should deal with this society with a tooth for a tooth." "The more ruthless you are, the faster you will rise." "If you mercilessly attack others, others will be afraid of you. We can only treat men and women as post horses, ride exhausted and throw them down at the station; Only in this way can you reach the peak of desire. " "Society is just a group of fools and liars. Don't be a fool, don't be a liar. " Madame Busayon instructed Rasty Nie to take a woman as a ladder to climb. "If you don't have a woman's care, you are worthless here. This woman must be young, rich and beautiful. " She encouraged Rasty to pursue a young, rich and beautiful wife, Naisingen. "Once she takes you seriously, ... then you will become popular." She also taught Rasty Nie how to deal with women: "Never take out your heart without knowing the details of the other party ... learn to be wary of others first." Let "women think you are talented and capable". [8] Under the guidance of Viscount Buselon, he soon realized: "With his enthusiasm and talent, plus his charming appearance, conquer several beautiful women who can be backstage, and you can join the upper class. Therefore, in order to get a beautiful communication costume, Rasty wrote to his mother and sister urgently. When I replied, although I blamed myself for using kinship so cruelly, it suddenly occurred to me that I could put on new clothes and enter the communication place. He was very proud. The innocence of young people from other provinces slowly disappeared from him. " After receiving the preferential treatment from the viscount, he keenly observed the role of the viscount's surname, so he made this magic wand with "I am a relative of Viscount Buselon" and got to know the countess, duchess and Mrs. Newchin ... Because in the process of interacting with these ladies, although he repeatedly used the words "infatuation, infatuation and ecstasy", it is hard to say that he really "loves" them. He pursued the countess in order to win the favor of women and get his help and shelter. He pursued the Duchess and asked her the secret of life with a humble and cunning attitude. , so as to learn from failure and gradually become smarter. The purpose of his pursuit of Mrs. Nuchingen is to use her to control her husband who is engaged in banking business and help him make a fortune from now on. In the face of hypocritical love, when Lao Gaoman used his last money to buy a house for him, he had no conscience at all and was even very excited. When he got everything with this springboard, he had gradually buried his integrity, kindness and love under the guidance of desire and ambition, and the remaining conscience was only the last line of defense to prevent human nature from transforming into beast.
"Fu Tuoling gave him the' second lesson' in life-the lesson of the law of money." He can do anything bad. He is just a little man who desperately wants to climb up the noble society. He has no noble family, huge capital, and can't touch the beauty of women, so he uses the rude means of "bombing into the upper class like a cannonball". Although he didn't get what he wanted, he paid time for it and gained a lot of "experience". He thought that Rasty's Nie was "a man to my taste", so he "cared" and "enlightened" him. Compared with Madame Busion, his teaching is naked robber logic. He first impressed Rasty's Nie with his complicated experience and taught Rasty's Nie to "do everything". He had an eagle-like insight into Rasty's heart, and suggested that he should find other ways to get ahead, not only by studying, but also by being ambitious. He calculated Rasty's Nie. Even if he succeeds in his studies and gets a better position, he can't change the poverty and improve his position. He analyzed the politics of capitalist society: "Great talents are rare, and corruption is prevalent everywhere. Therefore, if you want to make big money, you must do it drastically. " He encouraged Rasty Nie: "If you want to have fun, don't be afraid to get your hands dirty. Just wash your hands. If you have the guts, you can go straight ahead with a straight face. But you have to fight jealousy, slander, vulgarity, and everyone. If you want to hit the road, ... don't go in like a cannonball, you have to go in like a plague. " [10] He made specific suggestions to Rasty Nie, betrothed Miss Victoria, killed her brother and let her inherit all her father's property, and soon became a millionaire. He said that he must take practical action for Rasty Nie, and the reward is 200,000 yuan from the million inherited by Miss Victoria. Fu Tuoling's remarks greatly shook Rasty's Nie. His teaching of Voltorum is understood as follows: "Madame Boucylon is gentle and elegant, so she said it naked, and the robber told me the virtue in a few words, far exceeding what many people and books said. Of course, Rasty's Nie in this era was still the embryonic form of a bourgeois careerist, only transformed from the aristocratic class. I still feel uncomfortable with the naked way of the bourgeoisie. Although I am tempted, I haven't lost my conscience and dare not promise. He thought: If I want to behave myself, I will be busy in vain-this is the last way to get rich, but I can go to bed with a clear conscience every day. This is the flash of his kind humanity. But he can't resist the temptation of money. When he found out that Mrs. Newchin was in financial difficulties, he floated a plan to get rid of the cold in his heart and turned to pursue Miss Taifan, and his ears kept echoing with "800,800". Only later, because of the promise of Mrs. Busion's invitation, Mrs. Newchin finally threw herself into his arms. This prevented him from continuing to conspire with Voltorum to kill people, and he was prepared to inform Mrs. Taifan in advance, which once again flashed the light of human nature.
