Analyzing Two Kids by the writer Thach Lam

4 Sample Essays Analyzing Two Kids by Thach Lam

I. Explore the Author and the Work
 

1. The Author

Thach Lam (1910-1942), born Nguyen Tuong Vinh in Hanoi, hailed from a family of officials. The Lam family had a literary tradition, with all three siblings excelling as authors in the Self-Reliance Literary Group. Lam began his career in journalism and writing after passing the first part of the talent examination.

Thach Lam was a conservative and astute individual. He believed in healthy, progressive literature and possessed a unique talent for short stories. His narratives often lacked a plot, focusing primarily on exploring the inner world of characters with delicate emotions, vague aspirations in daily life. Thach Lam's writing is pure, simple yet profound, and contemplative.

Thach Lam left behind remarkable works such as the short story collection Cold Wind at the Beginning of the Season (1937), Sunlight in the Garden (1938), A Strand of Hair (1942); and the miscellaneous writings Hanoi's Six Streets and Wards (1943).
 

2. Works

Two Kids is one of Thach Lam's outstanding short stories, featured in the collection Sunlight in the Garden. Similar to many of his other short stories, Two Kids seamlessly blends elements of reality with romantic sentiments.
 

I. Outline of Analyzing Two Kids by Writer Thach Lam (Standard)
 

* Outline 1 (Standard):

1. Introduction

- Brief overview of Thach Lam and Two Kids.
 

2. Body

a. Dusk in the District:

* Nature:
- Sound: The slow fading beat of the drum, the echoing croak of frogs, the buzzing of mosquitoes, the sound of wheels squeaking,... => Quiet, impoverished, and melancholic.
- Colors: Deep red representing the twilight's last gleam, vibrant yet somber.

* People:
- Poor children scavenging for scraps on the outskirts of the market.
- Mother and sister Tí struggling for a living, gathering crabs during the day and selling goods as street vendors at night. Their life is precarious, meager, and marked by the vicissitudes of existence.
- Madwoman Granny Thi, addicted to alcohol, with a terrifyingly haunting laughter, living a life full of hardships and sorrows.
- Sisters Liên, two young girls reaching maturity, forced to find a way to survive amidst the shaky grocery store, on a dilapidated bamboo bed, and behind these two sisters is the fleeting presence of their mother.
=> All these lives share a common perception of poverty, gloom, monotony, and lack of vitality in the district, making one feel something dark and profoundly stagnant.

* Portrait of Liên's Soul before the fading day, the withering people:
- Sensitively perceiving the changes in nature, feeling sadness as the sky darkens, sensing the unpleasant damp odor of the beloved sandy soil, a unique fragrance of the homeland.
- Compassion towards the wretched fates of the withering people.

b. Nightfall in the District:

* Nature:
- Every night it becomes pitch dark, the 'streets and alleys filled with endless darkness,' 'completely dark, the path to the river, the road home from the market, and the lanes into the village even darker.'
- Dim lights swallowed by the darkness: Cracks of light, glimmers, patches of light shrouded in darkness,...
=> Gloomy, dreary, monotonous, feeble lights symbolizing the struggling lives in a dim and stagnant existence.

* People:
- Mr. and Mrs. Xẩm playing a sorrowful melody on the đàn bầu, their mentally disabled child playing with filthy garbage, a sight evoking pity.
- Mother and sister Tí, tiredly shooing flies by the water stand, desolate and dreary.
- Phở vendor Siêu, engulfed in smoke but also lacking customers.
- Sisters Liên, from dawn to late night, enduring on a dilapidated bamboo bed, unable to live a carefree life like other children and already burdened with the struggle for survival.
=> The presence of light in the human soul, the desire for a brighter, better life, and the dream of escaping the obscure and dark image, although vague and distant.

c. The Arrival of the Train:
- 'the train, as if bringing a bit of a different world,' carrying something profoundly different, perhaps light, excitement, symbolizing the exuberant hope in the heart of every person.
- Resounding and powerful sounds 'the pounding, the sharp screech into the record,' 'the passengers' lively yet muffled noise,' 'the whistle shrills, and the train roars forward,' entirely different from the faint, slow, and brainless sounds in the district.
- Light completely different 'the cabin lights bright, shining down on the road... fields and bushes glittering, and the bright glass doors' in stark contrast to the light from each grain, each streak, faint and faded in the district.
- The vigorous movement of the train also brings an entirely different atmosphere, lively and vibrant 'the train roaring forward,' 'the convoy zooming past,' overshadowing the gentle, slow, and sporadic movement of the remote and dark place.
- A symbol of affluence and wealth, reminding Liên of beautiful memories, a world that Liên and the people here yearn for.
- As the train passes, the district returns to its initial appearance, even darker and more despondent.
 

3. Conclusion

Express personal reflections.

* Outline for Analyzing Two Kids 2 (Standard)

1.  Introduction:

-     Introduction to Thach Lam and the work Two Kids

2.  Body:

a.  The Typical Portrait of the District Representing Vietnamese Society during the French Colonial Era

* Picture of nature in the district at dusk
-   Image and sounds of nature:
+ Image: 'The western sky ... fades': a splendid beauty, dazzling, carrying the soul of the homeland.
+ Sounds: The sound of a distant drum, 'the croaking of frogs ... blending in,' the buzzing of mosquitoes => evoking the serene beauty of the peaceful countryside evening.
=> A magnificent, poetic, serene, and peaceful picture of nature, rich with the essence of the homeland - yet also withering, silent, and melancholic.

-     Image of the devastated market:
+ Countryside market: originally a bustling, lively place, carrying the characteristic beauty of the homeland.
+ Market here: 'the gathering market is now empty,' 'on the ground, only rubbish remains, sugarcane leaves' - a scene of the once lively market.
=> Image of the desolate and pitiful district, depicting the impoverished life of a rural area.

-   Liên's emotions: shrouded in the sorrow of a pure and sensitive soul.
+ Deep connection to the homeland: smelling 'a damp scent ... of this homeland.'
+ Through an outdoor scene: sister feeling sad, 'don't know why..., the day fades,' 'the sadness of the evening ..., of her.'
=> The sorrow of a young girl with a fragile, sensitive, and elusive soul. This is also Thach Lam's sorrow towards contemporary society, a stagnant and desolate society.

* Human life in the district and the fates of the people:
-  Images of the children:
+ Amid the ruined market, poor children are 'stooped ... leaving behind' => Prematurely withered lives, living among garbage, sowing hope on the heap of waste in the ruined market => Dark, stagnant lives.
+ Liên's emotions: Liên sympathizes with them, but 'she herself also... them' => Compassion but powerless, this is also Thach Lam's compassion for the laborers.

-   Life of sister Tí:
+ Her life is a series of hard and miserable days: Day: searching for crabs and catching snails, night: selling water until late.
=> Image of a woman, a body struggling, worn-out, as described in Thương vợ - Tú Xương.
+ Her stall: small and miserable, but she can carry, lift in one go, 'carrying the worn-out bamboo frame ... her shop'.
+ Items in her stall: A bowl of green bean soup, a bamboo pipe of tobacco.
+ Customers: Uncle Phu, soldier Lệ, ... => They are all poor like her, only 'picking on her goods' so she rarely has money.
+ Result: 'didn't earn much,' 'oh dear, early in the morning ... what's the point' => Sighs full of sadness, long sighs for a stagnant life.
=> Life revolves around, simple, without light, hope for the future, a meaningless life.

-  Life of An Liên sisters
+ Opens with the event of Teacher Liên losing his job => pushes the family into a deadlock, has to move back to the village.
+ Liên's family moves back to the village, mother runs a small business, Liên sisters take care of the grocery store.
+ Liên sisters' grocery store: tiny, impoverished, only a few matchboxes, soap, and alcohol, only a few customers buying half a soap.
=> Engraves the impression of poverty in the district, the deadlock scene of Liên's family
+ Result: 'market day is still ... losing' => stagnation remains, no hope.
=> Life revolves, simple, monotonous, cleaning in the morning, messy in the evening.
=> Life is too boring, meaningless, even childhood joy is gone.

