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My Sister’s Keeper 姊姊的守护者

 

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繁體中文譯本

 

As any parent would likely tell you, one of their greatest nightmares would be to see their child fall gravely ill. And it follows that they would go to any lengths to save their child’s life. This is the heartbreaking scenario of the novel My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. It tells the story of the Fitzgeralds, a family torn apart by an emotional and traumatic ordeal.

每个做父母的人大概都会这么告诉你，人生中最大的梦魇之一莫过于眼睁睁地看着自己的孩子生重病。而且若是如此，他们会不惜千方百计让孩子活下来。这段叙述正是作家茱迪．皮考特的著作《姊姊的守护者》中令人悲恸不已的剧情梗概。这是一则关于费兹杰罗一家因亲情与伤痛的煎熬而几乎分崩离析的故事。

 

Anna was a baby conceived for a very specific reason: to save her sister’s life. Having learned their two-year-old daughter, Kate, has leukemia, Sara and Brian Fitzgerald vow to do anything it takes to keep her alive. What Kate needs is a source of blood and bone marrow that matches her own. The shaken parents turn to scientists and, with their help, “designer baby” Anna is born. A perfect genetic match, she is the answer to the family’s prayers.

安娜是名生来就肩负一项特定使命的婴孩：拯救姊姊的生命。自从得知两岁的女儿凯特罹患白血症后，莎拉和布莱恩就发誓无论如何一定要让她活下来。凯特所需要的是与其完全相符的血液与骨髓。这对震惊的父母于是转而向科学家求助，透过他们的协助，「订制婴儿」安娜诞生了。她的基因型与凯特完美地吻合，是全家祷告祈求来的救星。

 

Living as her sister’s donor, forever in and out of hospitals, Anna is deprived of a normal childhood: she has been dragged away from birthday parties and made to miss her beloved hockey games. As she enters adolescence, a resentment at her obligation to undergo these medical procedures grows within her. When Kate relapses again, doctors explain that she will die without a donor's kidney. But Anna acutely feels her existence only matters in relation to Kate and can’t help wondering if she would be here had Kate been healthy. Anna has reached the end of the line, so she enlists the help of know-it-all lawyer Campbell Alexander and files a lawsuit against her parents. If she were to win the case, she would not have to give Kate her kidney against her will and would be granted the final word on her own medical care.

身为姊姊的捐赠者，永无止尽地在医院里进进出出，安娜从小被剥夺正常的童年：她曾在无数个生日派对上硬生生地被带走，被迫错过她最爱的冰上曲棍球赛。当她进入青春期时，她对自己必须将这些医疗程序视为自己的义务开始心生憎恨。当凯特病情再度恶化时，医生宣布若没有找到合适捐赠者的肾脏，凯特就会死亡。但是安娜深深觉得自己的存在只有在与凯特有关时才被重视，让她不禁思考要是凯特没有生病，她是否会来到人世。安娜的忍耐已经到了极限，于是她寻求神通广大的坎伯．亚历山大律师协助，对她的父母提出了告诉。倘若她打赢官司，就不用违背自己的心意捐器官给凯特，而且还能够决定自己医疗保健事宜。

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

nightmare [ˋnaɪt͵mɛr] n. 梦魇；恶梦

tear apart 拆散

ordeal [ɔrˋdiəl] n. 严峻考验；苦难

vow [vaʊ] v. 发誓；保证

genetic [dʒəˋnɛtɪk] adj. 基因的

prayer [prɛr] n. 祈祷，祷告

donor [ˋdonɚ] n. 捐赠者

deprive [dɪˋpraɪv] v. 剥夺，从……夺走；使丧失[（+of）]

adolescence [æd!ˋɛsns] n. 青春期，青少年时期

obligation [͵ɑbləˋgeʃən] n.（道义上或法律上的）义务；责任

undergo [͵ʌndɚˋgo] v. 经历；经受

existence [ɪgˋzɪstəns] n. 存在

in relation to 和…有关

lawsuit [ˋlɔ͵sut] n. 诉讼（尤指非刑事案件）

against one's will 并非出于自愿, 违背自己的意愿

 

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单词发音

 

gravely [ˋgrevlɪ] adv. 严重地

go to any lengths 尽一切可能 to do whatever is necessary

traumatic [trɔˋmætɪk] adj.〔经历〕痛苦难忘的﹐造成精神创伤的

conceive [kənˋsiv] v. 怀（胎）

leukemia [luˋkimɪə] n. 白血病（俗称血癌）

bone marrow 骨髓

drag [dræg] v. 拉，拖

resentment [rɪˋzɛntmənt] n. 愤恨﹐不满

relapse [rɪˋlæps] v.（病等）复发

acutely [əˋkjutlɪ] adv. 严重地; 深切地; 痛苦地

reach the end of the line 达到不能容忍的地步 the point where it is no longer possible to continue with a process or activity

