1、本作品版权由冯军老师所有,授权予北京校园之星科技有限公司，任何机构或个人均不得擅自复制、传播。本公司热忱欢迎广大一线教师加入我们的作者队伍。有意者请登录高考资源网()版权所有，盗用必究！Child Psychology in Contemporary Chinese FilmKimberly M. Gilbert Kimberly Gilbert is a sophomore from Red Hook, New York.At Williams, she is a History/German double major. In 2004, she will spend the summer
2、studying in Bremen at the Goethe Institute. In October, she will travel to Berlin, where she will study for the remainder of the year. Her interests include beat poetry and the writing of fiction. The study of the psychological development of children in their early stages of life has long been used
3、 as a practical means by which to explain behavioral patterns. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that in recent years filmmakers have recognized the value of constructing the psyche of their young characters in such a way that gives the audience access to the perspective, or lens, of these c
4、hildren. Chinese director Zhang Yimou, in his films “Judou” and “To Live,” and Tian Zhuangzhuang, in his film “The Blue Kite,” have paid particular attention, albeit indirectly and perhaps unintentionally, to the role of children, their psychology and viewpoint. Since the audience is able to deduce
5、the motives and subsequent actions of children by examining their psychological composition, Tian and Zhang have made it possible to use psychology as a vehicle by which to gain insight, and thus understanding, of such central elements as plot development and sequence of events. This paper discusses
6、 the psychological development of the children in the above-mentioned films as well as how this development contributes to the understanding of the film as a whole. By far the most sinister of the children to be analyzed, Tianbai of “Judou” best represents the deleterious effects of unconventional f
7、amily life and the problems that can potentially arise because of it. The result of an illicit affair between Tianqing and Judou, Tianbai lacks the stable upbringing that a normal household would afford. His presumed father, Jinshan, is evil incarnate; before Tianbais birth, Jinshan would sadistical
8、ly torture Judou in the darkness of the masters bedroom. Debilitated after falling off a horse, Jinshan never assumes, furthermore, the active, dynamically beneficial role of a healthy father. As a result, Tianbai “is weird because he is the product of an abnormal relationship, which is very twisted
9、 and distorted.”1） Tianbais “weird,” abnormal behavior is manifested in two ways. One, he does not speak and two, he is antisocial. Zhang Yimou himself has asserted that “all around him Tianbai is secrecy, so he does not speak.” 2） In other words, due to the secrecy of Tianqing and Judous relationsh
10、ip, Tianbais own verbal expression is repressed. Even as an infant, Tianbai, in contrast to other babies, never laughs. Here, Zhang examines the psychological construction of the infant Tianbai and how it is affected by his parents affair. Just months after birth, for example, Judou and Tianqing lea
11、ve Tianbai in a room with the bitter, albeit paralyzed, Jinshan, so that they can make love. This selfishness is paralleled later in the film when, at age four, Tianbai encounters a hostile Jinshan near the dye-vats after his parents left him in the fields. The clandestineness of this relationship,
12、which leads to the neglect of Tianbai, is characterized by suppression and the subsequent suppression of the boys normal psychological maturation. The second manifestation of Tianbais unusual behavior is his unfriendly, reclusive nature. Misanthropic and cold, Tianbai is introverted in the fullest s
13、ense. Since he cannot talk openly about his enragement over his mothers affair with Tianqing, Tianbai unleashes this angst physically in three specific instances, two of which are tragic. The first episode is when ten-year-old Tianbai, knife in hand, chases another boy who jokes about his mothers af
14、fair with Tianqing. This instance, in addition to showing his lack of normal social skills, also reveals Tianbais anger at, perhaps, not being able to openly discuss the affair himself. The second example, which foreshadows the third, is when Tianbai laughs as Jinshan falls into a dye-vat and dies.
15、Although it is true that the young boy does not understand what has happened, it is nevertheless quite telling, in light of the third episode, that he expresses joy at the death of his presumed father. The third episode is unique because it is here when Jinshans destructive nature is replicated in T
16、ianbai as he too becomes vengeful and malevolent. 3） He takes the oxygen-deprived Tianqing and forcefully throws him in the red dye-vat, later striking him down as Tianqing struggles to stay afloat. Ultimately, in short, the lack of affection Tianbai received as a small child has disastrous repercus
17、sions and implications later on in his childhood. The bitterness of Tianbai towards his mother is similar to the commonly-termed “Tommy Smothers” syndrome, in which young boys express bitterness towards their mothers as a result of having to vie for attention with an oppositional figure, in this cas
18、e Tianqing. 4） Furthermore, while Tianbai does not take physical vengeance on his mother, he does conquer her in a symbolic sense since, in Confucian society, he becomes her new master. 5） In sharp contrast to the outright resentment of ones mother, the discussion turns now to the analysis of Tietou
19、 in the film “The Blue Kite.” Freuds work on child psychoanalysis and, more specifically, his formulation of the Oedipus complex warrants discussion in the context of Tietous psychological makeup. It should be noted that, first and foremost, Tietou is the narrator of the film. Consequently, virtuall
20、y all action is seen from his perspective (although at times showing that of his mother). It is absolutely necessary, therefore, to apply what is known about psychoanalysis in order to understand Tietou and, in turn, the action of the film. Freud placed great emphasis on unconscious mental activity
21、when he maintained that psychic activity from early childhood has an impact on later unconscious conflicts within oneself. 6） The unconscious development of Tietou can be explained with this knowledge in mind. Tietou is always present when adults discuss Communist actions that affect their everyday
