THe EGG 译文
the eggppt课件
Ⅳ. A basket of small live chickens which on the wagon when we moved symbolize that Father longed of American dream once again.
• In the sixth paragraph For ten years my father and mother struggled to make our chicken farm pay and then they gave up that struggle and began another. They moved into the town of Bidwell, Ohio and embarked in the restaurant business.andIn the eleventh paragraph
this point, Father was induced by Mother to give
up his place as a farmland. Like many other
American people, Fatheng up the chicken farm was to
养鸡场里千奇百怪的畸形的小鸡象 征着父亲心中被扭曲的畸形的美国 梦。
英语泛读(三)课后答案
1. THE EGG1) What is meant by the comment. ''most philosophers must have been raised on chicken farms'' are we take it seriously ?On the chicken farm, people usually have a lot of grotesque，sophisticated ideas and problems which are most fit for philosophers to cope with. So the writer made such a comment．But however, we don't take it seriously.2) The scene in which the narrator's father and Jane appear together one night obviously is the main scene in the story．What is Joe kane's reachtion to thefather's tricks and his grotesque chickens in alcohol ? Why does the father failto realize the absurdity and unsuccessfulness of his enterainment?Jos Kene thought the father's tricks are grotesque and hideous. He feels ill at look of those deformed chickens in alcohol. Because the father is trapped in the American passion for success．He tried to be a normrous Doss, and made his restaurant famous so that more customers would come and then he would make a lotof money. The father clung to his grotesque truth and got so feverish in tryingto be a success that he because narrow-minded and deformed in behavior and thereby he didn't realized the absurdity and unsuccessfulness of his entertainment.3) What does the egg symbolize?The egg is a symbol for unfulfilled hopes and promises. The egg hintedAmerican dreams to be‘ in a passion for success, by which people a r e convinced that everybody should be ambitious, through one's efforts one can rise in the worldeven from humble origin and prowerty.4) Twice the narrator mentions the detail that when his angry father enters the bedroom with another egg in his hand，instead of destorying it，he lays it gently on the cable．why?Because the egg is Father's hope，his hope for making fortune and successhasn't been shattered completely. He still has to go on running his restaurant and serve the customers. with the egg.2. HOLIDAY1) What Kind of family is the Mullers?The mullers is a practical, hard-beaten but warm-hearted and hospitable．Thereis a respectful and affectionate relationship among the family. They work hard all their lives. They confront troubles and grieves with great courage.2) Why does the narrator seem disappointed at first, but shortly after her arrival at the Mullers' fell that she is ''going to like it here''Along the road to the Mullers', what she finds is that desolate, bleak，shapeless, scene which is not in the least the ''paradise'' Louise described to her before, and which is unfit for to spend her holiday．Because of the simplicity, warmness and hospitality of the Mullers and sedate surroundings full of promises of spring and free or troubles and pressures. She feels homely3) Ottilie is at first a mysterious, tragic nobody. Do you agree with the family's attitude towards her? why does the family treat her like that? Why does thenarrator conclude ''there was nothing I could do for Ottlie...she was beyond my reach as well as nay other human reach...''?I n the Mullers' view, nothing is to be gained only by feeling sorry. There areno provisions for coaling invalids．One must work heroically to heal the hurtsthat can be healed. They are born equally the puppets of life. the narrator's are nothing before Ottilie's agony and misfortune．What is more , Ottilie lives and confronts them more heroiocally, more strenuously heroiocally, more strenuously 4)Why is the afternoon ''lively'' and ''feature'' for both Ottilie and narrator? Although Ottilie and the narrator are suffering a lot in their lives. they are lucky to be fugitives from death. so that they have a little stolen holiday. a breath of spring air and freedom5) What has the narrator gained from it ?One must accent life as it is in the real life and not as it might be in one's idealized world．Nothing is to be gained only by ''feeling sorry'' . it is a not a society or a class that pampers it's invalids and the unfit，so long as one live, one should do one's share, moreover，one would be lucky that one can live the world One must work heroically to heal the hurts that can be healed. That islife．3. BABYLON REVISITED1) What sort of life had Charlie and Helen lived in Paris before Helen's deathand Charlie's collapse?As Charlie and Helen got rich in boom, they had a luxurious life, squandering money in bars and parties，indulging themselves in dissipation.2)What kind of a person is Lorraine Quarrles?Lorraine. one of Charlie's old friends in the time of dissipation, goes on herold way. while everything has changed and action as one of the story's symbolsof Charlie's past . She owes that Charlie could regain his daughter.3) What kind of a person is Marion Peters?Narion is a typical woman of American middle-class, satisfied with a warm, comfortable family life and healthy children. She submerges her jealousy of her sister's materially superior marriage in a curious disbelier in her sister's happiness. She cherishes a prejudice against Charlie, so that in the end she refuses to return the legal guardianship of Honoria to Charlie.4)What parallel is there between Charlie's present relation to Lorraine Quarrles and his present relation to Marion peters?As one of Charlie's old friends, Lorraine still wants to draw a certain substance from Charlie which impose the impingement of past on his present Marion. the custodian of his daughter without enough confidence in Charlie is in debate to both of them, to Marion for taking care of Honoria, to Lorraine, as she unpleasantly playing the game，Charlie can't get rid of these relations with them. In the end, both of them set Charlie in the defeat of regaining his daughter.5)Why does the story begin with Charlie talking to the bartender in the Ritz Bitz Bar and then taking a taxi ride through Paris? Why does Charlie pay a visit to Montamartre?The Ritz Bar and Montanatre are story's symbols of relentless impingement of the past on the present Charlie's initial appearance at Ritz Bar seems to imply precisely the opparent separation of the past from the concerns, needs and desires of present, The fact that Charlie can return to the tab of life still appeals to him, But rather demonstrates that the extend and depth of his self-mastery and confidence, he feels in his belief that his wildly squandweing yesterday are over and done with that there is no tab left for him to have to pick up．6) Why is Charlie so eager to take back Honoria?Charlie wants to extricate himself past. He needs his daughter back in orderto give shape and direction to his renaissance to redeem his of human valueand in a sense，to recover something of his wife ''escaped to a greaw inVermont''4． DRY SEPTEMBER1) Can you tell，with the help of the introduction of William Faulkner'sattitude towards her, critical or sympathetic?Miss Minnie symbolizes the old corrupt, decaying social system in the south Minnie's popularity in her youth, her illness and haggardness later exactly suggests the rising and falling of southern society. Faulkner shows his critical and also sympathetical attitude towards Miss Minnie Cooper．He expresses”poor Minnie'' several times through the verval statements of his fictional characters．2) William Faulkner set his story in an extrmely hot September. Does theweather have any effect on the story?Faulkner sets his story in an extremely hot September. He depicts the dry,hot dusty and smothering weather to contribute an atmosphere to the readersthat something portentous．