Buzz
Analysis of the character portrayal of Dao in the short story Lost Season
I. Outline for Analyzing the Character Portrayal of Dao in the short story Lost Season
1. Introduction
- Introducing the work Lost Season and the character Sister Dao
c. Changes in Dao's life at the farm in a collective and friendly class environment.
- At work: Dao tries her best to complete tasks, works enthusiastically, and sings.
+ When working with Huân, Dao strives with him, although tired, she always puts effort 'eyes ... challenges'.
+ When carrying burdens with Huân 'both hands ... burden', works enthusiastically, sings cheerfully.
=> The changes in Dao's working life, she is more enthusiastic, happier, and finds the meaning of collective work life.
- In dealing with people, Dao becomes sincere and straightforward:
+ Receives a somewhat sarcastic invitation to write poetry from Huân, but Dao enthusiastically creates the poem 'The Road to Dien Bien Farm' very well.
+ Towards Duệ: Dao enthusiastically nurtures her and Huân's love.
+ Towards Huân: She loves and respects him sincerely, trusting him (when explaining Dịu's letter).
- She has changed and found happiness for herself:
+ Since receiving the letter, she has become gentle and feminine, replacing her strong personality in the early days.
+ If in the early days, a teasing remark from everyone could make her angry and respond bitterly - now, she is gentle 'compliantly...responding' => a gentle, feminine demeanor, fitting for a woman in love.
+ She has also changed her thoughts:
+ Initially, she went to the farm with thoughts 'psychologically ... gone through ... coming ... unclear' => surrendering to fate, ignoring life - Living in a collective environment, cared for and loved by everyone, Dao has realized the meaning of life, she loves the farm and the people here 'they are siblings ... bride's family'.
+ She loves life here, considers it her homeland, so when asked when to return, she subtly replied 'when it's time to return ... back home'.
+ Happiness has sprouted in her soul:
+ Dịu's letter made Dao 'angry' but also blew a new breeze into her soul 'a feeling ... drought'. Every word in that letter 'echoes ... happiness' => just a letter proposing, she had 'imagined ... husband'.
=> She quickly accepts happiness, love naturally, because she has been waiting for it for a long time.
d. Meaning and character development:
- Meaning:
+ The land that was once a place of pain becomes the fertile ground of happiness for Huân, Đào, Duệ, Dịu, and other people.
+ Nguyễn Khải asserts: Happiness, love changes based on will, and the rise of individuals in the face of circumstances.
- Character development:
+ Depicting the appearance and complex psychology of the character through detailed descriptions of Đào's appearance: Đào has an ordinary appearance - a heart longing for love and intelligence => Nguyễn Khải successfully portrays the complex psychological development of Đào, from a person resigned to fate but thanks to the love and care of everyone in the collective, she finds her own happiness.
+ Nguyễn Khải is very versatile in storytelling, both realistic and descriptive of psychology => contributing to a clearer portrayal of the character's personality and fate.
3. Conclusion
- Reaffirming the issue
II. Sample essay Analyzing the character image of Đào in the short story Lost Season
After the war, in the sixties, our country advocated the path to socialism, focusing on economic development, including mobilizing young people to highland areas to build a new economy. In line with this theme, Nguyễn Khải wrote 'Lost Season' to depict the lives of young people from the lowlands going to the highlands for economic purposes. Each person has a distinct personality, blending together in the collective environment at Hồng Cúm farm, Điện Biên. Among them, stands out Đào - a young woman with deep scars in her soul, desires for love and intelligence that cannot be expressed to anyone. Đào is a character built from Nguyễn Khải's humanitarian inspiration when writing about women in the new society.
Before Nguyễn Khải, many writers wrote about women like Phương Định, like Thao in Distant Stars, or Sister Dậu in Extinguish Lights by Ngô Tất Tố,... Each has a different life, a different personality creating very Vietnamese women. If Phương Định is a young girl from Hanoi who becomes a brave youth during the resistance, then Sister Dậu is a poor woman full of suffering before the August Revolution, while Đào is a woman of the new society, working economically, but also carrying extremely painful misfortunes within her.
