當照護變成負擔：馬丁˙麥多納《麗南鎮的美人》中莫琳消失的自我

When Caregiving Becomes a Burden: Maureen’s Vanishing Self in Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane

關懷是人類的基本需求，涵蓋情感支持、同理心與理解。它既能提升個人生活品質，亦能促進社會和諧與發展。然而在健康與社會照護領域，照護工作不僅止於情感支持。照護通常涉及具體行動，協助患者進食、沐浴、服藥及管理日常起居，屬於更實務性的身體照護。本文運用女性主義關懷倫理框架，剖析馬丁·麥多納劇作《麗南鎮的美人》中主角因照護重擔逐漸喪失自我的歷程。同時融合瓊·特朗托提出的關懷品質階段理論，呈現主角承擔照護責任時的可觀察實踐。文本分析揭示主角在照料慢性病老母親日常需求時，其身份認同與自主性如何逐步消蝕。本文主張關懷與照護同等重要；然而，任一方的缺失或失衡皆可能對照護者與受照護者造成負面影響。為避免照護成為負擔，關鍵在於辨識並處理照護者的情緒困擾。若放任此類困擾持續，恐導致嚴重心理後果，甚至引發家庭悲劇。

Caring is a fundamental human need that encompasses emotional support, empathy, and understanding. It can improve individual quality of life while fostering social harmony and development. However, when it comes to health and social care, caregiving extends beyond emotional support. Caregiving usually involves specific actions to help a patient to eat, bathe, take medication, and manage daily routines. It is more practical and physical care. This paper examines the protagonist’s gradual loss of self due to the burdens of caregiving in Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane using the framework of feminist ethics of care. This paper also integrates Joan Tronto’s phases of care qualities to present the observable practice from protagonist’s burden of caregiving. The textual analysis reveals how the protagonist’s identity and autonomy erode when taking care of the daily needs of a chronically ill, aging parent. This paper argues that both caring and caregiving are important; yet, the absence or imbalance of either can negatively impact both the caregiver and the recipient. To prevent caregiving from becoming a burden, it is crucial to recognize and address caregivers’emotional distress. If left unaddressed, such distress can lead to serious psychological consequences, and even familial tragedy.