Analyzing the character Little Thu in the excerpt of the short story 'The Ivory Comb'

6 Sample Essays Analyzing the Character Little Thu in the Excerpt of the Short Story 'The Ivory Comb'

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I. Outline Analyzing the character Little Thu in the excerpt of the short story The Ivory Comb (Standard)

1. Introduction

Introducing the short story The Ivory Comb and the character Little Thu:
- The Ivory Comb is a touching short story about the father-child relationship
- The psychological development and actions of Little Thu before and after receiving her father play an important role in conveying the ideological content of the work.

2. Body

* Before receiving her father:
- Fearful, ran away when hugged by Mr. Sau for the first time
- Stubbornly refused to acknowledge Mr. Sau as her father:
+ Avoided Mr. Sau, determined not to call him 'father'
+ Rejected all caring actions from Mr. Sau
+ Spoke rudely when asking Mr. Sau to pour water for her
+ Threw the egg out of the bowl when Mr. Sau tried to put it into the bowl
+ Got hit by her father then ran to her grandmother's house crying
=> Little Thu is a stubborn, spirited girl, but hidden within her is deep affection.

* After receiving her father:
- Listened to her grandmother's story about the scar then understood everything, felt regret and love for her father even more.
- Called her father's name at the moment of farewell
- Hugged her father, kissed the scar on his face, didn't want her father to leave
=> Deep, intense paternal love

3. Conclusion

- Little Thu is a stubborn girl but rich in paternal love.
- The art of delicate psychological description creates attraction for the story.
 

II. Sample Essay Analyzing the character Little Thu in the excerpt of the short story The Ivory Comb

1. Analyzing the character Little Thu in the excerpt of the short story The Ivory Comb, sample #1:

The Ivory Comb is an outstanding short story by the writer Nguyen Quang Sang. With inspiration from the father-child relationship and the pain of war, the story has left readers deeply moved. Particularly, the psychological development and emotional character of Little Thu during the last meeting with her father when Mr. Sau came to visit the house.

By using the storytelling art with Southern style and unexpected situations. The author has let one character narrate about the main character to make the story more objective and reliable. That's the storytelling within the story, from which we can clearly see the psychological developments of the character Little Thu.

Little Thu is a girl with a strong and unique personality. Being far away from her father and only because of a scar, she unintentionally doesn't recognize her father, and when she does, she has to stay away from him forever. Love, pain, and resentment helped Little Thu later become a courageous and resilient woman.

The father went away to fight, far away from home. Until Thu was eight years old did father and daughter meet again. The girl with shoulder-length hair, wearing black pants, a red floral shirt, innocent, beautiful, just looking at Mr. Sau recognized his daughter immediately. But the joy after years of separation is to meet again is ironically responded with the skepticism of Little Thu towards her father. Little Thu panicked, her face turned pale, she ran away screaming, speaking nonsense. During the three days with her father, Little Thu didn't recognize her own father, she was stubborn, behaved recklessly. She absolutely refused to ask Mr. Sau to pour water into the rice cooker, she threw away the fish egg that Mr. Sau picked for her. When Mr. Sau hit her, she ran back to her grandmother's house in disarray on the boat. That's a very stubborn attitude of an eight-year-old child. But that attitude is not to be blamed because everything is because of the war. The war has caused losses and pain. And a child like Thu is still too young to understand the harsh and cruel situations that even adults cannot prepare for. Just because of a scar on her father's face and a photo that she knew about her father, she didn't recognize her father. The war wound has become a deep wound of father-child affection.

The best essays Analyzing the character Little Thu in the excerpt of the short story The Ivory Comb