should happen and foreshadow that a group of racialist lose their consciousness to kill an innocent black merely in virtue of a white spinster's rigmaroles.5. IN ANOTHER COUNTRY1) The title of the story may be taken literally, of course, for youngAmerican soldier is far away from home. Can you explain the meaning of thetitle in some other respects?The title has multiple meaning，Italy, where the story takes place and where the war is going on, is ''another country'' for the young American who narrates the story. The city of Milan, with its hospital far from the battle-fields, is”another country'' for the wounded soldiers in the story．In a symbolic sense,the soldiers who have suffered wounds and become familiar with death occupy''another country'' from that of normal civilians who g about their dailylives and tasks without concern, and without understanding of the soldiers' special point of view．2) What does the machine mentioned in the story symbolize?It is used by Hemigway as a symbol for the war, is being fought on the theory that it will mend crippled society.3) '' We all had the same medals, except the boy with the black silk bandage across his face... What is the irony of this soldier's situation?the irony lies in the very fact that the soldier, wounded so seriously.was expected by us readers to get a medal, however which was denied tohim only in virtue of not staying long enough at the front．4) How do the narrator's and the reader's attitude toward the major changeat the end of the story? What does the narrator learn from the major?After his wife's death the major was lost in sorrow，But at the end of thestory we found he was a strong-minded man．He could still live on with his own courage. Our attitude towards him changed from mere sympathy to admiration.The narrator learns from the major the spirits of self-denial dicationto country and courage to face the tragic affairs．5) In Another Country，like much of Hemingway's fiction has autobiographical overtones．In what respects are the narrator's and the author's experiences similar?Both of the narrator and the author went into the way in Italy and were wounded badly in action and treated in an Italian hospital.8. THE WORN PATH1) What does the name old Phoenix suggest?Phoenix is mythical bird which, after living hundreds of year in the Arabian desert. burnt itself on a funeral pile and rose from ashes， and became young again to live for anther cycle. Here in the story. the allusions of phoenixgive archetypal depth to the old black woman's annual journey to Natches to obtain medicine for her grandson it suggests that through the act of love and compassion for her grandson and her indomitable spirit and wits , the old black woman renews her worn body2)Why is the story entitled ''A Worn Path''?''A Worn Path''， in its literal meaning，it suggests the deep-grained habitof old Phoenix to her grandson, which cuts through confusion and stumblesor entrives its way out of difficulty9．THE ENOMOUS RADIO1) At the beginning of the story, the Westcotts seem to be the kind or peopleworth admiring. So you share the same opinion after reading the whole story?After reading the story , we can find that the Westcotts are not the kindof people worth admiring as they seem to be exactly like their neighbours;moral degradation, hypocrisy and spiritual vacancy, faltering marriage are exposed in them2)Obviously the Westcotts are lovers of serious and it runs though the wholestory from beginning to end, Can you appreciate its effect?Here is the use of irony, as the story underlines that serious music doesn'tmake people serious and noble minded．3)Twice in the story the Sweeney's nurse is mentioned．What is the effect oftheir arrangement?The author uses it as a contrast between a holy, fairy land to the secular，evil society．The Sweeney's impresses us, also Mrs. Westcott that only Godcan save people's soul and make people pure.10．THE FIRST SEVEN YEARS1) Feld want a '' better life'' for his daughter Miriam. How does expect thatMax . the collage boy, will help boy, will help her to it?He expects Miriam will go to the university under the influence of Max. Forhe thinks those who have a college education will have a higher social statusand live a ''better life''．2) Miriam says that she does not like Max because he is a materialist, what isthe implication of Feld's not understanding what she mean?Because Feld didn't realize he himself was a materialist, a practical man, who only paid more attention to higher status，material luxury.3) Why does Feld relent in his attitude toward Sobel? How has understanding oflife changed?At first, he thinks material things are of the first importance, hut later, though the incident, he comes to realize that sympathy and live are more important which can exempt people from sorrow and difficulty．He feels that if Mirian marries Sobel, they may not be rich materially, but they can be satisfied and happy spiritually．11. HARRISON BERGERON1)As we Know the story, Harrin Bereron, is a satire. What aspects of the societyis mocking?vonnegut is mocking standardized social system with absolute equlizationsocial evils in the society ?2)W hat do you think Vonnegut is saying about the serious consquences of the social evilsin the society?It suppresses people's initiative and creativity, constrains development of people's mind and in consequwnce makes people lose their persomality and competition．3) Harrson Bergeron is described as here, a superhuman figure in the storyin what aspects do we say that Harrison Bergeron is a superhuman hero?He is taller，stronger more handsome and clever, above all, he has more courageto defy the existing social system than ordinary people4) Why is the result of Harrison's efforts also a satire?narrison is a superman he is brave to break the law，and even ''the law ofgravity'' and the laws of motion as well '' are useless to him. In reality, individalistic heroism claims nothing , in other words , his efforts is doomed to be worthless in the consequence of murder by the Handicapper General. This indicates that in order to maintain the existing social and ideological system, the lawmakers not only suppresses people's initiative and creativity, but also strangle people's wit and personalities．5) What do you think of Harrison's parents' attitude towards him?They snow insensitive to their son's incident and have a rigid way of thinking, Mother cares nothing about her son, Father tries to think of something about his son, but he is forced to give up, for every time he is interrupted by the noise 12. SONNY"SBLUES1)Why does Sonny take drugs? Why does one of Sonny's friends say ''He'llnever kick the habit'' , and Sonny himself say, ''It come again''?Sonny is a young man, with his own ideas. He is not satisfied with the poor situation like his parents, but he is also aware that it is very difficultto change the black's status in a society shrounded in racial discriminationHe is worried about his future and doesn't know how to do but uses heroin inorder to relax himself temporally. Since nothing has ever changed to the world when he is out of jail, it will come again2)Why do Sonny and his friends like the blues?Because the blues are sad，melancholy and very strong jazz music . lt canexpress their unhappiness and complaint, so that it can relax．themselvesfrom worry or desire temporarily.3)In order to have a better understanding of Sonny，Sonny's brother wentwith him to a night club to watch Sonny and his friends play jazz and music,he learn about their life?a．Sonny and his friends take music as important as lifeb. There exists sympathy, friendship, understanding and live among them4) Compare Sonny with his brother and Will Mayes in Dry September. Is thereany difference among the three?Will Mayes thought it God's will to insulted by the white, he didn't revolteven at stake of stake of being murdered by the black．Sonny's brother know that the black could not get rid of the bad situationbut he wants to improve his social status through education Sonny is the representative of younger generation. He is not satisfied with passive attitudeof his parents and brother．He wanted to fight for a bright future for himself．