《献给阿尔吉侬的花束》：白痴孤单，天才孤独

禾摇

丹尼尔·凯斯（Daniel Keyes），1927年出生于美国纽约，曾于布鲁克林学院修习心理学，毕业后相继担任过杂志编辑、中学老师等，1966年后在美国俄亥俄大学教授英语与创意写作课程。其作品以科幻类小说为主，尤以描写多重人格的人物而著称，代表作有《献给阿尔吉侬的花束》（Flowers for Algernon）、《第五位莎莉》（The Fifth Sally）、《24个比利》（The Minds of Billy Milligan）等。《献给阿尔吉侬的花束》最初以短篇小说发表于1959年，荣获雨果奖，1966年作者将此故事长篇化，又获得星云奖。小说讲述了智障人士查理·高登通过手术提高智商，变成天才，但一段时间后智商又慢慢回落，其间所经历的各种见闻和心情起伏。该小说曾多次被改编成电影、电视剧和舞台剧。

Excerpts1）

When the haircut， shave， sun treatment， and the rest were over， I sat in the chair limply2）， feeling light， and slick3）， and clean， and Matt4） whisked the neckcloth off and offered me a second mirror to see the reflection of the back of my head. Seeing myself in the front mirror looking into the back mirror， as he held it for me， it tilted for an instant into the one angle that produced the illusion of depth; endless corridors of myself ... looking at myself ... looking at myself ... looking at myself ... looking ...

Which one？ Who was I？

I thought of not telling him. What good was it for him to know？ Just go away and not reveal who I was. Then I remembered that I wanted him to know. He had to admit that I was alive， that I was someone. I wanted him to boast about me to the customers tomorrow as he gave haircuts and shaves. That would make it all real. If he knew I was his son， then I would be a person.

“Now that youve got the hair off my face， maybe youll know me，” I said as I stood up， waiting for a sign of recognition.

He frowned. “What is this？ A gag5）？”

I assured him it was not a gag， and if he looked and thought hard enough he would know me. He shrugged and turned to put his combs and scissors away. “I got no time for guessing games. Got to close up. Thatll be three-fifty.”

What if he didnt remember me？ What if this was only an absurd fantasy？ His hand was out for the money， but I made no move toward my wallet. He had to remember me. He had to know me. But no—of course not—and as I felt the sour taste in my mouth and the sweat in my palms， I knew that in a minute I would be sick. But I didnt want that in front of him.

“Hey， you all right？”

“Yes ... just ... wait …” I stumbled into one of the chrome6） chairs and bent forward gasping for breath， waiting for the blood to come back to my head. My stomach was churning7）. Oh， God， dont let me faint now. Dont let me look ridiculous in front of him.

“Water ... some water， please …” Not so much for the drink as to make him turn away. I didnt want him to see me like this after all these years. By the time he returned with a glass， I felt a little better.

“Here， drink this. Rest a minute. Youll be okay.” He stared at me as I sipped the cool water， and I could see him struggling with half-forgotten memories. “Do I really know you from somewhere？”

“No ... Im okay. Ill leave in a minute.”

How could I tell him？ What was I supposed to say？

Here， look at me， Im Charlie， the son you wrote off the books？ Not that I blame you for it， but here I am， all fixed up better than ever. Test me. Ask me questions. I speak twenty languages， living and dead; Im a mathematical whiz8）， and Im writing a piano concerto that will make them remember me long after Im gone.

How could I tell him？

How absurd I was sitting in his shop， waiting for him to pat me on the head and say， “Good boy.” I wanted his approval， the old glow of satisfaction that came to his face when I learned to tie my own shoelaces and button my sweater. I had come here for that look in his face， but I knew I wouldnt get it.

“You want me to call a doctor？”

I wasnt his son. That was another Charlie. Intelligence and knowledge had changed me， and he would resent me—as the others from the bakery resented me—because my growth diminished9） him. I didnt want that.

