前一篇提到了笑點
這邊來提提社會中的現實與黑暗面吧
Matthew Scudder系列之中
八百萬種死法(8 Million Ways to Die) 算是最為人所熟知的一本
標題的八百萬 指的是紐約市的人口
八百萬種死法 是說每個人都可能因為不同的因素、方法而逝去
其中一個段落我很喜歡:
……Cops see too much death and squalor, and in order to go on dealing with it
they often have the need to dehumanize the dead. I remember the first time I
helped remove a corpse from a room in an RSO hotel. The deceased had died vomit
-ing blood and had lain there for several days before his death was discovered.
A veteran patrolman and I wrestled the corpse into a body bag and on the way
downstairs my companion made sure the bag hit every single step. He'd have been
more careful with a sack of potatoes.
I can still recall the way the hotel's other residents looked at us. And I can
remember how my partner went through the dead man's belongings, scooping up the
little cash he had to his name, counting it deliberately and dividing it with
me.
I hadn't wanted to take it. "Put it in your pocket," he told me. "What do you
think happens to it otherwise? Somebody else takes it. Or it goes to the state.
What's the State of New York gonna do with 44 dollars? Put it in your pocket,
then buy yourself some perfumed soap and try to get this poor fucker's stink
off your hands."
I put it in my pocket. Later on, I was the one who bounced bagged corpses down
the stairs, the one who counted and divided their leavings.
Someday, I suppose, it'll come full circle, and I'll be the one in the bag.
大意是說，因為警察一天到晚都要處理屍體，基於一種心理防禦機轉，他們會不把那些受
害者當人看(類似PTSD之中，漠然以對的那種態度。比如被強暴的人之後複述過去那段不堪
的回憶時，會說得事不關己，像是在講別人的故事一樣。) 在拖屍袋的時候會刻意去
碰撞階梯，好像比一袋馬鈴薯還不值。還會把屍體搜刮一頓，反正他身上的錢不是被下一
個經手的人拿走就是被充公，把錢拿了，起碼可以去買塊香皂把手上的屍臭洗掉。(有種：
我幫你處理後事，處理這些又是血又是糞的，還遭受了精神創傷，拿你一點錢也不為過吧
的意味在 :p 說得也是阿，死人既不會致謝，也無法抗議，還是留給活人作主吧)
最後一段說，Matt自己也開始步上了當初教他這麼做的警官的後塵，好像是一種循環一樣
，從一開始不拿死者的遺物，小心翼翼抬屍袋 =>到自己也跟著這麼做，甚至把這種行為
模式傳承下去 => 到最後，說不定某一天會輪到他自己躺在屍袋裡面
看到最後一句真的有種毛骨悚然的感覺...很無奈，很現實，很殘酷阿
我本身又是個想很多，很無法面對死亡的人，
看到這句話真的是五味雜陳.....
比較起來，Matt系列還是沈重多了。
密探Tanner系列根本就在搞笑，
殺手系列其實還滿無厘頭的
雅賊系列既無厘頭又搞笑
看這三個系列都可以很開懷，很放空
唯獨Matt系列每次看了就會變得很鬱卒 /_\
(沒辦法，誰叫他是個酒鬼又有創傷，想法負面一點也是理所當然 :p)
另外 同樣是Scudder系列的"屠宰場之舞"(A Dance at the Slaughterhouse)
故事主軸跟Nicolas Cage主演過的電影-8MM-雷同
(其實屠宰場之舞的年代先於8MM 但8MM應該不是改編自此書 只是構想雷同)
如果喜歡電影8MM的話 應該會很容易進入狀況
另外 喜歡知名漫畫