Journal of Literary Writing and Evaluation
JLWE, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2026, pp.92-100.
Print ISSN: 3078-8129; Online ISSN: 3104-5073
Journal homepage: https://www.lwejournal.com
DOI: Https://doi.org/10.64058/jlwe260110dmaam
何淑敏 (He Shumin)
摘要：本文借用马克思对商品拜物教与资本积累的批判，探讨美国非裔作家托妮·莫里森的小说《慈悲》（2008）对“美国亚当”神话的解构。作者采用多重第三人称限知视角与第一人称叙述互动交织的方式，形成一种多棱镜式的叙事结构，使读者得以重新审视十七世纪殖民时期的美国历史。一方面，小说通过对奴隶主叙事的戏仿，再现了美国主流历史叙事如何通过建构田园牧歌式的“美国亚当”神话而掩盖资本原始积累过程中对黑奴的剥削本质；另一方面，黑奴与印第安土著的叙事穿插其中，与奴隶主的视角形成抗衡，揭示了殖民叙事的伪善与暴力。错综复杂的叙事结构不仅形成了强大的美学张力，更凸显“新奴隶叙事”的批判力量。通过颠覆美国起源神话并重写殖民历史，莫里森不仅揭示了资本主义现代性建立在奴隶制与殖民暴力之上的历史真相，也为当代关于种族、身份与记忆的讨论提供了重要启示。
关键词： 托妮·莫里森，《慈悲》，美国亚当，资本欲望，新奴隶叙事
作者介绍：何淑敏，广东外语外贸大学博士研究生，主要研究方向为美国族裔文学、美国戏剧、比较文学。电邮：heshumin1995@126.com。
Title: Deconstructing the Myth of American Adam: Multi-perspective Narratives in Toni Morrison’s A Mercy
Abstract: Drawing on Marx’s critique of commodity fetishism and capital accumulation, this paper explores Toni Morrison’s deconstruction of the myth of “American Adam” in her novel A Mercy (2008). Through the interplay between multiple third-person limited point of views and Florence’s first-person narration, the novel constructs a prismatic narrative structure that enables readers to reexamine the history of colonial America. On the one hand, the novel parodies the slave owner’s perspective to expose how the idyllic myth of “American Adam” in mainstream historical narratives belies the exploitation of Black people in the process of primitive capital accumulation; on the other hand, the novel incorporate point of views of the slaves and Native Americans, which interweave with the slave owner’s narrative, contesting its authority and revealing the hypocrisy and violence of colonial discourse. This intricate narrative structure not only generates powerful aesthetic tension but also exemplifies the critical force of the “neo-slave narrative”. By undoing the American origin myth and rewriting colonial history, Morrison unveils the capitalist modernity grounded in slavery and colonial violence, while also offering profound insights into contemporary discussions of race, identity, and cultural memory.
Keywords: Toni Morrison; A Mercy; American Adam; capitalist desire; neo-slave narrative
Author Biography: He Shumin is PhD candidate of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. Her research interests include American ethnic literature, American drama, and comparative literature. E-mail: heshumin1995@126.com.
Received: 03 Nov 2025 / Revised: 23 Apr 2026 / Accepted: 24 Apr 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.