-   Life of Uncle Siêu, Uncle Xẩm, and Mad Granny Thi (Accent points, realistic descriptions, and symbolic nature.
+ Uncle Siêu: sells wandering pho cart: luxurious but few buyers, high prices => always deserted. Every day he drags the cart to the group in the evening, and at night, he carries it back into the village.
=> Uncle's group is like a hope for the future, but when the fire is out, life returns to despair.
+ Uncle Xẩm: blind, street singing => faraway solicitation, living under the bridge, sidewalk as a home. Uncle's assets are only a rag, an iron bowl, and a monochord. Image of the child crawling out of the mat => symbolizing a future continuing in ruins, a dark and bleak life.
+ Mad Granny Thi: a symbol of a deteriorating life. Old, crazy, and addicted to alcohol, ending with a laugh => a chilling picture of a dark life.
=> The entire picture of the district appears through Liên's eyes with scenes of decay and darkness. Lives with material tragedies, poverty, and spiritual tragedies, surrounded by meaningless and joyless lives, hoping for the future.
=> The picture is seen through Liên's eyes, who is also Thạch Lam, hiding behind Liên, erasing the gap between a petite bourgeois writer and the laborers.

* The district painting concludes with the night scene
- It is a summer night:
+ Cool breeze, 'the sky ... the deity of agriculture' => a beautiful, magnificent scene, familiar.
+ The ground covered with darkness 'all dark ... even more' => darkness dominates the district. Dense darkness, even the sound of the drum 'sinks into darkness'.
=> An allegory for the colonial society of the French period, dark and stifling.
-    Human life in that district: like bright seeds, light gaps, bright spots, light dots => flashy, tiny, erratic => an allegory for human life in the dark, meaningless.
=> Liên's emotions (Thạch Lam): Deep sadness before the dark, lightless, hopeless life. Looking up at the sky with thousands of sparkling stars, Liên realizes that it is a 'strange, mysterious' world. Liên looks down at the 'familiar bright spot ... sister Tí's' that resembles the dark, meaningless world of her sister.

* Conclusion:
-   District painting: Reconstructs the panorama of Vietnamese society during the French colonial period, stifling, helpless, lost freedom, people have to live in darkness, exhaustion, and meaninglessness.
-     Art: Thạch Lam builds the district painting with reality that the writer has experienced. Accompanied by romantic inspiration.
-    The district painting is described according to the movement of time from dusk to late night in the emotional development of Liên. Through this, Thạch Lam constructs a picture of the homeland with all the beauty of the prosperous homeland, the land imbued with the soul of the homeland. It conveys the love for the homeland along with pity for the ruined fates, while silently criticizing the society that does not ensure the right to live for people.

b. Waiting for the night train scene:

* Waiting reasons:
-   Despite Liên and An being 'sleepy-eyed' - still waiting not to sell goods as instructed by their mother but for a different reason 'because they want … late at night'.
=> Desiring a new life, free from hunger, and darkness.

*. Emotional development:
-  Train not yet arrived: a poignant waiting period:
+ Throughout the long day of yearning, when suddenly seeing the shining light, Uncle Siêu quickly announced 'The light is … there' => the joy when desire turns into reality.
+ Liên: stretches all senses to receive the signal 'sound of a distant echoing whistle' faintly in the wind, closer is the sound of the engine approaching, smoke rising => all signs indicating the train is approaching
+ An: sleepy but still tries to instruct her sister to wake her up when the train arrives.
=> The train journey brings something completely different from everything in the district, a belief, hope with a bright light illuminating the ruined fates here.
=> Liên's soul also changes, she is no longer sad but instead 'quiet … don't understand' => she herself doesn't understand why she is waiting for this train.

-     When the train arrives:
+ 'The fire … far away': When the train is far, the sound and light are more lively than the entire long day in that district.
+ Liên wakes up her sister 'An, wake up': the excitement, anticipation when desire turns into reality, like seeing something precious.
+ The train arrives with 'whistle sound … coming', 'carriages … shining' => the train journey brings vibrancy, hustle, with bright, fresh light breaking the quiet, gloomy atmosphere of the district, bringing a new source of vitality, abundant life.
=> It is a magical world that those ruined people here yearn for, waiting for.
-    The night train brings a completely different light 'a completely different world … Uncle Siêu' => The light of luxury, brilliance, joy, and hope. Shining in every ruined life is the belief in a brighter, more radiant future.
-    Conclusion: The night train with its light and sound throws into the silent darkness of the poor district the last uproar. That excitement is all the desires, expectations of many people here for a brighter, more vibrant new world, illuminated by the shining light that appears every day here.

c. General conclusion:
-  Thạch Lam vividly portrays the district painting.
-     The art of building the internal developments of characters is exceptionally outstanding, especially the scene of waiting for the night train.
-  Demonstrates the author's compassion for those in hardship, trapped in darkness in the poor district.

3.  Conclusion:

-  Reaffirming the issue

II. Analysis of Thạch Lam's Two Children
 

1. Analysis of Thạch Lam's Short Story Two Children, Standard 1

The romantic literary trend was one of the major literary trends in the period 1930-1945 with many famous authors and works. Thạch Lam is one of the representative faces of that trend. With gentle writing, plotless stories that delve into the characters' inner worlds, Thạch Lam's short stories always leave a profound impression on readers. The short story 'Two Children' from the collection 'Sunshine in the Garden' is an excellent piece, representing his artistic style.

The entire work is seen through the eyes of the character Liên, a young girl. This not only makes the story objective but also makes the landscape painting soaked in the character's emotions vivid and colorful. Furthermore, the work is set in the context of a poor district before the August Revolution in 1945 and especially during the time from evening to late night, a period with special significance in literature. The choice of perspective, space, and time creates a vivid picture of the landscape and people in the poor district at different times.

The opening of the work is a picture of the district at dusk. The author first describes the scene with full sound, color, and lines. The first sound mentioned in the opening sentences is the 'sound of the drum from the small district guardhouse, each beat echoing as if calling the evening home.' The long sentences, divided into many clauses, evoke the rhythm of time. The drumbeat of that evening seems to mark each step, each step calling the dusk. Along with that, the author also describes the sounds of frogs and mosquitoes starting to hum - familiar, simple sounds of the Vietnamese countryside. Along with that, the landscape painting also appears with the color 'glowing red like a burning fire' in the western sky and the 'pink of the coal about to burn out.

Analyzing Two Children to Uncover the Poetic Essence in the Short Story

Thus, the author paints a picturesque landscape, a natural scene in the district, both poetic, intimate, and vivid, yet somewhere it still reflects desolation and silence. Not stopping at depicting the landscape, Thạch Lam vividly describes the life of the people here through the scene of the ruined market and the images of people. The market is ruined, people have left, and the once bustling noise has now gradually diminished, somewhere on the ground, only litter remains, shellfish shells, label leaves, sugarcane leaves, etc. All these details vividly outline the picture of the ruined market in the district and also on the backdrop of nature, of the ruined market, the image of people gradually appears. It is the image of poor children near the market, who are 'bent over on the ground, searching, picking up pieces of bamboo, pieces of bamboo, whatever can be used left by the sellers.' It is the image of Tí's mother and children with a monotonous life, every day going out early to catch crabs and shrimp, in the evening carrying water from dusk until night, even though they earn very little. It is the image of the old lady Thi, laughing foolishly. And perhaps most prominent among them is the image of sisters Liên and An. Because their father lost his job, Liên's whole family had to move here, and her mother entrusted her with the responsibility of taking care of a small water stand.