Firstly, what we notice about Đào is a woman who is not beautiful but has a different, very strong personality, standing out among the women at Hồng Cúm farm.
Đào is a very different woman, 'very easy to distinguish from other sisters' because while other sisters always have the gentleness, shyness of a woman, Đào is very independent and sharp. In terms of appearance, Đào is less attractive than other sisters because she is a woman who has been married before. Her figure is 'rough', at twenty-eight years old but less graceful, because her face is a combination of 'disharmonious features', 'two narrow and long eyes moving quickly back and forth, high cheekbones full of remnants, and the upper teeth slightly protruding'. These descriptions are very meticulous, depicting a 'less beautiful' woman, past her prime, and lacking in beauty. Moreover, Nguyễn Khải placed her next to Huân - 'the most handsome in the team' as if to create a contrast to her not very attractive appearance. However, that 'difference' in appearance of Đào shines on her inner life, reflecting the strong personality inside her.
Her character shines through her eyes. A pair of 'narrow and long' eyes, not beautiful but 'quickly darting back and forth' as if reflecting how she copes with life and events, it's as flexible as the way she moves her eyes. Her eyes also reflect jealousy, resentment when seeing Duệ happy 'Đào's narrow eyes glanced at Duệ, her lips seemed to tighten, her high cheekbones became sharp'. Understandably, she envies Duệ - envies a young, beautiful girl, full of vitality, enjoying a beautiful love with Huân, while she is just an unhappy woman. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and it's no mistake when Nguyễn Khải depicts Đào's eyes as if to show how she perceives her own clever and talented self. If Duệ's eyes are 'round and big' reflecting innocence, weakness, then Đào's 'narrow and long' eyes seem to express a 'bold and daring, jealous and angry' nature.
Đào's personality is also evident in how intelligent she is in her behavior, in her everyday speech. Being literate, the way she converses with others also demonstrates her knowledge when she uses metaphors, charming expressions. Indeed, life is often contradictory like that, an appearance not beautiful but compensated by personality, by charm in storytelling with others. And Đào's personality is even more astutely demonstrated when she is teased by her comrades 'pairing the ugliest person in the production team with Huân, the most handsome guy', she raised her voice, reciting meaningful poetry 'Huệ sells fragrant flowers for a penny, Huệ's withered petals fetch two taels of gold in the market'. A statement proving her worth, affirming the extremely strong personality of a woman who has experienced a lot. Yes, she is such a person, not like Duệ - weak, gentle, she is strong, sharp in every word, not letting anyone bully her even in everyday speech.
Remembering the early days when she was 'wet behind the ears' on this Hồng Cúm farm, she met Huân 'busy coloring for the wall newspaper', she praised Huân's beautiful drawing but was asked by Huân 'do you have any poems to submit to the newspaper?' - a remark 'said in jest, but sarcastic', she replied 'Probably not too bad!'. And on that very lunch break, she composed the poem 'The Road to Dien Bien Farm' - a good poem that 'many people have been humming for a few days'. She is astute, strong, literate, her eyes 'sparkling' with intelligence beyond others but also full of jealousy and resentment.
When writers describe women, we often see beautiful women, hardly anyone has an unsightly appearance like Đào, if not mentioning the character Thị Nở by writer Nam Cao. But if Nam Cao explores the ugliness of Thị Nở by exaggerating 'ugly, ghostly, resentful', Nguyễn Khải describes Đào as not beautiful but very 'charming'. That charm of hers is seen from her 'narrow and long' but 'sparkling' eyes, her 'rough' but 'bold' face. Đào, though not beautiful, is not simple, she has an attractive personality, captivating those facing her. However, that appearance of Đào also somewhat indicates her life is not calm and smooth.
Nguyễn Khải truly exhibits great talent in character portrayal, crafting vivid portraits of characters that allow readers to perceive their vividness, personality, and life through every facial feature.
Perhaps anyone reading the story can also glimpse a part of sister Đào's unhappy life through her appearance; however, deep within her, the thirst for happiness, the yearning for love always burns fiercely.
