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Prompt: Analysis of the short story 'Homeland Chronicles'
Analysis of the short story 'Homeland Chronicles'
Essay:
The imagery of homeland has left its mark on the works of many artists, including Lỗ Tấn. Mentioning him is mentioning a famous writer, who has made significant contributions to the Chinese literary treasure trove in particular, and the world literature in general. Lỗ Tấn's notable works include: 'The Story of Ah Q', 'Medicine', 'Diary of a Madman',... and it would be a great omission if we didn't mention the short story 'Homeland Chronicles'.
This short story was written by Lỗ Tấn in 1923, part of the collection 'Screams'. The title 'Homeland Chronicles' means the old homeland, where one was born and raised but no longer resides. The story tells of the protagonist 'I' returning to his homeland after more than twenty years away. The rural landscape becomes desolate, deserted rather than the vibrant village it once was, so beautiful that no language can describe it as vividly as in the character's memory. 'I' returns home this time with the intention of relocating his family to a foreign land for livelihood. Carrying sorrow and regret, the character 'I' leaves with the hope that life in his village will be better.
The beginning of the work portrays the homeland emerging with gloom, villages, desolate landscapes, and cruel scenes 'lying quietly under the faded yellow sky'. Witnessing that scene, the character 'I' cannot contain emotions, 'heart constricts'. In the character's memory, the old village was more beautiful and not as dilapidated, bleak as reality. The homeland in the character 'I's memory is the days when 'my teacher was still there, the scene of home was still prosperous, I was a decent lad' and even the memorable childhood memories.
The depiction of rural people gradually emerges through the skilled portrayal of the author. The mother sees her returning child with a face full of joy but 'still concealing a hidden sadness'. She has been attached to the homeland for so many years, now having to leave it behind, there's also nostalgia and fondness in her heart. During the days in the countryside, the character 'I' also encountered several other people like Nhuận Thổ, Sister Hai Dương, nephew Hoàng,... Upon hearing that the character 'I' returned to the village, Nhuận Thổ came to visit. In the memory of 'I', Nhuận Thổ was a ten-year-old boy, 'round face, honey-colored skin, wearing a tiny fur hat, a shiny silver necklace around his neck'. He was a robust, intelligent boy, knowledgeable about many strange things impossible to tell. The character 'I' and Nhuận Thổ have a master-servant relationship because Nhuận Thổ's father used to work for 'my' family. They are close to each other and become friends. This is an equal relationship, bonding with each other.
But in the past, however clever Nhuận Thổ was, his current appearance is completely opposite. Nhuận Thổ is 'twice as tall, with dark yellow skin, with deep wrinkles', 'eyes rimmed with red and swollen'. He wears a 'tattered fur hat, a thin sticky cotton shirt, his body hunched, holding a bag and a long cigarette'. The 'rosy, agile, plump, and firm' hands are no longer there, replaced by 'rough, heavy, cracked like pine bark' hands. Hardship and difficulties have made Nhuận Thổ like this. Seeing his childhood friend, Nhuận Thổ is 'both excited and pitiful, lips trembling but unable to speak' then he assumes a 'respectful' posture. Those gestures somewhat reveal his feelings of inferiority. The circumstances of 'crowded people, famine, heavy taxes, tough soldiers, thieves, officials, and the oppression of his own body make him dull, miserable, and emaciated'. The change in Nhuận Thổ deeply saddens and sympathizes with the character 'I'. Such changes in Nhuận Thổ are also due to economic decline, the harsh conditions of feudal Chinese society, and the backward lifestyle of peasant workers who do not know how to stand up for themselves.
That village not only has Nhuận Thổ but also has Sister Hai Dương, known as the 'beauty of the village'. In the past, she was beautiful, graceful, youthful but now she is a woman under 50, 'bulging buttocks, thin lips, arms akimbo, no waistband, legs apart, similar to a compass in a drawing kit, with two small legs'. Her arrogant words reveal a sour, sharp personality. Through contrasting comparisons, Lỗ Tấn vividly portrays the changes in both appearance and personality of these two characters. Through this, he also recreates the decline in various aspects of social life, the decline, and negative changes in the lifestyle of laboring people.
The beautiful homeland of the character 'I' only remains in memory so when leaving, this character feels 'no lingering sentiment'. The character 'I' only feels 'surrounded by invisible, but very tall walls, making me extremely lonely, suffocated'. Suffocated by the bleak, desolate countryside and the negative changes in people. They become desolate, impoverished, dull, arrogant, and opportunistic. Some come to lend a hand, but some come to take belongings. They take all the belongings in the old house, 'broken, big, small, good, and bad, all taken away as clean as snow'. Listening to the water splashing against the boat, the character 'I' wishes for Thủy Sinh and Hoàng not to be separated like 'me and Nhuận Thổ'. At the same time, 'I' also does not want them to suffer like Nhuận Thổ, nor to be as ruthless as many others. The young ones must live a better life.
Hometown is a remarkable foreign short story featured in the Grade 9 Literature program. To grasp the intricate value and artistic essence of this short story, in addition to analyzing Hometown, you can also explore: The plot of the story Hometown, My impressions of the narrow path depicted in the short story Hometown, Reflections on the imagery of the homeland and its people in Hometown. Through the work Hometown, express your opinion on the saying by Lỗ Tấn.