On the last day, before Mr. Sau set off, Little Thu's sacred love for her father ignited. Suddenly, every attitude and action of Little Thu changed abruptly. When looking directly into her father's eyes, 'the little girl's deep eyes suddenly stirred.' Behind those deep eyes, there must be countless thoughts, emotions. For the first time, she uttered 'Dad...dad' and the calling sounded like 'squirrels running fast to hug his neck' along with kissing everywhere: she kissed his hair, his neck, kissed the long scar on his father's cheek. The skepticism in her mind due to the scar was relieved. Therefore, in the moment of parting with her father, the love and longing for years became powerful and accompanied by regret. The scene moved everyone. And when Mr. Sau said 'Dad's gone, Dad's back to you,' Little Thu shouted 'no,' then she tightly hugged his neck, clasped both legs around him, her small shoulders trembling. Perhaps the little girl cried, cried for her regret of not recognizing her father, cried for the pity for her father because of the war that separated their family. Just because of the enemy's bombs, her father had a scar on his face. It was a painful thing. Yet, Little Thu didn't understand, and even avoided her father, making him suffer. Taught by her grandmother, Little Thu understood. But maybe when she understood, it was too late. Her father had to go back to the battlefield, endure the hardships of bombs and storms. Therefore, Little Thu hugged her father, clinging to him, as if to make up for her mistakes. From the moment Little Thu woke up, her personality changed, the stubbornness of the eight-year-old girl was gone, replaced by love, affection, and pride in her father. Who knows that the farewell of Little Thu in these last moments is the final farewell when her father is permanently away, unable to fulfill the promise 'Dad's gone, Dad's back to you.' But the reverence for her father created a driving force, forged for Thu to mature later, when she became a brave liaison soldier.

In summary, through Little Thu's psychological development, we see that she is a person with strong, profound, innocent, and naive emotions. That personality of hers is concentratedly expressed in the deep father-child affection. Little Thu's character has left deep impressions on us about the intense love she has for her father. Readers further admire Little Thu for that strong affection.

2. Analyzing the character Little Thu in the excerpt of the short story The Ivory Comb, sample #2:

There is a writer who said: 'No fairytale is as beautiful as life writes.' The war against America of our nation with countless stories has become legends recorded by writers as modern fairy tales. Among them, we must mention 'The Ivory Comb' by Nguyen Quang Sang. Little Thu's character in the story has left deep impressions on readers about intense paternal love and strong personality.

Born in 1966, during the most difficult and painful years of the people of the South in 30 years of war, 'The Ivory Comb' is recounted through the witness of Uncle Ba, Mr. Sau's comrade. He silently followed the touching story of Mr. Sau and Little Thu from beginning to end. Through Uncle Ba's keen and profound observation, we fully grasp the pain of the people in the South during the war and the power of sacred, immortal father-child love.

Little Thu in the story, like many other girls from the South, lacked paternal love from a young age due to the war. When Mr. Sau left, she was not even one year old. For eight years, father and daughter only knew each other through two photos. Mr. Sau's three-day return was a rare opportunity for father and daughter to meet, to express their filial affection. But the writer put Little Thu in a situation full of misery: due to a childish misunderstanding, Thu refused to acknowledge Mr. Sau as her father, and by the time she realized it, it was also the moment her father was about to leave. And that meeting was the first, only, and last time they met.

However, from that miserable situation in the story, readers still recognize the distinctive features, the unique personality of the character Little Thu: an eight-year-old girl who is stubborn but adorable and especially has a deep, intense love for her father. That love is expressed in two contrasting situations, before and after recognizing her father.

When she refused to acknowledge Mr. Sau as her father, Thu was a young, stubborn girl, so much so that she hurt Mr. Sau's heart with her rejection of the fatherly love for her. The first moment father and daughter met, in contrast to longing, anxiety, and thoughts of Mr. Sau, Little Thu ran away, her face full of fear, shouting 'mom, mom,' leaving Mr. Sau standing alone, 'looking after her, the pain making his face look pitiful, and both arms hanging down as if broken.' During Mr. Sau's three days at home, he dared not go anywhere because he wanted to be with his daughter, to comfort, care for, and make up for the pain of the past eight years for her, but Little Thu showed herself stubborn, refusing to acknowledge him, nor calling him 'dad' even once. The writer built a series of details to describe the very childish, obstinate attitude of Little Thu. When her mother forced her to call her father to come to eat, threatening to hit her if she didn't, Thu still stubbornly said 'not hungry! the rice is cooked,' 'I called already, but they didn't hear.' The two words 'they' that Thu uttered made Mr. Sau's heart ache to the point where he 'couldn't cry, just shook his head and smiled softly.' Even when her mother put her in a difficult situation to force Thu to call Mr. Sau 'dad' by dipping her hand into a pot of boiling rice, Thu still stubbornly said 'the rice is boiling, help dip it.'