Đào's fate is meticulously introduced by Nguyễn Khải, detailed. She originally hailed from Hưng Yên, 'married at seventeen, but her gambler husband left her'. Just with that, one can feel the unhappiness she endured, a woman living with a gambling husband, what else is there. Later, her husband returned for two years before passing away, her child also 'left her alone'. A family shattered in an instant, nothing left, no relatives, no place to lean on, she wandered everywhere to make a living from 'Hòn Gai, Cẩm Phả for coal, when going to Lào Cai to trade chickens, ducks, in the autumn heading to Hà Nam for fabric trading, returning to pick lychees in June'. For her, life seems meaningless, 'where is home at night, where is the bed', there's no longing for anything in the future, perhaps this is what made her 'resentful' towards life so much! That life destroyed her youth, her beauty, ravaged her appearance 'her once smooth hair now dry as if dead, her teeth faded without dyeing, looking in the mirror, her cheekbones higher, more wrinkles showing'. She also longed to return to her hometown, longed to have a family to take care of every meal, but life left her with nothing!
Life is full of misery, yet the more unhappy, the more she yearns for happiness, yearns for love. When sick at a friend's house, she 'suddenly remembers she also had a family before', she also longed to become a wife, a mother to care for her small family, yet 'which hometown still has anyone', there's nothing left for her to worry about, to think about, to even take a step back. Longing for happiness, yearning for love, so when seeing Huân - the young man basking in youth beside her 'seeing Huân's sunburned arms faintly visible', Đào suddenly feels that longing burning even more, 'she again imagines scenes of a happy family' - something she lost long ago.
Nguyễn Khải evoked empathy and agreement from readers by exploring the yearning for family happiness in that unfortunate woman, a desire shared by all women.
Carrying that desire, she remains a quintessential Vietnamese woman, nurturing diligence in labor regardless of circumstances. While others, faced with adversity like her, might succumb, perhaps becoming debauched women, she still embodies the enduring virtue of Vietnamese women. She diligently works every day, from the countryside to the 'production team six'. At Hồng Cúm farm, she is vibrant in her work, not yielding to anyone, be it men or young people.
Đào's life is an endless chain of suffering and loneliness, hence her assertiveness is a reaction to her circumstances, to the storms she has endured! However, upon reaching this farm, Đào seems to change, and she seems to be finding her own happiness in life.
On the first day at the farm, she carried the mood of an expatriate 'the bird flies tired, the horse runs tired, wanting to find some remote place, far from familiar places to forget the past life, and the days ahead she doesn't need to know...'. This is the mindset of someone surrendering to fate, without hope or desire for life anymore! However, upon arriving at the farm, living amidst love and care from everyone, she gradually changed, she gradually realized the meaning of life, loving everyone 'they are brothers, villagers, and relatives'. And she always promptly responded when asked about returning to her hometown: 'Going home is returning to the door, returning home. A hundred years later, I'll think about going back to the countryside'. Because she saw this land in Điện Biên as her second homeland, she didn't want to leave anymore!
And it was also at this farm that love blossomed in her soul, happiness touched her heart. It was when the letter of proposal from the brick kiln team leader - Dịu reached her, making her both 'furious' and yet jubilant. It came too unexpectedly, and Đào's reaction was a rightful defense of a woman, for she feared ridicule, insult to her painful past. Yet, at the same time, the letter also blew a new breeze into her soul, 'a calm feeling spread quickly, like a stream of sweet water seeping into the dry patches of soil due to the drought, a strange joy overflowing uncontrollably'. It was the awakening of her soul, the awakening of a heart longing for happiness that she 'tried to reject'. That proposal letter was just the beginning, yet Đào imagined what would follow when she lived with her stepson 'imagining how to treat the son of others, then he will be called a husband'. She embraced love, happiness so quickly, so naturally because she had been waiting for it for so long!
Đào's longing for happiness is a human instinct, especially for women who have experienced life like Đào. That 'anger' is just self-defense, a reaction of a strong-willed woman and also a self-doubt about her own life. But then she realizes that Dịu might be the one who will help her awaken the happiness she has long awaited.
This is a realistic and humane view of Nguyễn Khải towards women, especially women like Đào! Because if in the past, women in traditional society had to endure the 'three obediences, four virtues', 'follow husband when married, follow son when widowed' then perhaps women with fate like Đào would never find happiness. But Nguyễn Khải, with his progressive thinking, has given us a truly compassionate view of these unfortunate women.