but he doesn't know how to fight，so he is lost and pessimistic . At last,some of them use drugs, some become hipsters and other have no way out but play blues to express their disastrous lives and melancholy feelings.13) THEARTIFICIL NIGGER1) Why does Mr.Head want to take nelson on this trip to the city?The grandfather, Mr.Head, has decided to bring his grandson, face with the real word . For the years the years the boy has lived in the isolation of the county. and Knowing that he will soon learn for a larger world. For he is so arrogant and conceited. Mr. Head intends to give him his fill in one visit to the city He has planned carefully for this day，so that he would stay at home for the rest oflife．2) What are the feelings of the two on the train? Why does Mr. Head talk to everyone? Why does he take Nelso on a tour of the train ? what is his attitudeto the large Negro they see?Mr.Head thinks he himself knows a lot while Nelson is ignorant . But Nelson doesn't think so h e disrespects Ms.HeadMr.Head talks to everybody on the train in order to show himself off and prove him to be a suitable guide for NelsonMr.Head takes Nelson on a tour of the train in order to show himself off and prove him to be a suitable guide for Nelson. Mr.Head takes Nelson on a tour of the train in order to let him see the parts of life in reality．He looks down upon the Negro3) What is the point of the episode when Nelson questions the Negro woman about where they are ?Nelson wants to ask the Negro woman for mother's love. He is eager to getmother's love. On the other hand, we can see the author is on the side of the black. The black is also human beings just like the white．4) What happens to Mr.Head that he admits he is lost? lost in what sense?Literally, the author depicts that, Mr. Head admits he lost the way, and then someone helps him get to the station where he and his grandson take the train back to their home, In symbolical meaning．Mr.Head has found himself to conceive inhis own heart the sin of adam．He is lost in moral sense. He is longing for God's mercy and forgiveness．which at last it is bestowed on him．5)What is the effect of the artificial Negro on them?The auther is well aware of the unreasonable racial discrimination in the south and expresses her hatred in the story. on one hand. She condemns the racial discrimination in the south (There aren't enough Negroes here for them to insult) On the other hand, the author urges that the racial discriminationshould be got rid of The black is . just like the white, also human beings. and can coexist with the white also human beings, and can coexist with the white in the world. To Mr.Head and Nelson , the artificial Negro acts as the agent of revelation of mercy and forgiveness.Before the artificial Niger, they have got reconciliation.14．THELUCID EYE IN SILVER TOWN1)What are Jay's mixed feeling about his father? What does he think of his Uncle quin and his mother?Although he loves his father, he thinks his father is impractical, unthoughful, too self abased and laced of confidence. He looks down his uncle as his ucle isa meechant. He thinks his mother has a one-side view .2) The scene in the Pickenut Club shows us what kind of success Uncle Quin has achieved. How does his relationship with the waiter contrast with that of Jay's father? What does the difference between the two suggest about the father's success or lack of it?Uncle Quin can order everyone in Pickenut Club. He thinks himself to be the owner,but father is too self-abased. as not to be successful．3) Updike suggests that Jay My be prematurel proud of his sharp vision．Which character do you think has the ''lucid eye''?Jay's father has the ''lucid eye'' because he knows why is a failure in the complicated treacherous society. While his brother is a success．15. THEMONDEY"S PAW1)How is each member of the White family characterized in the story? What aretheir attitudes toward the monkey's paw?Mr.White used to have a happy family but he was gentle and considerate. Herberhad a bright and cheerful disposition, he liked to make jobs with his parents.But he was filial , obedient to his parents．In spare time, time, he liked toplay chess．with his father．They lives happily and comfortably.Mr. White and Herbert were skeptical about the Magic power of the monkey'spaw While Mr．White was very curious about it．2) How does the monkey's paw change the relationship between the husband and wife?After their son's death, sorrow and depressing were occupying their?Mrs.White became very irritable and hysterical．She forced her husband to wish their son alive again．Mr.White knew that was impossible. The relationship between them was going bad to worse．3)What does the author want to convey in the story?The author tried to convey the idea that one shouldn't be greedy and denandwhat doesn't belong to him16. THE SCHARTZ-METTERDLUME METHOD1)What kind of a young lady Miss Carlootta is? Can you infer from the storyher family background?Miss Carlotta is very clever witty and warm-hearted. Although she is of noble origin, she hates those people who are pretentious and pompouse.prom the story we can infer that Miss Carlotta is from a moble family, she hasa wide ramge of knowledge of luxurious life life．2) What kind of education does Mrs．Quabarl requeat for her children? How does lady Carlotta take Mrs.Quabal at her word?Mrs．Quabarl wishes her children not to be taught but interested in what they learn In their history．for instance. Mrs.Quabarl asks lady Carlotta that she must try to make them feel that they are being introduced to the life stories of men and women who really lived，not Merely committing a mass of names and dates to memory Lady Carlotta doesn't only take Mrs'Quabarl at her words, but she put it into practice so ingeniously that she ridicules Mrs.Quabarl at the end of the story.3)What kind of method of teaching is the Scharlz-Metterklume?SO faras to understanding, with the method. the child children are not only to be taught but interested in what they learn. In history lesson，the children are asked to act it themselves so that they can feel that they they are being introduced to the life stories of men and woman who really lived, not merely committing a mass of names and date's to memory. In reality, it is a dame-up teaching method17)THE LION"S SKIN1)What do you think of the relation between the husband and wife? Throughoutthe story Robert Forestie leaves the reader the impression that he koves and respects Eleaor very much. Do you share the same feeling?Mrs. Forestier was neither charming, beautiful, nor intelligent, on the contrary, she was absurd, homely and foolish, yet she was kind-hearted，simple and credulous She adored Forestier as a handsome and genuine gentleman. But Forestier didn'tlike he．He only like her property．He was no common swindlerwho had got hold of a silly woman to keep him in luxury and idleness. She was only a means to a great end．So there was no genuine love between the husband and the wife2) Compare Robert Forestier with Frederick Hardy. Are there any differences between two?forestier is a hypocrite He is from low-class, yet he wants to become a menber of upper class and lead a gentlemanly life．But after his marriage, he turns over a new leaf. He had a rare capacity for Forestier's ruthlessness He was straight-forward and ready to help others.3)What is the theme of the story?The author intends to imply that those who cheat life will be punished by life itself in the end4)Why is the story entitled The Lion's Skin?In English , The lion's skin means fake courage. Here it means Forestier's phoney courage. What he did is just to pretend he is a real gentleman18．MR.ANDREWS1)What does Forster want to convey through these two charcters and their relationships?Forster wants to convey through these two characters that no matter how much people's believes diver from other and how hatred they are they can reconcile through good will and friendship2)What is Forster's opinion about religion?Heaven is only a delusion invented by the ignorant living men. One should devote himself into mankind's progress rather than delude individual after life happiness 3)Why do both Mr.Andrews and the Turk want to leave the heaven?Wh en Mr.Andrews and the Turk entered paradise, they found that it was not so sacred and holy as they had expected to be. Those gods were only interestedin attributes from living men. In the paradise they could be satisfied with secular．