1930年，格兰特·伍德因其画作《美国哥特人》一举成名。此画体现了美国农民庄严的自豪，常常被人复制。
画面展示了一位神色严肃的男子和一位女子站立在农舍之前。 伍德深受中世纪艺术家的影响，他的灵感来自于一所古老农舍的哥特式窗户，但最令世界注目的是画中人物的脸。
伍德喜欢画他熟悉的脸。
为画神色严肃的农夫，他选择了他那表情木讷的牙医， 至于站在他身边的农妇，他选择了自己的姐姐南。
他把模特的脖子稍稍画长了一些，但无疑能看出谁是画像的原型。
南后来说道，《美国哥特人》带给她的名誉使她摆脱了一种非常乏味的生活。
野牛镍币
今天，美国的硬币都用来纪念美国政府的杰出人物，其中大部分是著名的前总统。 但1913至1938年间发行的野牛镍币，却是为了纪念由美国拓居引起的两起相互关联的悲剧──野牛群的灭绝和美洲印第安人的毁灭。
此前一直是白人被用作美国镍币上的模特，而著名的艺术家詹姆斯·厄尔·弗雷泽却反传统而行之，起用了三名真正的美洲印第安人作为自己创作的原型。
由于大草原上不再有野牛漫步，弗雷泽为了镍币另一面上的野牛，只好到纽约中央公园的动物园里素描一只老野牛。
两年后，即1915年，此牛以100美元的价格售出，然后被宰杀取肉、剥皮，牛角制成了墙上的装饰品。
山姆大叔
美国独立战争时期，14岁的山姆·威尔逊离家出走，加入父亲和哥哥们的行列，为美国殖民地独立于英国而战。
23岁时，他开始从事肉类加工业，并因为人诚实、工作勤奋而赢得声誉。
此后在1812年的战争中，威尔逊获得了一个职位，为美国军队检验肉食。他的合伙人和美国政府签订了一份合同，给军队提供肉食。
送到军队的肉桶上面都印有EA-US标志，EA代表公司名，US代表原产国。
传说有一回，有个政府官员来参观加工厂，问及这些字母的含义，一个想象力丰富的雇员告诉他，“US”是“山姆大叔”威尔逊的缩写。
很快，士兵们都说所有的军需品都来自“山姆大叔”。
战后，政治漫画里开始出现一个名叫“山姆大叔”的人物。他的原型是一个早期漫画人物，名叫乔纳森大哥，此人在美国独立战争时期非常出名。
很快，山姆大叔就取代了乔纳森大哥，成了最受美国人欢迎的象征。
最令人难忘的山姆大叔的画像是由画家詹姆斯·蒙哥马利·弗拉格创作的，用在两次世界大
战期间他画的很多著名的征兵招贴画上。
山姆大叔的形象是：高个子，白头发，下巴上有一小撮白胡子，身着深蓝色外套，头戴一顶高帽，上有星星点缀。这模样其实就是弗拉格的自画像。 U5
Graceful Hands
I have never seen Mrs. Clark before, but I know from her medical chart and the report I received from the preceding shift that tonight she will die.The only light in her room is coming from a piece of medical equipment, which is flashing its red light as if in warning. As I stand there, the smell hits my nose, and I close my eyes as I remember the smell
of decay from past experience. In my mouth I have a sour, vinegar taste coming from the pit of my stomach. I reach for the light switch, and as it silently lights the scene, I return to the bed to observe the patient with an unemotional, medical eye.
Mrs. Clark is dying. She lies motionless: the head seems unusually large on a skeleton body; the skin is dark yellow and hangs loosely around exaggerated bones that not even a blanket can hide; the right arm lies straight out at the side, taped cruelly to a board to secure a needle so that fluid may drip in;the left arm is across the sunken chest, which rises and falls with the uneven breaths.
I reach for the long, thin fingers that are lying on the chest. They are ice cold, and I quickly move to the wrist and feel for the faint pulse. Mrs. Clark's eyes open somewhat as her head turns toward me slightly. I bend close to her and scarcely hear as she whispers, \I put my finger over the end of the straw and allow a few drops of the cool moisture to slide into her mouth and ease her thirst. She makes no attempt to swallow; there is just not enough strength.
\manage to swallow some liquid and weakly says, \for conversation, so without asking, I go about providing for her needs. Picking her up in my arms like a child, I turn her on her side. Naked, except for a light hospital gown, she is so very
small and light that she seems like a victim of some terrible famine. I remove the lid from a jar of skin cream and put some on the palm of my hand. Carefully, to avoid injuring her, I rub cream into the yellow skin, which rolls freely over the bones, feeling perfectly the outline of each bone in the back.
Placing a pillow between her legs, I notice that these too are ice cold, and not until I run my hand up over her knees do I feel any of the life-giving warmth of blood.When I am finished, I pull a chair up beside the bed to face her and, taking her free hand betweenmine, again notice the long, thin fingers. Graceful. I wonder briefly if she has any family, and then I see that there are neither flowers, nor pictures of rainbows and butterflies drawn by children, nor cards.
There is no hint in the room anywhere that this is a person who is loved. As though she is a mind reader, Mrs. Clark answers my thoughts and quietly tells me, \Having spent her last ounce of strength she cannot go on, but I have understood what she has done. Not knowing what to say, I say nothing. Again she seems to sense mythoughts, \
Time seems to stand still. In the total silence, I feel my own pulse quicken and hear my breathing as it begins to match hers, breath for uneven breath. Our eyes meet and somehow, together, we become aware that this is a special moment between two human beings ... Her long fingers curl easily around my hand and I nod my head slowly, smiling. Without words, through yellowed eyes, I receive my thank you and her eyes slowly close.
