An anti-hero of one's own - Tim Adams

內心的非傳統英雄 - 提姆亞當斯 (Tim Adams)

Translator: tom carter Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

譯者: Jephian Lin 審譯者: Allen Li

Literary critic Northrop Frye once observed

文學評論家諾思羅普弗萊曾觀察到 (Northrop Frye)

that in our primitive days, our literary heroes were -- well, nearly gods,

在原始時代 文學中的英雄差不多跟神一樣

and as civilization advanced, they came down the mountain of the gods, so to speak,

隨文明演進 他們從眾神之山走了下來

and became more human, more flawed, less heroic.

變得更人性化、更有缺點、 更不像英雄

From the divine heroes like Hercules,

從天神的英雄海克力斯

down the mountain below the miraculous but mortal heroes such as Beowulf,

到山下奇蹟般的凡人英雄貝武夫

the great leaders such as King Arthur,

及偉大的領袖亞瑟王

and the great but flawed heroes like Macbeth or Othello.

和偉大但有缺陷的英雄 如馬克白和奧賽羅

Below even the unlikely but eventual heroes such as Harry Potter,

再到不像是英雄 但最後成功的哈利波特、

Luke Skywalker, or Hiccup,

星際大戰的天行者路克、 或是馴龍高手的小嗝嗝、

until we reach the bottom and meet the anti-hero.

最底下才是「非傳統英雄」 (anti-hero)

Contrary to the sound, the anti-hero is not the villain, not the antagonist.

非傳統英雄不是壞蛋、不是公敵

The anti-hero is actually the main character in some contemporary works of literature.

實際上還是一些當代文學的主角

Guy Montag in "Fahrenheit 451," Winston Smith in "1984,"

《華氏 451 度》的蒙塔格 (Guy Montag) 《1984》的溫斯頓史密斯 (Winston Smith)

who unwittingly ends up challenging those in power -- that is,

他們在不知不覺中挑戰了當權者 －那就是

those who abuse their power to brainwash the populace to believe that the ills of society have been eliminated.

濫用權力對民眾洗腦 說社會一切美好的人

Ideally, those who challenge the establishment should be wise, confident, brave,

理想中，敢挑戰權力的人 應該是聰明、自信、勇敢、

physically strong, with a type of charisma that inpires followers.

強壯、並有號召群眾的魅力

The anti-hero, however, at best demonstrates a few underdeveloped traits,

然而非傳統英雄最多只有 幾種發展並不完全的特質

at worst, is totally inept.

最差則是什麼都不會

The story of the anti-hero usually unfolds something like this.

非傳統英雄的故事通常像這樣

The anti-hero initially conforms, ignorantly accepting the established views,

他一開始服從、無知、接受現況

a typical, unquestioning, brainwashed member of society.

是個典型、不質疑、 被洗腦過的社會人士

The anti-hero struggles to conform, all the while starting to object,

他一直掙扎想遵守規範 然後開始反抗

perhaps finding other outsiders with whom to voice his questions,

可能因為某個外人先質疑

and naïvely, unwisely, sharing those questions with an authority figure.

他接著天真而不智的問了當權者

The anti-hero openly challenges society,

非傳統英雄公開挑戰社會

and tries to fight against the lies and tactics used to oppress the populace.

想對抗壓迫人民的謊言與技倆

This step, for the anti-hero, is seldom a matter of brave, wise and heroic opposition.

非傳統英雄此時通常 不勇敢、不聰明、也不像反抗英雄

Maybe the anti-hero fights and succeeds in destroying the oppressive government,

他也許會打贏並摧毀暴政

with a lot of impossible luck.

靠的是超好的運氣

Perhaps he or she runs away, escapes to fight another day.

也可能會逃跑，來日再戰

All too often though, the anti-hero is killed, or brainwashed

非傳統英雄常會被殺掉、被洗腦

to return to conformity with the masses.

變成跟大家一樣循規蹈矩

No heroic triumph here, no brave individual standing up against impersonal institutions of a modern world,

沒有英雄式勝利，沒有勇氣站出來 對抗現代世界的不人道組織

inspiring others to fight, or resourcefully outwitting and outgunning the massive army of the evil empire.

沒有鼓舞別人戰鬥，也沒有過人的 智力與武力對抗邪惡帝國的大部隊

Our storytelling ancestors calmed our fears of powerlessness

我們的祖先藉由故事 安撫我們對無力感的恐懼

by giving us Hercules and other heroes strong enough to fight off the demons and monsters

給我們海克力斯這樣的英雄 強到可以打敗

that we suspected haunted the night beyond our campfires.

那些可能在夜晚的營火旁 把我們抓走的惡魔與怪獸

But eventually, we realized the monsters did not lie out there,

最終我們發現，怪獸並不在外面

they reside inside of us.

而是在我們心裡

Beowulf's greatest enemy was mortality.

貝武夫最大的敵人是恐懼死亡

Othello's, jealousy.

奧賽羅的敵人是嫉妒

Hiccup, self-doubt.

小嗝嗝的敵人是自我懷疑

And in the tales of the ineffectual anti-hero, in the stories of Guy Montag and Winston Smith,

在《華氏 451 度》及《1984》裡 作用不大的非傳統英雄

lie the warnings of contemporary storytellers playing on very primitive fears:

藏著當代作者對抗原始恐懼的警告─

that we are not strong enough to defeat the monsters.

我們的力量不足以打敗怪獸

Only this time, not the monsters chased away by the campfire,

只在此時出現的 不是被營火嚇跑的怪獸

but the very monsters who built the campfire in the first place.

而是最初生起營火的怪獸