The image of Liên, who every afternoon arranges and counts goods, leaves a deep impression on readers. Liên is like a real head of the family, a capable, resourceful girl who can take care of everything. Using realistic descriptions, Thạch Lam depicts the lives of people in the poor district - a difficult, miserable, and dull life. Then, in front of that scene, a sensitive girl like Liên reveals various emotional states. First, Liên feels deeply sad before the moment of sunset - 'Liên doesn't know why, but she feels a deep sadness.' In addition, witnessing the image of poor children near the market, Liên feels 'compassion, but she also doesn't have money to give them.' With these emotional traits, it can be seen that Liên is a sensitive, thoughtful girl with a rich hidden heart. At the same time, through the character Liên, we can also understand more about Thạch Lam's compassionate heart for the people in the poor district.

Not only successfully describing the picture of the district at dusk, the picture of the district at late night is also uniquely depicted by Thạch Lam. The landscape painting in the district at night leaves a profound impression on readers first and foremost in the thick darkness covering everything. Thạch Lam used a series of details to describe that dense darkness, 'streets and alleys gradually filled with darkness,' 'darkening all the roads deep into the river, the road across the market to the house, the alleys into the village getting even darker.' It can be seen that darkness has invaded and surrounded the lives of the people in the district. In contrast to that image of darkness is the image of light. If darkness is described as dense, blurry, then light is completely the opposite. It is only a weak, tiny light, just 'bright spots,' 'streaks of light,' 'a bright spot in the dark night'... It can be seen that Thạch Lam cleverly highlights the contrasting opposition between light and darkness - a familiar technique in romantic literature. But not stopping at the meaning of realistic description, the images of darkness and light also carry a symbolic meaning for the climbing and decaying life of the poor fates in the dark night of society. Not only stopping at depicting the contrasting opposition between light and darkness, Thạch Lam's pen also deeply reproduces the lives of these people in that dim night. A family of Uncle Siêu with 'luxurious food,' which is always deserted. A family of Uncle Xẩm with a mat, a white iron basin, and the sound of the guitar in the silent night. Tí's sister with a water stand that is always damp, and Liên and An, who always look after the shop for their mother every day. The lives of these people here are always the same, always entangled with so many tasks, helpless, with no way out. And then, in front of the scene of the district at late night, Liên remembers Hanoi - remembering the joyful and prosperous past, 'Liên remembers when in Hanoi... Hanoi has too many lights!' and again yearns, awaits the night train from Hanoi to pass through.

Finally, concluding the work is the scene of waiting for the train - a scene rich in evocation and leaving many reflections in the reader's mind. Every night, no matter how late, the people in the poor district always eagerly await the passing of the night train with excitement. Although there are no direct sentences describing the anticipation of the people here for the train, details like An's instructions to Liên before going to sleep, 'When the train arrives, wake me up,' or Liên's effort to stay awake to wait, or the cheering sound when An's train arrives, clearly express their eager anticipation. The people in the poor district always wait like this because the passing night train has brought a 'different world' - a completely different world from their lives. The arrival of the train brings a lively, noisy, bustling sound - 'the sound of the train whistle extended along the distant wind, the noisy sound, the sound of the wheels pressing strongly on the track, the bright white smoke,' 'the noisy sound of passengers softly murmuring,' 'the squeaky whistle sound, the train roaring forward'... The passing train also brings another kind of light, the dazzling lights, shining down on the ground 'the brightly lit cars, shining light down on the road, luxurious upper-class cars, copper and gold sparkling, bright glass doors'... dispelling the dark, dense shadows. It can be seen that the train procession is a remarkable detail of the work, it not only carries a realistic description but also carries a symbolic meaning. The night train journey is a symbol of a new, brighter, and better world, and furthermore, it symbolizes the desire, the wish to escape from the cramped, entangled life of the people in the district.

In summary, the short story 'Two Children' by writer Thạch Lam, with its gentle and plotless narrative art uniquely depicting the psychological emotions of characters, clearly expresses the author's pity and empathy for the lives and destinies of the people in the poor district. At the same time, through it, he also expresses the appreciation for their desire for change.
 

2. Analysis of Two Children, Sample 2 (Standard):

Along with major writers who focused on pre-1945 realistic themes in the country such as Nam Cao, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngô Tất Tố, Kim Lân, Vũ Trọng Phụng, Thạch Lam is also one of the outstanding and representative pens when writing about this theme. Thạch Lam has set for himself a very interesting declaration when practicing literature that: 'For me, literature is not a way to bring readers escape or forgetfulness; on the contrary, literature is a high and effective medium that we have to accuse and change a false and cruel world, making human hearts cleaner and richer.' And the writer himself has chosen a very unique path when writing about the fate of people before the revolution. With narrative writing without a plot, he chooses a meticulous, delicate way of writing, showing talent in observation and deep perception. With a gentle, romantic writing style, but hidden within it are melancholic sorrows, concealed in each sentence, Thạch Lam has brought us a picture of the lives of small, unnamed people, in their poverty, misery, and darkness in remote provinces. 'Two Children' is one of the best works of writer Thạch Lam when writing about the lives of petit bourgeois under the fate of the poor, but in them, there is always a hope, a desire to escape from that stagnant life, to look forward to something better.

Thạch Lam's childhood was one of hardship and adversity. His father, a petite bourgeois intellectual, lost his job due to societal changes, forcing the entire Thạch Lam family to move from the bustling capital Hanoi to the rural town of Cẩm Giàng in Hải Dương province. Consequently, Thạch Lam and his siblings had to endure a difficult life, stepping into adulthood early to survive in this harsh environment. Perhaps, it is this experience that led the rural town to reappear numerous times in Thạch Lam's works. Particularly in 'Two Children,' the impressions of a dark, impoverished, and quiet rural town with its desperate inhabitants, and the image of Liên, his sister, leave indelible emotions in the reader's heart.

The best analyses of Thạch Lam's short story 'Two Children'

The portrayal of the rural town in the work spans from dusk to midnight, where the most lasting impression is Thạch Lam's description of the rural town in the late afternoon in the remote province—romantic, poetic, and carrying a melancholic sadness. The nature scene begins with the sound of distant drums captured by the recording, 'each beat resonating far to call the evening,' slow, lingering, dragging, as if deeply pressing into people's hearts. Alongside are sounds like 'the sound of frogs croaking in the fields,' the sound of 'mosquitoes starting to buzz,' and the sound of bamboo crickets chirping. Thus, the late afternoon in the rural town is a presence of sparse, slow, scattered sounds, evoking the impression of a small, gloomy, poor, dark, and burdensome place, heavy with sadness and fatigue. Moreover, we can clearly see the setting sun through the colors that Thạch Lam delicately introduces, 'the western sky burning red like a raging fire, and the clouds shining pink like a dying ember.' It is the vivid red, bright pink hues. One might think it would bring something cheerful; however, in 'Two Children,' these are clear signs of dusk, the radiant rise of the last sunlight of the day, the only light left before nightfall. The image of that sunset, though beautiful, romantic, like a painting by a versatile artist, is tinted with melancholy colors of endings, instilling a distant regret into people's souls. The way Thạch Lam outlines the approaching night is even more striking, 'a row of village bamboo in front is black and sharply outlined against the sky.' An image that makes readers vividly realize the moment of transition between day and night when the deep blue sky still holds a bit of brightness from the not-yet-set sun, sharply cutting through it are the distinct shapes of old bamboo, like an extremely subdued, quiet, and dark watercolor painting. Alongside the natural picture is the presence of those desperate lives as shadows fall. There, one can only sense weariness, boredom, and slow, silent movements. It is the image of a fading market, extinguished of the lively sounds, replaced by the scene 'on the ground, only rubbish, grapefruit peels, tangerine peels, and sugarcane leaves remain,' along with the sight of a few small, pitiful children trying desperately, digging through the dirty garbage pile to find something still usable. This image makes people inevitably feel compassion for the destitute, the unfortunate fates facing that poverty, and the gloominess of the rural town. The smell of 'damp rising...' also deeply evokes a sense of humidity, filth, and boredom in this poor, dark, and desolate rural town. Going hand in hand with the sunset, the fading market is the appearance of those desperate lives, the poor, pitiful children scavenging through the rubbish on the outskirts of the market, having to engage in the struggle for survival at such a young age. The mother and daughter, Chị Tí, with their arduous livelihood, spending days catching crabs and snails, and selling goods at night, facing a life of ups and downs, misery. Then the image of Granny Thi, insane, addicted to alcohol, with a creepy, haunting laughter, easily reminiscent of the turbulent and painful life of this miserable woman. Finally, there is the image of the Liên sisters, two children reaching adolescence, yet also having to early embark on the path of survival, buried in the ruins of the collapsed grocery store, on the broken bamboo cot, hidden behind the Liên sisters is the fleeting presence of the mother, a modest woman doing the difficult job of peddling goods. All these lives give us a common perception of poverty, gloom, boredom, and a lack of vitality in the rural town, making people feel an extremely dark and stagnant atmosphere.

