"The Godfather" is a novel published in the United States in 1969. It is the number one best-seller in the history of American publishing. It was made into a movie as early as the early 1970s and was distributed all over the world. It is generally welcomed.
The author Mario Puzo is a native American, and he is an American who has long lived in New York, the heart of capitalist modern civilization. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army. After demobilization, he first studied literary and artistic creation at Columbia University, and later specialized in various aspects of American society at the School of Social Survey. His first novel, "Infighting" is considered the best novel about postwar occupied Germany; his second novel, "The Lucky Pilgrim", was called a "little classic" by the New York Times. "The Godfather" is the author's third novel. This novel caused a sensation throughout the United States upon its publication, arousing widespread reviews and praise. The famous contemporary American literary critic Hall Burden made a profound analysis and incisive evaluation of this novel in the "Saturday Review". Here's what he writes:
"Mario Puzo's new novel is a battering ram aimed at a stubborn fortress, and its purpose is to inspire. It's a rich family history. , records the detailed process of a family who does not hesitate to use guns, axes, hanging tools, and psychological warfare to achieve their monopoly control over the entire American underground power group system...
"The purpose of this work is The storyline has its ups and downs. Puzo's expressive skills are quite impressive: in his writing, a plot that would otherwise be outrageous is very reasonable. All emotional impulses, all killings, all vulgar sexual relations are in harmony with the situations in which the characters he depicts find themselves. But at the same time, he is able to make the chilling temperament of the characters he creates humane, real and believable.
"The Godfather" is a stunning success... It is the authoritative novel that exposes the insidious criminal group."
The reason why Puzo was able to write The main reason why he produced such a successful work is that he is familiar with the secrets of all areas and classes of American social life, and is also familiar with the secrets of the lives of various characters. He has the most insight into the nature of American society and therefore has the best say.
Whether in the United States or in other countries outside the United States, many people are considering this question: What is American society like? Is it an ideal society? This novel inherits the fine tradition of critical realism and provides an extremely vivid, vivid and persuasive answer to such questions of common concern. The author is loyal to the laws of art, neither affirming abstractly nor denying it generally, but only objectively and nakedly revealing the most hidden essence of American society. The writing unfolds organically through compelling scenes and gripping plots. Peeling off the magnificent and dazzling fig leaf, it is not difficult for people to see: this is by no means a carefree paradise on earth, but an out-and-out paradise of intrigue and adventurers; here is full of traps, open guns, Hidden arrow; everyone here is in danger; here, apart from superficial articles, there is no such thing as "liberty, equality and fraternity" at all.
What the author uses an artist's approach to let us see is not the dazzling phenomenon floating on the surface of American social life, but the eerie essence or some aspects of the essence hidden deep down: Police officers and policemen who take it as their duty to maintain public order; judges and lawyers who take it as their duty to maintain the dignity of the law, as well as parliamentarians who are legitimate representatives of public opinion; newspaper editors and reporters who pride themselves on being "fair and objective", even though they sometimes disagree with themselves or They can swornly perform their duties on issues that have nothing to do with their own group, but because most of them are secretly affiliated with various underground power groups, they secretly engage in shameful deeds that are very different from their public duties.
He is a truly powerful figure in American society. The "Godfather" and others firmly believe that demanding justice in an open society is wishful thinking, and that justice can only be found within the gang. This is the heartfelt statement of a person who is familiar with American society and the foundation of all capitalist societies based on his own personal experience. This is not only the view of the characters in the novel, but also the author's own view.
In a society where the jungle prevails, there must be people who do not believe that society can provide them with any protection. They are unwilling to hand over their destiny to those high-ranking officials and let them manipulate and tease them. What are those people capable of? It's just that they can gather a group of people to support them and make them become officials after being elected. The reason why the "Godfathers" and others are unwilling to enter the open society is because they are not willing to be manipulated by others. They are determined to use all means in the underground world to develop themselves, strengthen themselves, make themselves strong, and then "correct their evil ways and return to the right path." In this way, as soon as they enter a large open society where the weak prey on the strong, they can emerge as strong. This is also the same development path that is followed regularly by the upper class powerful figures in all capitalist societies, especially in American society. Which large conglomerate or billionaire didn't start out by engaging in fraud and speculation? There is an old saying in China: "One person will become famous and thousands of bones will wither." After reading this novel, we have reason to say: "One person will become rich and thousands of bones will cry." Therefore, the author quoted the most outstanding French figures in front of the text of the first chapter of the novel. A famous saying by the critical realist writer Balzac: "Behind great wealth, there is evil hidden." This famous saying is quoted at the beginning of this novel. It is extremely appropriate. It is a wonderful finishing touch and an aphorism that breaks the theme.
The "Godfather" is the soul of American society and the spiritual father of American society. He and his spiritual influence are the protagonists of this novel and the protagonist of American society.
Nearly a hundred characters appear in the entire novel, and more than twenty are highlighted. Most of them are "typical characters in typical environments" in American society. They are both the products and founders of American society. In other words, without American society, there would be no them; without them, American society would not be American society. It is not necessary to evaluate all the characters one by one here. Let the readers think about it as they read. But in addition to the protagonist, what should be mentioned in particular is Kai Adams, the wife of Michael, the youngest son of "The Godfather". She was kind-hearted and became a teacher after graduating from college. She wanted to be a law-abiding citizen, but she married Michael. She only knew that Michael was cute as a normal person, but she didn't know that he was terrible as a member of the Corleone Group. When she found out that Michael killed without blinking an eye and lied to her, she left him angrily. However, when she realized that Michael's murders were all "justifiable" and "unavoidable", she resolutely returned to Michael. She prayed every day, asking God to bless Michael's soul. The character of Kai Adams and her experiences are intriguing and thought-provoking. In a society like the United States, even if you are determined to be a good person, it is difficult to get out of the mud and stay on your own, unless you are a true and complete revolutionary.