luwuries, but they could not find any noble, lofty beauty and friendship In other words, their expectations were fulfilled，but not their hopes．4) What does the last paragraph of the story mean?It means that they give up their individuality and contribute their wisdomand valuable experiences to the mankind's progress19．ARABY1)Important details of settings and personality are given in the first three paragraphs of the story, How does the description of North Richmond street andits houses including the priest's help us to know some aspects of the boy's character?How does the boy view all these things?All surrounding are not so good, but he can find some merits from it andfeels free from all anxiety and enjoys himself, These help us to understand some aspects of the boy's character naive，simple, energetic and fanciful.2)How well does the boy Know Mangan's sister? What, then, is it that makesher do fascinating to him?He is ignorant of her and never has a normal conversation with her, butlonging for love and abundant imagination of the youth Make him take an ordinary girl as an idol in his heart-the embodiment of all good things．3) Why does his experience at the bazar make him feel that he has been ''driven and derived by vanity''?What does the boy come to realize about himself at the end of the story?At the end of story, the boy came to realize that he was just a creaturedriven and deceived by vanity and that life and love are the vanities ofvanities4) What does the author want to covey through this story?The author wants to convey that there lies a chasm between the idealismand the reality by depieting the contrast between the love for Mangan's sisterand longing for the bazaar20. THE NEW DRESS1) We learn from the story of Mabel's family and her past．How does this information help to explain her behavior at the party?Mabel is from humble origin, marries a petty staff, Which mades her have a sense of inferiority to the others. But she is also a woman of vanity and is eager tobe in the lime-light whenever she finds the chance2) there are repeated references to Mabel's enjoyment of reading．Why does sheturn to books?She turn to the books in order to extrieate herself from the sense of inferiority and anxiety.3) There are several references to mirrors in the storyWhat function do mirrirs play with regard to Mabel's inner thoughts?When she saw herself in the mirror．she felt worried, worried Because her new dress did not harmonize with the party, So what she saw in the mirror was the reflectich of Mabel's inner thoughts.4)Flies are mentioned several tines by Mabel in the story. What state of mindis Mabel in each time she mentions flies?Each time Mabel is trying so hard to conceal and escape from her embarrassmentand anxiety at the party just like a fly that has fallen into a saucer of milk。
《鸡蛋》美国梦幻灭的象征
《鸡蛋》美国梦幻灭的象征摘要：舍伍德·安德森（sherwood anderson）是20世纪早期美国著名的小说家，在美国文学史上有很重要的地位。
《鸡蛋》（the egg）是舍伍德的著名短篇小说之一，他成功的塑造了“我”的父亲这样的一个屡遭失败和挫折的一个畸人，尤其是他对象征主义创作手法的运用，娴熟的揭示了美国梦幻灭这一主题。
对美国现代小说的发展产生了一定影响。
关键词：安德森象征美国梦纵观美国文学，大家耳熟能详的作家脱口而出的总会有海明威，福克纳等，而舍伍德安德森则仅有多半人熟知。
然而，舍伍德安德森在美国文学史上的重要地位是不可忽视的。
福克纳在1956年接受采访时候说：“舍伍德安德森是我们一代作家之父。
”海明威曾说：“他是我们所有人的老师。
”[1]舍伍德·安德森（sherwood anderson）1876年9月13日出生在美国中西部俄亥俄州，他的成长时期正是美国文学史由现实主义向现代主义转变。
安德森在1919年发表短篇小说《小镇畸人》从而确立了他在美国文坛的地位。
而他与1921年出版的《鸡蛋的胜利》短篇小说集中《鸡蛋》被视为其最好的作品之一。
这篇短篇小说中“蛋”起着关键的作用，有着多重象征意义。
一.鸡蛋象征生活本身性情开朗的父亲听从母亲的建议，放弃农场帮手的工作，开始了一个独立事业养鸡场。
然而，养鸡场运营的并不乐观。
由于长期和母亲以及小鸡打交道，父亲饱受挫折，从一个天性乐观的人变成一个沉默寡言的人。
第一次创业失败后，父亲开餐馆，但却无人问津。
在试图用鸡蛋娱乐客人失败之后，父亲变得这么绝望，以致他在冲动之下打算毁掉所有的鸡蛋。
这就像一个人失败的时候，容易倾向于毁掉导致他失败的所有东西。
但当他来到母亲面前，他身上发生了一些变化。
在母亲的劝诱下，他说出楼下发生的事情。
然后，他把鸡蛋轻轻放在桌子上，在母亲身边哭得像个孩子。
是的，他很想毁掉所有的鸡蛋，他不想再和它们打交道，他不想再在这个世界上痛苦地活着。
The egg的文章结构
The Egg的文章结构"The egg" was written by Sherwood Anderson, an American writer. He chose aittle boy as the narrator. In my opinion, the author wants to make readers think deeplyand to dig out the theme of story. The tale is talking about struggle of sad history ofacouple. At the beginning, father works as a farmhand. When he was thirty-fifty, hemarried a woman. Aft er their only child bom, "they become ambitious". Motherinduce father to give up his place and embark on an independent enterprise of hisow n."-- -chicken raising. It failed. But they did not give up. They began ano ther."They moved to the town of Bedwill, Ohio, and embarked in the res taurant business"It still failed. In this story, symbolism is obviously impo rtant element. The egg has avariety of meanings. Next, I am going to an alyze symbolism and characters, trying tofigure out the purpose of this short story.This story is told by a boy. On his point of view, he saw a world whic h differentfrom adult had seen. At first, his father, boy said, was a cheerf ul and kindly man bynature. He worked as a farmhand, quite happy in hi s position in life. But his motherwas quite ambitious for his father and hi mself. On the narrator's part, because hiparents were busy charging thei r chicken farm and take less care of him. Then "hebecame a gloomy ma n inclined to seethe darker side of life." The egg here stands for athief. A s far as I am concermed, child should be naïve and puerile when he wasyoung.He should enjoy his careless childhood. Nevertheless, the thief w as just breaking intoboy's life and disturbing his childhood, stealing awa y nature of boy and making himbecome premature. The boy found that "chicken eats quantities of corn and mealbought by the sweat of father' s brow, gets diseases, stands looking with stupid eyes atthe sun, becom e sick and dies." Father did not harvest anything but wasted his moneya nd effort. So the egg not only steals boy' happiness, but also rob father" treasure.Because father was a cheerful, kindly man" before, he was in or der to achieve a betterlife for his child. And he found another job. The si tuation of family, however, was notchange and got worse. The egg has o ther symbolism. It is parasite which just getswhat they need and take ev erything from its owner. The reason is that father devotedhimself to his chicken, such as time, energy and money. The truth is that the egg isalw ays taking but never gives. They wasted father' money, and took away hi s hope.Now he gained nothing but "dreadful cycle". "Thus this family ga ve up struggle andbegan another." During the journey of moving house, child recalled the life of farm,observing his father. Child found his father had become habitually silent anddiscouraged". His father suffered a lot from the egg. He consisted on fighting with theegg. So the egg symboli zes the destiny. People keeps struggling when they alive. Butsometime t he fate watch the stupid people struggle and mock at them. Fatherprote cted his greatest treasure -grotsques throughout a journey. Here, grotesque'ssymboiic reaning to predict bis dresm wouad not bappen snd tell t he render fatherwas xmead. Fzther "s behavior seems defiend our desti nay against iavasion carefully. Theyrented aa eaopty siore building zs a x estanranat opposite the aircad statioa. Mothersected this placeso as to s end her boy into a town and became a man of the townscae-day.' She p in her hopes on him. Father still put expectation on the egg. Hewondere d" if "he adopts "a cheerful outlook on life". And he also dreamed ofent ertaiming theit gusts whethe there is an opportunity. He never abandon s the chanceof controlling the egg as he wants to keep the destiny unde r the control. One day inthe evening, there was rare chance which a gust came to visit. Father wouldn't, ofcourse, let such a perfect opportunity s lip away. Then father exhibited the grotsques.But "his visitor was made a lttle ill by the sight if the body of trribly deformed birdfioating in the al cohol in the bottle and got up to go." Father began to do a trick withan egg and wanted to catch visitor' attention. It failed. Visitor laughed at hi m andthought he was mildly insane and harmless. At last, father lost fac e and reputation.The egg won. Father lost the fate and he sadly admitte d.After I had read the short story, I feel sympathetic for the father and chil d. Theyare made fool of the egg. In addition, the egg stand for America n drean. Because theexperience of the author make him raise aldeeply thought, and to pick up his pen so asto wake up people who are obsesse d with making their American dream coime true. Àiworse, this has lead t o people not thinking for themselves, and simply followingpaublic opini on. But the reality is quite cruel and totally different.。
