Prompt: Analyze the exemplary funeral scene in The Joy of a Family in Mourning to understand the extravagance and lack of compassion within the family of the late Mr. Hồng.
I. Detailed outline
II. Sample essay
Analyzing the portrayal of the exemplary funeral scene in The Joy of a Mourning Family
I. Outline for Analyzing the Exemplary Funeral Scene in The Joy of a Mourning Family (Standard)
1. Introduction
- Introduction to the author Vu Trong Phung
- Introduction to the work 'Dumb Luck' and leading into the description of the exemplary funeral scene
2. Main Body
- Positioning of the excerpt 'Happiness of a Mourning Family'
- The entire excerpt forms a continuous laughter chain as death becomes the joy and happiness of many
- Funeral scene: Magnificent, bustling with an atmosphere as festive as any festival, drawing the attention of the public...(Continued)
>> See Detailed Outline Analyze the portrayal of the exemplary funeral scene in The Joy of a Mourning Family here.
II. Sample Essay Analyzing the Exemplary Funeral Scene in The Joy of a Mourning Family
Vũ Trọng Phụng - a talented satirical writer in Vietnamese literature. His pen serves as a sharp weapon piercing the contemporary social facade with its decay and sarcasm. Among his works, the most successful is 'Dumb Luck' - a gathering place for the most remarkable comedic scenes, especially a funeral where 'everyone is cheerful'!
The funeral scene of Mr. Tổ is brilliantly described in chapter XV of the novel 'Dumb Luck' titled 'The Joy of a Mourning Family' (original title in Vũ Trọng Phụng's work is 'Hạnh phúc của một tang gia - Văn Minh nữa cũng nói vào - Một đám ma gương mẫu'). Throughout the author's writing is a continuous chain of laughter, culminating on top of the coffin of a deceased person with a collective send-off. Where death becomes the joy and happiness of many, and where people in the funeral parade arrogantly flaunt their decadence, all of this exists only in the bourgeois society defined by 'civilization'. Never has laughter been seen with such depth and endlessness.
Vũ Trọng Phụng depicted a grand and bustling funeral scene, akin to a festival. The style combines Vietnamese, Chinese, and Western elements in a chaotic mix, featuring processions, roasted pigs, band performances, and photographers competing like in a fair. A funeral that attracts attention, making the world marvel and admire as intended by the late Mr. Hồng. Even the storyteller exclaimed, 'Truly, a grand funeral that could make the deceased smile contentedly, if not nod their head...!'
Wherever the funeral goes, it brings along a bustling atmosphere like a cheap circus advertising a few cheap performances. Those attending are all officials with power and influence, they come to the funeral to showcase their prestige and dignity and were deeply moved when they 'saw a white skin draped in voile on Tuyết's arms and chest'. The sound of horns and conversation overwhelms the cries. 'Everyone puts on a serious face, then whispers to each other about wives, children, homes, a new cabinet, a new dress'. And then there's 'all the men and women, so they whisper, laugh, criticize, envy, date each other, with sad faces of the mourners'.
The funeral procession is a remarkable detail in the excerpt Happiness of a Funeral Contributing to Express the Theme of the Work. For more insights into the novel Red Dices as well as the excerpt Happiness of a Funeral, you can explore further: Understanding the funeral procession in the excerpt Happiness of a Funeral, Analyzing the realistic and accusatory value of Happiness of a Funeral, Proving that Happiness of a Funeral is a drama, Analyzing the art of satire through the excerpt Happiness of a Funeral in Red Dices by Vu Trong Phung