An analysis of the character Little Thu in the excerpt from the short story 'The Ivory Comb', selected literary model.

The silence of Mr. Sau and the hints from Uncle Ba couldn't make the little girl utter the simple, sincere word 'dad'. The call that every child remembers and stutters for the first time in their life. The peak of Mr. Sau's determined refusal of love for Little Thu is the detail of the fish egg in the family meal. Out of fatherly love, Mr. Sau picked the best fish egg for Thu's bowl, but the little girl instinctively pushed it away. The pain accumulated over three days erupted, Mr. Sau hit the child, Thu didn't cry, stubbornly put the fish egg back in the bowl and went to her grandmother's house, even intentionally swinging the skipping rope loudly. These subtle, ordinary details show that the writer understands children's psychology very well. Children are inherently naive but also stubborn, especially when they misunderstand, they stubbornly reject others' affection without consideration, especially with a strong-willed, stubborn girl like Thu. Readers sometimes get angry at her, feel sorry for Mr. Sau. But in fact, she is still an adorable little girl. Thu's stubbornness is not entirely blameworthy. In the context of distance and obstacles of war, she is still too young to understand the harsh, unfortunate situations of life, and adults are also unprepared to accept her extraordinary abilities. Thu's stubbornness may still be a hidden seed, later forming the tough, resilient character of a brave liaison officer.

Thu's doubts were dispelled when she heard her grandmother explain why her father had a long scar on his face. Hearing those things, 'she lay still, rolling over and sighing like an adult.' Therefore, the love for her father in Thu surged fiercely in the most unexpected moment, the moment Mr. Sau was about to leave. The word 'dad' that Mr. Sau had been waiting for so long suddenly rang out, 'But strangely, at that moment, the father-daughter bond suddenly surged within her, when no one expected it, it suddenly screamed out: - Dad...a...a...dad! Its cry was like a knife, tearing through the silence, tearing through the hearts of everyone, sounding so pitiful. That was its 'dad' it had been suppressing for so many years as if bursting from its heart.' The endearing call that every child makes became so familiar, but for Thu, it was the longing of 8 years of separation and longing. It was the call of the heart, of the love in the heart of the 8-year-old girl waiting for the moment to meet her father. It both called out and ran forward, as fast as a squirrel, it ran up and hugged its father's neck tightly. It hugged its father's neck tightly and said in a crying voice: - Dad! Don't let dad go anymore! Dad stays home with me!' The child's affection for her father was expressed intensely, strongly, desperately, and mixed with regret. These are the emotions that have been suppressed for a long time suddenly bursting out: 'Father lifted it up. It kissed its father all over. It kissed his hair, his neck, his shoulders, and even the long scar on its father's cheek.' Relatives and storytellers as well as readers couldn't hold back their emotions as if someone was clutching their hearts tightly because of the misfortune of father-daughter love here. When father and daughter reunited was also the moment the father had to leave. The child's clinging emphasized the tragedy of war: 'The child screamed, its two hands clung tightly to the neck, it must have thought its two hands couldn't hold its father, it stretched both legs and clung to its father and its small shoulders shivered.' Thu's efforts couldn't keep her father. Mr. Sau still had to leave even though the moment of father-daughter reunion was so short! Pity for Thu because she didn't understand that this first meeting was also the last time. Her father sacrificed himself in a battle. Witnessing those expressions of affection in the scene of Mr. Sau's farewell, some couldn't hold back tears and the storyteller felt as if someone was holding onto their heart.

Throughout the excerpt, in two completely different situations and behaviors, but essentially just one heart of iron and gold love for her father from Little Thu - an eight-year-old girl. However, Thu before and after is still an innocent child, agreeing to let her father go to buy a comb, a small gift that any girl would dream of. Starting from this detail, the ivory comb enters the story, becoming a silent witness to the sacred, immortal father-child love.