enlist [ɪnˋlɪst] v. 获得（支持，帮助等）obtain, get, gain, secure, engage

know-it-all 自以为无所不知的人 one who claims to know everything and rejects advice or information from others

the final/last word 最终结论; 决定权 the power to decide whether or how to do something

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

Picoult’s narration switches between characters, a method that enables the reader to grasp the different perspectives of those affected by Kate’s cancer. Anna is compassionate as she explains her dilemma: she understands the tragic implications of no longer helping her sister to live, but badly wants the right to her own body and her own life. Like Anna, the eldest child Jesse feels invisible, and he acts out his deep frustrations by becoming rebellious. Sara is a mother precariously close to the edge. Her constant pleas for Anna to drop the case fall on deaf ears, and the distance between the two widens until Anna moves out of the family home. Sara is running out of answers as Kate is running out of time.

皮考特书中的叙事者在角色之间不断更迭，这种手法让读者更能理解在凯特身边，那些受她癌症影响的人所持的不同观点。安娜在描述自己进退两难的口吻是富同情心的：她明白不再帮助姊姊活下来的决定将会带来的悲剧，但她又极度渴望能拥有自己身体与人生的自主权。就像安娜一样，年纪最长的杰西感觉自己跟隐形人没有两样，于是他用叛逆的行径来宣泄自己挥之不去的沮丧感。莎拉是位情绪不稳、濒临崩溃的母亲。她不断要安娜撤回告诉的恳求被置若罔闻，母女间的隔阂日益加深直到安娜搬到外头居住。此时莎拉已无计可施，而凯特则时日不多。

 

When Anna’s parents learn that she is suing them, the family falls apart. Sara, a lawyer-turned-housewife, can only think of Kate’s survival and decides to stand against Anna in court. Brian, a firefighter, knows what it is like to save a life, and how it feels when there is no more one can do. He is sympathetic to Anna’s point of view, and struggles desperately to keep his family together. In the meantime, Jesse’s unruly behavior reaches new heights. Unable to be Kate’s savior, he develops a dangerous obsession with fire, and arson becomes his crime of choice as he retaliates against his circumstances.

当安娜的父母得知她对他们提出告诉时，整个家就四分五裂了。由律师转职为家庭主妇的莎拉只顾虑得到凯特的存活问题，于是决定在法庭上与安娜对立。身为消防队员的布莱恩知道救人一命的感觉，同时也明白无能为力的感觉。他同情安娜的感受，并急切地想要将破碎的家再度聚合起来。此时，杰西行为偏差创下新纪录。当不成凯特的救星，他对火渐渐产生了令人不安的着迷，于是纵火成为他犯案的手法与对自身处境的报复。

 

As the dramatic trial draws to an end, the tale reaches a climax that would surely melt the coldest of hearts. The judge rules in favor of Anna, but in a bittersweet twist of fate, the outcome is far from what anyone in the courtroom could ever have predicted.

随着戏剧化的审判步入尾声，故事的发展也进入高潮，就算再铁石心肠的人也无法不为之动容。法官的审判对安娜有利，但因苦乐参半的命运捉弄，故事结果远远超乎法庭内所有人的预期。

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

switch [swɪtʃ] v.〔常指突然地〕转换; 转变; 改变

perspective [pɚˋspɛktɪv] n. 看法，观点

compassionate [kəmˋpæʃənet] adj. 充满怜悯同情的

dilemma [dəˋlɛmə] n. 进退两难的境地﹐困境

invisible [ɪnˋvɪzəb!] adj. 看不见的；无形的

frustration [͵frʌsˋtreʃən] n. 沮丧; 受挫

plea [pli] n. 请求，恳求

fall on deaf ears 被别人忽视; 不受注意 to be ignored by the persons they were intended for

fall apart 〔组织﹑制度等〕崩溃; 瓦解 to break into pieces

sympathetic [͵sɪmpəˋθɛtɪk] adj. 同情的；有同情心的

in the meantime 于此际；就在这一段时间里; 同时

retaliate [rɪˋtælɪ͵et] v. 报复；回敬

climax [ˋklaɪmæks] n. 高潮

in favor of 支持; 有利于

predict [prɪˋdɪkt] v. 预言; 预料; 预测

 

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单词发音

 

implication [͵ɪmplɪˋkeʃən] n.〔计划﹑行为或事件需要考虑或讨论的〕可能的影响; 可能的后果

act out 表现出来; 把……付诸行动 represent an incident, state, or emotion by action, especially on stage

rebellious [rɪˋbɛljəs] adj. 叛逆的; 反抗的

precariously [prɪˋkɛrɪəslɪ] adv. 不稳定地

widen [ˋwaɪdn] v.（使）〔程度〕增加; （使）〔范围〕扩大

unruly [ʌnˋrulɪ] adj. 难以控制的; 难以管束的

savior [ˋsevjɚ] n. 救助者，救星

obsession [əbˋsɛʃən] n. 着迷; 着魔

arson [ˋɑrsn] n. 纵火（罪）

circumstance [ˋsɝkəm͵stæns] n. 境况；境遇

draw to an end 结束，终止 come to an end

bittersweet [ˋbɪtɚ͵swit] adj. 苦乐参半的

twist of fate 命运之转折 an unanticipated change in a sequence of events

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

American author Picoult is not afraid of tackling controversy, and many of her novels, like My Sister’s Keeper, strive to challenge our ethical and moral codes. Even the judge cannot define right and wrong in the Fitzgerald case, providing that life is often more complicated than the law allows.