Some unknown interval of time passes before her eyes open again, only this time there is no response in them, just a blank stare. Without warning, her shallow breathing stops, and within a few moments,the faint pulse is also gone. One single tear flows from her left eye, across the cheek and down onto the pillow. I begin to cry quietly. There is a swell of emotion within me for this stranger who so quicklycame into and went from my life.
Her suffering is done, yet so is the life. Slowly, still holding her hand, I become aware that I do not mind this emotional battle, that in fact, it was a privilege she has allowed me, and I would do it again, gladly. Mrs. Clark spared her family an episode that perhaps they were not equipped to handle and instead shared it
with me. She had not wanted to have her family see her die,yet she did not want to die alone. No one should die alone, and I am glad I was there for her.
Two days later, I read about Mrs. Clark in the newspaper. She was the mother of seven,grandmother of eighteen, an active member of her church, a leader of volunteer associations in her community, a concert piano player, and a piano teacher for over thirty years.Yes, they were long and graceful fingers.
优雅的双手
我从未见过克拉克夫人，但看过她的医疗记录和上一位值班医生交给我的报告后，我知道她今晚会去世。
她屋里唯一的光线来自一台医疗设备，它闪着红光，似乎在发出警告。 我站在那里，一股怪味刺激着我的鼻子，我想起了过去闻到过的腐烂的气味，我闭上了眼睛。 我嘴里有一股从胃里返上来的酸味。
我伸手去开灯。灯静静地照亮了整个病房，我走回病床边，用无动于衷的、医生的目光观察着病人。
克拉克夫人已奄奄一息了。
她一动不动地躺着：骨瘦如柴的身体使她的头显得特别大；皮肤呈暗黄色，松松地裹在嶙峋的、连毛毯也遮掩不住的骨骼上；她的右臂平伸在床边，被无情地用胶带固定在一块板上，以便能固定针头使液体滴入；左臂横放在深陷的胸部，胸口随着不均匀的呼吸一起一伏。
我伸手去触摸她放在胸口的细长手指。
冰凉冰凉的。我忙将手移到她的手腕，去感觉那微弱的脉搏。 克拉克夫人将头稍稍转向我，微微地睁开眼。 我俯过身去，勉强听见她微弱的声音：“水。”
我从桌上拿起一杯水，用手指封着吸管的一端，滴了几滴凉凉的水到她的嘴里，以缓解她的干渴。
她没有用力去吞咽，因为力气不够。 “还要，”那干涩的声音说。
于是我们又重复了一次。这次她终于咽了一些，并轻轻说了声：“谢谢，你。”
她虚弱得没法交谈，因此没等她要求，我就开始做她所需要的。 我像抱孩子似的把她抱起来，给她翻了个身。
除了一件浅色的病号服，她什么也没穿。她又小又轻，像遭受了严重饥荒一样。 我打开护肤霜的瓶盖，揩了一些在手心。 为了不伤着她，我小心翼翼地把护肤霜擦在她发黄的皮肤上。她的皮肤松松地在骨头上滑动，背上每块骨头的轮廓都能清楚地摸到。
当我把枕头放在她两腿之间时，发现它们也是冰凉的，直到把手移到她膝盖以上的部位，我
才感受到血液供给生命的热度。
而后，我挪了把椅子面朝她坐在床边，握住她那只没被固定的手，此时我又一次注意到她细长的手指。
很优雅。一时间，我突然想知道她是否有家庭，接着我发现病房里没有花，没有孩子们画的彩虹和蝴蝶，也没有卡片。
房间中没有任何迹象表明她是一个被人爱着的人。 她似乎读懂了我的心思，平静地回答我说：“今天……我让……家里人……都……回家……不想……他们……看见……”
她耗尽了最后的那点力气，再也说不下去了。但我已然明白她做了些什么。 我不知道说什么好，所以什么也没说。 她好像又看穿了我的心思：“你……留下……”
时间似乎停滞了。 在一片寂静中，我感觉自己的脉搏加快了，我听到自己的呼吸开始伴随着她那不均匀的呼吸一起一落。
我们互相对视，不知怎么的，我们都意识到，这是两个生命间的一个特殊时刻。 她那细长的手指很轻易地就拢住了我的手，我微笑着慢慢点了点头。
无需任何语言，我从她发黄的眼睛中感受到了她对我的谢意，她慢慢闭上了眼睛。
不知过了多长时间，她又睁开了双眼，只是这一次目光里没有任何反应，只有空洞的凝视。 没有一点先兆，她那细弱的呼吸停止了。很快，微弱的脉搏也消失了。 一颗泪珠从她的左眼中流出，滑过脸颊，落在枕上。 我开始轻声哭泣。
对这位迅速走进又走出我生活的陌生人，我心间涌起了一股感情。 她的痛苦结束了，可她的生命也结束了。
我依然握着她的手，渐渐地，我意识到我并不害怕这种感情之战，意识到这实际是她赐予我的特殊荣幸，而且我还乐意再来一次。
克拉克夫人没有让她的家人目睹这一幕他们或许无力面对的人生插曲，却与我分享了它。 她不想让家人看着她死去，然而她也不愿孤独地离去。 不应当有人孤独离去的，我很高兴能守候在她身边。
两天后，我在报上读到了克拉克夫人的消息。
原来她是7个孩子的母亲、18个孩子的祖母、教会里的活跃分子、社区志愿者协会的领导人、音乐会钢琴演奏家、从教30余年的钢琴教师。
是啊，她的手指是那样细长而优雅。 U6
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