本文聚焦麦凯恩作品《光明的这一面》对纽约无家可归者承受来自家庭、社会等方面创伤的描摹,探讨通过主人公的后创伤经历,揭示美国城市文化对于边缘群体的排斥与疏离;通过对于主人公创伤根源的深度挖掘,展现一个家族的创伤史及其与城市发展历程之间的互动;以及如何借助认知绘图、交流沟通等方式,将过去与现在联系起来,积极探寻走出创伤的路径,从而完善对自我的认识,获得心灵的救赎。麦凯恩对于都市他者群体的关照和书写,具有重要的现实意义。
Column McCann' s This Side of Brightness probes into the social problems of the homeless in New York, who reside in the underground tunnels of the city, by depicting both their psychological trauma and post-traumatic life. Based on investi- gating the attitude of American mainstream culture towards the marginalized groups, as well as the impact of the trans-genera- tional traumatic histories on them, the novel advocates that the homeless should recover from their trauma by way of mental mapping and verbal communication, and reconstruct their own identities.