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Assignment: Explore the excerpt from The Bliss of a Funeral
Sample essay on Exploring the excerpt from The Bliss of a Funeral
Sample Essay: Exploring an Extract from the Happiness of a Mourning Family
I/General Exploration
1.Author
Vu Trong Phung (1912-1939) hailed from Hung Yen province. He lived and wrote in Hanoi. Renowned for his journalistic skills, he was referred to by the press of the time as the 'Journalism King of the North'.
Work:
- Journalistic works: The Human Trap (1933), Teacher's Rice (1936), Gambling (1937), etc.
- Novels: Storm (1936), Red Number (1936), Broken Dyke (1936), Lucky Lottery Ticket (1938), etc.
- Drama: No Echo (1931).
Vu Trong Phung possessed a talent for satirizing the unjust, brutal, and corrupt colonial bourgeois society. He created timeless characters like Red-Haired Spring to mock the society he referred to as 'infamous' and a 'bitch.'
2. Extract
- Source: 'The Happiness of a Mourning Family,' excerpt from Chapter 15 of the novel 'Red Number,' a masterpiece by Vu Trong Phung, published in 1936.
- Summary of 'The Happiness of a Mourning Family'
After three days of mourning, Grandfather, over 80 years old, passed away. Grandmother Hong, the wife and husband Van Minh, he predicted horn growth, Tan, Tuyet... all the grandchildren were extremely happy. The deceased, casually examined by the authorities, has not shown any signs of decay for nearly a day. After Grandma took care of the arrangements for Tuyet's marriage, Van Minh promised to find a respectable husband for Tuyet, then Grandpa Hong agreed to show signs of decay. The grandchildren joyfully distributed the funeral announcements, called the horn band, and hired a hearse. At seven in the morning, the procession began. Two policemen, Min Do and Min Toa, were hired to maintain order. Tuyet wore innocent clothing to invite bids. The funeral procession followed the East, West, and South routes. There were sedan chairs, rotating pigs, up to three hundred couplets, and a few hundred people in attendance. There were firecrackers, drum beats, and flower wreaths. When the funeral procession reached the fourth street, the husband and wife Typn, Mrs. Pho Doan, and a few others were criticizing Xuân's attitude when suddenly six cars, each with two covered canopies, appeared. Two large flower wreaths, one from the Gõ Mõ newspaper and one from Xuân, took the lead. Tan quickly took a photo. Grandpa, in tears, exclaimed loudly 'Hut! Hut! Hut!' secretly slipped a silver paper five-dong bill into Xuan's hand... It shook hands to avoid being seen...
Pay attention to exploring the details of the Analysis of the Happiness of a Mourning Family section, a crucial content that students need to grasp if they want to improve their essay writing skills.
II/ Text Comprehension
1. Satirical and Critical Values of the Wicked, Corrupt, and Decaying Colonial Bourgeois Society.
- In the family, he dies, father dies - a death that brings much joy to many. Grandpa Hong 'closes his eyes dreamily'... because he is sure the world 'must praise such a funeral, such a stick!'. He happily grows horns because he didn't expect that the 'invisible deer antlers on his head' would be so prominent, so Grandpa Hong - the father-in-law - promised to share a few more thousand dong with his daughter and son-in-law... Van Minh's husband is very happy because now the inheritance division 'will enter the practical phase.' Tan gets to use several cameras. Mrs. Van Minh is delighted with the trend of modern thorny dresses, white-edged black hats... will bring happiness to those in mourning 'to enjoy a bit of happiness in life'. Typn is looking forward to the press criticizing 'his creations' in the European-style clothing reform... Tuyet wears innocent clothes to let the world know that 'she hasn't lost her innocence', and so on...