英语文学概括the egg读后感
英语文学概括the egg读后感全文共6篇示例，供读者参考篇1I read a super cool book called "The Egg" and it was so awesome! It's all about this guy who meets God and finds out that everyone in the world is actually just one person living different lives. It's like we're all connected and part of the same big soul! Isn't that crazy?I really liked how the author, Andy Weir, made me think about life and how we're all linked together. It made me realize that we should be kind to everyone because we're basically being kind to ourselves. And even though bad things happen, they're just part of our journey to learn and grow.The story was super interesting and made me ask lots of questions about life and the universe. It was a bit mind-blowing but also really fun to think about. I think I'll definitely read it again and share it with my friends because it's such a cool concept.Overall, "The Egg" was a really great book that made me see the world in a whole new way. It's a quick read but packs a bigpunch with its deep message. I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to think about life and our place in the universe. Just remember, we're all just one big soul living different lives!篇2The Egg is a super cool story that talks about a guy who dies and then meets God. God tells him that he's not really dead, but he's just about to be born as someone else. It's like he's living all these different lives, but really it's all just part of one big life.I thought it was so interesting how the story shows that everyone is connected and we're all a part of something bigger. It made me think about how we should treat others with kindness and love, because we're all connected in some way.I also liked how the story talks about how we should learn from our past lives and try to be better in our current lives. It's like we're always growing and changing and becoming a better version of ourselves.The Egg made me think a lot about life and how we're all connected. It's a really deep and thought-provoking story that made me look at things in a different way. I think everyone should read it and think about what it means to them.篇3After reading "The Egg", I feel like my mind has been blown wide open! It's like, I never really thought about life and death in such a deep way before. The story talks about this guy who dies and then meets God, but God turns out to be like thisall-knowing, all-powerful being who has lived every life that has ever existed. And not just humans, but animals and plants and even like, aliens from other planets!It's crazy to think about how we are all connected in this big cycle of life and death. Like, when we die, we just become someone else in the next life. And God tells the main character that we are all actually just one soul experiencing different lives to learn and grow and become better beings. It's like we are all part of the same big soul, but we just don't realize it when we are alive.The story made me think about how I treat other people and how I should really try to be kind and compassionate to everyone, because we are all going through this journey of life together. It also made me think about how we shouldn't be afraid of death, because it's just a part of the cycle of life. And maybe when we die, we will get to see all the other lives we have lived and learn from them.Overall, "The Egg" is a mind-blowing story that really makes you think about the meaning of life and how we are all connected in ways we never imagined. It's a short story, but it really packs a punch and leaves you pondering the big questions about existence and our place in the universe. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have their mind expanded and think about life in a whole new way!篇4Once upon a time, I read this really cool story called "The Egg" by Andy Weir. It's about this guy who dies and meets God, who tells him that he is actually everyone who has ever existed. Like, we are all one big consciousness experiencing different lives to learn and grow. It's kind of mind-blowing, right?I mean, it made me think about how we are all connected in some way, and how our actions and choices can affect not just ourselves, but everyone else too. It's like we're all part of this big puzzle, and every piece is important to make the picture complete.And the ending of the story, where God tells the guy that he will be born again as someone else to learn more lessons, really made me think about life and death. It's like a cycle that keepsrepeating, but with each new life, we have the chance to make things better and learn from our past mistakes.Overall, "The Egg" made me realize that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves, and that we should treat each other with kindness and respect. Because in the end, we are all connected and our actions have consequences that can ripple through time and space. So let's all try to be better versions of ourselves and make the world a brighter place for everyone.篇5One day, I read a super cool story called "The Egg" and I wanna tell you guys all about it! So this story is all about this dude who dies and then meets this super wise and powerful being who tells him that he's gonna be reborn as a different person in a different time. And get this - the wise being says that every single person who has ever lived or will ever live is actually just the same soul living different lives!I thought that was so mind-blowing, like whoa, what if we're all just the same person experiencing life in different ways? It really made me think about how we should treat each other with kindness and understanding, because we're basically all connected in this big, crazy universe.The story also made me think about life and death in a different way. Like, what if death isn't really the end, but just a new beginning? It's a pretty deep concept for a little kid like me to wrap my head around, but I thought it was really cool to think about.Overall, "The Egg" is a super interesting story that made me think about some big questions. It's like a little nugget of wisdom packed into a short and sweet tale. I definitely recommend giving it a read and seeing what you think about it too!篇6One day, I read a super cool story called "The Egg". It's about this guy who dies and then meets God. But get this, God tells him that he's not really dead, he's just about to be reborn as someone else!I was like, "Whoa, that's crazy!" It made me think about all the different lives we could be living right now. Like maybe we were a cat in our past life, or a superhero in our future life!God also said something super deep about how we're all connected because we're all just different versions of the same person. It's like we're all one big family, just living different lives.Reading "The Egg" made me think about how we should be nice to each other because we're basically being nice to ourselves. It also made me think about how we should try to live our best lives, because you never know what life you might be living next!So yeah, "The Egg" was a super mind-blowing story that made me think about life in a whole new way. It's like a little nugget of wisdom that I'll carry with me forever.。
THe EGG 译文
