Analysis of the Two Discoveries by the Artist Phùng in the Short Story The Distant Boat

Essay Prompt: Analysis of the Two Discoveries by the Artist Phùng in the Short Story The Distant Boat

The work 'The Distant Boat' is one of the unique creations that reflects the philosophical perspective on human life by the writer Nguyễn Minh Châu. By successfully constructing the two discoveries of the artist Phùng, the author highlights the relationship between art and life. The essay analyzing the two discoveries by the artist Phùng in the short story 'The Distant Boat' below will help students gain a deeper understanding of Nguyễn Minh Châu's artistic viewpoint.

Analysis of the Two Discoveries by the Artist Phùng in the Short Story The Distant Boat

I. Outline for Analyzing the Two Discoveries by the Artist Phùng in the Short Story The Distant Boat (Standard)

1. Introduction:

Introduction of the author, the work, and the two discoveries by the artist Phùng.

2. Main Body:

a. General Overview

- Context of creation:

+ Written in August 1983, as the Vietnam War ended triumphantly, the nation was stepping into a new era.
+ 'The Distant Boat' belongs to the second phase of Nguyễn Minh Châu's literary career, intertwined with worldly inspirations and personal life.

- The short story begins with Phùng carrying out a practical task of taking an additional calendar photo. Through this journey, Phùng made discoveries that led to profound reflections within him.

b. Analysis of the Two Discoveries by the Artist Phùng

* First Discovery: A Dreamy Landscape Painting

- A perfect natural painting like 'an ancient ink painting by a master painter':

+ Nature: the distant boat scene faintly visible, shrouded in the misty morning sea.
+ Human figures: 'some adults and children sitting silently as statues'.
+ From lines to light, everything is harmonious and beautiful, a simple and complete beauty.

- The artist's mood and emotions:

+ Becoming 'confused', feeling like 'something squeezing in the heart'
+ Feeling as if discovering 'the truth of perfection' and 'moments of soul tranquility'

- The significance of the first discovery:

→ Reflects the artist's perspective on art:

+ The beauty of 'supreme beauty' lies in simplicity, naturalness.
+ 'Beauty is morality', serving as a 'purifier', making people become pure, saintly.

* Second Discovery: Horrifying Scene of Domestic Violence

- Human figures depicted:

+ A tall woman with rough features, a tired, pale face, and seemingly sleepy, wearing a shabby, torn silver dress.
+ A man with a broad, curved back, tangled hair, walking with a wobbly gait, eyebrows scorched by the sun, and eyes full of fierceness.

- Scene of brutal violence:

+ The husband fiercely pulls out his belt and lashes it onto the woman's back.
+ The wife makes no sound, no resistance, no attempt to escape.
+ The son grabs the belt, resisting against the father to protect the mother.

- Attitude, thoughts, actions of the artist:

+ Phùng is 'speechless', disbelief in what's happening before his eyes.
+ Throws the camera and rushes forward.
+ After the man and woman return to the boat, Phùng 'gazes blankly at a stretch of cliff where the boat had just docked'.

- Significance of the second discovery:

→ Reflects a perspective on life: reality full of thorns, rough and rugged, completely contrasting with the supreme beauty, peace of the artistic photograph.

c. Evaluation:

Through the two discoveries, the author has conveyed:

-  Unique philosophical perspective on human life: Human life is inherently multidimensional and complex.
- Perception and assessment of life: Only with a deep, multidimensional perspective can we discover the contradictions and complexities of life.
- Perspective on art: True art is not about painting life pink.

3. Conclusion:

Overview of the significance of the two discoveries and the value of the work.

>> Check out the Outline for Analyzing the Two Discoveries by the Artist Phùng in the Short Story The Distant Boat in detail here.
 

II. Sample Essay Analyzing the Two Discoveries by the Artist Phùng in the Short Story The Distant Boat

1. Analysis of the Two Discoveries by the Artist Phùng in the Short Story The Distant Boat, Sample 1 (Standard)

Nguyễn Minh Châu stands as one of the prominent contributors to the national literature. Throughout his creative journey, he has demonstrated a talented pen with ceaseless creativity. With a delicate yet profound writing style, he has imbued his characters with profound insights into life. The most successful and exemplary work showcasing Nguyễn Minh Châu's artistic style must be mentioned as The Distant Boat, a short story crafted in 1983, portraying human fate amidst post-revolutionary life. In this work, the two unique discoveries by the artist Phùng are seen as pivotal details through which the author deeply and comprehensively conveys his thoughts.

