裸者与死者 (1948)

《裸者和死者》（英语：The Naked and the Dead）是美国作家诺曼·梅勒的处女作，1948年由莱因哈特公司出版。

这部小说是基于作者在第二次世界大战菲律宾战役期间，在第112骑兵团担任厨师的经历。 这部小说出版时作者只有25岁，很快成为畅销书，为《鹿苑》（The Deer Park）等其他作品铺平了道路。,梅勒认为《裸者和死者》 是他最著名的作品。它是第一部关于第二次世界大战的热门小说，被认为是最伟大的英语小说之一。 该书于1958年改编成同名电影。

1998年，《裸者和死者》名列20世纪百大英文小说第51名。

情节

小说分为四个部分：起浪、陶土与粪土、草木与幻影，以及尾波。

故事发生在南太平洋一个虚构的岛屿安诺波佩岛。美军需要完成赶走日军的任务，为进入菲律宾做好准备。

The Naked and the Dead is a novel written by Norman Mailer. Published by Rinehart & Company in 1948, when he was 25, it was his debut novel. It depicts the experiences of a platoon during World War II, based partially on Mailer's experiences as a cook with the 112th Cavalry Regiment during the Philippines Campaign in World War II. The book quickly became a bestseller, paving the way for other Mailer works such as The Deer Park, Advertisements for Myself, and The Time of Our Time. He believed The Naked and the Dead to be his most renowned work. It was the first popular novel about the war and is considered one of the greatest English-language novels. It was adapted into a film in 1958.

In 1998, the Modern Library ranked The Naked and the Dead 51st on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

Plot

The story takes place on Anopopei, a fictional island in the South Pacific. American forces are faced with a campaign to drive out the Japanese so that Americans can advance into the Philippines. The novel focuses on one platoon.

Staff Sergeant Sam Croft, Woodrow Wilson, and Roy Gallagher are playing cards the night before a scheduled attack. They are members of a recon platoon fighting in the Asian theater of World War II on Anopopei. The next morning, as the platoon takes boats to the island, they are nervous. The assault begins, and as the platoon waits to come to the island, they nervously joke amongst themselves. Once the squad reaches the beach, they begin digging foxholes. Stanley picks a fight with Oscar Ridges and Red Valsen, but ultimately Red backs down. Croft leaves to find his commanding officer. Once they have begun to settle on the beach, the Japanese attack. The platoon splits up. Corporal Toglio, Hennessey, and Ridges have completed their foxholes, so they stay on the beach. Brown, Gallagher, Wilson, Red, Stanley, and Sergeant Julio Martinez run after Croft. As the beach is shelled, Hennessey is killed by shrapnel.

Later, Croft pleads with officers to give him more men to replace those lost. He ultimately earns a replacement, bringing the depleted platoon up to fourteen men out of an intended twenty. Roth and Goldstein, two of the new men in the platoon, bond over their Jewish heritage.

Lieutenant Robert Hearn snaps at other officers, and Major General Edward Cummings steps in. Hearn and Cummings form an odd friendship. The two talk in Cummings's tent at night. They discuss philosophy and Cummings analyzes Hearn’s personality. Cummings tells Hearn that, as an officer, he must develop resentment for enlisted men.

Roth and Minetta are separated from the rest of the squad, and when they hear gunfire, they assume recon must be in a firefight. As Roth keeps watch, he falls asleep at his post and wakes up Stanley a half-hour late. The next day, the other half of the platoon moves anti-tank guns, slowed down by the mud. Wyman drops his leg of the gun, and it rolls down a hill. When he tries to take responsibility, Croft thinks he is covering for Goldstein, whom he blames instead. Ironically, Goldstein comes to believe that he himself was responsible for the failure.

The entire platoon meets back up and are attacked by Japanese soldiers while sleeping. Croft is one of the men on watch when they attack, and he leads the platoon in repelling the Japanese, killing multiple Japanese soldiers. Toglio gets hit in the arm during the battle, meaning he will be discharged. The soldiers say he is lucky because his wound will not prevent him from doing anything once it heals, but he still gets to return to America. The Americans fend off the attack.

Cummings and Hearn continue their antagonistic relationship, and Cummings assigns Hearn to oversee the construction of a recreation tent for the officers. Hearn realizes he is feeling the resentment towards the enlisted men that Cummings predicted. While discussing war and philosophy and playing chess, the two realize they are not fond of each other.