“Im okay，” I said. “Sorry to be a nuisance.” I got up and tested my legs. “Something I ate. Ill let you close up now.”

As I headed towards the door， his voice called after me sharply. “Hey， wait a minute！” His eyes met mine with suspicion. “What are you trying to pull10）？”

“I dont understand.”

His hand was out， rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. “You owe me three-fifty.”

I apologized as I paid him， but I could see that he didnt believe it. I gave him five， told him to keep the change， and hurried out of his barbershop without looking back.

1. 节选部分选自小说的《进步报告14》，主要讲述的是查理来到父亲的理发店，父亲为他理发却完全认不出他，查理经过内心的一番挣扎最终放弃与父亲相认。

2. limply [l?mpli] adv. 无生气地，无精神地

3. slick [sl?k] adj.〈主美〉光滑的，滑溜的

4. Matt：马特，小说中查理的父亲

5. gag [ɡ?ɡ] n. 恶作剧，戏弄

作品赏析

海伦·凯勒说“假如给我三天光明”，丹尼尔·凯斯则说“假如给白痴一个天才大脑”。《献给阿尔吉侬的花束》一书的主人公查理·高登就是这样一位“幸运”的白痴。经过一场脑部手术，查理在短时间内智商飙升，从人皆可欺的傻瓜变成了名副其实的天才。然而，一次本应令人刮目相看的医学试验最终却演变成对人类智识的苦涩自嘲。小说作者借查理之口，对高速发展的现代科技加以反思，也对个体在此背景下的生存状态进行了充满关切的审视。

32岁的查理智商只有68，仅相当于一个孩童。查理自幼被父母抛弃，平时在一家面包店里做杂工，备受身边人取笑，可他却毫不知情，反当大家都是朋友。在纪尼安小姐的成人低能班上，查理表现出最强烈的“变聪明的动机”，也正因为如此，他被比克曼大学的尼姆教授和斯特劳斯博士选中，进行一场脑部手术。这个手术的目的是大幅提升查理的智商，此前该手术已经在天竺鼠阿尔吉侬身上试验成功。鉴于术后的阿尔吉侬智商明显高于同类，两位博士相信，查理身上也会发生同样的变化。事情初期的发展果真符合他们的预期：查理在很短的时间里智商升至185，迅速掌握了多国语言，并且精通数学、物理、哲学等多门学科，甚至开始亲自研究发生在自己和阿尔吉侬身上的变化。

然而，智商提高后的查理却不得不开始面对真实世界的残酷，那个白痴查理曾经向往的“聪明人的世界”在他的眼前慢慢展开。查理智商的增高被身边的人视为一种背叛，面包店里以欺侮查理为乐的伙计们开始害怕他，并最终合伙将他驱赶了出去。之前在查理看来像巨人一般的教授和博士们也渐渐显露本质：他们不过是一群见识短浅、追名逐利的凡人。查理虽与纪尼安小姐坠入爱河，却无力摆脱自己童年梦魇的纠缠，只能让爱情变得愈发紧张，令人疲惫。最让人心碎的是，时隔17年之久，当查理来到父亲的理发店，父亲竟全然没认出他来;查理站在母亲面前时，这个老年痴呆的女人更是满眼恐惧地举起刀子，再次将他逐出家门……终于变聪明的查理不过是个游荡街头的落寞天才，只能靠酒精和肉体关系自我麻醉。

更令人始料未及的是，一直与查理相伴的天竺鼠阿尔吉侬在数日的焦躁和低迷之后死去。查理在悲痛之余，也加快了对“高登—阿尔吉侬理论”的探究。他愈发清楚地了解到，这项不成熟的医学试验终究难逃失败的命运，自己也必然会像阿尔吉侬一样经历智商退化的过程。随后一段日子里，查理虽然挣扎着不愿遗忘，但还是逐渐失去了各项语言技能和推理能力，直到最终再次成为一名智障。故事复归平静，但查理的世界已不再像最初那样充满希望。

