Character Analysis of the Man in The Distant Boat

Prompt: Analyzing the Character of the Man in The Distant Boat

Character Analysis of the Man in The Distant Boat

I. Outline for Analyzing the Character of the Man in The Distant Boat (Standard)

1. Introduction

Introduction to the short story The Distant Boat and the character of the fisherman

2. The Character

- Background: Born a 'son of the soil but very gentle', he led a tough life due to dodging the military draft, thus living in poverty and deprivation.

- Appearance: Tall and rugged, portraying:
+ Hair like a bird's nest
+ Broad and curved back like a boat
+ Bushy eyebrows scorched by the sun and two fierce eyes
=> His appearance rugged and rough typifies the poor coastal laborers.

- Personality:
+ Naturally kind-hearted, never laying a hand on his wife or children
+ Abundant in compassion, having once sheltered and aided a fisherwoman
+ Responsible for his family, despite their impoverished life, never abandoning his wife and children.
+ A victim of poverty and hunger.

+ Due to poverty, his temperament undergoes a dark transformation, becoming cruel and ruthless:
· Inflicting unintentional lashings upon his wife 'light blows every three days, heavy blows every five days'
· Spewing curses and insults, damning them to death 'You die. All of you die'

+ Selfish and callous, causing pain and misery to others out of self-pity

3. Conclusion

Overall reflection on the character.

II. Sample Essay: Analysis of the Male Character in The Distant Boat (Standard)

During the literary renewal period, Nguyen Minh Chau was regarded as the most talented and innovative figure. His works all aimed at depicting human life post-war with its struggles and the responsibilities of the writers. 'The Distant Boat' is a quintessential short story showcasing Nguyen Minh Chau's innovations and post-1975 writing style. The story narrates the real journey of the character Phung at a poor beach in Central Vietnam and the unfortunate fate of the fisherwoman beside her abusive husband. In the story, the more sympathetic one feels towards the fisherwoman's fate, the more appalled one becomes at the cruelty of her husband. The male character, the fisherman and abusive husband, emerges through his harsh words and actions, leaving Phung and anyone witnessing feeling indignant and enraged. However, behind that cold, brutal demeanor lies a long story of his character and his transformation.

Nguyen Minh Chau does not overly describe the male character in the work but briefly presents him through Phung's perspective and in the court's story of the fisherman and the fisherwoman. At first appearance, the man is depicted as tall, rugged, with hair like a bird's nest, a broad and curved back like a boat, bushy eyebrows scorched by the sun, and two fierce eyes,...Not only that, his cruel actions of 'pulling out a belt from within his clothes, a military belt from the old days...and striking the woman's back vigorously' and his venomous words 'You die for me. All of you die for me'. What's more condemnable is that the man's cruelty is not just sporadic but occurs regularly 'light blows every three days, heavy blows every five days. There's no husband in the country like him'. His inhumane words and actions leave Phung or anyone witnessing feeling outraged, angry, not understanding why the man could be so cruel.

Without the story of the fisherwoman in the district court, the impression of the male character would only be of cruelty, evil, and ruthlessness. Listening to the fisherwoman's grievances, one realizes that the man is also pitiable. It's only because of life's harshness that his nature changed, the formerly good-natured person became obscured by cruelty and brutality.

Formerly, the fisherman was a 'son of the soil but very gentle', but due to evading the draft, life became impoverished and miserable. While Phung sees him as cruel and inhumane, to the fisherwoman, he is not just a husband but also a benefactor. In her youth, being ugly due to smallpox made it hard for her to find a husband. At that time, the fisherman accepted to shelter and provide her with a proper family life. Their family also had moments of happiness, especially seeing their children well-fed, having a complete family.

Life at sea is precarious and difficult, compounded by having many children, all burdens fell on the shoulders of the fisherman. It's the extreme hardships that birthed cruelty and ruthlessness. No one can deny the cruelty in his actions and words, but one also needs to objectively acknowledge that, in some respects, despite the hardship and poverty, he still strives to bear the responsibility without abandoning his wife and children. Through this, one can explain his actions and transformation from a formerly gentle son who never laid a hand on his wife to a cruel and abusive person. Essentially, the fisherman is kind-hearted, compassionate, but due to extreme hardship, lacking the coping mechanisms like other boatmen who turn to drinking, he resorts to the worst, pouring his frustrations, grievances, and fatigue onto his helpless wife.

Looking at his rugged appearance and the pained tone when uttering terrible curses, one can see that he is also deeply suffering. Suffering from poverty, from helplessness in the face of destitution and deadlock. The fisherman is also a victim of post-war life, deserving of pity but also blame. The invisible pressures of life have turned him into a selfish, callous, and ruthless person, even towards his loved ones. Because of his suffering and negative emotions, he not only inflicts physical and mental harm on his wife but also scars the fragile souls of his children with his skewed perceptions and actions.

Closing Nguyen Minh Chau's story, readers cannot help but ponder on life, on people, and the fate of those in the story. We sympathize with a fisherwoman rich in sacrifices, understanding the essence of life. We both sympathize and blame a man degraded by poverty, by suffering. Through the story of the fisherman's family, we suddenly realize that life is full of shadows. If we don't pause to feel, to understand, we only see its ugliness, its blame, and we never feel compassion, as writer Nam Cao once wrote: 'Alas! For those around us, if we don't try to understand them, then we only see their faults, stupidity, poverty, ugliness, meanness... all reasons for us to be cruel; we never see them as pitiful; we never pity them.'

""""THE END""""

Explore the family tragedy of a fisherwoman as well as the artistic philosophy embedded within the work. In addition to the sample essay provided, you may also consider: Appreciating the veiled beauty of the fisherwoman in The Distant Boat, Analyzing the dual discoveries by artist Phung in the short story The Distant Boat, Examining the metaphorical depiction of The Distant Boat, Artistic perspective of Nguyen Minh Chau through The Distant Boat.