后现代主义视域下《雪的练习生》的“不确定性”

The “Uncertainty” in Memoirs of a Polar Bear from the Perspective of Postmodernism

摘要: 多和田叶子的小说《雪的练习生》通过多重主题的交织、身份认同的模糊与不同时空的转换，深刻体现了后现代主义文学中“不确定性”这一重要特征。作品以三代北极熊的故事为线索，展现了当代社会中种族、文化与物种之间界限的流动与重构。在主题层面，小说聚焦于移动书写、移民代际经验、身份认同以及动物权利等议题，揭示了现代文明所隐含的社会矛盾；在形象塑造上，熊祖母和克努特的身份不断游移于人类与动物之间，打破了传统物种划分与社会角色的二元对立；在叙事结构上，作者运用嵌套叙事、多视角切换与梦境交织等手法，使文本呈现出显著的不确定性与解构性。这些文学策略不仅挑战了读者对“现实”的既定理解，也呼应了全球化语境下关于身份与共生的深层探讨，体现出多和田对当代世界复杂性问题的深刻洞察。

Abstract: Yoko Tawada’s novel Memoirs of a Polar Bear vividly embodies the postmodern literary feature of “uncertainty” through the interplay of multiple themes, fluid identity formations, and shifting temporal and spatial frameworks. Centered on the lives of three generations of polar bears, the novel explores the fluidity and reconstruction of boundaries among race, culture, and species in contemporary society. Thematically, it engages with issues such as migratory writing, intergenerational immigrant experience, identity politics, and animal rights, thereby exposing underlying tensions within modern civilization. In terms of characterization, the grandmother bear and Knut constantly oscillate between human and animal roles, challenging binary divisions of species and social categories. Structurally, the narrative adopts nested storytelling, multiple perspectives, and dream interludes, rendering the text profoundly uncertain and deconstructive. These literary strategies not only question the reader’s assumptions about “reality” but also resonate with deeper global discourses on identity and coexistence, demonstrating Tawada’s keen insight into the complexities of the contemporary world.