1相信,爸爸就是生来就是一个活泼开朗的人、三十四岁之前,她一直在俄亥俄州毕兑奥镇的汤巴托农场打短工、她自己有匹马,每周六晚上都骑马到镇上与一帮雇农混上个几个钟头、本海德酒吧那时整晚觥筹交错欢歌笑语,人满为患得没地落脚,她只能站着喝两杯啤酒、一过十点,她沿一条孤僻乡间小路策马回家,将坐骑安顿停当,上床就寝,对人生心满意足、当时,她并没有任何出人头地的念想、2三十五岁的春天, 她娶了当时还就是学校教员的妈妈, 第二年春, 我便呱呱坠地、打那儿起, 她俩起了变化、她们变得雄心勃勃, 满脑子都就是美国式飞黄腾达的远大理想、3对此我妈可能也要付一定责任、她识文断字, 一定经常读书瞧报、我估计她在坐月子的时候, 就读了伽菲与林肯等人怎么从一介草民变成一代伟人--当时我就躺在她边上--兴许她指望我哪天也能呼风唤雨、她不由分说, 怂恿爸爸辞掉了雇农的工作, 卖了马匹自己做买卖、她身高体长, 沉默寡言, 鼻梁高耸, 灰色的眼珠常显得忧虑不安、她对自己无欲无求, 为我们却豪情万丈到无可救药、4她们的第一桩投资就惨不忍睹、她们在距彼兑奥镇八英里的格利路边租了十英亩贫瘠的石板地, 将养鸡厂投入运营、我在那里进入了孩提时代, 并获得了对人生的第一印象、最初的印象充斥着死亡与不幸, 如果说我后来成了一个彻头彻尾的悲观主义者, 都归功于我在养鸡场度过的本应快乐的童年时光、5没有相同的生活经历, 您绝想不到鸡的一生能惨绝人寰到何种程度、它破壳而生, 像复活节明信片上的小毛球样子活上几周, 然后令人发指地掉毛, 成堆地吃掉您老爹辛勤汗水换来的谷粮, 染上喉舌病, 霍乱等各种鸡瘟, 傻站着两眼朝天, 生病, 然后死翘翘、多数母鸡与少数公鸡, 为了践行上帝的神秘旨意, 挣扎着撑到成年、随后母鸡下蛋, 孵出小鸡, 恐怖的生命轮回籍此画上圆圈、整个过程复杂得匪夷所思、绝大多数哲学家的童年一定都在养鸡厂度过、各种期许美轮美奂, 到头来眼睁睁地一一破灭、初生的小鸡瞧似聪明伶俐, 实际上蠢得骇人听闻、倘若能侥幸熬过鸡瘟, 引得您期待满满, 它们便闲庭信步地走向马车轮底, 被轧成肉饼向上帝报道、寄生虫就是她们健康的大敌, 于就是大笔的钱被用来购买药粉、多年之后, 文坛涌现了一种致力于描写靠养鸡发家致富的文学流派、那就是写给全知全能开天眼的神人瞧的、此类养鸡文学积极向上, 描绘了人类靠两窝母鸡可以取得的巨大成就、别上当, 那不就是写给您瞧的、上阿拉斯加的冻土淘金, 相信政客敢上测谎仪, 坚信人类不会玩完或仁者无敌, 也坚决不要相信任何与母鸡有关的文艺作品、那不就是写给您瞧的、6怎么回事, 我跑题了、这个故事其实跟母鸡无关, 确切地说, 就是关于鸡蛋、十年来爹妈累死累活, 让养鸡场扭亏为盈的尝试还就是以失败告终、她们果断地改变投资项目, 前往毕兑奥镇进军餐饮业、十年来她们第一次可以不用担心孵蛋器不孵蛋, 或者为从半裸雏鸡变成死老母鸡的小毛球--它们确有自己的可爱之处--操心受累、我们打点家当扔掉鸡舍, 怀揣对新生活的美好憧憬, 沿着格利路启程朝毕兑奥进发、7如果没人硬说我们就是逃荒的难民, 往轻了说, 我们也就是个个愁云惨淡凄风苦雨、我与妈妈走路, 全部家当装在向邻居艾格里借来一天的马车里、椅子腿从车子两旁支棱出来, 床铺桌子厨具后面就是一木箱活鸡, 箱子上放着我幼年用过的婴儿车、我想不通干嘛还留着它--我不太可能有弟弟妹妹, 而且车轱辘早坏了、穷人总就是什么都不舍得扔、此类种种, 生活如此让人沮丧、8爸爸高坐在马车上、当时她四十五岁, 谢顶略胖, 常年与妈妈与鸡相伴使她变得习惯性的寡言少语闷闷不乐、十年间她一直在临近农场打零工, 赚来的钱大都花在了维魔特效霍乱散, 毕教授催蛋剂, 以及各种妈妈在家禽杂志广告上瞧到的鸡瘟特效药上、爸爸鬓角有两缕稀疏的头发、我记得小时候的冬天下午, 我会瞧着她在壁炉前的椅子里打瞌睡、那时我已经开始瞧书认字, 萌生了这么一个想法, 爸爸头顶上的光秃小径, 就像凯撒大帝的大路, 将她的疆土从罗马通向未知世界、她耳旁的发丛, 则就是森林、在半梦半醒之间, 我瞧到全家沿着爸爸头顶上的康庄大道, 走向无鸡无蛋的幸福生活、9我们从鸡场到市镇的长途跋涉可以写成一篇纪实文学、我与妈妈溜溜走了八英里, 她照瞧车上摇摇欲坠的东西, 我则打量着世上的奇景、父亲的旁边就是她的宝贝, 我接下来就要说、10养鸡场里落生的鸡成千上百, 发生的事情也千奇百怪、有的人生得歪瓜劣枣, 也有的鸡生来就奇丑无比、但此类横祸并不常见, 概率约为千分之一、瞧这只, 就生了四条鸡腿, 两对鸡翅, 两个脑袋、这些劳什子命薄, 出生不久便要到一时疏忽的造物主手里回炉重造、对爸爸来讲, 这些小可怜的夭折就是彻头彻尾的悲剧、她说若能将一只五腿母鸡或者双头公鸡成功养大, 带这些神鸡赶集卖票展览走遍美国, 不失为一条生财捷径、对此, 她一直念念不忘、11每一只怪鸡仔短暂的一生都得到了爸爸的竭力挽救、它们死后, 爸爸用乙醇对尸首防腐处理, 并分别贮藏在玻璃瓶中、这些瓶子被妥善保管在一个箱子里, 现在就躺在爸爸的旁边、她一手驾车, 另一手不离箱子左右、刚一抵达, 父亲就第一个把箱子小心翼翼地捧下车, 取出瓶子、我家在俄亥俄州毕兑奥市经营餐馆的期间, 玻璃瓶中的可怖异形始终霸占着柜台正后方的货架、妈妈不时表示抗议, 但父亲对此立场坚定不可动摇、据她所言, 瓶中怪鸡乃无价之宝、人们都爱猎奇, 她言之凿凿、12我说过我家注资俄州毕市餐饮业了不? 那其实略有点夸张、小镇位于小丘脚下, 小河之畔、绕镇而过的一条铁路停于一英里远的泡菜镇、火车站旁的一家果醋作坊与泡菜厂在我们来前就已经关门大吉、每天早晚有一趟巴士沿着特纳国道, 从毕兑奥主街上的旅社往车站拉人、在这个前不着村后不着店的地方开餐馆就是妈妈的主意、念叨了一年之后的某一天, 她突然到火车站对过租下了这个门脸、这餐馆指定挣钱, 她一口咬定、进出小镇来此等车的旅人, 都会上门点个馅饼, 喝杯咖啡、现在我知道她另有所图, 就就是让我去上城镇公学, 做城里人、为了让我出人头地, 她替我摩拳擦掌、13在泡菜镇的时候, 父母像往常一样任劳任怨、为了让这里瞧上去像个饭馆, 我们花了一个月进行了基本的修缮、爸爸造了个放蔬菜罐头的架子, 在招牌上用大红字漆了自己的名字, 底下直奔主题地写了--"来吃"--不过很少有人肯乖乖听话、新添置的玻璃柜里放满了各式烟草、妈妈把墙皮地板擦的光可鉴人、我在镇上上学, 每每为了逃离惨不忍睹的鸡场与鸡仔暗自庆幸、不过我还不就是完全无忧无虑、晚上放学沿着特纳路走回家, 我想起白天在学校操场瞧见一群同学在玩耍, 一拨女生边唱边跳、我照模照样, 在结冰的路上金鸡独立, 庄严肃穆地往前蹦, 大声唱道"蹦蹦跳,上发廊"、不过我马上停住, 狐疑地四下张望, 生怕兴高采烈的样子被人瞧见、我确定无疑, 对一个在死亡司空见惯的鸡场长大的小孩, 这种举动简直就就是灵异现象、 14妈妈做主, 饭馆通宵营业、每晚十点有一趟向北的客车与一节货车车皮先后从门口驶过、货车列车员在泡菜镇扳完道岔, 就会来饭馆吃点东西、有时候有人会要一只煎蛋、清晨她们打北边回来, 又再来吃、她们渐渐成了常客、妈妈白天盯着饭馆, 做饭跑堂, 晚上跟爸爸换班、白天爸爸在同一张床上补觉, 我去毕镇上课、一到晚上, 老爸准备熟肉冷盘, 等到转天中午包成三明治卖给候车的食客、这当儿, 扬名立万的美国梦攫住了她, 她变得踌躇满志、15无事可做的漫漫长夜, 爸爸经常陷入沉思, 深刻检讨自己的前半生、她断定自己之所以不就是一个幸福的人, 就是由于没有积极乐观地面对生活、因此她决定从明天起, 面朝大海春暖花开、第二天早上她上楼在妈妈身边躺下、妈妈醒来, 她们开始说话、我躺在一旁, 静静地听、16爸爸希望她俩都给顾客表演助兴、她大意就就是, 要把餐厅变成大众娱乐消遣的去处、镇民, 特别就是年轻人来的时候--虽然这种可能微乎其微--老爸会抖擞精神, 上台作秀、她要树立一个光彩照人笑容可掬的店主形象、妈妈肯定也嘀咕了一下, 但没有说丧气话、爸爸大胆展望, 镇上的年轻人届时会呼朋唤友成群结队载歌载舞地来店里瞧她们表演、欢歌笑语欢天喜地, 高朋满座宾客盈门、别误会, 这些不就是她原话、前面讲过了, 爸爸不太会说话、 "她们总得有地方去, 我告诉您, 她们总得有地儿去、" 她重复地念叨这句话、其她的就是我演绎了一下、17几周内, 爸爸的提议在家里生根发芽、我们心照不宣, 但都试着不再郁郁寡欢, 面带微笑、妈妈对每个客人都笑脸相迎, 我也受到传染, 冲着猫乐、爸爸成天想着娱乐大众, 变得有点头脑发昏、毫无疑问, 她体内藏着一个激情四射的演员、她不愿在来吃夜宵的铁路工人身上浪费弹药, 养精蓄锐只等毕兑奥的姑娘小伙上门、餐厅柜台上常年放着一篮子鸡蛋, 在她冒出迎宾伴宴的点子那一刻, 这篮鸡蛋想必就在眼前、可以说, 鸡蛋孕育了她的灵感、但与此同时, 她新生的激情, 也就是被鸡蛋浇灭、18一天深夜, 我被父亲从楼下传来的一声怒吼惊醒、我与母亲吓得从床上蹦了起来、她拨亮了床头灯, 双手瑟瑟发抖、只听楼下的门砰地摔上, 几分钟后, 父亲迈着沉重的脚步走上楼来、她攥着一只鸡蛋, 打摆子一样抖个不停, 眼神半带疯狂、她怒目圆睁, 我觉得她随时就要把鸡蛋砸向我俩、结果她却轻轻地把鸡蛋搁在台灯旁, 跪倒在母亲床边、她像个小孩似的开始大哭, 我感同身受, 也哭了起来、在小小的顶阁里, 我们俩号啕恸哭、荒唐可笑的就是, 现在我对此情此景的唯一印象, 就就是母亲反复抚摸父亲的秃顶小径、我记不清母亲如何使父亲说出原委, 也忘了父亲说了什么、只记得当时我悲恐交加, 父亲双膝跪地, 秃顶在台灯下熠熠发光、19关于楼底下发生了什么、由于某种没法解释的原因, 我对整个来龙去脉了如指掌--一如同亲眼目睹了父亲的崩溃、生活中总有一些事无法解释、那天晚上, 毕兑奥镇的周肯来泡菜镇等车、她父亲就是本地商人, 乘十点钟南来的火车、当晚火车晚点三个钟头, 她只得晃进我家的店闲坐打发时光、货车进站, 车组人员来了又去、店里只剩爸爸与小周、20打一进门, 这个小伙子就被爸爸的举动弄得摸不着头脑、她注意到爸爸明显神情不悦, 以为自己引起了店主的反感, 准备起身离开、不巧外面开始下雨, 她不想再回毕兑奥镇打个来回, 只得买了支五分钱的香烟, 要了杯咖啡、她掏出口袋里的报纸, 开始翻瞧、 "我在等车, 车晚点了、" 她满腹愧疚、21半晌, 爸爸一言不发, 直勾勾地凝视她的客人、她怯场了、她曾千百次地设想现在的情况,可当登台演出的机会真的出现了, 她又手足无措、22别的不说, 她连手都不知道该往哪搁、她突兀地伸出手, 与周肯握手、 "您好," 她说、周肯放下报纸, 盯着她瞧、爸爸瞥见柜台上的一篮子鸡蛋, 眼前一亮、 "那什么", 爸爸没底气地说, "您听说过哥伦布, 就是吧?" 她面带愠色、 "那个哥伦布就是个骗子", 她斩钉截铁地说、 "她口口声声说能让鸡蛋站立, 尝试了几次, 然后一下子把鸡蛋敲破了、"23从爸爸的客人瞧起来, 她好像忘了自己本来想干嘛、她嘟嘟囔囔, 声称宣扬哥伦布的事迹对儿童不利, 因为她在关键时刻使了诈--她谎称能让鸡蛋站立, 一要露馅就使伎俩骗人、爸爸从篮子里取出一只鸡蛋, 走来走去, 嘴里还在念叨哥伦布、她把鸡蛋放在手心里来回揉搓、她讲解到手掌的温度与轻微的旋转能给鸡蛋一个新的重心, 这略微引起了周肯的兴趣、 "我经手过成千上万只鸡蛋", 爸爸说, "没人比我更了解鸡蛋了、"24她把鸡蛋立在柜台上, 鸡蛋歪向一边、她不断尝试, 每次都用手掌转动鸡蛋, 把那套有关电力与重力学奇迹的说辞重复一遍、忙活了半小时鸡蛋终于能站上一会, 结果抬头一瞧, 她的观众正望向别处、当她成功地把周肯的注意力转移到她的成果上时, 这枚鸡蛋早已翻身躺倒了、25表演欲高涨又遭出师不利, 爸爸祭出了珍藏怪鸡的瓶瓶罐罐, 展示给她的观众、 "瞧这个! 双头七腿、", 爸爸一边说, 一边展示她的终极收藏、她满脸堆笑, 探出柜台, 试着拍周肯的肩膀, 就像她以前周六到本海德酒吧瞧见别人做的那样、目睹了严重畸形的家禽浸泡在酒精里的惨状, 她的客人有点恶心, 起身准备离去、爸爸从柜台里赶出来, 把她拽回了座位、她怒从中来, 扭过脸去, 让自己重新带上了笑容、她把瓶子放回架子上、她大发慷慨, 强制送给周肯一杯咖啡, 一支香烟、随后她取出一只平底锅, 从柜台底下拿出一坛子醋倒入, 宣布表演一个新戏法、 "我会用醋把这个鸡蛋加热," 她说, "然后把鸡蛋塞进玻璃瓶里, 还不把壳弄破、过一会蛋壳变硬复原, 我就把这瓶中蛋送给您、您可以随身携带, 人家准纳闷鸡蛋怎么进去的、别告诉她们, 让她们猜、这样才好玩、"26爸爸冲她的客人笑了笑眨眨眼、周肯断定, 面前的这个男人头脑有点不正常, 但没有恶意、她喝光那杯咖啡, 继续瞧报纸、热好鸡蛋, 爸爸用一把勺子盛到柜台前, 回里屋取出一只空瓶、观众的漠视让爸爸有点恼火, 不过她不为所动, 仍然干劲十足、她用尽办法想把鸡蛋塞进瓶口, 却以失败告终、鸡蛋被回炉再次加热, 她伸手去拿, 却被烫了一下、二次醋浴使蛋壳略有软化, 不过仍不足以通过瓶口、父亲孤注一掷, 做最后的努力、就在她认为戏法大功告成之际, 晚点的火车进站, 周肯毫不犹豫地起身离开、想到事关能否赢得善待来宾这一声誉, 走投无路之下, 父亲向鸡蛋发动最后一击、她竭力把鸡蛋往瓶子里硬塞、这次她不再留情、她骂骂咧咧, 搞得满头大汗、这时, 鸡蛋一下子被捏碎了、汁液四溅, 喷了一身, 周肯站在门口一瞧, 笑了出来、27父亲打嗓子眼里爆发出一声尖利的怒吼、她捶胸顿足胡言乱语, 嚷出一串难以理解的词句、接着她从柜台上篮子里抄起一只鸡蛋, 朝周肯的脑袋扔将过去、那个年轻人闪身躲开, 落荒而逃、28爸爸攥着一只鸡蛋走上楼来、我不知道她要对我与妈妈干什么、我估摸着她要当着我们俩的面毁掉这只, 或者全部的鸡蛋、但一瞧到妈妈, 她心里面发生了什么、如我所讲, 她把鸡蛋轻轻放在床头柜上, 跪在床前、之后她决定打烊, 上楼睡觉、一阵耳语之后, 她俩熄灯入睡、我可能也进入了梦乡, 但睡得并不安稳、转天破晓醒来之后, 我盯着桌上的鸡蛋瞧了很久、我纳闷为何世上要有蛋, 而蛋生鸡, 鸡又生蛋、这个问题钻进了我的骨髓, 挥之不去、我想这就是因为, 我就是爸爸的儿子、直到今天, 我仍然百思不得其解、而这, 不过只就是鸡蛋取得的全方面伟大胜利--至少对我家来说--的另一佐证、。
小说 the egg鸡蛋
英美小说要素解析指导老师：2013.1.1An analysis of “The Egg”"The Egg", taken from "The Triumph of the Egg", one of Sherwood Anderson's well-known short stories, is a humorous fiction about a farmer who became infected with the American passion for "success" and started to pursue wealth and social position.However, he failed though he made several attempt. This paper tries to analyze the use of the egg as a symbol, the point of view and theme.“The egg ”which used throughout the story symbols three different things. First,“the egg” symbols th e American dream of the father. This story is from Sherwood Anderson's "The Triumph of the Egg", which was published in 1920s when America was experiencing a whole nation transformation from agricultural country into industrial country . At that time, almost the entire nation started the dream of gold rush, pursuing fortune. This man who encouraged by his wife after marrying a country schoolteacher got ambitious. After that, he started his journey of American dream. His first venture of chicken raising turned out badly. Although father made his great effort, chickens became sick and died, which meant the disillusionment of his dream. Second, various monstrous chickens symbols fathers’twisted psychological. Father preserved those grotesques in alchohol and place bottles that chickens was put in on a shelfback of the counter. This behavior indicated that father’ American dream became twisted. Third, the egg symbols cruel reality. Chickens come out of eggs, but they probably born malformed and they can get sick. This equals people who run into obstacles, like the father made his attempt but still could not survive misfortune.The point of view of this artical is the narrrator--the son. It is inevitable that a child’s descpription must be more than the fact.As the narrator wrote：“For some explainable reason I know the story as well as though I had been a witness to my father’s discomfiture.”The narrator did not witness what happened actually, he imaged the part he did not know. This also made the story more real like someonewas telling you about his family story face to face. Furthermore, this point of view began shift at this point for the purpose of flexibly showing different thoughts of father and Joe kane to strenthen the effect of this funny, tragic and hopeless story. What’s more,the humor of narrator brings people a feeling of relax. “I,however, digress”,“I exaggerated a little”, these words shorten the distance between the writer and the reader and give readers more space to think themselves. Besides, this helps figure the son character. Furthermore, narrator’s rhythm of the description