Analyzing the character of Mã Giám Sinh in the excerpt 'Mã Giám Sinh Buys Kiều' unveils a complex portrayal of the 'merchant' with his dubious actions and lack of education, evoking empathy for Kiều's plight amidst tragedy.

Essay on Analyzing the character of Mã Giám Sinh in the excerpt 'Mã Giám Sinh Buys Kiều'.
 

1. Analysis of the character Mã Giám Sinh in the excerpt 'Mã Giám Sinh Buys Kiều, Sample 1:

The excerpt 'Mã Giám Sinh Buys Kiều' marks the beginning of Kiều's 15 years of painful wandering. It consists of 34 lines, from line 619 to 652 in The Tale of Kiều.

The passage vividly portrays a scene of human trafficking reminiscent of medieval times, showcasing Nguyen Du's autobiographical artistic style and character depiction, notably that of Mã Giám Sinh.

Faced with financial hardship, Kiều, a dutiful daughter, resolves to sell herself to ransom her father from unjust imprisonment:

Crafty plots brew in humble minds.
Daring to gamble with a blade of grass, determined to settle the score for three springs.

The visitor who comes to buy Kiều is a 'distant guest' brought in by the matchmaker for 'inquiry of name', for courtship and marriage! The introduction seems dignified. Could the 'distant guest' be seeking a beautiful bride for 'proposal'?

Nearby, there's some old lady,
Guiding the distant guest to inquire of name.

The guest introduces themselves as a 'scholar' - a student of the National University, declining to reveal their name, very noble and courteous; then introduces their hometown: 'Lâm Thanh district is nearby too'. The consecutive use of 'that' expresses an attitude of arrogance, viewing the world with half an eye. The language of the 'distant guest's' response is both cunning and coarse, vulgar:

Asking the name, he said: 'Mã Giám Sinh',
Asking the hometown, he said: 'Lâm Thanh district is nearby too'.

Reading 'The Tale of Kiều', we only grasp the origin of the 'distant guest'. He and Madam Tú Bà are those from the 'Theater Village have returned old and out of luck'. Living in Lâm Tri 'All year trading powder and selling fragrance has gone on'. A student of the National University, 'Lâm Thanh district is nearby too' which Mã Giám Sinh introduces himself is just a boast, a trickster. The 'distant guest' is just a flesh trader 'Familiar with the matchmaker, making a living in the land of moon flowers'.

This is a portrait of the legendary figure in the Mã merchant family:

Far past the prime of youth,
Smooth-faced, elegant in attire.

The character gradually reveals itself. The 'smooth-faced' of your beard evokes a vulgar, ordinary impression; the 'elegant' of your attire reveals a deceitful nature. 'Smooth-faced' and 'elegant attire' are two images, two sarcastic sketches of Mã Giám Sinh 'still a habitual romantic'.

The first time Kim Trọng met Thúy Kiều, the beautiful lady could never forget the elegant image:

Shouldering the wind-filled bag on his back,
Followed by a few adorable little ones.

'A few adorable little ones' are the lovely little children. Mã Giám Sinh is also a 'master - servant', also has 'before - after' showing sophistication, appearing dignified, each step is met with someone to welcome, someone to serve. But between the master and servant of this foreign guest, why is it so 'chaotic', noisy, lacking in manners, disrespectful:

Before master, after servant in chaos

Just being 'escorted to the upper chambers' by the matchmaker, the behavior, the posture of Mã Giám Sinh further reveals the status of the lower class, still showing on the face:

The matchmaker brings the match to the upper chambers,
Sitting above, looking down arrogantly.

The manner of 'sitting above' is the way of sitting of the merchants, of the 'flesh traders', of the 'human traffickers'. The gesture of 'looking down arrogantly' is the gesture of those lacking in morality, lacking in manners, and lacking in self-respect. He looks down on human dignity. Only those who 'make a living in the land of moon flowers' know such a way of 'sitting above' and such gestures of 'looking down arrogantly'!

Mã Giám Sinh is a flesh trader, trafficking humans, the essence 'all year trading powder and selling fragrance has gone on'. When the matchmaker 'unveils the hair, shakes hands' with the merchandise, he 'weighs appearance' then 'weighs talent', he 'presses', he 'tests', he makes Kiều play the zither, compose poetry with 'hesitation' careful consideration. The 'national beauty' to him is merely a commodity:

Carefully weighing strength and talent,
Pressing the zither under the moon, testing the verse.