In the realm of desolate lives, Thạch Lam chose Liên as the central character—a girl around 9 or 10 years old. However, due to growing up in poverty and engaging in survival activities from a young age, Liên seemed to mature beyond her years. Especially notable is her sensitive soul, profoundly compassionate towards humanity. This sensitivity is evident from the opening lines, depicting 'Liên's eyes gradually shrouded in darkness, absorbing the sadness of the rural evening into her innocent soul.' Her unique perspective on the fading evening in the countryside sets her apart. For a 9 or 10-year-old, the sorrows and darkness of the homeland might be vague, perhaps even unrecognized, but Liên contemplates and deeply feels the sadness of nature, allowing it to seep into her tender soul, leaving profound contemplations. Liên's finesse and sensitivity also manifest in her perception of the distinct scent of her homeland's soil: 'a musty, humid smell rising, the daytime heat blending with the familiar dust scent, making Liên think it's the unique aroma of this land, of her homeland.' It's evidently not a pleasant fragrance, rather a damp, discomforting odor, yet, for Liên, it is the distinctive scent of her homeland, something she feels intimate, affectionate, and deeply connected to. Liên's tact and sensitivity extend to how she cares for and loves others. Towards mother and daughter Chị Tí, Liên casts a compassionate, sympathetic gaze. Towards Granny Thi, the insane woman, Liên displays apprehension and empathy for a shattered life. Regarding the children from the market outskirts, there's pity and compassion, yet Liên herself is helpless, unable to assist them due to her impoverished and bleak life.

The nighttime portrayal of the rural town lacks the vividness of the dusk scene, yet it effectively conveys the complete depth of desolation, darkness, and melancholy in this remote area. It begins with Thạch Lam's depiction of the night shadow, where 'the streets and alleys are filled with darkness,' 'completely dark, the road to the river, the path from the market home, and the entrances to the village even darker.' Although light appears, it seems to accentuate the endless darkness here, as the presence of 'cracks of light,' 'bright spots' escaping from house walls, or the 'glow' flickering from Chị Tí's small kerosene lamp, along with the dull and faint light from Uncle Siêu's fire, doesn't change this boundless darkness. Instead, these feeble light sources seem engulfed by the night, making the space more gloomy and tedious. They evoke thoughts of lives struggling like dim lights in the blind night, insufficient to illuminate life's path. Amidst the pitch-black darkness, glimpses of desperate lives emerge: the husband and wife, Uncle Xẩm, with the resonating sound of the monochord, the mentally impaired child crawling among filthy trash, a sight that stirs compassion. Mother and daughter Chị Tí, weariedly swatting flies by the water stand, lonely and dreary. Uncle Siêu's phở stand, smoky but also deserted, as this 'gift from the city' is mismatched with the impoverished urban area. Then, the Liên sisters, from morning till late at night, persistently perched on the broken bamboo cot, denied the carefree childhood of other children, forced to work early for a few coins earned from selling soap bars or small bottles of alcohol. Interestingly, even in this dark space, one can still perceive the presence of light in the human soul, as 'at that moment, people in the darkness hope for something bright in their daily impoverished lives.' It's a desire for a brighter, better life—a dream to escape from the image of stagnation and darkness, albeit still blurry and distant.

3. Analysis of Two Children, Model 3 (Standard)

When one hears about Thach Lam, it evokes thoughts of short stories that blur the lines between fiction and reality, encapsulating myriad deep, gentle emotions. His stories consistently intertwine the elements of reality and romance, offering moments of profound sensitivity. Reading Thach Lam's works, especially 'Two Children,' unveils the entirety of Thach Lam's heart dedicated to life and the hardships faced by individuals.

'Two Children' is set in a poor district where Liên and An, the main characters, reside. The story unfolds when Liên's father loses his job, and Liên and her siblings have to move to this neighborhood to eke out a living in a small grocery store next to the train tracks. In this neighborhood, there are countless lives entrenched in poverty, revolving around struggles similar to Liên and her sister's, with modest dreams of finding even a glimmer of light, a flicker of hope for a brighter future.

The story begins with Thach Lam guiding the reader into a magnificent painting, depicting a typical district town in French colonial-era Vietnam. This painting unfolds with the scenery of nature as the evening sets in, accompanied by the distinctive sights and sounds of the bustling market.

Before us unfolds the image of the twilight evening, as the sunset casts its glow across every street. Darkness slowly descends upon that poor district. All these developments are vividly described through the eyes and emotions of Liên – a young girl with delicate, subtle emotions. The sunset scene emerges with 'the western sky ablaze like a burning fire and clouds pink as coal about to extinguish.' It is beautiful, magnificent, and radiant beyond measure! This sunset absorbs within itself all the purest beauty of the soul of the homeland, the country. The sun sets, 'the bamboo grove in front turns black again,' signaling the arrival of the dark night. Echoing in that solemn atmosphere are the familiar sounds of 'autumn drums,' heralding the end of the day, and the 'croaking of frogs echoing in the fields,' the 'buzzing of mosquitoes.' All are incredibly familiar sounds of rural Vietnam in the bygone era.

The essay 'Analysis of Two Children' has an outline.

Therefore, we say, Thạch Lam's painting is beautifully calm, peaceful, carrying the beauty of the tranquil homeland evening. This painting of nature is not only grand and poetic but also serenely moving, as it encapsulates the soul of the homeland, the country. However, the tranquility of that space evokes simplicity, a tranquility that becomes monotonous and desolate. The beautiful, radiant sunset clouds are just the clouds of the day's end, flaring up in space and then quickly extinguishing. The sound of the autumn drum resonating there is steady, melancholic, soulless, and then it stops. All that vibrancy, all that beauty, passes through this district town briefly and then fades away hurriedly.

Amidst the picturesque scene, one sees in the middle the image of a desolate market littered with rubbish and wretched souls. If in the homeland market, one often witnesses liveliness, hustle, with people bustling about, showcasing the most distinctive beauty of rural areas, it is entirely different here. Thạch Lam emphasizes the image of a market where 'people have all gone, and the noise has disappeared,' a market left with 'only garbage, grapefruit peels, mandarin peels, and sugarcane leaves.' What is there for people to enjoy and anticipate in that market anymore? The market dissolves, leaving behind not only rubbish but also 'a damp, musty smell'—perhaps the decay of that market is the embodiment of this district town, impoverished and desolate to such an extent?

Thạch Lam's depiction of the natural scenery in the district town is rich in imagery and sophistication, offering a sense of tranquility familiar to the countryside. Amidst this natural backdrop is the portrayal of a poor, desolate village market, reflecting the impoverished life in that district town.