Phùng is a soldier returning from the 'from cradle to grave' war of the nation. Post-revolution, he takes up photography. Phùng's task assigned by the department head is to create an artistic piece about boats and the sea to complete the next year's calendar set. In accordance with this request, Phùng embarks on his journey, returning to his old battlefields in Central Vietnam, beginning his quest to find a valuable artistic photo. It is from here that Phùng discovers new insights into art and life.

Phùng's first discovery is a beautiful painting depicting life akin to a 'prehistoric ink painting'. With the subtle and sensitive eye of the artist, Phùng discovers a beauty full of kindness, fullness, which is the sea scene with 'The Boat Roof printed faintly into the misty white milk-colored sky with a hint of pinkish sunlight. A few figures, adults and children sitting still like statues on the bumpy nose, facing the shore.' It is an extremely beautiful image, a 'heavenly gift' that when Phùng sees, he bursts into happiness.

The scene not only impacts the vision but also the intellect and soul of Phùng. Afraid of missing that magical moment, Phùng quickly raises his camera to capture all the most beautiful moments of life's painting. The beautiful scene discovered after a long search truly moves and fills Phùng's heart with happiness. The image of the distant boat amidst the misty space of the sea makes the artist's heart become pure, pristine; in that moment, Phùng feels the depth of his own soul, he realizes that 'beauty is morality'. Through Phùng's first discovery, the author has conveyed a profound message about art: Creating a meaningful work of art requires each artist to diligently search, explore, invest effort, and endure a long, persistent process. A valuable work of art must be one that impacts the thoughts, emotions, and souls of people, making 'people closer to people'.

Phùng's second discovery unveils a tale of hidden sorrow beneath the perfection, the mystery of the artistic painting he previously uncovered. A harsh truth is exposed as the distant boat approaches the shore. A tall, rugged-looking woman with a weary face emerges from the boat, accompanied by a man with tousled hair, eyes filled with anger and cruelty. They step off the boat, swiftly moving towards the shore, the man quickly grabbing a belt to mercilessly strike his wife. His ferocious actions rain down brutal blows upon her, each strike filled with cruelty. With each blow, he shouts, 'You die for me, you all die for me,' and with each strike, a groan of pain rises. Strangely, the woman does not resist, reproach, or flee to escape the merciless beatings; she silently endures.

Confronted with this scene, Phùng cannot help but be surprised, shocked, gaping in disbelief as he cannot comprehend what is happening before his eyes. For someone who fought on the battlefield for independence, happiness for the people, witnessing injustice makes Phùng unable to bear it. He cannot accept a cruel reality, where life and the fate of humans after the war are so ironic, so miserable. Just recently, the beautiful artistic painting made him realize that beauty is morality, yet such an 'immoral' reality unfolds before his eyes, leaving Phùng bitter and bitter. With the second discovery, the author wishes to convey to the reader a profound message about art and life, similar to what the writer Nam Cao once said, 'Art doesn't have to be the deceiving moonlight, art shouldn't be the deceiving moonlight, art can only be the pain escaping from the mistakes of lives.' Art must originate from life and for life.

Phùng's two discoveries are both closely associated with the image of a fishing boat on the sea. From a distance, in the early mist, the boat appears beautiful, that is the beauty of art. As it approaches, a stark reality is revealed, that is the reality of life. Art cannot conceal the rough, harshness of life; art must stem from life, reflect life. To achieve that, it requires the artist to dedicate themselves to searching, creating, to put both their intellect and soul into each piece. The image of the distant boat becomes a meaningful detail in Phùng's two unique discoveries.

It can be said that Phùng's two discoveries are the decisive factors that contribute to the ideological value of the short story The Distant Boat. With a rich life experience and his talented pen, Nguyễn Minh Châu has created the success of the work.

2. Analysis of the two discoveries by artist Phùng in the short story The Distant Boat, template 2 (Standard)

An artist is someone who always seeks beauty, cherishes, and preserves it. However, not all beauty is 'simple and perfect'; sometimes, hidden behind such 'perfect' beauty is a startling truth. And the story of photographer Phùng in the short story The Distant Boat by writer Nguyễn Minh Châu is such a story. Just when artist Phùng seemed to have found the true beauty of his life, an unexpected truth about the lives and fates of the poor workers in the fishing village made him reconsider. Perhaps, those are the two biggest discoveries of his life.