22、lives in a negative way. Although sometimes awake during these discussions, Tietou is more often asleep. He is sleeping, for example, when his mother, Shujuan, passionately talks to Guodong about the latters feelings of guilt at being partially responsible for Shaolongs death (Tietous father, who wa
23、s sent to a labor camp). In general terms, Tietous unconscious development is affected time and time again by the disastrous effects that government policy has on his family. 7） As a result, the boy is precocious; he knows too much too soon in life. Although Shaolongs death is accidental (a tree fal
24、ls on him), the violent, yet subtle, nature of being rectified in a labor camp is particularly interesting in its relationship to psychoanalysis. His fathers death and the feelings it evokes in Tietou could possibly be translated to mental trauma, which is repressed and thus made inaccessible. 8） Ac
25、cording to Freud, normally this mental trauma reemerges later on in life or, in Tietous case, later in childhood. 9） Thus the inner conflict of Tietou, as he matures during the Communist regimes zenith of power, can be understood in terms of the mental trauma that ensues as the realities of living u
26、nder an oppressive state are repeatedly reaffirmed. This constant reaffirmation of the cruel realities of the world (the undernourishment and death of Guodong and the trials of his former-Nationalist uncle Shusheng, to name a few), brings Tietou closer to his mother, thus providing a gateway to the
27、brief examination of the Oedipus complex and its role in the film. Oedipus complex, characterized by an intricate emotional content that is grounded in parental love and hate, refers to a young boys love (in a sexual, romantic form) of his mother and hate or resentment of his father. 10） This resent
28、ment can stem, at times, out of the fathers abandonment of the boy as an infant or small child and is in opposition to the boys attachment to his mother.11） Shaolong, whose relationship with his son is never cultivated to the extent of the one between Shujuan and Tietou, is, even when alive, seconda
29、ry to his wife in his closeness to Tietou. The scene in which Tietou glares at Shaolong and shoots him with an imaginary gun while muttering, “Daddys bad, Im going to kill him,” best evidences the animosity Tietou has for his father. While it is true that Tietou would never have actually killed Shao
30、long, it is nevertheless an important observation to make when clarifying his psyche. Furthermore, his distaste for Shujuans third husband, Lao Wu and his feelings of jealousy at the attention given to him (typical of boys with an Oedipus complex) are manifested in the scene when Tietou surreptitiou
31、sly watches the couple in bed one evening, probably to see if they are making love. In order to compare developmental psychology of the above-mentioned films to a more conventional model, attention is now given to the development of a typically healthy, mother-son relationship. Unlike the mother-son
32、 relationships in “Judou” and “The Blue Kite” which are, respectively, intensely hostile and insinuatingly, although not necessarily, sexual, the relationship between Jiazhen and Youqing in “To Live” is refreshingly pure and symbiotic. The development of what Winnicott calls “Potential Space”, or th
33、e social character of the mother-infant relationship, is linked to a mother who is responsible, loving, and dependable and who, furthermore, gives the infant an immediate and continuous sense of being; trust evolves out of this. 12） Particularly important to Winnicott is his assertion that “Potentia
34、l Space” between the baby and the mother precedes all interaction that the child will eventually have with the outside world. 13） In short, the development of healthy “Potential Space” between mother and child is essential to the healthy psychological and social development of the child. The nurture
35、 that Jiazhen gives Youqing is lacking in regards to Judou and Shujuans treatment of their sons. Judou, as previously mentioned, is preoccupied with her relationship with Tianqing and with the constant supervision and oppression of the strict, patriarchal Confucian society. Similarly, Shujuan is pre
36、occupied with her own obligations such as volunteering to work in agricultural production for three months. Undoubtedly, Judou and Shujuan love their sons, yet love does not prove to be sufficient enough to develop healthy “Potential Space.” Jiazhen, while also required to fulfill her responsibiliti
37、es to the Communist state and to others, differs from Judou and Shujuan in that she includes Youqing is almost every aspect of her daily life. Perhaps this is out of necessity, since delivering water is a means of survival for the family, yet the point here is that intimate contact is established be
38、tween Jiazhen and Youqing very early in the childs life. Additionally, Jiazhens leniency and sympathy towards Youqing should not go unmentioned. Her defense of Youqing after he dumps soup on another boy at the communal kitchen is a prime example of her indulgence, as is her willingness to let him sl
39、eep in lieu of attending the smelting of the iron. Jiazhen even mournfully laments at Youqings grave, after his premature death, that “in life he never had a good nights sleep” because he endured the arduous task of delivering water early in the morning. In this respect, he is similar to Tietou; he
40、is made to physically grow up a bit too early, although his psychological development, unlike Tietou, proceeds at a normal rate. In conclusion, child psychology in contemporary Chinese film is ever-present. Indeed, it is ubiquitous in the sense that it manages to permeate the film as an entirety. Th
41、roughout this paper a shift has been made from the examination of a twisted psychological composition to one that is strained by external forces and, finally, to one that is more healthy and pristine. Regardless of the specificities of the child psyche, comprehending this psyche elucidates the actio
42、ns of the characters and, in turn, aids the audience in the basic understanding of the plot. Note: 1 、 Zhang Yimou, quoted by Jerome Silbergeld (1999), p. 294. 2 、 Ibid, p. 294. 3 、 Jerome Silbergeld (1999), p. 282. 4 、 (8 October 2003).5 、 Shelia Cornelius (2002), p. 89. 6 、 Edward Erwin (2002), p. 79. 7 、 Shelia Cornelius (2002), p. 49. 8 、 Yomi Braester (2003), p. 7. 9 、 Ibid, p. 7. 10 、 Edward Erwin (2002), p. 397. 11 、 Ibid, p. 398. 12 、 Peter Fuller (1988), p. 203. 13 、 Ibid, p. 204.