Interwoven in myriad scenes is Liên's mood, enveloping her with a profound sadness that 'permeates the innocent soul of hers.' Liên, a young girl on the cusp of adulthood, exhibits incredibly delicate, fragile emotions, resonating with the surroundings. Although she has recently returned to this impoverished district town, she is deeply attached to it. She feels 'a damp, musty smell, the daytime heat mixed with the familiar scent of dust,' making Liên believe it's 'the unique smell of the land, of this homeland.' This familiar aroma of the homeland is not something everyone can sense, recognize. Only those with refined sensibilities, with a heartfelt connection to the homeland, can perceive the distinct scent of the land. Moreover, Liên suddenly senses the 'sadness of the village evening permeating her innocent soul,' and strangely, Liên only feels a 'melancholic heart before the moment of dusk.' Perhaps, her pure, innocent, sensitive soul has recognized the elusive, delicate melancholy of this impoverished district town? Perhaps, Thạch Lam has borrowed Liên's emotions to express his own sorrow before this contemporary society, stagnant to such an extent?

The scenery in Thạch Lam's painting is beautifully gentle, like a melodious love song that lulls people into tranquility and silence while evoking the desolation and primitiveness that weighs heavy on the heart. Perhaps, this heaviness stems from the lives of the people in this district town – lives that are impoverished and desolate.

The wretched lives in the district town unfold with the image of children - the future generation - picking up garbage amidst the backdrop of the desolate market. Harsh life circumstances have forced them to scavenge, to live, to explore on what people have discarded. 'A few poor kids by the market bend down on the ground, searching carefully. They pick up pieces of bamboo, pieces of bamboo or anything usable left by the sellers.' Here, Thạch Lam describes the image of children 'bending down,' 'searching,' attentively rummaging through the garbage as if seeking something valuable. Their image plants into our hearts the fate of those whose lives are destitute, living among the garbage, sowing hope in the discarded. Those lives, that existence, is excessively dark, stifling, and hopeless, devoid of a future.

Observing the wretched lives, the ragged children in the market, Liên – the main character of the story – suddenly feels moved. She pities the children living in that dark existence, 'Liên felt compassion but she also didn't have money to give them,' helplessly faced with her own circumstances. Could Liên's emotion be Thạch Lam's own feeling when witnessing unfortunate lives, feeling compassion for the impoverished laborers, enduring hardship in life?

However, the lives of suffering, poverty, and hardship don't stop at the image of the children. Thạch Lam delves deeper into exploring the lives of the poor laborers in that dark district town. An exemplar is the life of sister Tí – one of the unfortunate souls residing in this district town.

Tí emerges through the eyes of Liên, through the image of her 'carrying a burden on her head and hands holding countless belongings.' Like numerous people in this impoverished district town, she toils tirelessly, working day and night to make a living. During the day, she 'goes crab hunting and shrimp catching,' and at night, she sells water 'from dusk until late at night' just to earn a few extra coins. The image of this woman evokes thoughts of Tú Xương's poem, 'Yearning for the Wife:

'Her weary body wanders in the desolate expanse'

'The water's surface ripples during the winter ferry ride,'

Indeed, those worn-out bodies persistently follow the waves, toiling, dipping hands in mud, yet unable to escape hunger and poverty.

Sister Tí's drink stall opens 'from dusk until night,' and at first glance, one might think she earns a lot. Little do people know her stall is tiny, just enough for her to carry, lift, and move at once. The items she sells are equally modest, only bowls of green tea and Lao tobacco. That's all she can gather for her stall. How many people do you think would come and sit at her stall? Perhaps only 'a few rice mill workers or drivers, occasionally a few soldiers in the district or the teacher's family servant, would visit when they feel like it.' So, whether she opens her stall early or late, she still 'can't make much,' and the answer, accompanied by a sigh, as if echoing her lament, given to Liên says it all, 'Oh dear, early or late, it makes no difference,'

That deep sigh of weariness echoes the stagnant life of Sister Tí, her existence surrounded by poverty, simplicity, and boredom, without a glimmer of light, without a shred of hope for the future. How meaningless her life seems!

Sympathy for the lives of impoverished children, for Sister Tí; however, the lives of sisters An and Liên in this poor district are no better. They moved to live in this poor district with a small grocery store, while their parents were struggling to earn every penny.

The lives of An Liên should not have been like this; they could have had a life in Hanoi with 'delicious, exotic gifts,' 'going to the lakeside, drinking colorful cold drinks' until Teacher Liên lost his job. That event stunned them, pushing Liên's family into a deadlock. Liên's family chose to return to the hometown, to this poor district, to overcome the deadlock engulfing their family. If Liên's mother became a street vendor, Liên and An were given a small grocery stall to look after and sleep in. Their grocery store is no different from Sister Tí's water stall because it is also small and poor. The impression left about their grocery store is the poverty in products, customers, and its space. If the goods are only a few packs of matches, tobacco, a few bars of soap, and some black paint and wine, customers buying are even fewer. Those who come to buy only get half a soap, a bit of cheap wine; true poverty has deeply permeated every corner of that struggling district!

Reading each word, the reader feels engraved impressions of poverty, darkness in that district, and the stagnation of Liên's family. With the mother running the street vendor all day, Liên and An selling goods but receiving results that 'selling on market days also doesn't make any difference.' The deadlock continues, unable to break free from poverty, without any hope. Life remains unchanged, circling monotonously with the routine of displaying goods in the morning and putting them away at night. With Liên and An's age, what they should be enjoying are joyful moments with laughter, attending school with writing, not loitering around this small grocery store. Poverty has robbed Liên, An, and the children around that desolate market of their childhood, stealing their laughter and the innocence they should have enjoyed.

Within each narrative is Liên's emotions—sensitive and fragile. Liên witnesses the harsh life of Sister Tí, the life of her own family, so she has her own feelings, her unique perceptions. About Sister Tí, Liên feels a deep sadness, pitying the dark, stifling, and hopeless life of Sister Tí. As someone with a shared fate, Liên even hears the sighs full of weariness from Sister Tí facing her own life. Then Liên imagines her family's life; within her heart rises a self-pity. She sympathizes with her father's hardship, her mother's toil, the binding helplessness of her younger sibling growing up, and the meaningless life of herself. Readers can sense Liên's feelings of deadlock and sorrow through Thạch Lam's compassionate narration.

In that small provincial town, it's not just one or two pitiful lives; there are countless wretched fates. Poverty envelops them, shrouding the town like a dark night falling. In that darkness, the destitute lives emerge even more. It's the life of Uncle Siêu, the blind musician, and the crazy old lady Thi. They briefly appear, described with vivid images, symbolic yet evoking indescribable emotions in us.

Uncle Siêu's life unfolds with the image of him carrying a shoulder pole. On his shoulder is a wandering phở cart, 'the sound of the pole striking clearly, smoke following the wind, drifting towards the two sisters.' For Liên sisters and numerous others in this town, Uncle Siêu's phở cart is a 'luxurious gift, valuable.' However, in a town full of struggling, impoverished people like Sister Tí and the laborers, it's challenging to sell. Thus, Uncle Siêu's cart is always deserted. Nevertheless, as usual, every day, Liên sisters see 'another small, golden flame flickering in the dark, disappearing, then reappearing…' Uncle's cart ignites from the evening until the fire dwindles, and he shoulders it back to the village at night. Repetitive as it is, every day is the same, even though Uncle Siêu's phở cart rarely attracts any customers. However, for Uncle Siêu, each time he 'kindles the fire, blows into the bamboo pipe,' perhaps he's igniting the flame of hope, shedding a bit of light on his bleak life in the midst of the town's darkness. Until the darkness surrounds, and the fire fades, that's when Uncle's hope vanishes again in the dark night, and he returns as a wretched soul.

Adding to the tales of wretched lives is the story of Uncle's blind family. His family is also one of the wretched fates in this town. Blind, Uncle has to support his family with the hereditary profession of singing on the streets. The family's entire wealth is a tattered mat, a white iron pot, and a monochord. These meager belongings sustain a family of three. While An Liên has a small grocery stall for shade from the sun and rain, Uncle's family has nothing, living under the bridge, relying on the pavements for shelter. Their child, born into these circumstances, also travels with the parents. If the poor children of the town live amidst the debris of the market, the blind musician's child lives on a mat among the dirt and sand at the roadside. The most heart-wrenching image is the child crawling out from the mat to 'pick up dirty garbage buried in the sand by the roadside.' That child symbolizes an entire future generation scavenging amid darkness, poverty; will their destiny escape the darkness that clings to their parents?

