Evaluate the Soulful Beauty of Lao Hac through an Excerpt

Topic: Evaluate the Soulful Beauty of Lao Hac through the Excerpt

Explore the Soulful Beauty of Lao Hac in 3 Sample Essays

Sample Essay 1: Evaluate the Soulful Beauty of Lao Hac through the Excerpt

With a rough exterior, clumsiness, and solitude, Lao Hac is, in essence, a noble character. He is compassionate even towards his dog. In the absence of his son, 'Vang,' helps alleviate Lao's loneliness. The joy and sorrow of 'Vang' become Lao's own. Lao's love for his son is evident throughout his life – raising him after his wife's early death, holding onto the garden for his son, and even choosing death for his son's financial security. It's a tremendous sacrifice. As a dignified person, Lao prepares for his own death, ensuring no burden on others.

An artful analysis of the psyche of an elderly character. Nam Cao delves into the inner world of Lao Hac, revealing the struggles, regrets, and bitterness of a simple, humane farmer.

Flexible writing style, seamlessly interwoven with a vivid and sincere storytelling approach, paints a deeply sentimental narrative. Simultaneously, it elevates philosophical reflections on human relationships and worldly insights through the thoughts of the narrator - the teacher.

Regarding 'Vang': Lao Hac diligently cares for the dog (feeding it in a bowl like a wealthy person). He treats Vang like a child, a loyal companion that eases his loneliness. Bonded with Vang, selling him brings tears to Lao's eyes. Particularly, Lao feels deceitful for parting with 'Vang.'

The death of Lao Hac has two reasons:

Because Lao can no longer earn money (after falling ill, followed by a flood).

The most basic fear for Lao Hac is misusing his son's money. He'd rather die than leave his son with nothing.

Lao Hac seeking death demonstrates his rich compassion and sacrificial nature (even risking his own life). He is a person who becomes 'empty for purity, ragged for fragrance).

Understanding the profound meaning behind Lao Hac's death, the teacher asserts: 'Life may not necessarily be sorrowful,' as before 'me' is an honorable individual who died for a noble purpose.

But life remains sad in another sense. Why do good people like Lao Hac have to die? And why such a tragic death? Is life still a place for the good-hearted? The teacher's perspective echoes a warning about a society that neglects human welfare, trampling on the fate of individuals.

After Discussing the Beauty of Lao Hac's Soul Through the Extract, you can delve into Your Thoughts on Lao Hac's Death in the Short Story of the Same Name or refer to Impressions of the Character 'Teacher' in the Story Lao Hac to reinforce your knowledge.

Sample 2: Reflecting on the Beauty of Lao Hac's Soul through the Extract

Before the August Revolution, our people lived in a state of hardship and poverty, yet those individuals still displayed high moral qualities. The hunger, the peasant's struggle could not erase the beauty of their souls. Just like that, they entered literature with the beauty of their souls. If Ngo Tat To successfully portrayed the life and the beauty of the poor woman through the work 'Sister Dau,' Nam Cao also contributed to introducing more difficult lives of peasants through the work Lao Hac. It portrays an old man, thin and weak, day and night trying to hold onto the garden, waiting for his son.

It can be said that the image of poor, miserable farmers living in muddy, stagnant water, living cramped to get through the day, is vivid in Nam Cao's works. The image of Lao Hac is one of those works. He appears authentically beautiful with the qualities of a kind and simple farmer. But ironically, that decaying feudal society heartlessly robbed such a person. The excerpt from Lao Hac is taken from the short story of the same name, but it can be seen as the most powerful. It especially vividly portrays the beauty in Lao Hac's soul.

Firstly, Lao Hac emerges with the beauty of a kind and simple farmer—a genuinely honest nature, representing the quintessence of Vietnamese peasants. His wife passed away, and his son went to the South to work on a rubber plantation. Daily, he eagerly awaits his son without any news. Despite poverty, he insists on keeping the garden for his son. He survives on leftovers, banana stems, and salted bamboo shoots to save money for his son. Lao has only a dog, 'Yellow,' as a companion. Though poor, he never harms anyone, maintaining the honest qualities of a farmer. He'd rather endure the worst than act against his conscience.

Not only that, Lao Hac also appears with the beauty of someone living with morality and self-respect. In the village, he trusts Teacher the most, discussing everything with him. Even when Teacher suggests help, Lao refuses, even until his death, never borrowing a dime. It shows Lao's immense self-respect. Moreover, he knows Teacher's family isn't any better off, with a wife and child to care for, so he doesn't want to burden them and endures his struggles silently.

