《荒野猎人》:复仇还是宽容

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Excerpts1）

September 1， 1823

They were abandoning him. The wounded man2） knew it when he looked at the boy3）， who looked down， then away， unwilling to hold his gaze.

For days， the boy had argued with the man in the wolf-skin hat4）. Has it really been days？ The wounded man had battled his fever and pain， never certain whether conversations he heard were real， or merely by-products of the delirious5） wanderings in his mind.

He looked up at the soaring rock formation above the clearing. A lone， twisted pine had managed somehow to grow from the sheer face of the stone. He had stared at it many times， yet it had never appeared to him as it did at that moment， when its perpendicular6） lines seemed clearly to form a cross. He accepted for the first time that he would die there in that clearing by the spring.

The wounded man felt an odd detachment from the scene in which he played the central role. He wondered briefly what he would do in their position. If they stayed and the war party7） came up the creek， all of them would die. Would I die for them ... if they were certain to die anyway？

“You sure they’re coming up the creek？” The boy’s voice cracked as he said it. He could affect a tenor8） most of the time， but his tone still broke at moments he could not control.

The man in the wolf skin stooped hurriedly by the small meat rack near the fire， stuffing strips of partially dried venison9） into his parfleche10）. “You want to stay and find out？”

The wounded man tried to speak. He felt again the piercing pain in his throat. Sound came forth， but he could not shape it into the one word he sought to articulate.

The man in the wolf skin ignored the sound as he continued to gather his few belongings， but the boy turned. “He’s trying to say something.”

The boy dropped on one knee next to the wounded man. Unable to speak， the man raised his working arm and pointed.

“He wants his rifle，” said the boy. “He wants us to set him up with his rifle.”

The man in the wolf skin covered the ground between them in quick， measured steps. He kicked the boy hard， square in the back. “Move， goddamn you！”

He strode quickly from the boy to the wounded man， who lay next to the meager pile of his possessions： a possibles11） bag， a knife in a beaded scabbard12）， a hatchet13）， a rifle， and a powder horn. As the wounded man watched helplessly， the man in the wolf skin stooped to pick up the possibles bag. He dug inside for the flint14） and steel， dropping them into the pocket on the front of his leather tunic15）. He grabbed the powder horn and slung it over his shoulder. The hatchet he tucked under his broad leather belt.

“What’re you doing？” asked the boy.

The man stooped again， picked up the knife， and tossed it to the boy.

“Take that.” The boy caught it， staring in horror at the scabbard in his hand. Only the rifle remained. The man in the wolf skin picked it up， checking quickly to ensure it was charged. “Sorry， old Glass. You ain’t got much more use for any of this.”

The boy appeared stunned. “We can’t leave him without his kit16）.” The man in the wolf skin looked up briefly， then disappeared into the woods.

The wounded man stared up at the boy， who stood there for a long moment with the knife―his knife. Finally， the boy raised his eyes. At first it appeared that he might say something. Instead， he spun around and fled into the pines.

The wounded man stared at the gap in the trees where they had disappeared. His rage was complete， consuming him as fire envelops the needles of a pine. He wanted nothing in the world except to place his hands around their necks and choke the life from them.

Instinctively he started to yell out， forgetting again that his throat produced no words， only pain. He raised himself on his left elbow. He could bend his right arm slightly， but it would support no weight. The movement sent agonizing bolts through his neck and back. He felt the strain of his skin against the crude sutures17）. He looked down at his leg， where the bloody remnants18） of an old shirt were tightly wrapped. He could not flex his thigh to make the leg work.

Marshaling19） his strength， he rolled heavily to his stomach. He felt the snap of a suture breaking and the warm wetness of new blood on his back. The pain diluted20） to nothing against the tide of his rage.

Hugh Glass began to crawl.

作品赏析

迈克尔・庞克发表于2002年的小说《荒野猎人》的英文书名为“The Revenant： A Novel of Revenge”。书名中的revenant一词源自法语，本意是久不相见的归来的故人，又特指重现人间的已死之人。由此，这本书的全名直译的话，可译为“还魂者：复仇记”，这在一定程度上点出了故事的中心人物和发展脉络。小说中的故事发生在1823年美国的密苏里领地。故事开端，一支受雇于落基山毛皮公司的打猎队伍正穿行在隆冬将至的北美大平原上。休・格拉斯是队伍中经验老到的一员，探路时，他遭遇护幼心切的母灰熊袭击，在与灰熊搏斗中身受重伤，奄奄一息。鉴于路途艰险，时间紧迫，狩猎队队长用70美元作为额外奖金，悬赏两名队员留下看护似乎将不久于人世的格拉斯，并负责处理其后事。队员约翰・菲茨杰拉德和吉姆・布里杰选择了留守，但对他们而言，每耽搁一日，滞留后方的危险就多一分。最终，他们还是选择弃格拉斯而去，并带走了这个将死之人的护身刀和火枪。两人成功抵达营地后谎称已将格拉斯妥善安葬。殊不知，这个从死亡线上挣扎着归来的故人正艰难地为着复仇而来。