Concluding the imagery of wretched lives in the town, Thạch Lam weaves into his narrative the figure of the mad old lady Thi. She is a symbol of a destitute, eerily dark life. Old age, 'slightly crazy,' addicted to alcohol are the things people know about Granny Thi. She appears at Liên's shop with a 'boisterous laugh' that 'Liên sisters don't even need to turn around to know who has entered the shop.' Granny visits only to buy alcohol, 'drinks in one gulp,' pays, and leaves. The image of Granny walking back into the village, gradually fading into the dark with a 'boisterous laugh,' sends shivers down one's spine for the fate of a human being. These wretched lives corrode people, forcing them to live in darkness, poverty throughout their lives.

Through Liên's eyes, the entire portrait of the provincial town unfolds with scenes of misery, darkness, and despair. Lives filled with sorrow and continuous tragedies, material deprivation, and spiritual monotony, weariness, meaninglessness, helplessness, suffocation, unable to find joy or hope for the future. Those lives are truly meaningless!

The provincial town's portrait is seen through Liên's perspective - someone sharing the same fate as those wretched lives. Behind Liên is Thạch Lam, who erases the gap between a petite bourgeoisie and the poor laborers, empathizing and sharing with them.

Writing about the poor laborers, Thạch Lam delves into their mental tragedies, the lives of those worn-out, meaningless souls. Only when awakening to the consciousness of the right to live, individuality, does Thạch Lam deeply sympathize with these meaningless lives. This contributes to the new humane depth of the work.

The provincial town's portrait concludes with the night scene, where the night has truly fallen. It's a summer night 'beautiful as velvet,' 'the sky full of thousands of stars sparkling, mingling with the glow of fireflies flying over the ground or nestling into the branches.' A scene of dazzling beauty familiar for its homeland charm, the soul of the land. Underneath, the ground is covered by darkness 'All dark, the path leading to the river, the road through the market back home, the lanes into the village are even darker.' That darkness engulfs the poor provincial town, thick and oppressive. Could that darkness symbolize the colonial society of the French colonial period, also suffocating, dark, and wretched like the night? And human life amidst that darkness is like small cracks, bright seeds, faint, flickering light. For Liên, the emotion within her is a melancholy before the dark life, without a glimmer of hope for the future. Liên gazes at the sky with thousands of sparkling stars, beautiful but 'mysterious and strange,' like Liên's wishes, desires that never come true. Therefore, Liên bows her head to the ground where 'the intimate glow surrounds the swinging light on Sister Tí's stall.' Because that world is closer to Liên, with the dark and dull life she lives.

Thạch Lam crafts the portrait of the provincial town with a blend of realism and romance, infused with his own insights and experiences. It depicts the social panorama of Vietnam during the French colonial period, impoverished, stifled, dark, and wretched to the point of desolation and meaninglessness. The painting unfolds through the shifting time from dusk to late night, seen through the eyes of the character Liên - a young girl with a delicate, refined soul. Thạch Lam constructs a homeland painting with a beauty that embodies the soul of the land, subtly revealing love for the homeland and compassion for the wretched fates. Deeper still is the consciousness critiquing the colonial society that fails to guarantee the right to life for its people.

The impoverished, tranquil provincial town seems to hold little to anticipate. However, there is one thing the people in this town eagerly await during the dark hours - the night train.

That night train is the last one of the day, a daily occurrence that makes everyone stay awake in anticipation. For Liên, she stays awake even though she's 'sleepy with tired eyes,' perhaps to follow her mother's advice to 'sell goods, maybe some people will buy'? However, Liên stays awake not to sell goods but for another reason - 'because I want to see that train, the last activity of the late night.' Worn out and helpless in the dark world for too long, they dream of a brighter, more vibrant life, and that night train is truly a world they always dream of.

Thạch Lam adeptly describes the image of the train from the moment it approaches, building anticipation in the people of the provincial town until the dazzling light appears.

Before the train arrives, this is the time of anxious anticipation. For Uncle Siêu, after a long day of waiting, upon seeing the glimmering light of the signal lantern, he joyfully exclaimed, 'The signal lantern is out there.' It was the exuberant cry of someone whose day-long longing was about to materialize. As for Liên, she heightened all her senses to receive the signal. She saw the 'pale blue flame, hovering just above the ground like a ghost,' a faint light that might go unnoticed if not observed carefully. Following that was the echoing train whistle 'in the prolonged night carried away by the distant wind.' Even An, though half asleep with tired eyes, reminded her sister to wake her up when the train arrives.

Only a few small details, yet we can see the immense longing of the people in this provincial town for the night train. Because that train brings something very different, a hope with its dazzling light for the dark fates in this town.

For Liên, the night train also brings tranquility to her soul. During the day, she only sees vague sadness without knowing why, but now 'Liên's soul is completely calm, with vague, incomprehensible feelings.' Even she vaguely doesn't understand why she looks forward to this night train.

When the train arrives, even from a distance, all the people in this provincial town recognize it. The whistle echoes in the air, far from the sound of the drum signaling evening from the 'bleak' guard post every dusk. The squeaking of the wheels on the tracks, the noisy chatter of the passengers are lively sounds vastly different from the calm, monotonous sounds of the poor town often heard. Along with it is the pale blue light, 'like a ghost,' 'a plume of smoke glowing white in the distance.' However, it evokes a truly different and strange sensation. Different lights and sounds, the excitement that the townsfolk have been eagerly anticipating all day.

Liên awakens An, An's 'little stir' expressing anticipation, excitement, and longing, as if waiting for something precious.

As the train approaches, 'the whistle has roared, and the train is rumbling forward,' the sound making the entire town lively in the middle of the night. And the dazzling light, 'the bright train cars, illuminating the road,' 'bronze and sparkling,' and 'the bright windows' erase the dark night enveloping the town, bringing the people here a belief, hope for a bright future ahead where they can live amidst that sparkling light.

Even if it flashes by and disappears, leaving only 'red coal dust flying on the railroad,' it has left a profound meaning not only for Liên but also for every resident in this town. This train is not just the passion of Liên but also revives memories of a brighter past, 'Liên stands still in reverie. Hanoi far away, Hanoi brightly joyful and bustling' when Liên's family hadn't fallen into stagnation as it is now. Liên dreams of that world, 'a completely different world, completely different from the light of Tí's lamp and Siêu's fire.'

The train journey brought different sounds and lights, vibrant, lively, and more joyful than the everyday sounds and lights of the town - the light of extravagance, of joy and hope. Although it passed by in an instant, it is everything the people here desire, eagerly awaiting for a long day, as it is their hope for a brighter future.

Thạch Lam's two children do not delve deep into exploiting the pain and misery of the poor laborers in the town but explore the rich inner world of the characters, highlighting the author's poignant empathy for the harsh lives of these impoverished individuals surrounded by a monotonous existence.

Through the story, a new humanitarian ideology has been unveiled in Vietnamese literature during this period, portraying the compassion of contemporary petite bourgeoisie writers towards the difficult, miserable, and dark lives in a poor district under French colonial society before the August Revolution. It also emphasizes their small and hopeful dreams of a brighter, more abundant future – something that Thạch Lam deeply pities and cherishes. Finally, the story also highlights the talent of a young writer with a gifted pen describing the inner world of characters, their profound experiences, and the shared suffering of these people.

4. Essay Analysis of Two Children, item 4:

a. Time and space of the evening scene in the town

- The setting in the work is the scenery of a poor town before the August Revolution with picturesque details, brimming with emotions {an evening as gentle as a lullaby). This is a tangible space. Additionally, the story references the space of memories for Liên and An - the living space when their family was still in Hanoi; and the imaginative space - where Hanoi is distant, bustling, bright, lively, and happy.