And only after he has 'intensely favorable', Mã Giám Sinh 'flexibly leads' buying and selling. Though it's said to be 'buying jade', though in a high tone it's 'dignified', but still 'haggling' sometimes 'subtracting one', sometimes 'adding two'. The bargaining time for the beautiful person has lasted until 'a long time' before 'falling price':

Haggling subtracting one adding two,
After a long time, falling gold price beyond four hundred.

A bond worth a fortune: Many seek the favor of the witty broker!

The author vividly portrays gestures and language of a cunning individual, depicting a nimble, astute character who earns a living as a matchmaker in the business of buying and selling people.

Mã Giám Sinh arrives as a 'distant guest' to 'inquire about reputation' - a visitor seeking a wife and proposing marriage. The introduction appears dignified. The following two sentences engage in a brief exchange of questions and answers. The responses are somewhat blunt, lacking refinement. The usage of 'that' adds coarseness to the language:

Asked for his name, he responds: 'Mã Giám Sinh',
Asked about his hometown, he replies: 'Lâm Thanh District, quite nearby.

Mã Giám Sinh, in collaboration with Madam Tú Bà, runs a brothel in the Green Tower in Lâm Tri, but falsely claims to hail from 'Lâm Thanh, quite nearby'. He is merely a flesh trader pretending to be a student of the Imperial Academy, surnamed Mã, implying an intellectual belonging to the aristocracy. His character gradually unfolds. Despite being over forty, he still carries himself as 'smooth' and 'elegant', which are sarcastic depictions:

Beyond middle age, yet every week,
Clean-shaven, impeccably dressed.

Both a 'master' and a 'servant', both 'before' and 'after', he seems very elegant. Wherever he goes, there's always someone to serve him, yet the manners of this foreign guest are chaotic, lacking in decorum! His gestures are clumsy, devoid of meaning, lacking in manners, boldly climbing high seats to sit with disregard! If he truly were a student of the Imperial Academy, then his conduct is highly unbecoming!

Before master, after servant, chaotic bustling,
The bank brings the matchmaker to the noble hall.
Sitting aloft, awkward and crude...

A single word 'aloof' full of contempt, exposing the true nature of the one who 'Seeks prey again to make a living under the moonflower.

'Beauty and talent', 'pressing', 'testing',... the gestures, the way of buying people by the Mã trafficker is truly appalling! Only after having 'intense mutual liking', does Mã Giám Sinh 'guide' the transactions. He is cunning to the point of being despicable, in every scheme of flesh trading. He carries himself with elegance, like anyone else. But in reality, he's just a flashy wolf in sheep's clothing:

Stating: 'Buy jade to Lam Kiều',
Feigning ignorance, how much to offer.

The two words 'scheming' have exposed the sordid nature of someone 'Year-round trading cosmetics and perfumes has become stale'

Through the character of Mã Giám Sinh, one can discern the realism in Nguyễn Du's portrayal of people. Every stroke is sharp, creating a vivid personality of Mã Giám Sinh. Every artistic detail comes alive, behind which lies the poet's disdain for such wicked creatures! The anti-heroic portrait of Mã Giám Sinh serves as a vivid indictment, condemning the inhumane flesh traders, the moral hypocrites in a decaying feudal society.

Kiều is a virtuous young woman, rich in sacrificial virtue. Faced with the family's adversity, she sells herself to redeem her father and save her family. She sees herself as a tiny raindrop. All for the sake of 'three springs', to repay her parents' nurturing:

A tiny raindrop ponders its humble fate,
Resolute, it offers blades of grass to redeem three springs.