Hồng Cúm, once a fierce battlefield, has now become a lush farm, bustling with new economic groups. That's the change of this land, and Hồng Cúm has also helped Đào change herself when living amidst a collective environment, living amidst the comradeship of everyone.
In her work, Đào always strives her best to complete tasks with others, working tirelessly, and singing passionately. Working alongside Huân, she puts in effort equal to a man's, even though 'exhausted, her cheeks still flush with determination and her small eyes glittering with defiance'. She remains the same person, stubborn, strong, independent, refusing to be inferior to anyone, whether working, carrying loads with Huân, 'her large, calloused hands embracing each large bundle' while still humming behind, working diligently, conscientious in her work.
In her interactions with others, Đào is extremely straightforward. Upon arriving at the farm for the first time, receiving Huân's somewhat mocking invitation to write poetry, she immediately composed a poem 'The Road to Điện Biên Farm' to the point where a few days later 'someone was reciting it by heart'. She is always sincere with everyone, warmly nurturing Duệ's happiness with Huân, deeply respecting him, whether joking or confiding her inner thoughts.
However, the real change in Đào's personality occurred after receiving the proposal letter from the platoon leader Dịu. It was like a source of nourishment for her soul, a new wind blowing into her long-dry soul, causing her to transform.
She has become a wife, a woman rich in femininity after receiving that letter, transforming her personality unexpectedly quickly. And Nguyễn Khải captured that delicate moment when Đào spoke with Huân, recounting her story hesitantly. If before, she gave readers a strong sense of character, when teased, she would not hesitate to respond angrily, now she has become much more feminine, in the way she addresses Huân, in the story she tells. The happiness she sought seems to have manifested in Hồng Cúm - a land once ravaged by war. And Nguyễn Khải bluntly affirmed: 'Life arises from death, happiness emerges from sacrifices, hardships, in this life'. And perhaps, Đào has achieved it, she has crossed that boundary and entered her world of happiness.
Nguyễn Khải doesn't depict the wedding but only stops at Lộ's words 'He said to me it's planned after the harvest,' marking the time of a wedding - where two previously unhappy individuals come together to build the happiness they thought was lost.
Reading each line, readers can feel the joy seeping into every emotion, the joy of collective labor, of simple, diligent, lovable people. The happiness that Đào rediscovers is as simple as her, like many people here. The harvest season returns with the scent of fresh peanuts, the rich smell of new soil, and the scent of love, happiness overflowing.
The land of Hồng Cúm, Điện Biên, which seemed to be inundated with sorrow, has now transformed into a land nurturing Đào's happiness, for Duệ, for Huân, for Dịu, for the people on this farm. Through this, Nguyễn Khải wants to affirm to us that: Happiness, love, and the fate of humans can change thanks to willpower, only by rising above circumstances can happiness be achieved, and this upward change lies within the changes in life.
Nguyễn Khải has successfully portrayed Đào - an unhappy woman, becoming a citizen in the new economic zone farm. He depicted the appearance, complex psychology of the character through methods like contrast, comparison, ... Successfully depicted the fate, personality, character traits through the construction of appearance. He portrayed a Đào with an unattractive appearance but with a heart full of love, depicting the complex psychology of Đào from a woman resigned to fate to a woman enjoying her happiness. He also constantly shifts narrative techniques from narrative to psychological description, then back to narrative, which contributed to portraying the character's psychology in great detail. Natural writing style, rich in philosophical content, picturesque natural scenery, and poetic elements are also parts that contribute to the success of the work Season of Harvest.
Representing the women entering the new economic workforce post-war, Sister Đào carries the unhappiness of her past, striving to rediscover happiness for herself. The Harvest Season truly succeeded in depicting the new life and significance of the people contributing to building socialism in the sixties.
Final Description: The Harvest Season leaves us with the image of a strong woman, longing for love and ultimately finding her happiness at the Hồng Cúm farm after diligent efforts. Analyze Nguyễn Khải's short story Season of Harvest to gain a deeper understanding of the beloved people at the Hồng Cúm farm, Điện Biên.