- In society, two police officers, Min Do and Min Toa, at a time when no one deserved punishment, were 'extremely happy' to be hired, like a bankrupt merchant who found a paying customer. The distinguished guests arrived, Tuyet's friends, Van Minh, Miss Hoang Hon, Mrs. Pho Doan, the elegant ladies had the opportunity to 'chat, laugh with each other, criticize each other, mock each other, envy each other, date each other...'. Grandpa Hong's close friend attended the funeral with a chest 'full of medals...', with a beard 'either long or short, black or fierce, crinkled or rumpled'... to show off skills, virtues, and wealth... Monk Tang Phu was delighted and proud because he had 'overthrown the Buddhist Association leader, and that was the first victory of the Gõ Mõ newspaper.' And Red-haired Spring arrived at the funeral with deliberate lateness, with 2 huge flower wreaths, 6 cars with canopies,... he made Tuyet 'glance at him with gratitude', made Grandmother happily exclaim: 'Mr. Doc Xuan was not angry but helped respond to the condolences to that extent, and as the story goes, the funeral was the most prestigious of all.' And how could Xuan not be happy, just one sentence: 'Sir, you are a horn-growing husband!' and he received a 'folded' five-dong silver bill as a reward from the horn-growing expert...
Indeed, the 'happiness of a mourning family', even during the burial, with Grandpa Hong muttering, and the horn-growing man crying loudly 'Hut! Hut! Hut!'.
2. Masterful Art of Satire:
- A funeral is depicted and described like a parade with many old jesters, payers, men, women... of the rotten 'Westernized' bourgeois class. The author expresses deep scorn and biting satire.
- Cleverly applied artistic techniques of satire:
+ Exaggeration: Grandpa Hong is excessively happy about his father's death, immediately lighting a pair of 60 opium pipes, uttering the phrase 1872 times: 'I know, it's hard, keep talking!'.
+ Description of the beards of Grandpa Hong's friends is very humorous!
+ Penetration: Xuan arrives late at the funeral, initially making Tuyet feel so miserable 'she might want to commit suicide,' but when he arrives, Tuyet glances at him with gratitude. And Grandmother happily exclaims 'the funeral is the most prestigious of all!'.
+ Jesters: Tan, in a white apron, jokingly teases each person 'either leaning on a cane, bowing, or arching the back...' to take photos. The horn-growing man cries loudly 'Hut! Hut! Hut!' but secretly slips a folded five-dong silver bill into Xuan's hand... - Very fair in the business of buying and selling 'prestige'!
+ Contrast is used to highlight the humor, the rotten, the decayed, and the shameless. For example, Monk Tang Phu, etc...
3. Character Red-Haired Spring
Every paragraph has its own inspiration. In the realm of realistic literature, its inspiration is generally the denial and critique of societal reality through distinctive and remarkable characters. Vu Trong Phung's 'Sorrow of the Red-Haired Spring' is a unique work that accuses societal reality with exuberant laughter, portraying a 'peculiar' figure that stands out and represents the character Red-Haired Spring.
Through Red-Haired Spring, Vu Trong Phung illustrates that the society at that time is a 'genuine tragedy of humanity amidst laughable falsehoods.' He is an opportunist, advancing in society through cunning tricks. Red-Haired Spring is essentially a rogue, uneducated with a dark history: 'Xuan, born in the summer, made a house by closing doors; took jackfruits from the streets, fish from Hoan Kiem Lake for fun. He sold far and wide, sold experiences, sold high-sounding monologues on trains, worked in theaters, and with three other small tricks. The sunlight turned his hair as red as Western hair. That circumstance made him completely uneducated, but his character was strange, worldly-wise'...