The excerpt ends in Mr. Sau's earnest gaze before sacrificing himself thanks to Uncle Ba's gift of the ivory comb to Thu. For little Thu, the small comb with the inscription 'love remember to Thu daughter of dad' is a keepsake full of love, longing, the image of, the heart of the father. The ivory comb encouraged her steadfastness in the fight. When Uncle Ba coincidentally met Thu and gave her the comb, the once stubborn and assertive girl had become a brave liaison officer. And the additional source of strength for Thu is the love of her father, the love of the country.

Nguyen Quang Sang has been very successful in building the character of little Thu - a resilient, strong, and decisive child (to the point that, at first glance, one might consider her stubborn, willful, difficult... but also very innocent, adorable, obedient, and deeply loving towards her father. Mention can be made of the unexpected situations, understanding of children's psychology and character, the selection of 'expensive' artistic details (such as the detail of Thu not calling her father, the detail of Thu struggling to strain the rice water, pushing away the fish egg her father picked for her, the detail of the comb that Thu asked her father for before he left... Thanks to these artistic successes, the character of little Thu leaves a deep impression on readers about human emotions - father-child love in the years of war, separation, and pain; leaving an impression of a lovely, adorable girl from the South during the war with a lovable personality.

3. Analysis of the character of little Thu in the excerpt from the short story 'The Ivory Comb', sample number 3:

Nguyen Quang Sang is one of the famous writers in modern literature. He used to be a soldier so he has profound feelings about life and circumstances in the war. One of his famous works is the ivory comb. In the work, the character of little Thu clearly shows us the deep feelings of father and child. I really like this character, so let's learn more about little Thu together.

Thu had a father who was serving in the military. By the time Thu's father returned home, she was eight years old. Thu initially did not recognize Mr. Sau as her father because the scar on his right cheek looked very scary and unlike the picture with Thu's mother that Thu knew. When Mr. Sau had to return to the base, Thu then accepted him as her father. Mr. Sau promised to give Thu a comb upon his return.

Throughout the work, Thu's attitude undergoes many changes. But the author has portrayed the character of the little girl very delicately and keenly as a girl rich in personality, stubborn, and bold when Thu stubbornly refuses to accept Mr. Sau as her father. The first time meeting Mr. Sau and also the first time he was called a child, Thu: 'started, stared' with 'bewilderment, strangeness'. Perhaps, this is a normal change in thought for the girl now. And from surprise to panic and fear when seeing the scar on Mr. Sau's face turn red and twitch. At this time, Thu just ran into the house and exclaimed: 'Mom! Mom!' During the days Mr. Sau stayed at home, Thu still did not accept him as her father. Because she was too young and had not yet accepted emotionally, she could not accept Mr. Sau as her father, right? When her mother told Thu to call her father to eat, Thu said mistakenly: 'Come eat.' And firmly refusing to accept Mr. Sau and calling Mr. Sau father in every situation: 'The rice is cooked, strain the water for the fish.', 'The rice is mushy now.' When Mr. Sau picked up the fish egg into the bowl, Thu: 'suddenly used chopsticks to put it in the bowl, then unexpectedly pushed the egg away, the rice splattering all over the table.' Thu's action of pushing the fish egg and being hit by Mr. Sau but still not crying: 'Fold the fish egg into the bowl' emphasized the girl's feelings. The author used many challenging details for the character of Thu, such as when she was threatened by her mother, put in a dilemma, and when she was hit by Mr. Sau. The images that occurred aimed to show the feelings of a stubborn and mischievous girl. But in her, there is still something very innocent, lovely of an eight-year-old girl: 'to the pier, she jumped onto the boat, pulled hard trying to make the boat sway, swaying loudly, loudly' Then she ran to her grandmother's house, whom she loved the most, so she ran to her grandmother's house and cried. This is another aspect of the character of Thu. Here, the girl is very innocent, naive, lovely, and in need of love and care. Completely different from a tough, mischievous girl of everyday. But on that day when she heard her grandmother tell her about the scar and proved that Mr. Sau was her father, she fell silent: 'occasionally sighing like an adult.'