The author finally made Kai Adams leave Michael angrily, and soon made her happily return to Michael. This is by no means the comic ending of an ordinary love dispute. This sudden and strange ending has its own very rich meanings. Thought content. It raises to us an extremely complex and profound literary and artistic theoretical question: By describing the inner world of characters, should writers draw readers' attention to individual characters or to the entire society? To be more specific, in a dark old society, should writers guide readers to hate individual bad people or the entire social structure? In a bright new society, should writers guide readers to worship individual heroes or the entire society?
The extraordinary artistic charm of the novel "The Godfather" lies in the fact that although all the novels are described are bad guys, the author's clever writing can actually make readers hate not individual bad guys, but the entire dirty society. structure.
The godfather and his heir, his younger son Michael, were originally very bad villains, but they did not appear to be hateful, because their murders were forced by the entire unreasonable society, and because they killed more people. Bad people. Compared with those politicians who "sitting back and sharing the spoils" behind the scenes, their level of "badness" really pales in comparison.
Think about it: It is clearly about a villain, and the villain’s “badness” is vividly and vividly described, but at the same time, the reader has to try not to hate the villain, but to hate the person who produced the villain. The entire social structure that is invisible and intangible. This is easier said than done! What superb artistic skills this requires!
Kay Adams can forgive Michael, and readers will forgive Michael. To save Michael's soul from the abyss of sin, the naive Kai Adams, like the ignorant old woman, can only pray to God.
Outstanding writers in ancient and modern times, at home and abroad, never regard themselves as "teachers" in their works, and never talk endlessly about positive truths; they never despise readers, and never insult readers; they all They respect the readers' judgment very much; they often only "cite one corner" and let the readers "reverse three corners" on their own; sometimes, they even deliberately point out a dead end road to let the readers return to the right path. To save the godfather's soul, to save Michael's soul, prayer is a dead end. So, where is the way out?
In this sense, we have reason to believe that although some of the past critical realist works were deeply critical of capitalist society, most of them exposed superficial phenomena, while "The Godfather" truly Unearthed the soul of capitalist society.
The relationship between men and women we see in the novel is not the kind of love tragedy teased by fate based on pious admiration and lingering tenderness in Hardy's works, but the tenderness has been completely torn away. The naked lust that remains behind the veil. The noble love relationship between people has been reduced to a low-level and obscene animal lust relationship without emotion between animals.
Where is the way out for American society? This is a question that readers must think seriously about what all the characters in the novel do.
Here, it is particularly important to point out that although the people and things described in the novel may seem a bit strange and absurd to us, they are common and common in the United States. In other words, This is a realistic work with a solid foundation in reality. It can also be said that this is an ideal reading to understand the nature of American society. What is worthy of our deep thought is that the author made a special statement at the front of the text of the novel:
"All the characters in this book are fictitious. If the descriptions in the book are not the same as those who are still alive or dead now, If there are any similarities between real people, it is purely coincidental."
The author's statement is similar to "There are no three hundred taels of silver here", which illuminates the realistic social significance and social significance of this novel from the negative side. value. It is a popular literary and artistic work and a vivid history of social customs.
Puzo is a serious and solemn realist writer. His novels do not use confusing and absurd renderings as gimmicks to lure readers into the ethereal, as is common in modernist works, but use fascinating, real and credible sketches as wedges to inspire readers to understand the United States. the nature of society. As for the modernists, I am not going to make further comments here. I just want to quote a passage from the British literary historian Ernet Rubinstein, from which we can see the views of serious Western scholars on the modernists:
“The aesthetics of the end of the century were briefly expressed in their short lives. Later, it was revived in many deviant literary schools from Surrealism to Existentialism. Through these various schools, the process of accelerated decline and degeneration of bourgeois culture in the twentieth century was clearly manifested.
” (See the English version of "The Great Tradition of English Literature: From Shakespeare to Bernard Shaw", 1969, United States, Volume 2, page 850)
In modernism, various bizarre variations of literary and artistic trends are rampant. In the American literary world, Puzo is obviously a standing realist writer because he was educated in the School of Social Investigation, so his novels have particularly obvious and outstanding social significance and cognitive value. When referring to the brilliant achievements of British critical realist novelists represented by the British novelists, he said:
“With their clear and touching descriptions, they have revealed political and social truths to the world. Compared with politicians and politicians, Political commentators and moralists have done even more together. " (See the Chinese version of "Marx and Engels on Art", Volume 2, page 402)
Engels also said when talking about the French writer Balzac's "Human Comedy": "I started from here, even More was learned about economic details, such as the post-revolutionary redistribution of movable and immovable property, than from all the historians, economists, and statisticians of all professions at the time. "(See the Chinese version of "The Selected Works of Marx and Engels", Volume 4, page 463)
We can also say that the political and social truths revealed through vivid stories in "The Godfather" are more powerful than all political Celebrities, political commentators, and all news reports combined reveal more, and we can learn more from them than from all the historians, economists, and statisticians, and all the newspapers and magazines. There is more to learn than anything else. This is the fundamental reason why this book is worth translating for translators and why it is worth reading for readers.