A model essay on appreciating the short story 'Life's Excess' will help you understand the tragedy of intellectuals in the old society. Additionally, it provides profound insights into Nam Cao's perspective on art and the responsibilities of artists. Let's explore to enhance your knowledge!
Topic: Appreciating 'Life's Excess'
Essay:
Model Essay 1:
When we talk about the realism in Vietnamese literature, Nam Cao is a name that inevitably comes up. He was a writer deeply concerned with art and the essence of human existence. His short stories often revolve around two main themes: the plight of farmers and the struggles of petite bourgeoisie intellectuals. When portraying farmers, one cannot forget the image of a Chí Phèo stripped of both physical and moral humanity, deprived of the right to be human, or a Lão Hạc, loving his child to the utmost. Writing about petite bourgeoisie intellectuals, we encounter the inner turmoil of those poor intellectuals carrying significant dreams. 'Life's Excess' is a quintessential work addressing this theme.
The story revolves around the character Hộ, an intellectual whose life is full of tragic twists. As an individual with aspirations and a profound desire for literature, Hộ sees it as his true calling as a writer. Hộ is a genuine writer with dreams, contemplations, and numerous plans. He desires to create lasting, valuable works recognized globally, even aspiring for the Nobel Prize. 'He reads, reflects, explores, criticizes, and thinks tirelessly. For him at that time, art is everything; nothing else is worth caring about. He contemplates a work that will overshadow all other works of the time...' This dedication deserves admiration—individuals with strong will and courage are needed to build ideas that transcend the world. A talented writer, eager to live and work to the fullest, reaching the pinnacle of artistic values.
Ironically, hunger and material concerns turn Hộ's life into a tragedy. What to do with these dreams when material shortages, hunger, and poverty surround him every day? The burden of providing meager meals and raising his young children falls on the thin shoulders of the intellectual. The struggle for survival forces him to sell his pen cheaply, compromising the integrity of his writing to earn money for his family. In order to make quick money, he is compelled to write alongside the dull, superficial lines. For him, 'literature must delve into untapped sources and create what does not exist.' But now, he writes hastily and carelessly.
'Wretched! Wretched! Wretched for him! Because he is wretched! He is an unjust person! Carelessness in any profession is injustice. But carelessness in literature is truly despicable. Oh my! What has he written? Only the tasteless, bland, evoking very light and shallow emotions, expressing some very ordinary ideas diluted in a flat and overly lenient composition. He contributes nothing new to literature. Hộ feels how wretched he is, and the carelessness, hunger, and poverty of an unjust society have strangled many dreams of people like Hộ, in particular, and impoverished intellectuals in general.
Hộ also falls into another tragedy, that of love. He was originally a person rich in affection, always ready to nurture those poorer than him. That's why he loves Từ and takes her as his wife. Hộ lives responsibly, always trying to work to support his family. As a good father, a responsible husband, a man who worries about his family, Hộ doesn't want to see his wife and children suffer. Seeing Từ struggling, enduring hardships, he gave up his dreams to make money. He devoted all his love to his family, building affection for the small home. '...But he thought again: 'Từ is very lovely, very pitiful. He can sacrifice love, the love of the past era, but he cannot abandon compassion. Perhaps he is weak, cowardly, ordinary, but he is still human: He is a person, not a monster misdirected by pride. The strong are not those who step on others to satisfy their selfish desires. The strong are those who help others on their shoulders. Yet, he painfully realizes that he, a weak son, cannot support his wife. What else can he do?..' But with so many worries, he becomes irritated, frustrated, uncomfortable. Material deprivation, mental discomfort, and the need to provide for his family lead him to alcohol, pouring all his anger onto his wife and children - the ones he loves dearly, sacrificing everything to protect. He sees himself as terrible, despite Từ's understanding, Hộ still cries for his conscience, for the torment in his soul.
Life's Excess, written by Nam Cao, is not just a compassionate voice for the painful parts of life, impoverished existence, but it also speaks out against a society full of injustice, wrongdoing, and irony. A society where intellectuals are stifled, talents are squeezed, and life is full of extreme hardships.
Model Essay 2:
Nam Cao, a prominent figure in Vietnamese literature, contributes significantly to enriching the landscape of short stories and novels. He often delves deep into reality to explore the tragedies, the dark facets of life for each individual in society during the tumultuous years. Nam Cao's iconic phrase that defines his artistic philosophy is: 'Art is not a deceiving moonlight, should not be a deceiving moonlight! Art can be the sound of that pain, escaping from the lives of misguided individuals'. Therefore, his entire life is dedicated to finding painful realities, full of contradictions, from the fate of struggling farmers to impoverished intellectuals entangled in life's complexities. The work 'Life's Excess' is the tragedy that Nam Cao has painstakingly discovered to clarify, to explore, and transform them into an art full of reality!
Nam Cao writes 'Life's Excess' perhaps more smoothly than other works, as he is a poor intellectual, so his feelings and those of the main character are somewhat similar. Nam Cao doesn't have to work too hard to imagine and delve into his characters as he does when writing about farmers. 'Life's Excess' by Nam Cao is a work that not only reveals the reality that Nam Cao wants to make clear but also brings many profound thoughts, philosophies about the art of creation. These ideas are skillfully conveyed through the author's pen, constructing a rich inner world for the main character that seems to reflect Nam Cao's own self.