Analysis of the character of Thu in the excerpt from the short story 'The Ivory Comb'

By the end when accepting her father. Thu had become a emotionally rich girl. The father-daughter bond that Thu had cherished for so long had now awakened. On that morning, Thu was led home by her grandmother. In her mind at this time were very chaotic thoughts. Images of an ideal, proud father figure that had been nurtured and cultivated for eight years had prevented her from recognizing the stranger as her father. These thoughts made a tough girl seem abandoned. Thu stood watching everyone's actions. When Mr. Sau said goodbye, Thu's emotions rose intensely. The girl called Mr. Sau: 'Dad!' Her cry seemed to tear through the quiet space, tearing through people's hearts. As she cried out, she ran to hug her father: 'She clung to her father's neck with both legs.' Maybe she thought those hands couldn't keep her father here. Next was an action that moved everyone: 'she kissed his hair, his neck, his shoulders, and kissed the long scar on her father's cheek.' This action shows us that Thu loves her father very much and loves the scar too. The scar is like evidence of Mr. Sau's patriotism, and kissing the scar is also Thu's testimony to her pride in her father. Before Mr. Sau returned to the base, Thu asked Mr. Sau to give her a comb. The comb here is the only gift that Thu wants her father to give her. This is also the only gift that Mr. Sau can give to his daughter. The ivory comb is like a relic speaking of the father-daughter bond of the girl.

The character of Thu demonstrates the determined and mischievous nature of a girl with thoughts beyond her years. She deeply loves her father despite their separation since she was one. Before accepting Mr. Sau as her father, she was very firm, determined not to accept Mr. Sau as her father, but when her father bid farewell, she poured all her emotions into the final moment. Her emotions were like 'overflowing water' and Mr. Sau's words were like a catalyst for her emotions to be expressed. By creatively creating natural, unexpected situations, the excerpt of the ivory comb has truly portrayed the deeply profound and noble father-daughter relationship in the midst of the calamity of war. The story has successfully depicted the character's psychology and character development, especially that of Thu. The title 'The Ivory Comb' emphasized the ivory comb that Thu asked her father, Mr. Sau, to give her when he returned to visit her. The comb is like a relic to add strength and determination to Thu. The comb is evidence of love and evidence of the cruelty of war.

Through the work, and especially the character of Thu, we have seen a very sacred bond between father and daughter. Even in war, that love is still within the father, Mr. Sau, and the daughter, Thu. Now, with the country at peace, we are living in warmth and happiness. So we should cherish what we have, and what is most precious is family affection.

4. Analysis of the character of Thu in the excerpt from the short story 'The Ivory Comb', sample 4:

Nguyen Quang Sang is a writer who has written many works about the people of the South. Because he is not only a writer but also a soldier, he understands the deep corners of the feelings of the soldiers always close to him. His works have left many imprints on readers' hearts such as 'The Golden Bird', 'Homeland People', 'The Ivory Comb',... Among them, the work I like the most is 'The Ivory Comb' (1966). The story has moved us with the warm father-daughter relationship of Thu and Mr. Sau in the harsh war circumstances.

Little Thu is a stubborn and spirited girl. Since she was young, Thu has not had the chance to meet her father, Mr. Sau, but only knows him through her parents' wedding photo. Therefore, in her heart, Mr. Sau is a handsome and loving hero. It wasn't until Thu was seven years old that he had time to visit home for a few days. One would expect Thu to eagerly await him, however, she distances herself from her father and adamantly refuses to call him 'Dad.' The first time she met him, Thu just 'stared,' 'blankly,' then 'ran off and screamed.' In Mr. Sau's heart, he always yearns to hear a call from his daughter, but Thu adamantly refuses to call him even once. She even acts in defiance against him. When her mother tells her to call her father for dinner, Thu only replies emptily with phrases like 'Then Mom should call him,' 'Dad, come eat,' 'The rice is cooked.' Even when faced with a difficult situation where she needs Mr. Sau's help, Thu still refuses to call him a single word of 'dad' and only stubbornly does the work herself. When Mr. Sau cares for her tenderly, Thu also does not accept it. She knocks away the piece of fish Mr. Sau scooped up for her. And in moments of anger, he hit her on the buttocks, 'Why are you so stubborn?' Perhaps by now, everyone thought that Thu would cry out loud or throw a tantrum, but the situation was not like that at all. Thu just stayed silent and then went to her grandmother's house,' sulking with her grandmother and crying there.' In this situation, many people would blame Thu. However, at this point, we understand why Thu refuses to call Mr. Sau 'dad.'