The story begins when Phùng is requested by his supervisor to take an artistic photo of a boat and the sea for a new calendar. So, he is proposed to go on-site to supplement, and he chose the former battlefield where he had fought and visited his close friend named Đẩu, who is now a district court judge here.

After many days of 'ambushes' on the beach, Phùng has not taken any photos that satisfy him. Until one day when the sky was still misty and drizzling, Phùng discovered a magnificent boat outside the distant shore slowly approaching. That was Phùng's first discovery on this trip, a discovery that left him 'amazed' by its beauty.

The vast seascape, enveloped in the morning light, a boat with blurred lines gradually approaching. The beauty of it is so magnificent that Phùng exclaimed, 'Perhaps in a lifetime of holding a camera, I have never seen such a 'heavenly' scene.' The boat slowly advancing, the 'nose of the boat printed a vague blur into the white milk-like misty sky. Several figures, adults and children, sat quietly like statues on the curved bow, facing the shore...'. The stunning photo made Phùng compare it to 'an ancient ink painting' with profound appreciation.

The beauty of that painting, seen through the subjective lens of the artist, becomes even more beautiful and glorious. And Phùng himself was moved by that beauty. He felt 'confused,' as if 'something was squeezing' in his heart. Because he believed that the moment he witnessed that beauty was the moment he found the 'truth of perfection,' the 'moment of tranquility of the soul.' Yes, it is because artists spend their lives searching for beauty, the beauty that moves their souls, that makes them 'confused,' and that painting is too 'simple and perfect,' making Phùng unable to resist. He felt as if his soul had been 'purified' by that beauty, becoming more serene than ever.

Few artists experience moments of ecstasy like that in their lives. And Phùng is one of the few who encounters the beauty that sometimes a person cannot find in a lifetime. He was truly happy to encounter that exquisite beauty, partly due to luck, but also because of the sophistication and sensitivity of the artist's soul within him. That discovery can be considered a concept of beauty in the universe of Nguyễn Minh Châu, who believes that beauty arises from ordinary things in life. The second significance of that beauty is what people achieve through the process of labor with patience and perseverance to obtain such results!

Through the character of Phùng, Nguyễn Minh Châu wants to express a love for art, a passion for beauty, not accepting mediocre art, while also affirming that 'beauty is morality.' And a true artist, with their passion, will achieve the desired results.

Beauty is fleeting, so Phùng 'hoisted the camera onto the broken tank's sprocket and pressed 'continuous' for a while, rolling up a quarter of the film, capturing the moment of happiness flooding his soul, due to the supreme beauty of the scenery.' However, he did not know that behind that beauty was not 'simple.' That beauty contained a painful truth about the fate of the poor laborers in this fishing village. And that is his second discovery on this journey, giving him a new perspective on life, a lesson about the responsibility of the artist.

Time spins, the painting is no longer silent, instead, there is movement. And the beauty that Phùng thought was 'morality' suddenly got scolded 'Just sit there. Move and I'll kill you now' breaking it into pieces. That 'perfect' painting was shattered by the image of two people stepping out of that dreamy boat. Two people with a 'rough, vulgar' appearance, typical of coastal people slowly stepping ashore. The woman 'tall, with rough lines. A weathered face,' a grayish face 'tired after a night of fishing, pale,' while the man with 'a broad, boat-like back. Messy hair. The old man walks with a cane' and 'eyes full of fierceness' seem to want to pierce the woman's back. Compared to the beauty of the boat, that scene is truly 'horrible'!

However, that is not the most terrifying thing Phùng saw after that dreamlike beauty, the most terrifying thing is when Phùng witnessed a scene of violence that seemed medieval. The man 'pulls out a belt from his body of an ancient soldier' then directly 'swings it fiercely into the woman's back' and cries out in resentment 'you die for me. You all die for me.' A horrific scene unfolds before the artist's eyes, right after the wonderful painting he just defined as 'morality.' However, despite the man's beating, screaming in resentment, the woman still silently endured 'without a sound, without resistance, nor trying to escape.'

At that moment, Phùng was so astonished that he 'stood with mouth agape' because the quiet scene on the boat at dawn still left him in awe. And perhaps, witnessing that scene, Phùng was so stunned that he couldn't react in time. And even more surprisingly, when the shadow of Phác, the child of the fishing couple, ran to his mother 'like a bullet racing towards its target.' It had used all its strength to 'yank the belt, (...) swing the iron buckle into his father's bare chest.'