《献给阿尔吉侬的花束》全书由17篇日记体的“进步报告”组成，从一开始的错字满篇、标点滥用，到后来的行文流畅甚至富有哲思，最后再次变得稚嫩无序，直到终于无声，查理的故事像打在人胸口处的一记闷拳，让人体味到难以纾解的伤感与绝望。最初作为白痴的查理是孤单的，他的身边鲜有同类，但他却觉得自己拥有很多朋友。家人的冷眼、同学的嘲笑、同事的捉弄都无法摧毁查理的善良和单纯，无法阻止他时时刻刻被甜美和温暖所环绕。而作为天才的查理却是孤独的，除了阿尔吉侬，他孑然一身。尽管获得了常人难以企及的智慧，但他在情感世界里却是一个十足的侏儒，缺乏最基本的爱与感知幸福的能力。查理就像那个被喂食了知识树果实的亚当，在告别“无知”的伊甸园之后，他坐上了用科学打造的智慧扁舟，但洞悉的真相却充满无奈：人与人之间无法跨越的鸿沟，人性背面难以言说的卑劣，以及满世界蔓延的冷漠。

柏拉图在《理想国》中有一则著名的洞穴寓言，与查理的故事有相似的隐喻。柏拉图设想，一个阴暗的洞穴里锁着一群囚徒，他们只能看见洞穴墙壁上映射的影子，以为这些影子就是现实。某天一个囚徒挣脱枷锁走出洞穴，发现外面的世界才是本体。刺眼的光让他困惑甚至痛苦，然后他慢慢接受，并开始怜悯自己以前的信仰以及其他同伴。于是他回到洞穴要去拯救同伴，从光明回到黑暗，眼睛再度遭遇不适。在《献给阿尔吉侬的花束》一书开头，作者便引用了《理想国》中的一段话，读完故事全篇再来看这段话，更显意味深长：“记得这件事的人，当他们看到别人迷茫、虚弱的眼神，他们不会任意嘲笑，而会先询问这个人的灵魂是否刚从更明亮的生命走出来，因为不适应黑暗而无法看清周遭，或是他刚从黑暗走进光明，因为过多的光芒而目眩。”在习惯性自以为是的间隙当中，人们或应反问自己：我们究竟置身何处？“温情白痴”和“痛苦天才”的世界，哪个才是我们要逃离的洞穴？或许查理术前写下的那些笨拙却充满希望的“近步抱告”更像是来自“明亮世界”的星星火光？

众所周知，18世纪席卷欧洲的启蒙运动（The Enlightenment）正是“以光启智”的代表，人们摇着理性和实证科学的大旗，呐喊着要去解放黑暗中的同胞。然而几乎是伴随着整个运动进程直至现代，对启蒙和智性的怀疑和批判之声就未停歇过：被视为人类进步阶梯的科学真的是通往幸福和自由的必经之路吗？同样，丹尼尔·凯斯也通过他笔下的查理表达了忧虑和反思：对科学和知识的过度崇拜会导致对爱和尊严的搁置，引发个体或群体自我认同的混乱以及道德和心智的崩溃。以“聪明优雅”自居的现代人，有多少都像那个智商超群的查理一样，迷失在对“我是谁”以及“活着的意义是什么”的无解追问之中。

在丹尼尔·凯斯完成此书半个世纪后的今天，科技的巨大车轮愈发飞速地旋转，时代的扬尘将所有人裹挟其中，日益繁华的表象之下是难以为继的焦虑和孤独。此时的我们更需要走出喧嚣，倾听一位白痴的低语—只有澄澈、完整、充满爱的灵魂才是开启人类幸福的钥匙，而非那些标识智商的冰冷数字。只有如此，人类才能在追寻智慧的沿途中拥有善良的眼睛，即使孤单也不孤独，痛苦过却终将安宁。