controls the structure of story. The narrator uses few words to picture his fathers’ first thirty years. While he uses a number of words to picture the night--the climax.Catabolization is a common theme in modern literature.Because of the coming of industrial age, people can not adjust to the great change from agricultural age, which resulted in catabolization of people.This is exactly what sherwood wanted to show through “The egg”. D riven by American dream, the father made his every attempt. However, various difficulties discouraged his determination and confidence. And gradually, the father became psychologically twist, which is what I mentioned above—catabolization. The pursuit for money is not the best choice, it is the combination of mental and physical aspects that contributes to the real success. In addition, the deceit and falsity of American dream is the other theme of this artical. Chicken eats quantities of corn and meal bou ght by the sweat of the father’s brow but gets diseases; restaurant business gets no great success though the couple work hard; father can not achieve customers’ recognition through his performance. This failure of his performance means his failure of American dream, breaking his hope and illusions. All these disclose that it is difficult to get rid of poverty and low status through hard work in the money-mad metropolis.Sherwood Anderson tells people the value of life and the essence of things through this story. It reveals social crisis that people are meeting with. The author also shows his sympathy for them and his sadness for people who only pursuit money while ignore the rich of mental. The abundant symbolic meanings and unique point of view in the story make it among the classics of American short fiction. It deserves readers deep thought and research.。
英语故事-The Egg
英语故事The Egg“Juke， aren’t you going to the fair this evening？” Mother asked late one afternoon.“Of course I’m going， Mother. After all， the temple fair comes only once a year.”“And this year the fair is quite special， you know，”Mother said. “There’re all kinds of shows-movies and singing troupes and folk opera， and even shadow puppet plays. Why，there won’t be time enough to see them all.”“How long does the fair last？”“There days， I think，” Mother said. “And what are you so busy doing there？”“I’m boiling an egg for the egg-breaking game at the fair.”Already Juke was thinking what it would be like. The temple compound would be very lively. Great throngs of people would come，not from their village alone but from other villages nearby， all dressed up in their best clothes andfinery-necklace，earrings，and all kinds of other gold ornaments. The temple fair was a good chance to show off one’s possessions. After all， it is not often that one has such an opportunity. And the boys would bring duck eggs from home or buy them at the fair to play the egg-breaking game.Soon it began to get dark. Putting his boiled egg carefully in his pocket， Juke went to meet his friends， whose names were Saeng， Koon， and Jorm. The four of them went to the temple.For a while they just walked around the compound，enjoying the sights and the bustle. They stopped to see a Manora dance that was just about to start. The dancers were supposed to be very good， and their performances always attracted many spectators， most of whom brought with them straw mats that they spread on the ground in front of the stage for their seats.After watching the dancing awhile， the four friends moved on to see a shadow-puppet play. Most of the audience here was made up of older people， and the boys didn’t stay long. Somehow they seemed to be thinking of something besides plays and dances and they kept walking around.Presently they reached the stall that had boiled duck eggs for sale. This was the place they’d been aiming forall the time. Here many other young boys and children were crowding around the bowls of hard-boiled eggs， waiting their chance to buy. Were they all that hungry？ Not a bit： the eggs were not for eating but were rather for the egg-breaking game，a kind of contest， a betting game for children using eggs instead of money. To contestants would each take an egg and hit them against each other. Usually one egg would be cracked，while the harder egg would stay whole. And the boy with the whole egg would win the cracked egg from his opponent. Occasionally both eggs would be cracked， and then the game would be a draw， each boy keeping his own egg.“Come on，” Jorm said，“let’s get eggs and start the game.”“How much are the eggs？” Koon asked the stall owner.“Only one baht each，” answered the woman.The boys tried to choose the hardest eggs with the thickest shells. They examined many eggs closely before making their choices， and finally each boy bought the egg that looked best to him. Everyone picked an egg except Juke， who had brought his own egg from home.“Come on， Juke，” said Jorm，“I want to have atry against that egg of yours.”“All right， but who’ll be bottom egg？”“I will，” said Jorm. So he placed his egg carefully in one hand， with the big round end up and held it out to Juke.Juke grasped his egg firmly， with the big end down. “Here goes！” h cried， raising his egg in the air. He was the winner， and he took Juke’s broken egg as his prize.Turning to his other friends， Jorm said：“And who’ll challenge me next？”“I will，” shouted Saeng， holding up the egg he’d chosen. “Just look！ See how greenish my shell is？ That mean’s it is mighty hard. It’ll break your egg for sure.”“All right，” said Jorm，“Just let’s see. You be bottom egg.”So Saeng held his egg out. Smiling， Jorm stroked his egg lovingly and then brought it down hard on Saeng’s egg.“Crack！” And it was Jorm’s egg that was broken.“Ha！” cried Saeng gleefully， taking Jorm’s egg. “I told you mine was better.”Juke brought another egg from the stall owner， and for a time the four friends kept playing the game. Nobody won or lost very much， but they kept buying new eggs and graduallyaccumulated quite a lot of broken eggs that they’d won from each other. Finally， gathering up all their broken eggs， they went to a food stall and had a delicious meal of rice， curry，and boiled eggs.When they were ready to make their separate ways home，they agreed they’d all bring their own eggs from home and meet at the fair next evening to continue their game.Late the next afternoon Juke built a fire in the yard and started boiling his egg. He was so absorbed in the process that his father asked：“What on earth are you doing， Juke？”“Boiling and egg for the egg-breaking game this evening.”His father laughed softly， casting his mind back to the days of his youth when he himself had been an eager player of the same game. Now， he loved juke dearly， always looking after him and teaching him with loving care what he ought to know. His dearest wish was that Juke should grow up to be a good man. So at this moment he was filled with hope that Juke would win the game that evening. He asked：“Do you think you have a good chance of winning？”“I’m not too sure， Father. Last night I lost my very first egg.”“Shall I tell you how to win？”“What， Father？”“When I was a boy I used to play this game， too. Whenever there was a village gathering， we boys would take boiled eggs along. It was really great fun in those days because we played against boys from other villages， too. Sometimes I would win dozens of eggs in one evening.”“You must have had some secret， Father，” Juke said excitedly. “What was it？ Tell me.”“The secret is in the way you boil the egg. If you want your egg to be tough， not brittle， you must boil it for a long， long time. Keep it boiling as long as you can， and the shell will become hard as rock. Of course， it won’t be very good to eat later， but you’ll win so many other eggs that you won’t care about that. Take my advice， and I promise you’ll be the champion this evening.”That evening Juke met his friends at the egg stall. “Well， now Jorm，” h said，“I’m ready for a return match.”“Sure，” said Jorm. “If you think you’re so smart，you can certainly have a try. But let me warn you that I have something pretty good here.”So the game began again. Juke was bottom egg. Againcame the “Crack！” and Juke’s face was wreathed in a broad grin： his egg had won this time. Jorm looked quite put out，because he had been so confident of winning.