Just as Phùng was awestruck by the beauty of nature, now he feels incredulous witnessing the most horrific scene in life. A soldier like Phùng has seen everything, even death, but the heart-wrenching scenes of spouses beating each other, children hitting their fathers unfold before him, making him unable to believe it, even when the country is at peace.

However, reality remains reality, the war has passed, the fierceness has passed, but hunger, poverty still remain. The fishing couple has been pressured by the struggle for survival, leading to the horrific violence that Phùng witnessed. Moreover, the high birth rate perpetuates the cycle of poverty, with no way out.

Phùng's second discovery is the scene of domestic violence, a scene that was thought to gradually end after the war. From this, Nguyễn Minh Châu wants to point out that behind the perfect beauty, sometimes there are extremely heartbreaking scenes. The artist must delve deep, explore the hidden corners behind that beauty, rather than superficially indulge in external beauty. Beauty and ugliness sometimes only differ by a thin veil, and artists must know how to explore even the ugliest issues to deeply understand people, their destinies, and souls.

The two discoveries of the character Phùng are two contrasting discoveries. However, that very fact highlights the theme of the work and the message the author wants to convey. Life is a lesson that we must explore every aspect of, understand deeply, not just admire its exquisite appearance. And the artist has the responsibility to explore every corner of life, of humanity, to understand them thoroughly.

3. Analysis of the two discoveries by artist Phùng in the short story 'The Distant Boat, Sample 3 (Standard)'

Discussing Nguyễn Minh Châu and his works, Tô Hoài accurately said, “Reading Nguyễn Minh Châu, one sees life and pages merge. Life's journey today is like creative segments on the talented's paper. What seems mundane in daily life under Nguyễn Minh Châu's eye and pen becomes thoughtful suggestions with philosophical depth.” Indeed, reading many of Nguyễn Minh Châu's works, especially those from the post-war period, from the 1980s onwards, when the writer abandoned war themes to delve into moral issues, and the fate of people in the renewal era, we see in ordinary stories many layers of philosophy. Especially the narrative style, writing style delving into the inner world, as well as the individual stories of each character, have brought readers many impressive experiences. 'The Distant Boat' is one of the most outstanding and exemplary works in Nguyễn Minh Châu's literary career. Through the footsteps and two remarkable discoveries of photographer Phùng, the author has brought readers profound philosophical insights into how to perceive life issues, the relationship between life and art, while also revealing his concerns about the fate of people in the post-war society.

The character Phùng in Nguyễn Minh Châu's story was once a soldier who participated in the resistance against the United States, and after peace was restored, Phùng took on the position of a photographer in a newspaper office. To get a photo of the coastal area for the year-end calendar entrusted by the chief editor, Phùng went to a coastal area in the Central region, which used to be an old battlefield, and also an opportunity for him to visit Đẩu - his old comrade. After waiting and searching for many days, Phùng still hadn't captured a photo that satisfied him, because he was an art lover and always had very high aesthetic requirements. Therefore, Phùng didn't allow himself to be careless or superficial. Phùng had to wait for over a week while the film in the camera remained untouched. But luckily, perhaps knowing the artist's heart, the scene that Phùng truly described as 'priceless,' something a lifelong artist might never see once, was witnessed by him. This was also Phùng's first discovery on his business trip.

On that fateful morning, while Phùng was struggling to hide behind an old tank to shelter from the drizzling rain, from a distance, a fishing boat slowly approached in the misty morning, resembling a 'scroll painting of an ancient painter.' The beauty was depicted by Nguyễn Minh Châu with simple and classical strokes, 'The boat's bow printed a blurry line into the white misty milk-like fog slightly tinged with pink from the sun. A few adults and children sat still like statues on the bow, facing the shore…' The artist, with a heart that revered perfection in art, couldn't help but affirm that the scene before him was truly a 'simple and complete' beauty. Phùng stood before this unexpected discovery completely puzzled, like a boy facing his first love, 'the heart seemed to be squeezed,' a feeling Phùng had never felt before. All of it revealed the utmost joy, happiness of the artist when luckily encountering the most precious scene in his photographic life.

