僵尸形象作为种族天启，用语言与象征系统重构世界

声明：本文为个人作业，非授权任何人不得截取、转载、剽窃、或用于商业用途。Asalow-budgetfilm,Pontypool(2008)presentsazombiecrisiswithinaradiostationandexploresthetopicsaroundcommunication:howdoeslanguagework,howdopeopledefineinsidersandoutsiders,andhowdotheideologiesbehindwordsenclosedifferentcommunities.DeshaneandMorton(2018)payattentionthe“haunting”historyandsignificanceofthemarginalizedpeopleinCanada,andinterpretthemovieasanapocalypseofisolatingourselvesorreachingseekingoutthestrangers.KirschandStancliff(2018)analyzethemoviewithafocusonthesemioticnaturesoflanguages.Byintroducinga“wordvirus,”Pontypoolfirstandforemostdemonstratesthefactthatpeoplecanhardlyunderstandtheworldwithoututilizinglanguages.Whilemoreandmorepeopleareinfectedbythe“wordtransmission”disease,languagesassymbolicsystemsinvadeandpenetrateineveryaspectsofourlife.PeopleareintroducedtoanincompleteandinaccuraterealitythatconstructedbylanguagesandcannolongerrationalizetheReal.KirschandStancliff(2018)pointsoutthatthefrequentlyused“ready”termsof(familial)intimacy,suchas“honey”and“Iloveyou,”havethegreatestpotentialofviolenceandcontagioninthemovie.DeshaneandMorton(2018)alsosuggestthatintimatepeoplearemoreeasilyinfectedinthefilm,sincetheysharethesameworldview,senseofcommunity,ideology,andthusdiscourse.Indeed,thefilmintroducesaudienceswithanexperiencethroughwhichunderstandablewordsbecomesmoreandmoreambiguousinmeanings.Intheopeningscene,Grant’svoiceisbroadcastingalocalgossipaboutalostcat.Atfirst,thestoryisstraightforward;howeverwhenGrantconnectsyoungwoman’sname,thebridgeandthetowntogether,theinformationbecomesconfusing,especiallywhentheauraldescriptionisouronlysource.“PontdePool,Pontypool,Pantypool,PontdeFlaque(1:28)”Thosesimilarsoundsbecomescognitivelymeaningless.This“soundsofwordsbecomemeaningless”processisevenmoreintenseintheobituaryprogram(49:20),whenGrantintroducesadozenoflocalresidents’names,theirages,theirrelationshipandwayofdeath.SincetheaudiencescouldhardlyfollowtheseinformationasGrantspeaks,andunderstandingtheseinformationdoeshelpthemainplotofthefilm,thesoundsofwords,thelinguisticessenceofwords,andthemeaningsofwordsdissolvefromtheSymbolicwhichweknow.TheSymbolicisnotonlyendangeredthroughalinguisticexperience,butalsochallengedbythecollapseofordersandmeanings.Ononehand,theOtherperseisincrisis,sincethecapacityofthestatetosafeguardthestabilityisoftenquestionedinpost-apocalypticzombiefilms;ontheotherhand,Zombiesasnon-subjectiveexistencebetweenlivinganddying,betweenhumanandmonster,betweenbeinganacquaintanceandbeingastrangerdirectlyinvalidatetheSymbolicwhichbothcontainsorderandchaos(KirschandStancliff,2018).Therepressivestateforceintheendofthefilmalsosignalsafailureofideologicalapparatusestomaintainorder(ibid).Throughafluiddivisionofinsidersandoutsiders,Pontypoolalsopointsouttherealityinwhichpeople’sidentitiesandmeaningsarefictionallyassignedbytheOther.DeshaneandMorton(2018)suggestthatzombiesasahordeareinherentmetaphorofforeigninvasion,andthefilmbelievesthatbothisolationandinsider’slanguage,whichlabelsandmarginalizesoutsiders,areinfectiousandevendestructive.Thedivisionbetweeninsiderandoutsiderisquestionedmorewhensurvivorsandzombiesaredrawntothesamecampagainstthestateforce(KirschandStancliff,2018).Thezombieexperiencefurtheremphasizesthatacommunityisneitherdefinedbypeople’sphysicalappearancenorgeographicalboundary.Firstly,socialconnectionsandbonds,insteadofbodilydifferences,arethecriteriaofbeinganinsideroranoutsider(DeshaneandMorton,2018).Becomingzombiesisaprocessofbecomingstrangers,andLaurel-Ann’sinfectiondemonstrates.Despitebeingabelovedcollege,sheisconsideredastrangerandadangerousthreatassoonassheisinfected;whenshefailedtojointhezombiecommunity,Laurel-Annasastrangeronbothsurvivors’andzombies’sidesvomitsherselftodeath.Secondly,differentfromnationality,whichisempoweredbynationalboundariesascolonialandartificialoutcomes,thesenseofcommunityisgeneratedthroughsharedideology,recognitionontheunwrittenrules,andlabels.TransmittingthroughEnglishlanguage,thewordvirusinPontypoolcannotbeconfinedbylocationsorphysicalbarricades(KirschandStancliff,2018).Inreallife,thewidespreadofthecoronavirusalsoprovesnationalists’wrongimpressionontheconceptofcommunityandcommonality.Instead,whatcontagiousistheideologieswhicharearticulatedwithinwordsandcodedinlanguages,anditisthroughpeople’ssilentorexpressiveagreementoncertainideologiesthattheyfuseintoacommunity.Ononehand,differentmeaningsderivefromthesamesignifiedunderdifferentMasterSignifiers;ontheotherhand,bychangingthemeaningsofwords,peoplecanquestionandmodifytheideologiesbehind.WhileEnglishlanguageandwhitenessissymbolicofviciousinfectionsandinvasion,thenatureandsignificanceofthis“PontypoolMassacre”canbeconsideredinatleastthreeperspectives.InaMasterSignifierofreflectivedecolonization,suchasthearticlebyDeshaneandMorton(2018),theinfectionthroughEnglishwordsonlyisaclearsarcasmonahegemonicworldview.Thisnarrativeisemphasizedthroughthebrown-faceLawrenceofArabiaperformance,signalingexoticism,racism,andothercoloniallegaciesinCanadiansmalltowns(ibid.).BBCWordbroadcasterNigelHealing,nevertheless,insiststodescribethewholeincidentasaseparationistriot,demonstratinghislatecolonialMasterSignifier(KirschandStancliff,2018).Formostoftheaudiences,Englishlanguageisperhapsaneutraldesignfortheplotanddoesn’tcarrysignificantmeaning.TodisrupttherelationsbetweensignifiersandsignifiedinEnglishandtheembeddedideologies,GrantandSydneyabandonlinguisticcommonsenseandthusremovethedivisionofinsidersandoutsiders.AsDeshaneandMorton(2018)put,“Allformsofstrangenessareremovedinthisact;thereisnooutsider;andforamoment,thereisnolanguage.”Foramoment,asignifiercannotanddoesn’thavetofindasignified,andspeakingandlisteningEnglishnolongerprovidesmeaningstothereceivers,justlikeGrant’sobituaryprogram,likeasongbyincomprehensiblelanguage,andlikechatter-chantingmusicsuchasBalinesekecak.Althoughpeoplecannolongerunderstandtherealitythroughtheprevioussymbolicsystem,theyencountertheReal,therealmwherewordvirusnotonlyisincapableofattacking,butalsoaimstoprotect.Whenapianistgivesuppianosasarationalizinganddocumentingtoolof“music,”heorshemaylose88pitches,butgainsthepotentialitytorecognizeallsoundsintheworld.WorkCited:Deshane,Evelyn,andR.TravisMorton.quot;TheWordsChangeEverything:Haunting,ContagionAndTheStrangerInTonyBurgess’SPontypoolquot;.LondonJournalOfCanadianStudies,2018.UCLPress,doi:10.14324/111.444.ljcs.2018v33.005.Kirsch,SharonJ.,andMichaelStancliff.quot;quot;HowDoYouNotUnderstandAWord?quot;:LanguageAsContagionAndCureInPontypoolquot;.JournalOfNarrativeTheory,vol48,no.2,2018,pp.252-278.ProjectMuse,doi:10.1353/jnt.2018.0010.