Throughout his life, if not for Yellow by his side, Lao would be miserably sad. Day by day, he only befriends Yellow. Although not having enough to eat, he tries to feed Yellow. There are times when there's nothing to eat, and he softly whispers to Yellow, who seems to understand his suffering. But one day, when Lao can no longer afford to feed Yellow, he decides to sell him. A painful decision for Lao. How could he be light-hearted when parting with a friend who has been by his side? Unfortunately, Lao has no other choice. Moreover, Yellow is the only memory of his son. After selling Yellow, he sadly goes to Teacher's house to explain. Looking pitiful, 'smiling like a child, eyes watery, face suddenly tightens, wrinkles gathering, forcing tears to flow, his hunched back, and his mouth murmuring like a child, Lao cries.' This is truly a poignant description of the agony of losing Yellow, breaking his promise to a dog. Self-blame engulfs his conscience.

Lao Hac is someone rich in love, generosity, and sacrifice. If he sells the garden, perhaps he won't have to worry for the rest of his life, but he doesn't do that. All he endures is to wait for his son to return, handing him the garden and the old, worn-out house. He keeps it for his son to marry. Even if his son has disappeared without a trace or died, he still hopes and holds onto the garden until his last breath. Even in death, he sends Teacher thirty silver coins as payment for his death and the rest for when his son returns, asking Teacher to send it to him. Truly, that lofty sacrifice is deeply moving, deserving of respect. A father's profound love, 'like Mount Thai Son,' from an old man who spent his entire impoverished life but never forgot his son.

Lao Hac's death is painful, yet it carries an unforgettable beauty within the hearts of readers. Perhaps it's an immortal death with time because mentioning his name, everyone knows him. He sought death to end this painful life, to stop the torment he caused to Yellow, and, above all, not to touch the money he saved for his son. Though he dies, this death is proof, a culmination of the beauty in the impoverished farmer's soul. Lao's pitiful death is described by Nam Cao: 'I rushed in, Lao Hac was struggling on the bed, disheveled hair, tattered clothes, two eyes rolling. He twitched, jumped up now and then.' Why did Lao choose such a tragic death? Is he punishing himself? Perhaps Lao punishes himself for selling Yellow, for letting his son leave without any way to stop him. However, through his death or self-punishment, we see the truly admirable beauty in Lao Hac's soul, a poor peasant leaving with much sympathy.

Nam Cao provides us with a portrait of an old, weather-beaten farmer, full of suffering but rich in love. Lao is not only rich in affection for people but also for animals like Yellow. Yellow is more than a pet; he is Lao's friend. With the art of constructing typical characters and in-depth portrayal of inner feelings, Nam Cao depicts the beauty of Lao Hac—a genuine, honest, forward-looking, and self-respecting man.

Sample 3: Comment on the beauty of Lao Hac's soul through the excerpt

Nam Cao is a great writer of Vietnamese farmers, especially those before the August Revolution of 1945. He still senses the noble beauty in their souls in the face of hunger and poverty. The short story 'Lao Hac' is such a work. The main character, Lao Hac, despite unfortunate circumstances, portrays enduring love for loved ones and, especially, a high self-esteem. Through this character, the writer expresses progressive and profound humanitarian ideas.

Like many Vietnamese farmers, Lao Hac faced the poverty and hunger of a challenging, dark life before the Revolution. However, his circumstances were uniquely unfortunate. His wife died early, and his son, frustrated by poverty preventing him from marrying his love, left for a rubber plantation. Lao had only Yellow, a memento of his son, as a companion. At once, he confronted various agonies: hunger, loneliness, old age with its burdens, and illness. Life's hardships drove him to the brink. Lao had to painfully sell his beloved dog, Yellow. He sold the dog in utmost agony: 'His face twisted, wrinkles merged, tears flowed, head tilted to the side, and his mouth whimpered like a child. Lao sobbed.'

'Initially, he ate sweet potatoes for days,' 'when potatoes ran out, he invented a dish and ate it. Sometimes he ate bananas, sometimes boiled water spinach, sometimes drank pennywort juice, occasionally a few yams or snails.' Then came a point where there was nothing left to eat, no way to survive. Then, inevitable circumstances arrived. With no means of livelihood, Lao Hac had only one path left – death. And it was a painfully tragic death: dying by eating poisoned dog meat! The intense death: frothing at the mouth, convulsing under the strength of two strong men... The death makes readers think of Yellow's death, realizing that Lao's death is no different from a dog's death.