The essay Analysis of the character of Thu in the excerpt from the short story 'The Ivory Comb'

All because of the scar on his face. This is perhaps the result that no one could have expected. It turns out that in the photo he showed to Thu, he had not gone to war yet, so there was no scar on his face. But now, when he stands in front of Thu, his face has a long scar. Every time he is moved, that scar jerks, looking very frightening. It is for this reason that Thu adamantly refuses to accept her father because in her young mind, her father does not have that terrifying scar. Hearing the explanation from her grandmother, at this point, Thu can understand those things and also understand more about her father.

At the time of parting, Mr. Sau just softly said to his daughter:' Okay! Dad is going, listen to me!' Thinking that even at the time of parting, he could not hear the call of dad, but something unexpected happened. Suddenly, Thu shouted out,' Dad!...Dad!' The call was like tearing through the air. She quickly ran to him, hugged her father tightly and kissed all over his face, even kissed the scar that she used to be afraid of. She cried out, demanding to keep her father by her side, not letting him go because their time of recognition was too short. With no other choice, she begged her father to make her a comb. This is also Thu's only request.

This was also Little Thu's last meeting with her father. Through this, we see the affection between the father and daughter. With gentle language, the work also discreetly condemns war, as war has destroyed and left scars on Mr. Sau's body, causing the father and son not to be able to meet, creating situations like this. And the image of Little Thu will forever be a beautiful image in everyone's mind.

5. Character Analysis of Little Thu in the excerpt from the short story 'The Ivory Comb', sample number 5:

There are writings that make readers shed tears when witnessing struggles, pain, and even tears. There are characters that, although only drawn through the author's pen strokes, are haunting. The character of Little Thu in the short story 'The Ivory Comb' by Nguyen Quang Sang is an image that always deeply moves readers as they flip through each page written by the author.

'The Ivory Comb' was written in 1966, during the intense resistance war, filled with hardships. Mr. Sau left for the battlefield when Little Thu was not yet one year old, but when he returned to visit his child, she had grown up and adamantly refused to accept him as her father. The turmoil, internal conflicts, tears, regrets, and emotional contradictions in a child have pushed the storyline to its climax. Three days with her father, but Little Thu stubbornly refused to accept him, only when she heard her grandmother talk about the scar on her father's face did she hold Mr. Sau tightly, refusing to let him go. The father-daughter bond bursts, and the reader's emotions melt away.

Though only 8 years old, Little Thu was sharply defined, with a strong and rebellious personality. In Little Thu's mind, there was only one picture of her father taken with her mother on their wedding day. That's all she had to hold onto and wait for her father to return. When Mr. Sau insisted, 'Thu! It's me, your father,' she still adamantly refused, rejecting him outright. Mr. Sau always gave Little Thu the most sincere and profound love, but what he received in return was coldness and distance. It was all because of the long scar on his face, only because of the war, because of the cruelty it had caused. The strong personality of an 8-year-old girl was vividly and boldly portrayed by Nguyen Quang Sang. This helps readers imagine the determination and firmness in the hearts of the people of the South.

Character analysis of Little Thu in the excerpt from the short story 'The Ivory Comb' to see the affection Little Thu has for her father

Little Thu's rebellious and cold behavior towards Mr. Sau is also evident through gestures and words. When her mother asked her to call her father to dinner, she just bluntly said, 'come eat.' Especially when scooping rice from the pot, Little Thu couldn't scoop it, but adamantly refused to let Mr. Sau scoop it. Stubborn, cold, indifferent actions made Mr. Sau heartbroken. The climax of Little Thu's personality is shown during the meal, when Mr. Sau scooped the fish egg for Little Thu into her bowl, she overturned the bowl of rice. Mr. Sau hit her, and everyone thought Little Thu would scream and leave, but no, 'But no, she sat still, bowed her head. Thinking, she picked up the chopsticks, scooped the fish egg back into the bowl, then quietly stood up, stepped away from the table.'