- The time is a late afternoon, with the sound of distant drums, the croaking of frogs in the field; at the market, people are getting ready to leave after a day of trading. Next is the darkness of the night covering 'a profoundly silent night'.

- The scenery is desolate, scattered on the ground are littered items, coconut shells, pomelo peels, banana leaves... and the children compete to pick them up, scavenging and collecting.

b. Life and portrayal of the people living in the town

- Life in the impoverished town is stifling, mundane, helpless, monotonous, bland, and always threatened by poverty and hunger. Images like the damp water carts of Tí's mother and daughter, Uncle Siêu's pho cart, the scene of kneeling on a mat in the middle of the night for the family of blind musician and crazy Granny Thi, illustrate the dreary lives of the poor before the revolution.

- They live a precarious life but are very honest, compassionate, endure hardship, and always hope for something brighter for tomorrow. This is expressed through the following details:

+ Tí's mother and daughter make a living during the day by catching crabs and shrimp, and in the evening, they sell water until late, even though it is often very dry; only a few rice farmers or cart pullers occasionally pass by for a drink.

+ Uncle Siêu's pho cart sets up at night, but it is a luxurious gift for the poor people in the town.

+ The poor blind musician's family consistently waits every night for customers in the market square to listen to the music, yet hardly anyone cares. In the silent night, the sound of the instrument played by the blind musician adds a melancholic touch to the already gloomy scene.

+ The image of Granny Thi, a bit crazy, or dancing with wine at the store of the two sisters Liên, is a sign indicating the stifling and suffocating life of the people.

c. Emotions of the two main characters in the work, Liên and An

- The two sisters Liên and An are obedient, innocent, and sincere children. Despite their young age, they have deep perceptions of the harshness of life.

- Living in a melancholic, impoverished place, they deeply love nature, feeling a strong connection with the simple images of their homeland. 'A damp scent rises, the daytime heat mixed with the familiar smell of dust, making Liên and An think it's the unique scent of the land, of their homeland.' On the other hand, they find life here dull, monotonous, and yearn for a new, brighter, and more beautiful place.

d. The image of the train and its significance

- The train in the story is a distinctive image, representing a bit of hope and bright outlook for the lives of the people in the market square. Described with vivid images, as the train passes through the town, it seems brighter, more lively. For Liên and An, every night is the same, no matter how sleepy they are, they stay awake waiting for the train. The train brings them a vague dream of a 'bright and bustling Hanoi,' invoking memories of peaceful and happy days - a consolation in their impoverished modern life.

- And as the train moves on, they return to the harsh reality of poverty and monotony - a life where 'bác Siêu's phở becomes a luxurious gift that can never be bought.' Then, the next night, they wait for the train again, much like waiting for a dream - an ongoing, undefined dream.

Analyzing Thạch Lam's Two Children, the Best

5. Analysis of the short story Two Children by writer Thạch Lam, sample number 5:

Along with his two older brothers, Nhất Linh and Hoàng Đạo, Thạch Lam made significant contributions to the Phong hóa and Ngày nay newspapers, the editorial organs of the Tự lực Văn đoàn group, starting from September 1932 and the subsequent years. Thạch Lam once spoke about his literary creation philosophy: 'For me, literature is not a way to bring escapism or forgetfulness to readers; on the contrary, literature is a noble and powerful medium that allows us to both denounce and change a deceitful and cruel world, as well as make the human heart cleaner and richer.' His works, especially short stories, faithfully reflected this creative philosophy. Many stories align with the realism ideology, criticizing and portraying the harsh lives of poor people, both in rural and urban areas. Readers cannot help but sympathize when reading short stories like Mother Lé's House, Hunger, Thirty-Ninth Night... There are also stories reflecting ordinary life, simple and poetic, full of compassion, and Two Children is a typical example.

A night in a small market square. Two sisters, An and Liên, replace their mother to sell goods in the market. Although the market has already dispersed, they haven't packed up their goods yet. The sisters sit in front of the store observing the market as night approaches. Only a few people are preparing to leave the market; some poor children scavenge for trash, Mrs. Tí sets up her water stand, an old woman buys phở from Uncle Siêu, and a couple sings folk songs... The sisters stay awake to wait for the train to pass by, bringing a bit of Hanoi's bustling light to the town. An falls asleep, Liên lies down beside her, immersed in the quiet and darkness of the market square.

The plot is hardly enticing. The main characters are two sisters, Liên and An. Everything considered market activities, from the afternoon until late at night, is absorbed by the eyes of the two sisters. Through their contemplative eyes, Thạch Lam describes the market scene from afternoon to night, following the chronological order, and the daily activities of those who depend on the market.

Firstly, the painting of the evening space. The painting begins with the sound of the 'autumn drum echoing on the small district's pavilion, every beat calls the evening'. It's a beautiful four-line poem that no painter, no matter how talented, could reproduce. It feels as if the drum sound has been sensed by every natural element, sequentially drawing them towards the gaze of the two sisters. The background of the evening painting is enveloped by the 'West, as red as a burning fire, and clouds shining pink like a dying piece of coal'. That dazzling red has the shadow of the black and white that will gradually transition clockwise. This can be called the color of time. Against that backdrop, 'The bamboo row in front of the village turns black and cuts sharply against the sky'. The contrasting color adds a striking feature. The 'black again' color is also the color of time transitioning from the green of bamboo... The sound of the autumn drum, ticking every beat, has attracted more 'the sound of frogs croaking in the fields carried by the gentle wind'. That's the distant scene, the scene of 'An evening as gentle as a lullaby' as the tone of the description implies. Thạch Lam's literature is rich in poetic elements right there, becoming quite clear from the beginning.

Closer is the scene of 'the houses have all turned on their lights now'. From those lights, readers can deduce the poor from the rich; 'lights hanging in Mrs. Mĩ's house, bright green lights in the guesthouse' are certainly brighter than the 'curious flower lamp in Mr. Cửu's house', the lamp in the store of the two sisters. The subtlety, the finesse in Thạch Lam's description lies in 'those light sources all shine out onto the street, making the sand sparkle in every place, and the path becomes more and more textured because of the small stones, some bright, some dark'. Without meticulous observation, it would lack those blurry shades in the night market painting. It would be deficient without mentioning, 'On the ground, there is only rubbish, grapefruit peels, tangerine peels, and sugarcane leaves. A damp odor rises, the hot scent of crab during the day, along with the familiar smell of dust, making Liên think it's the unique scent of this land, of this homeland'. The small town market painting at night adds the flavor of the homeland in those verses, beyond the descriptive function, has the function of evoking a deep and intense sentiment of the writer, who doesn't use literature as mere entertainment.

And of course, the night market painting also includes people, silent, busy people with the daily struggles of clothing and meals, poverty. It's the 'little boy carrying a lantern and carrying two chairs on his back in the alley; Mrs. Tí, his mother, following with a hat full on her head and carrying countless items: all the goods of the two sisters' shop'. Except for the poor children near the market scavenging, picking up what the sellers left, except for Mrs. Thi, a slightly crazy old woman addicted to alcohol, perhaps Mrs. Tí is the poor person of rank in this small town. Looking at her shop, you can tell: tools for selling fresh tea and a tobacco pipe. Through Thạch Lam's pen, she lives by the profession of crabbing for shrimp during the day, and at night, she sells water, tobacco for 'a few wealthy landowners or drivers, occasionally a few soldiers or teacher's relatives' high-mindedly come in for a drink.

After a while, there's the addition of bác Siêu's phở cart, 'Uncle... puts the phở cart on the street. Bác bends down to gather the fire, blowing into the bamboo pipe. Bác's shadow stretches down to the ground in an area...'.

Then there's 'the addition of bác xẩm's family sitting on a mat, a white iron basin placed in front, but bác hasn't sung because there are no listeners yet'...

Additional supporting characters include some workers from the guesthouses going to pick up the landlady returning from the province. Those people signal that the train is about to arrive.

