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The Iceman Cometh: Eugene O’Neill’s Allegory of the Cave
《冰人來了》：尤金、歐尼爾的洞穴寓言
摘要
尤金、歐尼爾的《冰人來了》是寫於傷痛之中，並且具體而微的表現出現代主義中的存在焦慮。本文的目的是檢視此劇對於柏拉圖的洞穴寓言之顛覆。根據柏拉圖的說法，人的無知狀態就宛如被困在視線不明的洞穴之中一樣，在其中，只能看到外面的世界模糊地投影在洞穴的牆上。換言之，人類所觀看到的世界，常是與事實真理相隔幾重山。一旦走出了洞穴，人可能會因為外面的強光而暫時失去視力，可是一旦習慣了光明的世界，他就會了解真理是什麼。在歐尼爾的戲中，群聚在希望沙龍的人就像是被監禁在洞穴中的囚犯一樣。可是，當他們最後終於鼓起勇氣走出這個自囚的洞穴時，他們並沒有找到光明，反而是無法忍受外面令他們心生畏懼的真相。到最後，他們寧可再度躲回沙龍，在其中不斷編織不可能實現的白日夢。換言之，歐尼爾本劇中所表達的意念，並不像柏拉圖的洞穴寓言；反之，他想要表達的是: 在大多數的時候，人類既不想自救，也不想被救贖。
並列摘要
Written in a period of great distress, Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh epitomizes the existential angst prevailing in the Modernist period. This article aims at seeing the play as a counter-allegory of Plato’s renowned allegory of the cave. According to Plato, man’s mental state of ignorance can be compared to a person pent up in a dimly-lit cave, where he sees nothing but the reflection of the outside world projected on the cave wall. In other words, what he perceives is several times removed from the One. If he steps outside the cave, he may be temporarily blinded by the incandescent light; however, once he gets used to the light, he will be totally enlightened as to the real state of existence. In O’Neill’s play, the barflies that frequent Hope’s Saloon are just like those incarcerated in Plato’s cave. Nevertheless, when they finally venture to step outside the self-imposed ＂cave,＂ what they find is not illumination at all, but a terrifying reality that proves to be too much for them to bear. In the end, they prefer to hide themselves again in the pipe dreams they keep weaving in the saloon. In other words, unlike Plato’s cave allegory, O’Neill’s play exemplifies man’s miserable and pitiable state－that is, most of the time, man prefers not to be saved.