Response to Alice Munro's Short Story, "Corrie" 艾丽斯·门罗《科莉》读后感

    Women in Munro’s stories are clever, but often lose their insight when it comes to love.They have to compromise to the realistic factors. In this story, “Corrie”, Munro left an opening ending to it, indicating the insignificance of knowing where the payments went. However, such indifference showed that she finally started to feel skeptical about the sincerity of Howard's love. "No news about Sadie, because Sadie doesn't matter and she never did. No post-office box, because the money goes straight into an account or maybe just into a wallet. General expenses. Or a modest nest egg. A trip to Spain. Who cares?" as Munro put in a paragraph close to the end, which was the epiphanic moment of Corrie. Only when she stopped thinking about something she needed to think through - she went to bed without finishing the letter - could she truly think it through. She was a sympathetic character in terms that she had wasted so much time on self-deceit, and she could do nothing about it. The last paragraph of the story, "When she goes down to the kitchen again she goes gingerly, making everything fit into its proper place," was an implication of this sense of loss in heart which Corrie could do nothing to make up. If she chooses to keep the affair, she will have to keep deceiving herself that Howard has never taken advantage of her; if not to, she will have to suffer the pain of losing love. Either way will make her agonized. Maybe this explains why the story ended in a wordless way that implies an emotional complexity. Sometimes it is just better that authors leave out unnecessary descriptions of disclosure.

注:中文版《科莉》选自门罗短篇小说集《亲爱的生活》,结尾处较英文原版有改动。本篇是基于原版的读后感。

英文版结尾:

    But then there is a surprise. She is capable, still, of shaping up another possibility.

    If he doesn’t know that Sadie is dead he will just expect things to go on as usual. And how would he know, unless he is told? And who would he be told by, unless by Corrie herself?

    She could say something that would destroy them, but she does not have to.

    What a time it has taken her, to figure this out.

    And after all, if what they had—what they have—demands payment, she is the one who can afford to pay.

    When she goes down to the kitchen again she goes gingerly, making everything fit into its proper place.

中文版结尾:

    她写了一张最简短的便条,信被扔在一边。

    “莉莲死了,昨日已安葬。”

    她把便条寄到他的办公室,这无所谓了。特快专递,谁管呢?

    她切断了电话,这样就不必忍受等待的折磨。一片寂静。也许她永远都不会再听见。

    但是很快她收到一封信,比她的便条多不了几个字。

    “现在一切都好了,高兴点。不久后见。”

    那么就这样到此为止了。再做什么都太晚了。本来可能会更糟,糟糕得多。

——写于2019年12月9日。

更正:经调查,中文版是基于门罗早前的一次文稿所翻,英文版为终稿。

——更正于2019年12月14日。

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