美国作家皮考特不畏惧处理争议性的题材，其大部份的小说皆企图挑战人们的伦理与道德观，《姊姊的守护者》即为一例。即便是法官也无法明确界定费兹罗德一案谁对谁错，证明人生远比法律来得复杂。

 

The unsatisfactory nature of the law combined with drastic leaps in genetic science actually inspired Picoult to write My Sister’s Keeper. Scientific advances will always lead to new ethical dilemmas, and the moral obligations we hold are always perceived subjectively. Everyone in the story only has Kate’s best interests at heart, but they differ on what those interests are and how to act on them.

有待改进的法令再加上基因科学的大跃进促使皮考特写下《姊姊的守护者》这本小说。科技的进步会持续引发新的伦理难题，而人们对于应遵守的道德义务也是主观所认定的。故事中的每个人都以凯特的利益为优先考虑，但是基于不同的考虑，作法也就不同。

 

Stem cell research and so-called “designer babies” are issues that are currently very divisive. If science can be employed to our benefit, or to save someone who is terminally ill, shouldn’t we use it? Or should we let nature run its course? It’s a strong argument to say that a baby born like Anna is, in fact, all the more special. But, on the other hand, is it fair to burden a child with such responsibility without them ever having a say in the matter? Isn’t growing up already hard enough?

对于干细胞研究与所谓「订制婴儿」的议题看法目前仍有极大的分歧。倘若科学真的可以用来造福人群，或拯救身患绝症的病者，我们难道不该加以利用吗？还是顺其自然、听天由命就好呢？像安娜这样的婴儿实际上更特别，这种论调是具说服力的。但从另一个角度来看，让一个孩子背负这么重大的责任是否合情合理呢？成长的过程难道还不够艰辛吗？

 

As the judge decides whether or not he deems Anna mature enough to make her own decisions about her body, we are left with questions, many of which are too difficult to answer. The judge finally concludes that “morals are more important than ethics, and love is more important than law.” As with everything in this novel, nothing is straightforward, and you may find yourself questioning this, too.

当法官在思考自己是否认为安娜心智成熟、足以拥有其身体主权的同时，读者同样也跟着面对许多难以回答的问题。法官最后的结论是「道德远比伦理重要，情更甚于法」。如同整本小说所呈现的，世上没有一件事斩钉截铁的，而这也很可能是你会不断思索的问题。

 

−by Alice Davis

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

tackle [ˋtæk!] v. 着手对付（或处理）

controversy [ˋkɑntrə͵vɝsɪ] n. 争论，辩论；争议

strive [straɪv] v. 努力，奋斗[+to-v]

ethical [ˋɛθɪk!] adj. 伦理的，道德的

complicated [ˋkɑmplə͵ketɪd] adj. 复杂的；难懂的

unsatisfactory [͵ʌnsætɪsˋfæktərɪ] adj. 令人不满的

perceive [pɚˋsiv] v. 看作；视为；认为

subjectively [səbˋdʒɛktɪvlɪ] adv. 主观地

currently [ˋkɝəntlɪ] adv. 现时; 当前

employ [ɪmˋplɔɪ] v. 使用，利用

argument [ˋɑrgjəmənt] n. 争论; 争辩

deem [dim] v. 认为；视作

mature [məˋtjʊr] adj. 成熟的

straightforward [͵stretˋfɔrwɚd] adj. 简单的；易懂的; 明确的

 

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单词发音

 

define [dɪˋfaɪn] v. 定义,解释

drastic [ˋdræstɪk] adj. 激烈的; 突然的

leap [lip] n. 骤变；激增；飞跃 a sudden and decisive increase or progress

at heart 心里, 内心是 in one's deepest feelings; fundamentally

divisive [dəˋvaɪsɪv] adj. 造成不和的; 导致分裂的

terminally [ˋtɝmɪnəlɪ] adv. 处于末期症状上，在晚期

let nature run its course 让大自然自生自灭; 顺其自然发展 to allow someone or something to live or die naturally

all the more 更；愈 even more than before

have a say 有发言权 have the right or power to influence or make a decision about something

 

 

My Sister's Keeper Movie Trailer