The title 'Life's Excess' seems to encompass the entire content of the work and the life of the character Hộ, revolving around those two words. Hộ was originally a young man with many dreams and aspirations, and his life took a new turn when he met Từ - a miserable and unfortunate woman deceived into pregnancy and abandoned. At that time, Hộ didn't think about the future, only thinking that he had to save Từ, had to take responsibility for Từ. Thus, Hộ accepted Từ as his wife, accepted being the father of the child. The first few days of their marriage were happy because Từ was gentle and obedient to her husband. However, the harshness of life gradually turned Hộ into someone else. In the past, Hộ could boast that 'Hunger and cold have no logical meaning for a young man passionate about ideals. His heart is beautiful. His head carries a great dream. He despises the petty worries about material things'. But now it's different, he can endure hunger, but can his wife and child endure it? As a husband and father, Hộ cannot allow that. The lofty ideals of the past, the concerns about creating a valuable work for life, the philosophical thoughts about human life, and then the 'pondering about a work that will overshadow all other works of the time...' are gradually pushed away by Hộ.
Hộ only has time to think about how to make more money so that his wife and child won't starve. Hộ writes literature of degradation, instant works that, according to him, are 'only the tasteless, bland, evoking very light and shallow emotions, expressing some very ordinary ideas diluted in a flat and overly lenient composition'. Hộ feels ashamed, humiliated for going against his ideals, against the artistic injustice of his work. Hộ torments himself in that painful thought, then Hộ sees himself as excess, a life discarded in the world of beautiful literature, where 'Literature does not need skilled craftsmen, following a few given models. Literature only accommodates those who know how to dig deep, explore the untapped sources, and create what has not been...'. Hộ becomes disillusioned, resentful even towards Từ, the wife who has always been 'very obedient, very obedient, very dedicated.' He once had very skewed thoughts like: 'Must know evil, must be ruthless to live strong', but then his humanitarian heart, love for family doesn't allow him to do terrible things. He cannot abandon his wife and child to pursue his true artistic path. So, Hộ compromises with the turbulent life of earning money, but money is always lacking, and Hộ seems to want to go crazy. He feels frustrated, hates the life that is pressuring a miserable person like him. Hộ gradually seeks pleasure, socializing, and turns to alcohol to forget the pain in his mind.
Hộ is losing himself, getting dangerously close to the path of drug addiction. Fortunately, Từ's love and patience pull Hộ away from the dark road just in time. Hộ truly wakes up when he realizes he's about to lose Từ, but Hộ's life still cannot escape its self-imposed tragedy. A tragedy of abandoned dreams, ideals forsaken due to a noble character...
The story introduces another crucial character, Từ, Hộ's wife. Her life has been filled with unjust suffering, and even when she meets Hộ, it seems that Từ is destined for happiness, yet she falls into a different tragedy. Từ is obedient, devoted to her husband and child, never speaking a harsh word. She feels indebted to Hộ for saving her and her mother, saving Từ's lifelong honor. Hộ also loves Từ, so she strives to be obedient, nurturing this hard-earned humble abode. Seeing Hộ intoxicated, enduring his scolding and threats, Từ endures silently. The family is in need, and witnessing her husband's struggle, she sacrifices, enduring hunger to relieve Hộ's suffering. In Từ's mind, she is the cause of Hộ's life tragedy, the reason for his agony. Therefore, sometimes Từ contemplates leaving, thinking that Hộ would be less miserable without her. But the weak heart of a loving wife and mother doesn't allow Từ to do so, and she can't. Thus, Từ stays, continuing to be a good wife, restraining herself not to trouble Hộ. Từ is determined to share Hộ's hardship, even if it means enduring more hunger and cold. The entire story evokes deep sympathy for Từ, especially in the poignant scene where she lies embracing her child on the hammock, her pale arm with visible veins. A frail woman carrying so many tragedies. The scene of the couple embracing and crying is the climax of their shared life tragedy, where Hộ awakens, and Từ cries because Hộ has finally returned to his former self.
Từ's lullaby at the end of the story inevitably prompts reflections on the social reality before the August Revolution.
“Who causes the wind to rise,
Let the rain kiss the earth, bidding farewell to those parting;
Who divides the North and South, making them distant like the sky?
Let two rows of tears pool on the weary bodies...”
It is this chaotic national scene that forces the old intellectual souls to reluctantly bury their lofty artistic ideals, to compromise their moral integrity for the sake of earning meager coins through cheap literature.
Nam Cao's short story 'Thorny Life' is an outstanding work that delves into the tragedies of the old intellectual class before the August Revolution. He intricately explores the inner world of characters to extract the essence of intellectual souls, their valuable artistic ideals, and significance. This aligns with Nam Cao's literary philosophy. The story also embodies profound human values, portraying noble humanity, unwavering spousal love, and deep parental compassion. Despite being buried in tragedy, these emotions rise above all, defining the true meaning of the entire work.
'Thorny Life' is a renowned literary work by Nam Cao. Alongside the essay 'Analyzing the specific and detailed artistic aspects of 'Thorny Life,' students and teachers can explore more sample essays analyzing the artistic values of 'Thorny Life.' Some argue that the short story serves as a declaration of Nam Cao's artistic principles. Explain and substantiate this opinion. Analyze the human values in 'Thorny Life.' Explore the character Từ in the short story. For more insights, read the essay 'Further Reading: 'Thorny Life'' as you follow along.
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