与前半段的故事铺垫形成鲜明对比的是，作为一部以“复仇”为主题的小说，理应是故事高潮的复仇部分却显得有些令人“失望”。当格拉斯克服千难万险抵达营地时，菲茨杰拉德已弃营逃走，只剩下满心愧疚的布里杰。两人之间的恩怨最终以格拉斯将布里杰痛打一顿作罢。格拉斯随后找到了菲茨杰拉德，控告其偷了自己的火枪，但最后案子以菲茨杰拉德归还火枪，并被处罚两个月薪水不了了之。

这个有着“复仇”标题的故事之所以没能以更戏剧化的复仇场面结尾，大概是因为与其他纯虚构的作品不同，遭遇灰熊袭击的猎人格拉斯的故事在历史上确有其事，书中所涉及人物的最终命运也各有定论，容不得作者发挥得过于天马行空。自从1824年一位费城律师将格拉斯的故事记述发表至今，这个传奇故事不仅没有随着岁月流逝被人们遗忘，反而不断演化出更多丰富细腻的情节。对于所有试图重述这个故事的人而言，最大的挑战既不是格拉斯与灰熊搏斗的骇人场景，也不是他在重伤之下向营地前进的惊心路途，而是如何回答这段历史传奇的终极疑问：为什么格拉斯如此大费周章地找到了抛弃他的队友，最后却没有以“大快人心”的以命相抵收场？这也许是庞克这本小说最有野心和最耐人寻味的地方：作者不仅没有回避这个“复仇逻辑”与“历史真实”的错位，反而将“复仇”醒目地放在标题里，又带领读者一路去到一个没有以命相偿的复仇现场。

对年轻猎人布里杰的复仇可以说最终以慈悲和宽恕收场。作者对于布里杰的细节刻画最后使得这样的复仇结果顺理成章。与菲茨杰拉德表面自愿留下看护格拉斯，实为觊觎其火枪的动机不同，布里杰自愿留下的初衷被刻画为想要对格拉斯平日的照拂之谊有所报偿。在看护期间，布里杰为格拉斯炖汤敷药，关怀备至。而他的在场似乎也使菲茨杰拉德有所顾忌，没有对毫无抵抗能力的格拉斯痛下杀手。凡此种种，才使得命悬一线的格拉斯虽被抢夺了武器，陷身于茫茫荒野，却最终度过了鬼门关，并开始了漫长的复仇之路。当格拉斯与布里杰在营地重逢时，年轻人诚恳的愧疚也使得格拉斯没有下狠手。当格拉斯把布里杰打倒在地，并拔枪瞄准这个仇家时，格拉斯在心里想：“还手啊，混蛋！”因为对方的任何反抗都使他有足够的理由射出复仇的子弹。然而这个复仇者在布里杰的眼中看到他“没有恶意，只有畏惧；没有反抗还手，只有任打任杀”。这颗复仇的子弹因此终究没能射出。这对布里杰自然是一种宽恕，但对此前恨意蒙心的格拉斯而言，也未尝不是一种解脱。

至于复仇的另一半，对贪财且利欲熏心的菲茨杰拉德的报复，最终以格拉斯愤而拔枪射伤菲茨杰拉德和庭审人员将格拉斯击昏而暴力收场。当格拉斯来到营地时，菲茨杰拉德已弃营而逃，后来格拉斯发现菲茨杰拉德因打架斗殴，被强征入伍。他向菲茨杰拉德的总指挥官控告菲茨杰拉德是个贼，偷了自己的枪。但格拉斯和菲茨杰拉德对簿公堂的结果是，菲茨杰拉德谎称自己受了布里杰的蒙骗，以为格拉斯已死，自己又受土著人追赶，这才慌忙逃走，并声称枪和刀都是布里杰拿的。眼见菲茨杰拉德的说辞似乎赢得了法官的认同，气愤的格拉斯当庭拔枪，射中了菲茨杰拉德的肩膀。虽然没有将菲茨杰拉德打死，但最终格拉斯要回了自己的火枪，且菲茨杰拉德被扣薪水，菲茨杰拉德也算是得到了报应。在这部分，作者神来一笔，虚构了庭审桥段，使这场无疾而终的复仇凸显出弥漫于整本书的蛮荒之感。在庭审之前，小说的蛮荒感源自格拉斯的“失语”：他那被灰熊划开的喉咙丧失了部分发声功能，导致他很长时间无法说话，而整日与他相伴的则是同样口不能言的野兽、语言不通的印第安人和欧洲拓荒者。作为全书复仇结局的重头戏，这场庭审闹剧是书中对话非常密集的一部分，虽然看似充满了“言说”，少了些许蛮荒感，但却以形式上的“言说”和实质上的“失语”传递出了作者对于蛮荒的理解：它似乎既是言说的缺失，又是言说的滥用，而实际上是信任和沟通的缺席。

在真实历史中，复仇者格拉斯几年后死于印第安人的伏击，亡命徒菲茨杰拉德在历史的记述中销声匿迹，青年猎人布里杰后来习得了法语、西班牙语和多种印第安部落语言，活到将近80岁，以受人尊敬的一代山人形象为后人所铭记。若我们以庞克对三个人物的刻画来解读这段不了了之的复仇故事，它之后的真实历史仿佛在表明，复仇的执念虽然可以支撑一个身负重伤之人爬完数百英里的蛮荒之路，慈悲与宽恕所带来的影响却更加深远。宽恕让一个负疚之人得以改过自新，将成长印刻在人类缓慢前行的文明之路上。