Thoughts turned into decisive actions, rejecting all feelings and love from her father. Because for Little Thu, that wasn't her father. Perhaps it was precisely this personality, this stubbornness, that drove her to become a resilient heroine in the later resistance.

Nguyen Quang Sang doesn't just stop at describing the psychology of an 8-year-old character but uses that character to show how intense and passionate a father's love can be. For 3 days, Little Thu adamantly refused to accept her father, only breaking down when she heard her grandmother talk about the scar on her father's face caused by the war. Her face looked melancholic as if contemplating something, when Mr. Sau left for battle, she didn't dare to get close for fear she might react violently like before. She only said, 'Father, go listen to me,' heavy, painful, the anguish of a father but unable to convince his daughter.

At that moment, a touching scene unfolded. She cried out 'father,' the word 'father' bursting out from deep within her heart, suppressed for so many years. That 'father' seemed to choke readers, for a love enduring and profound. Little Thu's cry was like 'a tearing, tearing sound, tearing apart the silent air, tearing at the hearts of everyone, sounding so pitiful.' For so many years, Little Thu has always longed to see her father, to call him father. Little Thu's feelings are completely opposite to the days when Mr. Sau was still here. That is the longing, the passionate love for her father.

The defiance, stubbornness, and passionate love for her father are the qualities that converge to define Little Thu's future path, following in her father's footsteps, chasing away invading enemies.

Thus, the construction of Little Thu's character with her traits and emotional thoughts has made readers more emotional about the most sacred women's love. Through this, the author also wants to condemn and denounce the war that has caused many families to fall into the tragedy of losing their homes.

6. Analysis of the character Little Thu in the short story 'The Ivory Comb', sample number 6:

Family sentiment is an important theme in Vietnamese literature during the resistance war against the United States. By exploring this theme, Nguyen Quang Sang has created some outstanding works such as 'The Ivory Comb' and 'The Crystal Ball.' Among them, 'The Ivory Comb' has left a deeper impression. One of the factors contributing to the success of the work is the author's successful portrayal of the main character - the character Little Thu - a spirited, adorable girl with an intense love for her father.

'The Ivory Comb' was created in 1966 and later included in the collection of stories of the same name ('The Ivory Comb') by Nguyen Quang Sang. The story is built on a misunderstanding that creates many touching surprises: Mr. Sau went to fight against the French when his only child was not even a year old. Since then, father and daughter have not met again until the end of the war, when he returned, his eight-year-old daughter refused to accept him. For three days at home, despite all efforts, the little girl still refused to call him father. Only when he had to leave for a new mission did Little Thu finally call him father. It's surprising. It turns out she refused to accept him as her father because the scar on his face made him no longer look like in the wedding photo. She only called him father when her grandmother explained this to her clearly. The moment he heard the call he had been waiting for for years was also the moment the father and daughter were separated. Mr. Sau promised to bring his daughter a comb. During the days of fighting in the jungle, Mr. Sau diligently made a comb from ivory for his daughter. The comb was completed but before he could give it to his daughter, he sacrificed himself.

The character of the eight-year-old girl is Thu, who is only eight years old but is stubborn, courageous, and very spirited. In the innocent soul of Little Thu, there is only one image of a father that she knows from a photo taken with her mother on their wedding day. She adamantly refuses to accept Mr. Sau as her father even though everyone - including her grandmother - acknowledges it. They welcomed him with all the sincere love and affection of the people of the South. Not only that, he was very moved when he met her. But despite all that, Thu still screamed in fear when Mr. Sau approached her and stuttered, calling out: 'Thu! Father's here, darling...' It's because Thu saw her father in the photo without a scar on his face, but now the person calling her daughter, forcing her to call him father, has a long scar on his face.