Phùng's two discoveries in 'The Distant Boat Beyond'

Just before the amazing discovery of the 'priceless' scene in the early morning mist, Phùng thought he had discovered a new definition of beauty that 'beauty itself is morality.' His mind was filled with wonderful emotions, believing he had just discovered the truth of perfection, magnificence, uncovering the 'moment within the depth of the soul.' It must be said that before the beautiful scene bestowed by the heavens, Phùng's heart seemed to open up and a great light shone, making the artist's soul wide open and ecstatic to the utmost of emotions. Without hesitation, Phùng immediately raised the camera and clicked the shutter without needing any further adjustment, as if he had captured all the 'moments of happiness flooding his soul, brought about by the beauty of the external scenery.'

It can be said that for artist Phùng, as well as for all art lovers, going all out for beauty, capturing such a 'priceless' scene is a happiness beyond compare. The scene of a fishing boat, old, small, and simple, along with the fishermen slowly docking, may be considered a fairly familiar and ordinary scene at the seaside. However, those seemingly small, simple things, when combined together, become a rare picturesque landscape in the sensitive eyes of the artist. Phùng's first discovery on his long business trip has many implications. Firstly, it is the perception of beauty in Nguyễn Minh Châu's universe that almost always originates from ordinary objects, events, which true artists must use sincere, delicate, and sensitive hearts to discover and record.

Secondly, Phùng's discovery also symbolizes the ideals of beauty, flawlessness, things that people always aspire to achieve, but to attain them, one must undergo painstaking labor, patience to reap the sweet fruit. Not only that, through the eloquent pen of Nguyễn Minh Châu, the author also uses the character Phùng to demonstrate the profound love for art of a true artist, resolutely refusing to accept anything superficial, forced in art. At the same time, it also reveals the viewpoint that 'the essence of beauty is morality,' although in the first discovery, this philosophy has not been clearly articulated, but only hinted at through the character of Phùng, while he was bewildered, enchanted by the magnificent beauty before him. In conclusion, after all the implications of Phùng's first discovery, Nguyễn Minh Châu wants to point out that behind the inherent beauty of nature lies the beauty of the human soul. Because if there is no sensitive soul before beauty, patience, passion for work, regardless of time, weather, perhaps Phùng could not have captured the scene so complete like a painting of an ancient painter, then be overwhelmed with joy at the achievement.

However, the story took on a more remarkable twist when Phùng made his second discovery, a discovery that seemed to shatter the dream, as well as the joyous pride when he himself discovered the complete beauty and truth of the artist's life. Just as Phùng was about to put away his camera, ready to complete his report, the boat also docked, and the picture gradually faded away from the serene, peaceful appearance, replaced by the movement coming from the people on the boat. The 'morality' that Phùng always contemplated was suddenly shattered by the words 'Just sit there. Move, and I'll kill you now,' a dreadful threat that shattered the peaceful image of the artist just captured in the camera, to Phùng's astonishment.

Immediately after, Phùng saw stepping down from that boat a tall woman, rough and ugly in appearance, with a face rough and gray from staying up all night, the man behind her, hunched back, unkempt hair, staggering gait, a vicious look as if wanting to stab the torn back of the woman. All those scenes can only be summed up in two words 'appalling,' and certainly far from what Phùng imagined about the image of fishermen pulling nets, but in reality, they are ready to slap the dreamer in the face. However, the horror lies behind, when Phùng witnessed firsthand a unilateral brawl, a gruesome domestic violence, as the man repeatedly pulled out the belt and hit the woman, both hitting and howling with resentment, perhaps only enemies reserve for each other 'You die for me, and all of you die for me. Meanwhile, the woman endured, not resisting, letting the man curse and beat her.

Phùng, when witnessing that horrifying scene, could not believe his eyes, because earlier the scene of a warm, cozy family gathering on the small boat in the morning mist made him dizzy, infatuated, then what happened seemed to leave him helpless. Phùng was so astonished that in the first few minutes he just stood gaping, reminiscent of Phùng's feelings in the first discovery, Phùng was also bewildered like that. It can be said that on one morning Phùng experienced two astonishments, the brain did not have time to absorb what he saw, once because of being overwhelmed by the magnificent beauty of nature, and another time because of the feeling of disbelief before being forced to witness the ugliest scenes of life. Family is supposed to be the seed of a society, it is good that the country can rise. A person with many years of wandering across battlefields, fighting for the ideal of liberating the country and people, Phùng's innermost thoughts believed that after the war, the country would be peaceful, there would be no more horrifying and heartbreaking scenes, only the beautiful scenes of the world. However, reality has proved that Phùng's thoughts are still too shallow, life and fate of many people are still immersed in pain, before they suffered from separation due to war, loss, and today even though peace has been restored, their burden is hunger, poverty, and cultural deprivation. The couple of fishermen's wife and husband are the most obvious examples, poverty and deprivation force them to struggle to survive, low education leads to scenes of domestic violence and facing broken plans, becoming a burden on the shoulders of the couple, the situation has become a vicious circle with no way out.

