One thing I love about science fiction is the way it can reflect what is on people’s minds. Growing up in the sixties, I read a ton of sci-fi, and most of the novels involved either robots or space travel and life on other planets. That was the early days of the robotics industry and the time of the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, so it makes sense that authors were dealing with those subjects. Climate change wasn’t something people worried about then, and I can’t think of any science fiction I read or was aware of as a kid that looked at the role of gender in society. Or if it did, I didn’t pick up on the message.
我喜欢科幻小说的一个原因是它可以反映人们的想法。我成长于60年代,读了很多科幻小说,大部分小说都描写了机器人、太空旅行和其他星球上的生活。那是机器人产业的早期阶段,也是美国和苏联之间太空竞赛的时代,因此,作家们以这些主题进行创作是有道理的。那时人们并不担心气候变化,我也想不出小时候读过或知道的任何科幻小说关注了性别在社会中的作用。即使有所关注,我也没有注意到。
Today, of course, sci-fi writers are taking on a wider range of subjects. Elsewhere on Gates Notes I’ve written about The Ministry for the Future, which is all about the effects of climate change and efforts to limit the damage.
当然,如今科幻作家正在研究更广泛的主题。我写了一篇《未来部》的书评,书中内容都与气候变化的影响和降低其危害的努力有关。
And at the suggestion of my daughter Jenn, I recently read The Power, by Naomi Alderman, which finds a clever way to look at gender roles. What would the world be like, Alderman asks, if all the women on Earth suddenly developed the ability to discharge massive electric shocks from their bodies? She takes this single idea and explores how it changes the dynamic between men and women, and among women. In doing so, she reveals a lot about how power and gender work today. (The word “power” in the title has multiple meanings.)
在女儿珍妮弗的建议下,最近,我读了娜奥米·阿尔德曼的《力量》。这本书找到了一种看待性别角色的巧妙方法。阿尔德曼问道,如果地球上所有的女性突然都具备了从身体里释放大量电流的能力,世界会是什么样子?她利用这个独特的想法探索了它如何改变男性和女性之间、以及女性之间的动态关系。在这个过程中,她揭示了很多关于权力和性别在当今社会中是如何运作的信息。(书名“力量”有多种释义。)
The novel switches back and forth between several characters, all but one of them female. For example, Margot is a budding politician with a teenage daughter, Jocelyn, who initially tries to hide her abilities so she doesn’t endanger her mom’s career. You also meet Allie, a young girl who uses her power to escape an abusive foster home and eventually establishes a new type of religion, and Roxy, the daughter of a London crime boss, who’s already tough even before she develops her power.
这部小说在几个角色之间来回切换,除了一个角色,所有的都是女性。例如,玛戈特是一位崭露头角的政治家,她有一个十几岁的女儿乔斯林。乔斯林最初试图隐藏自己的能力,以免危及母亲的职业生涯。你还会遇到艾莉,一个利用自身力量逃离施虐的寄养家庭并最终建立了一种新型宗教的年轻女孩,以及伦敦犯罪头目的女儿罗克西,她在发掘自己的力量之前就已经是一位坚强的女性了。
Early on, you see these and other women dealing with men’s growing fear of their new abilities. (The one major male character is a journalist who documents the growing global phenomenon and is an ally to women, though he also has to contend with the shifting balance of power in his own life—like being afraid to walk alone at night.) Rather than leading to some utopia where women and men are equals and the world is a kinder and gentler place, the change actually results in violent social upheaval. Some men take up arms in a desperate attempt to keep control. Some women find their new power intoxicating and exact brutal retribution on men. I won’t go into detail about just how bad things get, but be warned: The Power contains graphic depictions of sexual violence.
在前期,你会看到上面几个角色和其他女性应对男性因她们日益增长的新能力而产生的恐惧。(其中一个主要的男性角色是一名记者,他记录了这一日益增长的全球现象,也是女性的盟友,尽管他还必须应对自己生活中权力平衡的变化——比如害怕独自走夜路。)比起让世界变成一个男女平等、更友善和更温和的乌托邦,这种变化实际上导致了剧烈的社会动荡。一些男人拿起武器拼命试图维持控制。一些女性沉醉于自己的新力量,并对男性进行残酷的报复。我不会详细说明事情变得有多么糟糕,但请注意:《力量》这本书包含对性暴力的形象描写。
Whatever you think of those scenes, The Power raises timely questions about gender dynamics. Are people more connected by gender than by family, community, or country? And can power corrupt anyone, regardless of gender?
无论你如何看待这些场景,《力量》适时地提出了有关性别动态(译者注:指性别间的关系和互动)的问题。人们的性别联系是否比家庭、社区或国家的联系更紧密?权力会腐蚀任何人,不论性别吗?
Reading about female characters who have been suffering with no recourse and suddenly have the power to defend themselves, I gained a stronger and more visceral sense of the abuse and injustice many women experience today. And I expanded my appreciation for the people who work on these issues in the U.S. and around the world, including the grantees supported by the Gates Foundation’s gender equality program.
当我读到那些受苦受难而后突然拥有自卫能力的女性的故事时,我对当今许多女性所遭遇的虐待和不公正有了更强烈、更深刻的感受。我对在美国和世界各地致力于解决这些问题的人们表示感谢,包括获得盖茨基金会性别平等项目资助的合作伙伴。
I do have one minor complaint about The Power. The book uses a framing device, and I thought the way it wrapped up at the end was a little predictable. But overall, the massive role reversal that takes place in this book is a compelling reminder of what life is like for women all over the world and the injustices and indignities that they face. Even though the world has made a lot of progress on gender equality, a lot more work remains to be done.
不过,我的确对《力量》有一点小小的意见。这本书使用了嵌套式叙事结构,我认为这或许会让读者提前猜到结局。但总的来说,书中描写的大量的角色反转强有力地提醒着人们,全世界女性的生活是什么样的,以及她们所面临的不公正和侮辱。尽管世界在性别平等方面取得了很大进展,我们仍有许多工作要做。