Life at the street corners, lessons on the sidewalks, created a street-smart, roguish, mischievous Xuan. Xuan wandered, making a living with many 'budget' professions, so over time, he became more resourceful. But also thanks to those special circumstances, Xuan entered the world of the elite, the wealthy, from Mr. and Mrs. Van Minh, Mrs. Pho Doan, to Miss Tuyet... in general, that elite society was a very good environment to nurture people like Red-Haired Spring. Xuan's upward path is entirely due to these opportunities. There are things that even Xuan himself did not expect. Due to his quick-witted nature, cunning, he found a place in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Van Minh. Starting from being a ball retriever at the tennis court, a guy playing a loudspeaker advertising contraband cigarettes, he became a pharmacy student, a military officer for the Xuan newspaper, a hope for the North tennis team, a national savior, a social elite... All of this may be embellished in writing, but the fundamental thing remains the accusation of the true social reality. Indeed, Xuan is just an insignificant person with vulgar words: 'Mother fate,' 'What the heck'... Knowing a bit about medicine, during the period of advertising contraband drugs, he was introduced by Van Minh as a 'medicine-detesting student,' and he cured Grandpa Tổ's illness: Initially, he encountered red fortune. Not only did he gain fame, but also affection. The first person enchanted by Xuan was Miss Tuyet (volunteering overnight with the 'newspaper officer'), and a series of others gradually noticed and were also fascinated by him. The coincidences made Xuan's noble image in the family of Van Minh more prominent, so 'the foolishness of the boy was considered clever, humble, so he became even more beloved.' Mrs. Pho Doan also had affection for him and considered him an educated person, the horn-growing man also saw him as a righteous person...
>> Explore More: Summary of Happiness in a Bereaved Family.
The life of Red-Haired Spring is a series of fortunate events. His 'magical' healing of Grandpa's illness astonishes everyone, and he manages to win them over. This character is full of surprises that align perfectly with his intrinsic charm. His personality remains unchanged, revealing both the front and back sides. The essence of a rogue, his outspoken nature always includes phrases like 'Mother fate,' and 'What the heck.' Smartness doesn't come from academics but from imitation, covering up, and dealing with every situation. Does he know how to compose poetry? Not really. He's acclaimed as 'Red-Haired Spring, the poet,' but in reality, he recites verses from 'feelings and headaches' written by pharmacies he sells on the go! On the chaotic stage of life, he plays many comedic roles. However, sometimes, amidst the laughter and tears on stage, he suddenly recalls his humble origins and almost freezes for a moment. In that crucial moment, he reverts to being a low-life, uneducated Xuân (Phan Cự Đệ). For instance, when Red-Haired Spring boldly declares in front of Mr. Phán's family and the entire Van Minh household: 'Sir, you are a horn-growing husband!' Chaos ensues: Mr. Phán, shocked, collapses, and Grandpa also jumps up, falling onto the bed...
In this perplexing situation, Red-Haired Spring confesses and can only run away like a thief: 'Sir, your son is uneducated, always picking up balls in the lower class, doesn't know medicine!' But it's clear his luck is too red; he's not scorned but rather esteemed! The death of Grandpa further impresses people. He wasn't present at the previous funeral, but during the lively procession, there's a strange appearance of a hearse with Xuân and some monks from Mrs. Đanh's pagoda sitting nonchalantly. This unexpected appearance makes the funeral even more luxurious and upper-class. The host of Grandpa becomes more admired for Xuân, as he contributed to making it the 'biggest funeral ever.' However, it's a mocking, absurd, and ruthless truth: It caused Grandpa's death. What emotion for Xuân, his reappearance once again emphasizes his deceptive and unscrupulous nature, and that of the 'dog-like' civilized society. It's reality, expressed through a mocking gaze and uproarious laughter. It's not tears like in 'Gorio's Funeral' (Gorio - Balzac)
Red-Haired Spring clearly perceives his position in society, realizing that to create prestige and reputation, he must look down on everyone! The more he pretends and deceives, the more he is respected. Despite his stylish appearance, his essence remains absurd and comical. His attitude each time he interacts with people is a demand for style: 'Very honored'... and extremely absurd when he stands before the public: 'Oh public, I don't understand anything, I bear grudges against you. I still love you, though your hearts are unclear to me. Let's simplify it!' Xuân Tóc Đỏ's true nature is like that.