“Who’ll challenge me next？” said Juke， looking around at his friends.“Me，” said Koon， taking an egg out of his pocket.Once more Juke’s egg was on the bottom， and again Juke won. He went on playing with other friends from his village，winning many， many eggs. Finally he felt so bold that he decided to challenge someone from a different village.”Hey， big brother， how about having a go with me？”he said to an older boy from a nearby village.This boy had been playing the game with friends all evening and winning constantly. Evidently he was an old and skilled hand at the game. “Delighted，” he said， taking Juke’s egg and weighing it in his hand. Then he said：“Well，it feels heavy enough， but mine’s harder.”“Let me be top egg， please， big brother？”“All right，” said the older boy holding out his egg.Juke lost no time. Down came his egg， and there was a usually loud “Crack！” How the faces of Juke and his friendsfell when they saw that his egg was broken. But in a moment they all starting smiling again： the older boy’s egg was broken too. So the game was a draw， and neither boy lost his egg.The older boy smiled， patted Juke on the shoulder，and said：“We too are the champions tonight， and you’re just as good as I am， young brother. But you can have my egg，because you’re really one of the best egg breakers anywhere.”How proud Juke felt. Walking in front of all his friends， he led them to the eating stall and shared his eggs with them all. Everyone kept asking Juke what his secret was，but he only smiled knowingly and shook his head.As he walked home that night， still smiling， he told himself：“Father’s secret really works.” And he went to bed that night thinking of all the egg-breaking games he’d play in days to come. Thanks to his father， he’d be the champion of the countryside； he was sure of it.。
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1相信,爸爸是生来是一个活泼开朗的人.三十四岁之前,他一直在俄亥俄州毕兑奥镇的汤巴托农场打短工.他自己有匹马,每周六晚上都骑马到镇上和一帮雇农混上个几个钟头.本海德酒吧那时整晚觥筹交错欢歌笑语,人满为患得没地落脚,他只能站着喝两杯啤酒.一过十点,他沿一条孤僻乡间小路策马回家,将坐骑安顿停当,上床就寝,对人生心满意足.当时,他并没有任何出人头地的念想.2三十五岁的春天, 他娶了当时还是学校教员的妈妈, 第二年春, 我便呱呱坠地. 打那儿起, 他俩起了变化. 他们变得雄心勃勃, 满脑子都是美国式飞黄腾达的远大理想.3对此我妈可能也要付一定责任. 她识文断字, 一定经常读书看报. 我估计她在坐月子的时候, 就读了伽菲和林肯等人怎么从一介草民变成一代伟人--当时我就躺在她边上--兴许她指望我哪天也能呼风唤雨. 她不由分说, 怂恿爸爸辞掉了雇农的工作, 卖了马匹自己做买卖. 她身高体长, 沉默寡言, 鼻梁高耸, 灰色的眼珠常显得忧虑不安. 她对自己无欲无求, 为我们却豪情万丈到无可救药.4他们的第一桩投资就惨不忍睹. 他们在距彼兑奥镇八英里的格利路边租了十英亩贫瘠的石板地, 将养鸡厂投入运营. 我在那里进入了孩提时代, 并获得了对人生的第一印象. 最初的印象充斥着死亡和不幸, 如果说我后来成了一个彻头彻尾的悲观主义者, 都归功于我在养鸡场度过的本应快乐的童年时光.5没有相同的生活经历, 你绝想不到鸡的一生能惨绝人寰到何种程度. 它破壳而生, 像复活节明信片上的小毛球样子活上几周, 然后令人发指地掉毛, 成堆地吃掉你老爹辛勤汗水换来的谷粮, 染上喉舌病, 霍乱等各种鸡瘟, 傻站着两眼朝天, 生病, 然后死翘翘. 多数母鸡和少数公鸡, 为了践行上帝的神秘旨意, 挣扎着撑到成年. 随后母鸡下蛋, 孵出小鸡, 恐怖的生命轮回籍此画上圆圈. 整个过程复杂得匪夷所思. 绝大多数哲学家的童年一定都在养鸡厂度过. 各种期许美轮美奂, 到头来眼睁睁地一一破灭. 初生的小鸡看似聪明伶俐, 实际上蠢得骇人听闻. 倘若能侥幸熬过鸡瘟, 引得你期待满满, 它们便闲庭信步地走向马车轮底, 被轧成肉饼向上帝报道. 寄生虫是他们健康的大敌, 于是大笔的钱被用来购买药粉. 多年之后, 文坛涌现了一种致力于描写靠养鸡发家致富的文学流派. 那是写给全知全能开天眼的神人看的. 此类养鸡文学积极向上, 描绘了人类靠两窝母鸡可以取得的巨大成就. 别上当, 那不是写给你看的. 上阿拉斯加的冻土淘金, 相信政客敢上测谎仪, 坚信人类不会玩完或仁者无敌, 也坚决不要相信任何与母鸡有关的文艺作品. 那不是写给你看的.6怎么回事, 我跑题了. 这个故事其实跟母鸡无关, 确切地说, 是关于鸡蛋. 十年来爹妈累死累活, 让养鸡场扭亏为盈的尝试还是以失败告终. 他们果断地改变投资项目, 前往毕兑奥镇进军餐饮业. 十年来他们第一次可以不用担心孵蛋器不孵蛋, 或者为从半裸雏鸡变成死老母鸡的小毛球--它们确有自己的可爱之处--操心受累. 我们打点家当扔掉鸡舍, 怀揣对新生活的美好憧憬, 沿着格利路启程朝毕兑奥进发.7如果没人硬说我们是逃荒的难民, 往轻了说, 我们也是个个愁云惨淡凄风苦雨. 我和妈妈走路, 全部家当装在向邻居艾格里借来一天的马车里. 椅子腿从车子两旁支棱出来, 床铺桌子厨具后面是一木箱活鸡, 箱子上放着我幼年用过的婴儿车. 我想不通干嘛还留着它--我不太可能有弟弟妹妹, 而且车轱辘早坏了. 穷人总是什么都不舍得扔. 此类种种, 生活如此让人沮丧.8爸爸高坐在马车上. 当时他四十五岁, 谢顶略胖, 常年与妈妈和鸡相伴使他变得习惯性的寡言少语闷闷不乐. 十年间他一直在临近农场打零工, 赚来的钱大都花在了维魔特效霍乱散, 毕教授催蛋剂, 以及各种妈妈在家禽杂志广告上看到的鸡瘟特效药上. 爸爸鬓角有两缕稀疏的头发. 我记得小时候的冬天下午, 我会看着他在壁炉前的椅子里打瞌睡. 那时我已经开始看书认字, 萌生了这么一个想法, 爸爸头顶上的光秃小径, 就像凯撒大帝的大路, 将他的疆土从罗马通向未知世界. 他耳旁的发丛, 则是森林. 在半梦半醒之间, 我看到全家沿着爸爸头顶上的康庄大道, 走向无鸡无蛋的幸福生活.9我们从鸡场到市镇的长途跋涉可以写成一篇纪实文学. 我和妈妈溜溜走了八英里, 她照看车上摇摇欲坠的东西, 我则打量着世上的奇景. 父亲的旁边是他的宝贝, 我接下来就要说. 10养鸡场里落生的鸡成千上百, 发生的事情也千奇百怪. 有的人生得歪瓜劣枣, 也有的鸡生来就奇丑无比. 但此类横祸并不常见, 概率约为千分之一. 瞧这只, 就生了四条鸡腿, 两对鸡翅, 两个脑袋. 这些劳什子命薄, 出生不久便要到一时疏忽的造物主手里回炉重造. 对爸爸来讲, 这些小可怜的夭折是彻头彻尾的悲剧. 他说若能将一只五腿母鸡或者双头公鸡成功养大, 带这些神鸡赶集卖票展览走遍美国, 不失为一条生财捷径. 对此, 他一直念念不忘.11每一只怪鸡仔短暂的一生都得到了爸爸的竭力挽救. 它们死后, 爸爸用乙醇对尸首防腐处理, 并分别贮藏在玻璃瓶中. 这些瓶子被妥善保管在一个箱子里, 现在就躺在爸爸的旁边. 他一手驾车, 另一手不离箱子左右. 刚一抵达, 父亲就第一个把箱子小心翼翼地捧下车, 取出瓶子. 我家在俄亥俄州毕兑奥市经营餐馆的期间, 玻璃瓶中的可怖异形始终霸占着柜台正后方的货架. 妈妈不时表示抗议, 但父亲对此立场坚定不可动摇. 据他所言, 瓶中怪鸡乃无价之宝. 人们都爱猎奇, 他言之凿凿.12我说过我家注资俄州毕市餐饮业了吗? 那其实略有点夸张. 小镇位于小丘脚下, 小河之畔. 绕镇而过的一条铁路停于一英里远的泡菜镇. 火车站旁的一家果醋作坊和泡菜厂在我们来前就已经关门大吉. 每天早晚有一趟巴士沿着特纳国道, 从毕兑奥主街上的旅社往车站拉人. 在这个前不着村后不着店的地方开餐馆是妈妈的主意. 念叨了一年之后的某一天, 她突然到火车站对过租下了这个门脸. 这餐馆指定挣钱, 她一口咬定. 进出小镇来此等车的旅人, 都会上门点个馅饼, 喝杯咖啡. 现在我知道她另有所图, 就是让我去上城镇公学, 做城里人. 为了让我出人头地, 她替我摩拳擦掌.13在泡菜镇的时候, 父母像往常一样任劳任怨. 为了让这里看上去像个饭馆, 我们花了一个月进行了基本的修缮. 爸爸造了个放蔬菜罐头的架子, 在招牌上用大红字漆了自己的名字, 底下直奔主题地写了--"来吃"--不过很少有人肯乖乖听话. 新添置的玻璃柜里放满了各式烟草. 妈妈把墙皮地板擦的光可鉴人. 我在镇上上学, 每每为了逃离惨不忍睹的鸡场和鸡仔暗自庆幸. 不过我还不是完全无忧无虑. 晚上放学沿着特纳路走回家, 我想起白天在学校操场看见一群同学在玩耍, 一拨女生边唱边跳. 我照模照样, 在结冰的路上金鸡独立, 庄严肃穆地往前蹦, 大声唱道"蹦蹦跳,上发廊". 不过我马上停住, 狐疑地四下张望, 生怕兴高采烈的样子被人瞧见. 我确定无疑, 对一个在死亡司空见惯的鸡场长大的小孩, 这种举动简直就是灵异现象. 14妈妈做主, 饭馆通宵营业. 每晚十点有一趟向北的客车和一节货车车皮先后从门口驶过. 货车列车员在泡菜镇扳完道岔, 就会来饭馆吃点东西. 有时候有人会要一只煎蛋. 清晨他们打北边回来, 又再来吃. 他们渐渐成了常客. 妈妈白天盯着饭馆, 做饭跑堂, 晚上跟爸爸换班. 白天爸爸在同一张床上补觉, 我去毕镇上课. 一到晚上, 老爸准备熟肉冷盘, 等到转天中午包成三明治卖给候车的食客. 这当儿, 扬名立万的美国梦攫住了他, 他变得踌躇满志.15无事可做的漫漫长夜, 爸爸经常陷入沉思, 深刻检讨自己的前半生. 他断定自己之所以不是一个幸福的人, 是由于没有积极乐观地面对生活. 因此他决定从明天起, 面朝大海春暖花开. 第二天早上他上楼在妈妈身边躺下. 妈妈醒来, 他们开始说话. 我躺在一旁, 静静地听. 16爸爸希望他俩都给顾客表演助兴. 他大意就是, 要把餐厅变成大众娱乐消遣的去处. 镇民, 特别是年轻人来的时候--虽然这种可能微乎其微--老爸会抖擞精神, 上台作秀. 他要树立一个光彩照人笑容可掬的店主形象. 妈妈肯定也嘀咕了一下, 但没有说丧气话. 爸爸大胆展望, 镇上的年轻人届时会呼朋唤友成群结队载歌载舞地来店里看他们表演. 欢歌笑语欢天喜地, 高朋满座宾客盈门. 别误会, 这些不是他原话. 前面讲过了, 爸爸不太会说话. "他们总得有地方去, 我告诉你, 他们总得有地儿去." 他重复地念叨这句话. 其他的是我演绎了一下.17几周内, 爸爸的提议在家里生根发芽. 我们心照不宣, 但都试着不再郁郁寡欢, 面带微笑. 妈妈对每个客人都笑脸相迎, 我也受到传染, 冲着猫乐. 爸爸成天想着娱乐大众, 变得有点头脑发昏. 毫无疑问, 他体内藏着一个激情四射的演员. 他不愿在来吃夜宵的铁路工人身上浪费弹药, 养精蓄锐只等毕兑奥的姑娘小伙上门. 餐厅柜台上常年放着一篮子鸡蛋, 在他冒出迎宾伴宴的点子那一刻, 这篮鸡蛋想必就在眼前. 可以说, 鸡蛋孕育了他的灵感. 但与此同时, 他新生的激情, 也是被鸡蛋浇灭.18一天深夜, 我被父亲从楼下传来的一声怒吼惊醒. 我和母亲吓得从床上蹦了起来. 她拨亮了床头灯, 双手瑟瑟发抖. 只听楼下的门砰地摔上, 几分钟后, 父亲迈着沉重的脚步走上楼来. 他攥着一只鸡蛋, 打摆子一样抖个不停, 眼神半带疯狂. 他怒目圆睁, 我觉得他随时就要把鸡蛋砸向我俩. 结果他却轻轻地把鸡蛋搁在台灯旁, 跪倒在母亲床边. 他像个小孩似的开始大哭, 我感同身受, 也哭了起来. 在小小的顶阁里, 我们俩号啕恸哭. 荒唐可笑的是, 现在我对此情此景的唯一印象, 就是母亲反复抚摸父亲的秃顶小径. 我记不清母亲如何使父亲说出原委, 也忘了父亲说了什么. 只记得当时我悲恐交加, 父亲双膝跪地, 秃顶在台灯下熠熠发光.19关于楼底下发生了什么. 由于某种没法解释的原因, 我对整个来龙去脉了如指掌--一如同亲眼目睹了父亲的崩溃. 生活中总有一些事无法解释. 那天晚上, 毕兑奥镇的周肯来泡菜镇等车. 他父亲是本地商人, 乘十点钟南来的火车. 当晚火车晚点三个钟头, 他只得晃进我家的店闲坐打发时光. 货车进站, 车组人员来了又去. 店里只剩爸爸和小周.20打一进门, 这个小伙子就被爸爸的举动弄得摸不着头脑. 他注意到爸爸明显神情不悦, 以为自己引起了店主的反感, 准备起身离开. 不巧外面开始下雨, 他不想再回毕兑奥镇打个来回, 只得买了支五分钱的香烟, 要了杯咖啡. 他掏出口袋里的报纸, 开始翻看. "我在等车, 车晚点了." 他满腹愧疚.21半晌, 爸爸一言不发, 直勾勾地凝视他的客人. 他怯场了. 他曾千百次地设想现在的情况,可当登台演出的机会真的出现了, 他又手足无措.22别的不说, 他连手都不知道该往哪搁. 他突兀地伸出手, 和周肯握手. "你好," 他说. 周肯放下报纸, 盯着他看. 爸爸瞥见柜台上的一篮子鸡蛋, 眼前一亮. "那什么", 爸爸没底气地说, "你听说过哥伦布, 是吧?" 他面带愠色. "那个哥伦布是个骗子", 他斩钉截铁地说. "他口口声声说能让鸡蛋站立, 尝试了几次, 然后一下子把鸡蛋敲破了."23从爸爸的客人看起来, 他好像忘了自己本来想干嘛. 他嘟嘟囔囔, 声称宣扬哥伦布的事迹对儿童不利, 因为他在关键时刻使了诈--他谎称能让鸡蛋站立, 一要露馅就使伎俩骗人. 爸爸从篮子里取出一只鸡蛋, 走来走去, 嘴里还在念叨哥伦布. 他把鸡蛋放在手心里来回揉搓. 他讲解到手掌的温度和轻微的旋转能给鸡蛋一个新的重心, 这略微引起了周肯的兴趣. "我经手过成千上万只鸡蛋", 爸爸说, "没人比我更了解鸡蛋了."24他把鸡蛋立在柜台上, 鸡蛋歪向一边. 他不断尝试, 每次都用手掌转动鸡蛋, 把那套有关电力和重力学奇迹的说辞重复一遍. 忙活了半小时鸡蛋终于能站上一会, 结果抬头一看, 他的观众正望向别处. 当他成功地把周肯的注意力转移到他的成果上时, 这枚鸡蛋早已翻身躺倒了.25表演欲高涨又遭出师不利, 爸爸祭出了珍藏怪鸡的瓶瓶罐罐, 展示给他的观众. "瞧这个! 双头七腿.", 爸爸一边说, 一边展示他的终极收藏. 他满脸堆笑, 探出柜台, 试着拍周肯的肩膀, 就像他以前周六到本海德酒吧看见别人做的那样. 目睹了严重畸形的家禽浸泡在酒精里的惨状, 他的客人有点恶心, 起身准备离去. 爸爸从柜台里赶出来, 把他拽回了座位. 他怒从中来, 扭过脸去, 让自己重新带上了笑容. 他把瓶子放回架子上. 他大发慷慨, 强制送给周肯一杯咖啡, 一支香烟. 随后他取出一只平底锅, 从柜台底下拿出一坛子醋倒入, 宣布表演一个新戏法. "我会用醋把这个鸡蛋加热," 他说, "然后把鸡蛋塞进玻璃瓶里, 还不把壳弄破. 过一会蛋壳变硬复原, 我就把这瓶中蛋送给你. 你可以随身携带, 人家准纳闷鸡蛋怎么进去的. 别告诉他们, 让他们猜. 这样才好玩."26爸爸冲他的客人笑了笑眨眨眼. 周肯断定, 面前的这个男人头脑有点不正常, 但没有恶意. 他喝光那杯咖啡, 继续看报纸. 热好鸡蛋, 爸爸用一把勺子盛到柜台前, 回里屋取出一只空瓶. 观众的漠视让爸爸有点恼火, 不过他不为所动, 仍然干劲十足. 他用尽办法想把鸡蛋塞进瓶口, 却以失败告终. 鸡蛋被回炉再次加热, 他伸手去拿, 却被烫了一下. 二次醋浴使蛋壳略有软化, 不过仍不足以通过瓶口. 父亲孤注一掷, 做最后的努力. 就在他认为戏法大功告成之际, 晚点的火车进站, 周肯毫不犹豫地起身离开. 想到事关能否赢得善待来宾这一声誉, 走投无路之下, 父亲向鸡蛋发动最后一击. 他竭力把鸡蛋往瓶子里硬塞. 这次他不再留情. 他骂骂咧咧, 搞得满头大汗. 这时, 鸡蛋一下子被捏碎了. 汁液四溅, 喷了一身, 周肯站在门口一看, 笑了出来.27父亲打嗓子眼里爆发出一声尖利的怒吼. 他捶胸顿足胡言乱语, 嚷出一串难以理解的词句. 接着他从柜台上篮子里抄起一只鸡蛋, 朝周肯的脑袋扔将过去. 那个年轻人闪身躲开, 落荒而逃.28爸爸攥着一只鸡蛋走上楼来. 我不知道他要对我和妈妈干什么. 我估摸着他要当着我们俩的面毁掉这只, 或者全部的鸡蛋. 但一看到妈妈, 他心里面发生了什么. 如我所讲, 他把鸡蛋轻轻放在床头柜上, 跪在床前. 之后他决定打烊, 上楼睡觉. 一阵耳语之后, 他俩熄灯入睡. 我可能也进入了梦乡, 但睡得并不安稳.转天破晓醒来之后, 我盯着桌上的鸡蛋看了很久. 我纳闷为何世上要有蛋, 而蛋生鸡, 鸡又生蛋. 这个问题钻进了我的骨髓, 挥之不去. 我想这是因为, 我是爸爸的儿子. 直到今天, 我仍然百思不得其解. 而这, 不过只是鸡蛋取得的全方面伟大胜利--至少对我家来说--的另一佐证.。