In Phùng's second discovery, through that horrifying scene, Nguyễn Minh Châu revealed the veil covering the eyes of those who practice art, pointing out that behind the exquisite beauty, often lies the most poignant scenes. The superficial see only beauty, perfection as their desired hearts, but true artists must be those who dig deep to discover even the shadows, especially with a compassionate heart, caring for the fate of the unfortunate people being concealed by the beautiful shell. Art is not just art, it must be intertwined with life, knowing that beauty all originates from life, but not every life is beautiful and entirely so, one still sees somewhere the scars, the ugliness present abundantly, and sometimes only a thin veil separates the perfect beauty, and ready to break the seemingly wonderful beauty. This indicates a new path for artists, perhaps they need to change their perception of beauty, instead of constantly searching for the beauty of nature, of divine gifts, maybe they should look into life, into reality to exploit the precious gems in the human soul, like the way Nguyễn Minh Châu exploited the beauty of the soul of the fisherman's wife. If beauty is like a thin layer covering ugliness, then conversely, ugliness is like a rough shell, enveloping beauty, and not every artist has the delicacy, sensitivity, and love to explore and feel it.

The Distant Boat is a remarkable work with a unique plot construction, integrating many philosophical views on human life and artistic beliefs. Especially in the beach scene, Phùng's two discoveries with their stark contrasts have highlighted the story's theme as well as the author's intended direction - the search for beauty in the human soul, as well as the quest for questions about the relationship between art and life.

4. Analysis of the two discoveries of the artist Phùng in the short story The Distant Boat, sample 4 (Standard)

In modern Vietnamese literature, author Nguyễn Minh Châu is one of the 'most open-minded and talented writers' (Nguyên Ngọc). In his works, Nguyễn Minh Châu always perceives human life in both superficial events and hidden depths. This has been clearly demonstrated through the work 'The Distant Boat', especially through the seemingly contradictory, paradoxical discoveries of the artist Phùng. It is the discovery of 'a scene of heaven' full of romanticism of the artist and the discovery of the scene of domestic violence with the realism of life of a person rich in love and always concerned about life and humanity.

Firstly, the first discovery about the romantic natural scenery has been vividly depicted under the talented eyes of the artist enchanted by beauty. After days of excitement, Phùng encountered 'a scene from heaven'. It was a perfect natural painting with the silhouette of the distant boat faintly visible in the misty morning sea. The artist's keen eyes discovered a heavenly scene - a beauty he had never encountered in his lifetime. It seems the author maximized all senses along with outlining bold strokes of painting: 'The boat's bow printed a blurry line into the misty sky as white as milk tinted with a hint of pink from the sun's rays. Some people, adults and children alike, sat still like statues on the bulwark, facing the shore'. The painting features the presence of nature: 'the misty white sky', 'the sun's rays', and human images: 'Some people, adults and children alike, sat still like statues…'. In that scene of harmony between nature and humanity, the artist perceived the beauty of 'sublime beauty'. All those heavenly scenes appeared before him like 'an ancient painter's ink painting', creating 'a simple yet perfect beauty'. Capturing that beauty, the artist became 'bewildered' and 'felt something constricting in his heart'. Phùng had 'a moment of happiness flooding his soul due to the sublime beauty of the surroundings'. The artist seemed to have found the 'trinity of goodness and beauty' of life, feeling his soul purified, becoming truly pure and pristine. Through this, we can see the philosophical inspiration about art: The beauty of 'sublime beauty' is simplicity, naturalness, and at the same time, 'beauty is morality', acting as a 'purifier', making people noble, holy, and clear.

The author Nguyễn Minh Châu has presented two discoveries about art and life that seem full of paradoxes but have a close and tight relationship. When building these two discoveries, the author indirectly expresses a unique philosophical view: Human life is multifaceted and complex. Reality is not a pink picture but a mixture of light and dark patches, where beauty, goodness coexist with ugliness, evil. If only viewed from afar, people will only see a blurry reality like the faint boat hidden in the misty morning sea amidst the vast ocean. Only with a deep, multidimensional view, can we discover the contradictions and the concealment of complex life.