The two "social education" courses of Viscount and Fortolen are important, but what impressed Rasty Nie more was three things he witnessed. Fu Tuoling was betrayed and arrested, the viscount was abandoned, and the old man died. Voltorum is a capable bandit leader. He saw through the society, but he didn't see any informers around him. Mishino turned him in and offered a reward of 3000 francs. This one knows the power of money. The grass in the green forest pursuing money also lost to the helpless little woman, that is, money. The viscount is the queen of society. She fell in love with the Marquis of Alku for three years, but the Marquis abandoned her and married a bourgeois lady with millions of francs. Noble families are no match for money, and love relationships are destroyed by money. Rasty's death touched him more deeply.
"The tragedy of Lao Gaoman being abandoned by his daughter taught Rasty the' third lesson' of life-the lesson of moral decay." [1 1] Gao Laotou is a bourgeois upstart, born as a noodle shop manager. He used to be a millionaire. He doted on his daughter and gave her all his furniture, leaving only an annuity for himself. When he was rich, his daughter spoiled beside him; When he still has an annuity in his hand, his daughter often visits him; When he used up his last savings and was about to run out of life, his daughters were busy fighting for power and profit and having fun, and never came to see him again. On his deathbed, he endured the pain of missing his daughter and poured out his love for her: "They still need me. ..... they need money, and I know where to make money. " Seeing that his daughter didn't come, he sighed, "If I had money, if I kept my furniture for them, they would come and lick my face with their kisses!" " "All the love has been exhausted by me, and they can't have any more love for me. A father must always have money and win children like a clever horse. " He resented himself: "It's all my fault. I let them step on me. " He appealed to the society: "Laws should be made for his father's death." [ 12] …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Rasty saw through the cruelty, selfishness and ingratitude of upper-class women. Everything proves that except money, all the nobility, honesty and simplicity of the whole society have been destroyed.
Lao Gao's selfless fatherly love really touched him deeply, and he saw kind and kind humanity in him. However, it is such a person-the embodiment of father's love, but doomed to destruction, can not get the return of true feelings. Since beautiful things can't survive in this world, why leave a conscience? He buried the last tear of old age and youth and went to Mrs. Neuxingen's house for dinner with extraordinary spirit. At this point, the contest between his ambition and conscience also stopped, and he embarked on the road of bourgeois careerists.
In Balzac's other works. His character continues to develop. He is not fighting evil with justice, but fighting poison with poison, and seeking personal gain by any means in order to win or lose. For example, in Forbidden Property, he helped the powerful Marquise Espa seize her husband's property. To gain political support. The right-hand man of the bankruptcy of Newchingen Bank, in The Secret of Princess Cadiz, he mixed into the position of Deputy Secretary of State. In The Unknown Comedian, he finally became a government minister. But the growth process described in Gao Laotou is the most tortuous and moving. He profoundly explained how the unique generous feelings of young people were defeated under the influence of the dirty social atmosphere of the same society. Lost conscience, lost humanity.
conclusion
In order to realize the dream of the apprentice, Rasty Nie embarked on the road of bourgeois careerists. It can be said that his success is at the expense of dehumanization. However, it is undeniable that this is the choice driven by the capitalist money-oriented society.
This image of him became the representative of a kind of people, who lived in "Rustinie" at that time with more than 400,000 people. Through the analysis and discussion of this image, it is helpful for us to understand the evil abyss of capitalist society and arouse our love for socialism.
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