Kiều lives in intense tragic turmoil between personal love and family duty, between affection and filial piety, 'her own sorrows added to her family's'. She is deeply anguished. Countless tears, countless 'tears of flowers' shed, her whole being withers away: 'bashful',... 'shy',... 'bold', 'a face as sad as chrysanthemum, delicate as plum blossom'. Because she is a suffering beauty, the metaphors and comparisons the poet uses are always linked to beauty: flower thresholds, tears of flowers 'a face as sad as chrysanthemum, delicate as plum blossom'. Kiều becomes an object for sale, coerced by the matchmaker and Mã Giám Sinh. Mã Giám Sinh has 'weighed beauty and talent'. Kiều's humanity, Kiều's talents have become commodities for sale. Nguyễn Du praised Kiều's filial piety, sacrificial virtue in the face of family upheaval, sympathizing with her anguish when Mã Giám Sinh 'weighs beauty and talent', when he 'schemes to add one more two'... The poetic passage contains the essence of human compassion in those narrative details.

'Mã Giám Sinh purchases Kiều' is the most poignant and profound verse in 'The Tale of Kiều'. Nguyễn Du has crafted a vivid portrayal that vividly exposes the cruel and despicable nature of human traffickers in society, represented by Mã Giám Sinh. The poet condemns the dark side of the foul-smelling coin: 'With money in hand, all deeds are done!'. He empathizes, pities Kiều's fate: selling herself to save her father. Pitying the fate of a talented and beautiful woman buried under oppression. That is the value of humanity.

The verse demonstrates Nguyễn Du's exceptional artistic technique in depicting the scene of Kiều's purchase, in portraying characters: portraying Mã Giám Sinh, portraying the matchmaker using realistic techniques, realistic details; portraying Kiều tends towards lamentation. Very versatile, skillful. The language carries expressive nuances.

In summary, the scene of Mã Giám Sinh purchasing Kiều holds a value of exposing reality and contains the essence of human compassion. The verse marks the beginning of a lament for a tragic life.

3. Analyzing the character of Mã Giám Sinh in the verse 'Mã Giám Sinh purchases Kiều', model number 3:

The Tale of Kiều is a masterpiece of Vietnamese literature, a significant work both in terms of content and artistry by the great poet Nguyễn Du. The Tale of Kiều is not only a major work of medieval Vietnamese literature but also contributes to introducing Vietnamese literature to readers worldwide. The Tale of Kiều is a Nom poetry work about the character Thúy Kiều, a person of 'complete talent and beauty', an extraordinary individual, yet the more talented she is, the more unhappy her life becomes, the more ups and downs she faces. Originally a noble lady in a luxurious mansion, unexpected events befall Thúy Kiều's family, unwittingly thrusting her into the greatest crisis of her life. The excerpt marks the turning point in Thúy Kiều's life from a noble lady to the bitter life of a brothel girl, namely the excerpt 'Mã Giám Sinh purchases Kiều.'

The excerpt 'Mã Giám Sinh purchases Kiều' describes the scene where Thúy Kiều sells herself to Mã Giám Sinh to save her father and family. Through this transaction, we see the agony of Thúy Kiều as well as the exposure of the wicked and deceitful nature of Mã Giám Sinh, condemning the forces of money that press and force individuals into the depths of suffering. The beginning of the poem is the space of the transaction, the image of the matchmaker leading a stranger who will buy Kiều:

'Somewhere nearby there's a matchmaker,
Guiding a distant guest to inquire about reputation,
Asking for the name, it's Mã Giám Sinh,
Asking for the hometown, it's Lâm Thanh District, quite nearby.'

'Somewhere nearby' here can be understood as a matchmaker, before Thúy Kiều's request, this matchmaker had led to a stranger 'Guiding a distant guest to inquire about reputation', asking, his name is Mã Giám Sinh, this name shows that he is educated, more specifically, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, from Lâm Thanh. Listening to the enthusiastic introduction of the matchmaker, Mã Giám Sinh seems like an upright person, educated, but not leaving the reader curious for long, in the subsequent verses, Nguyễn Du fully reveals the true nature of this seemingly kind and educated person:

'Age has surpassed forty,
Clean-shaven, attire splendid.
Before master, after servant, disorderly rushed,
To the chamber of the matchmaker he strides.'

Unlike the scholarly name, with clear lineage to prove his virtue, the physical descriptions evoke a starkly contrasting feeling, that of a man who has 'surpassed forty', meaning he is over forty years old, furthermore 'clean-shaven, attire splendid'. In the ancient feudal society, surpassing forty could be considered middle-aged, with such an age still being a student of the Imperial Academy truly makes others feel incredulous, moreover, the excessive grooming in appearance, attire suggests an image of someone somewhat pretentious, arrogant, for despite being older, still tries to appear youthful. Just based on appearance alone, one can sense the contemptible pretense in this character.