However, behind the discovery of that sublime painting lies a scene full of paradoxes. That is the second discovery of the artist about the violence taking place on the boat stepping out into the early morning mist. From a direct perspective, it is clear: 'the boat crashed straight into where I stood', the author has recreated vivid images of humans. From the boat stepped a tall woman, with rough features, a tired, pallid face, and seemingly sleepy, her silver-gray and ragged back, and a man with a wide and curved back, tousled hair, walking in a bowlegged gait, eyebrows scorched by the sun, two eyes full of ferocity. But what truly shocked Phùng was the wife's resignation, 'not uttering a word, not resisting, nor attempting to flee'. The scene of violence only ended when the son grabbed the belt, resisting his father to protect his mother. Faced with such a paradoxical scene, the photographer was 'silent', not believing what was happening before his eyes: 'so shocked that, in the first few minutes, I just stood gaping'. Then, seemingly unable to bear it any longer and unable to ignore the violent scene, Phùng 'threw the camera to the ground, rushing forward'. Phùng could not have imagined that behind the discovery of a priceless scene was the ugly, unbelievable evil. It is a reality full of thorns, rugged, irregular, completely contrary to the sublime beauty, peace of the photographic work.

The Distant Boat is a literary masterpiece that delves into the complex relationship between art and life, revealing profound philosophical insights into human existence. Through the lens of Phùng's discoveries, the author portrays the multifaceted nature of reality, where beauty and ugliness, goodness and evil intertwine in intricate ways. Nguyễn Minh Châu challenges the conventional notion of life as a simple, idyllic landscape, presenting instead a canvas filled with light and shadow, where the true essence of beauty emerges from the depths of complexity.

Thus, Phung's two discoveries have left a profound impression on readers with unique philosophical meanings about human life, simultaneously highlighting the author's views on the relationship between art and humanity. It also serves as one of the profound foundations depicting the humanistic values and the reality of the work.

5. Analysis of Phung's 2 discoveries in the short story The Boat Beyond Far, Model 5 (Standard)

Nguyen Minh Chau is a writer associated with works that express the passion for finding hidden gems in the souls of Vietnamese people. Among them, the work 'The Boat Beyond Far' epitomizes his belief that literature must be closely tied to life. The character Phung is a photographer with a passion for art, and on his business trip, he made two unique discoveries about art and life.

First is Phung's discovery of beauty in art. It is the scene of nature providing 'the boat's nose imprinting a vague, faint line into the white misty air like milk mixed with a hint of pink from the sun's rays.' For an artist like him, that scene is like an ink painting by an ancient painter, achieving the epitome of art. From the lines to the colors, everything is harmonious, and it becomes even more beautiful when seen through the eyes of passion. Facing that beauty, Phung was deeply moved, feeling confused at first, then feeling something squeezing his heart. That moment, he discovered the truth of completeness - beauty is morality. At that moment, he lived in the depths of his soul, truly happy to find beauty to create for art.

Analyze Phung's 2 discoveries to understand Nguyen Minh Chau's artistic perspective

Phung's second discovery is about the truth of life. The harsh reality of the lives of fishermen is revealed as the boat approaches the shore with the image of an old man and woman. The woman is tall, rough, her blouse wrinkled, and her face weary. The man with a messy hair nest, broad back, and fierce eyes. They clumsily step off the boat, and without a word, the old man immediately becomes aggressive, pulling his belt and striking the woman's back relentlessly. With each blow, there is a painful groan. Strangely, the woman neither cries out nor resists, enduring the blows in silence. Witnessing this scene, Phung is utterly astonished, gaping in disbelief and indignation at the existence of such injustice in life, to him, it's like a bizarre folk tale full of absurdity.

To make the first discovery, the artist had to ponder, search, and choose, finding beauty in a faraway place due to passion and the desire to contribute to art. The second discovery is found nearby, in the lives of ordinary people, but it is the raw and brutal truth, carrying only suffering and injustice. Sometimes, we are so engrossed in pursuing distant things that we overlook the truths right in front of us. In both discoveries, there is the image of a boat; from afar, the boat represents the dazzling, mystical beauty of art, but up close, it reveals the truth of life.

Thus, through Phung's two discoveries, we see the close relationship between art and life embodied by the boat. Art must come close to life; otherwise, life is the material, the source supplying beauty to art, so that art can return to beautify life.