Guidelines for writing an analysis of the story 'Two Children' by Thạch Lam to achieve a high score.

Thạch Lam portrays the lives of these characters and the natural dialogues between them. From this, readers can recognize the individual destinies within the common theme of poverty and the social reality under the feudal colonial regime. Where is bà cụ Thi's family? Why is she mentally unstable and addicted to alcohol? The story doesn't explicitly describe it, but readers can sense the unfortunate fate of a wife and mother through her wandering life. Is the madness of the old woman a result of a significant and painful shock, and does she use alcohol to forget her unhappy life? What about the family of the xẩm artist, with possessions limited to a mat and a used iron basin, a đàn bầu (monochord), and a voice left echoing in their throats due to the absence of customers? The family relies on these musical instruments and the kindness of passersby. What about the life of the 'little boy roaming the streets, scavenging dirty garbage buried in the roadside sand'? Even the life of chị Tí's family, those poor children, what will it be like in the future? The author has succinctly captured the fates of these people living in the night market with the line, 'In the darkness, people expect something bright for their impoverished daily lives.' A gentle sentence, much like the descriptions of the characters, not condemning but still carrying the power of indictment and, furthermore, expressing a desire for change so that the poor people's lives can be less harsh, with no more children picking up garbage, no more mad old women begging, and no more families like bác xẩm's family.

Around these characters, the market scene at night is vividly depicted, quietly and delicately witnessed by the two main characters, Liên and An, in the story.

Once upon a time, the two siblings lived with their parents in Hanoi, having been taken 'to stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake, drinking strange colorful drinks,' meaning they lived in the festive city area. But why return to this market town? Simply because 'Teacher Liên lost her job,' the whole family had to move here, renting this small stall, and Liên was put in charge. The main task for Liên and An is selling and taking care of the goods, sleeping on-site.

Of course, An is young, with an innocent soul. Seeing the group of 'children gathering on the summer porch, laughing and chatting happily,' An wants to join them for some fun. Having more people coming to the market at night makes her even happier. It's the natural and lively mindset of a child, the age where eating and sleeping still involve the presence of instinct. When describing the characters' psychology, Thạch Lam doesn't forget this, nor does he forget the essence of family education present in An. Although she wants to join in the fun with the other children, she dares not, fearing her mother. Always addressing 'sister' and calling herself 'little sister' in every sentence further emphasizes the good upbringing of her family. Waiting for the train, An is very sleepy. When feeling sleepy, she lies down, leaning, placing her head on Liên's lap to sleep, but still warns: 'When the train comes, wake me up.' And on that day, when the train ran through and disappeared behind the bamboo trees, An said to Liên: 'The train isn't crowded today, is it, sister?' and then urged Liên to go to sleep. Sitting, waiting for the train, before going to sleep, reminding Liên to wake her up to watch the train pass by. That's the curiosity and mischief of a child, not necessarily having a deep consciousness about memories and their living conditions. After the train has passed, An turns back to sleep. Perhaps ten or so years later, these nights waiting for the train will be both memories and a reminder of some awareness about the society at that time. However, at that time, for An, waiting for the train was just a curious habit and a joy in the small market town.

In contrast to An, Liên has a deeper understanding. Entrusted by her mother to manage the small stall, she hasn't fully taken comprehensive control but has stepped into handling goods, finances, and, most importantly, interacting with many people.

In her work, we observe Liên's meticulous and orderly nature. Through Thạch Lam's writing, Liên appears to be knowledgeable in trading. At the end of the day, 'Liên recounts the remaining tobacco, neatly arranges the soap bars in a box, and calculates the remaining money out loud.' Checking the remaining stock before counting the money earned during the day is the experience of a skilled trader. Feeling the heat in the shop, unable to sit and tally the money, 'Liên hastily locks the money with a key attached to a silver-threaded belt at her waist.' All express Liên's cautious nature, even when selling liquor to the somewhat insane old lady.

But more precious than Liên's aforementioned qualities is her compassion and kindness toward the poor. Seeing some poor children scavenging for trash, 'Liên... feels compassion but doesn't have money to give them.' Indeed, even though she sells goods, the money is managed by her mother, and Liên has no authority; furthermore, her father is unemployed. Even when smelling the fragrant pho from bác Siêu's house, Liên craves it but doesn't dare to eat because she has no personal money.

Just by observing the way Thạch Lam describes their interactions and speech, you can feel how much Liên cares for An. She is always gentle and accommodating, considering An's opinions. The images of 'An lying down, resting her head on Liên's lap,' 'Liên gently fanning An, stroking her soft hair,' and 'Liên bending down to pull An into the stall' highlight this admirable trait.

In her private world, Thạch Lam intricately depicts Liên's emotions as the day fades, night falls, and she stays awake to await the passing train. It's a melancholic mood, filled with regret, seeking joy, searching for hope, if only for a moment - amidst the entangled life with no way out.

At the beginning of the short story, Thạch Lam portrays Liên's sadness before the twilight with prose that fully immerses into the character: 'Liên sits silently beside a few blackened cigarettes; her eyes gradually darken, and the sadness of the rural evening seeps into her innocent soul: Liên doesn't understand why, but she feels a melancholic heaviness before the approaching twilight.' Writing like this, Liên actually understands why she is sad, a nostalgia. Two images: one from the past when she was still in Hanoi, and one is the current image in the small district at night, explain Liên's sadness. 'Liên recalls when in Hanoi, she only enjoyed exotic gifts..., just a bright and glittering area. Hanoi has too many lights! Since Liên's family moved here..., every night Liên and her sister had to sit on the bamboo bed under the banyan tree...' looking at the flickering lights of sister Tí, of bác Siêu's family making a living day by day. Night after night, the activities in the small district are limited, repetitive, and poor. Liên looks at them, 'at that moment, people in the darkness are expecting something bright for themselves, trying every means to brush up to live and hope. The green tea stall of sister Tí, bác Siêu's pho stall has lights not much further. There were times when Liên and her sister looked up at the stars... but 'The universe, vast and mysterious to the souls of the two children, is full of secrets and unfamiliarity and tires the mind, so for a moment, the two sisters look down again.' And when looking down, they only see the flickering lights of bác Siêu's house, sister Tí amidst the vast night. I'm so used to it; I'm not afraid anymore. When night falls, the road to the river, the road through the market to the house, the alleys into the village become even darker...' Life is obviously dark and stagnant, bringing people into a state of boredom and confusion. One day like this, and nights like this: a night like this, and nights like this: a faint light contrasting with the silent darkness is only and only the train passing by in a moment of vivid regret: 'Liên and her sister stay awake for a different reason, wanting to see the train passing; that's the final activity of the late night.' And finally, the train arrives. Liên wakes her sister up. Little An rubs her eyes to wake up to see the train clearly. The train has brightly lit carriages, people loitering in luxurious carriages. The two sisters stood up to get a clearer look, then continued to 'look at the tiny speck of the green light hanging on the last carriage, far away, disappearing behind the bamboo grove'. That's it! The train carrying urban lights inadvertently runs on the tracks, leaving the small district with the dark night, leaving 'the couple bác xẩm sleeping on the mat they don't even know when', leaving a Liên 'dreaming silently of distant Hanoi, bright, lively, and bustling. The train seems to bring a bit of another world through. A completely different world for Liên, completely different from the bright lights of sister Tí and bác Siêu's fire...'. That is the different explanation for why Liên and her sister wait for the train, a completely contrasting image with the reality of the district where Liên's family is living, as well as many other districts in this country before 1945; or in other words, it is an image that people in the dark expect something bright' like Liên's mood when lying down next to her sister to find sleep: 'Liên feels herself living amidst so much unknown vastness like sister Tí's small lamp only shining on a small piece of land'. That's it, that other world, that different happiness light, they can only achieve it perhaps every night Liên stays awake to wait for that train to pass, for them to more deeply feel the wretchedness of their impoverished lives.