比较文学:东方与西方-22

　　《比较文学：东方与西方（22 英文版）》：　　actively and ethically stands against social domination and empowers black humanity in the global family. Believing that there was something in Shakespeare for everyone, changing his name from Cliff Jackson to Abshu to embrace the African heritage, and befriending a man with mixed origins, Abshu crosses cultural and racial boundaries and brings possibilities and resistance to Brewster Place.　　Interestingly, Abshu shares similarities with the Biblical prophet Moses, as both of them are adopted by a wealthier family and raised by the " others", and both of them bear the responsibility to bring their people out of a place and lead them to their land of hope. In the last chapter "Dawn", Abshu sits alone on the empty street before the dawning of the demolition. He "walk[ s] into a rising sun" , and is the " [o] ne man against the dawning of the inevitable" (172) , signifying that he would eventually lead the recent homeless people from Brewster Place to build a new home and to find their own Canaan. Naylor places her hope of continuing the fight on Abshu, believing a progressive man like him could be a genuine leader for all of the black people.　　IV. Conclusion　　Fromsegregated space to the third space, Abshu shows more active and border-crossing masculinities than the previous guardian Ben. This study on The Men of Brewster Place reveals a hidden spatial-masculinities relation within the text, providing an alternative method in analyzing masculinities and a deeper understanding of the social construction of masculinities. At the same time, Naylor is siding with . progressive black scholars in fighting against stereotypes of black men, urging more and more black men to break boundaries and change their own negative images. On one hand, black men should stop hiding in their spatial interstices and embrace more social and cultural possibilities; on the other hand, America society should be more aware of the general stigmatic images of black men and stop regarding them as either criminals or emasculated victims. Generally speaking, The Men, of Brewster Place enriches gender perspectives in Naylor's works and renders deeper insights to black men's troubled lives in American cities. Hopefully, this study coulcl kindle more academic interests in spatial-masculinity studies and Gloria Naylor's works.　　……