The violent death of Lao Hac: foaming at the mouth, convulsions, two strong men pressing down... This death makes readers recall Yellow's death, realizing that Lao's death is no different from a dog's death.

Starvation, poverty, such agony, yet Lao did not compromise his character. People suspected him of stealing Yellow. Even the teacher doubted him. But no, Lao Hac maintained the pristine, loving soul of a noble farmer and his own high self-respect.

Old Hac cherished his son immensely. Vietnamese literature has 'Heavy Father-Son Relations' by Ho Bieu Chanh, 'The Ivory Comb' by Nguyen Quang Sang, praising filial piety. 'Old Hac' by Nam Cao also needs mentioning. For the love of his son, he faced loneliness and old age, allowing his son to leave freely. After his son's departure, he poured all his affection onto the dog Yellow. Do not assume that he pampered Yellow just because it was a clever, beautiful dog. The main reason he cherished Yellow to the extent of sharing meals, feeding it like a person, and grieving intensely when it died is that the dog was the only relic left by his son. Looking at the dog, he felt as if he saw his son.

Moreover, his love for his son was so profound that he endured hunger and even death, refusing to sell his son's plot of land. If he sold the land, he could have enough to survive the hard times. But he worried that when his son returned, there would be no land to live on. Thus, he embraced death, relying on the teacher to keep the land for his son. Oh! The love of Old Hac for his son is genuinely touching!

Loving close relatives, Old Hac was also a person living with dignity amid life's many temptations and sins. In his situation, some might resort to stealing, thievery, or even parasitizing off others (like Binh Tu or the woman in 'A Satisfying Meal' by Nam Cao). However, Old Hac did not. With the help of the teacher (just some potatoes and cassava), he 'nearly refused to accept' much to the teacher's concern. Binh Tu thought he begged for bones to steal the dog, 'the old man is good at it, not easy to deal with.' Even the teacher doubted: 'That venerable man now follows Binh Tu for food? Life becomes sadder every day.' But in the end, everyone was astonished, stunned by Old Hac's sudden death. Alternatively, Old Hac could have sold the plot of land. However, he thought it was his son's land. And he would rather die than eat from his son's property!

Old Hac's self-respect shone brightest when his body was in the most pain. He chose death, a fierce death, so his soul could be pure, and his affection complete for everyone - including the pitiful Yellow. But there is another incredibly touching detail. Old Hac calculated so that even in death, he wouldn't bother anyone: he sent the teacher some silver coins, intending that when he lay down, he would rely on the teacher to manage the aftermath and not disturb the neighbors! Oh, Old Hac!

Constructing the character of Old Hac, Nam Cao employed the art of skillful character depiction. This is evident in the passage describing Old Hac's appearance and gestures when telling the teacher the story of tricking and selling Yellow, and in the portrayal of Old Hac's intense and agonizing struggle before death. The writer's language in the work is vivid, impressive, rich in visual imagery, and highly evocative.

Through the character of Old Hac, the author expressed a profound spirit of progressive humanism.

Nam Cao empathized deeply with the poverty and hunger of Vietnamese farmers during the 1945 famine. The times forced them to the edge, and the quickest way out was a cruel death.

Above all, the author knew how to cherish and appreciate the pure and noble beauty of the farmer's soul even when they reached the end. Not only rich in love, farmers also lived with great dignity. In hunger, dignity is an extremely luxurious thing. For a meal, people can be ruthless, brutal, even losing all humanity. But remarkably, Old Hac not only preserved the freshness of love but also retained his precious and unyielding self-respect.

Thanks to the radiant beauty of Old Hac, Nam Cao felt: 'Life is not entirely sad.' Not entirely sad because there are noble individuals like Old Hac. By writing that sentence, the author expressed a wonderfully positive attitude towards the character of Vietnamese farmers before the revolution. This is highly commendable as, before the revolution, farmers were looked down upon as worthless, with some writers even stating that farmers had 'no ideological thoughts'. Therefore, Nam Cao's mindset is truly praiseworthy!

Nam Cao's character Old Hac is a figure with many admirable and worthy traits. Through Old Hac, Vietnamese farmers have the right to be proud of their souls and virtues. By creating this character, Nam Cao asserted a profoundly humane perspective.