'Sitting above, swaggering and brazen,
The matchmaker urges the maiden to step out.
Her sorrows compounded with those of her household,
Threshold of flowers, tears of flowers, how many times?'

As we predicted, not only does the appearance reveal pretentiousness, arrogance, but even the actions demonstrate ignorance, lack of education, contrasting sharply with the scholarly label he introduces, 'Sitting above, swaggering and brazen'. 'Above' here is reserved for those who hold authority, mature individuals, elders, but here Mã Giám Sinh shows no understanding of that basic etiquette, or perhaps knows but deliberately ignores it, as he still considers himself proactive, because he will spend money to buy Kiều. He assumes the right to swagger, displaying such lack of education. Not only the master Mã Giám Sinh, but also his servants clearly show they are hirelings, borrowers, for if they were truly his servants, there wouldn't be such disorderly, chaotic scenes as 'Before master, after servant, disorderly rushed'. Contrary to the defiance, arrogance of master Mã Giám Sinh, Kiều is deeply in anguish.

'Sorrows compounded with those of her household', at this moment Thúy Kiều carries heavy emotions, contemplation along with the pain because she knows afterwards she will have to endure bitterness, suffering due to a marriage bought with money devoid of love. At this moment, she is both sad and distressed for herself but also adds to her worry for her parents and siblings. 'Threshold of flowers, tears of flowers, how many times' her footsteps now truly agonizing, burdensome, for on her shoulders she carries the weight of both suffering and immense responsibilities that a filial child must bear, her tears falling making the reader feel poignant, compassionate.

'Shyly dodging the wind, fearing the mist,
Halting flowers, shamefully looking at the thick face,
The matchmaker more earnestly ties hair and clasps hands,
Sadness resembling chrysanthemums, frail beauty like plum blossoms.'

Faced with an uncertain future, Thúy Kiều seems to have premonitions about her life, those premonitions make Kiều feel afraid, shy, because those will be days full of pain 'Shyly dodging the wind, fearing the mist', this is also the inevitable mood of a person when facing those waves, those ominous premonitions. The sadness, suffering cannot be contained but fully expressed on Kiều's face 'Halting flowers, shamefully looking at the thick face'. Before Kiều's anticipated suffering, anguish, the matchmaker is still very focused, enthusiastic about her work 'The matchmaker more earnestly ties hair and clasps hands', Kiều's sad face is compared by Nguyễn Du to the sadness of chrysanthemums and the fragility, thinness like plum blossoms 'Sadness resembling chrysanthemums, frail beauty like plum blossoms'.

'Weighing beauty and talent,Testing poems with moonlit quills,
Intense, a liking for one look,
Being content with the guest's will in guiding.'

At this line of poetry, the image of Thúy Kiều appears truly pitiful, as they view her as a commodity for exchange, forcing her to showcase her skills in playing the zither, composing poetry 'Testing poems with moonlit quills', when satisfied with the person they will purchase, Mã Giám Sinh and the matchmaker begin their negotiation 'Being content with the guest's will in guiding'. Such a talented individual, whose talents are not displayed on any other occasion but used to appease the buyer, that situation is truly heartbreaking, agonizing.

'Buying jade to Lam Kiều's extent
How much does one offer for walls to appreciate?
The matchmaker considers worth a thousand gold pieces
The household retainer dares to plead with the crowd'

Thus, the tense negotiation between the matchmaker and the merchant Mã Giám Sinh took place. Here, Mã Giám Sinh clearly demonstrates the nature of a merchant, but first he tries to cloak himself in a pretentious intellectual facade 'Buying jade to Lam Kiều's extent', but shortly after that, the essence of the merchant is fully revealed, with his inherent shrewdness, he haggles 'one less, add two', and ultimately that discernment brought him a profit as he bargained from 'a thousand gold pieces' down to 'four hundred'.

The excerpt where Mã Giám Sinh purchases Kiều is a passage that exposes the depths of a society that 'eats human flesh', where people are bought and sold like commodities in a market. This excerpt also demonstrates the vile, deceitful nature of Mã Giám Sinh as well as the feelings of anguish, despair of Kiều facing the turning point of her life.