Moreover, through many detailed descriptions of Thu's actions, Nguyen Quang Sang not only demonstrated the girl's special personality but also showed a deep understanding of children's psychology. When her mother asked her to 'invite Dad to dinner,' Thu responded with 'nong' 'invite Dad to dinner.' The rice pot boiled, but the stubborn child refused to call her father for help. She tried every way to pour water without asking for help. Particularly, Thu's strong-willed and stubborn personality, typical of a young child, was shown through the detail of her knocking over the rice bowl when Mr. Sau served her a fish egg. Despite being scolded, it was thought, 'The child would either cry, struggle, tip over the whole table, or run away. But no, she sat quietly, bowed her head. Somehow, she picked up the chopsticks, scooped up the fish egg back into the bowl, then quietly stood up, walked away from the table.' Children only believe in what they see, and Thu cannot know how cruel bombs are, but she thinks like a child. However, it must be admitted that this little girl has a strong personality. Her stubbornness and courage have become the foundation for her future bravery and intelligence.

But if it stopped there, Thu and 'The Ivory Comb' would be lost among countless other works written for children. What makes the character and the work go further in the hearts of readers is that Thu has a deep, fervent love for her father.

The girl refused to accept her father because she misunderstood the scar on his face. She thought 'someone' brought her a 'fake father'! And so, the more vehemently she opposed that 'fake father,' the more she showed how much she loved her real father. That love is profound: it's singular, cannot be shared with anyone else, even if it's someone everyone acknowledges as her father, someone who loves and cares for her sincerely.

When she learned that Mr. Sau was her real father, and the scar on his face was caused by the Americans, on the last morning of her father's leave, 'The child seemed abandoned, sometimes standing in a corner, sometimes leaning against the wall, just watching everyone around her surrounding her father. Her expression was a bit different, no longer stubborn or wrinkled in confusion, her face was sadder, the sadness on the innocent face of the child looked very cute. With long, curly lashes, and as if never blinking, her eyes seemed larger, her gaze was not dazed, not strange, she looked with deep thoughtfulness.' Not understanding what the child was 'thinking deeply' about, only knowing that when Mr. Sau sadly turned back to look at her - not daring to approach for fear she would run away like before - saying, 'Listen to Dad,' she suddenly rushed forward, shouting: Dad, uh... uh... dad! Then hugged him tightly, crying 'I won't let Dad go.' It's at this moment that the reader realizes how much Thu longs to call her father. 'Her cry was like tearing apart the silence and tearing apart everyone's hearts, it sounded really pitiful. That 'dad' she had been suppressing for so many years, that 'dad' burst out from her heart, she both shouted and ran up, as fast as a squirrel, she ran up and hugged her father's neck tightly.' Little Thu is a child rich in emotions. Thu's attitude towards her father now contrasts with the early days when Mr. Sau came home. However, the contrast is consistent. Because she loves her father too much, she is too eager to have her father, so when she determines that it's not her father, she definitely won't accept it, definitely won't call him 'father' once. Therefore, when that tearing call rises, we see it as extremely sacred. That call becomes even more sacred, precious because waiting for it is a beautiful heart, endless love for the child.

Throughout the portrayal of Thu's psychological development, there is a crucial detail: the scar. This scar is the cause of misunderstandings in Thu's feelings towards her father. The scar is the wound inflicted on her father by the Americans. The family separation is not only for Thu's family but also for millions of Vietnamese families caused by the Americans. Understanding deeply, later on, Thu became a courageous and brave female liaison. She was determined to follow her father's path to chase away the enemies of her family, the enemies of the nation.

By constructing the character of Thu - a stubborn, spirited girl with deeply moving love for her father - Nguyen Quang Sang demonstrated a profound understanding of children's psychology. Therefore, the author created a truly vivid childhood character that evokes deep emotions in the readers. In addition, the work created a unique misunderstanding situation, with the most important detail being the scar. This detail holds value like a 'shadow' in 'The Tale of Nam Xuong Girl' by Nguyen Du or the 'last leaf' in the short story of the same name by O. Henry,...

The character of Thu in 'The Ivory Comb' by Nguyen Quang Sang has left readers with profound impressions due to a uniquely unmistakable personality. This character has contributed to the profound humanistic value of the work. Therefore, along with the work, the character Thu has secured a special place in the hearts of Vietnamese short story lovers.

>> Check out more articles analyzing the character of Thu in the excerpt from the short story 'The Ivory Comb' here.