Impressions of Liên's Character in Two Children

Understanding Liên's Character in Two Children

Sample essay on interpreting Liên's character in Two Children

Essay

Liên, the character, is strategically placed at the heart of the story by the author. Her soulful nature is vividly portrayed through observant eyes and emotional reflections in the impoverished town. Thạch Lam, with artistic skill, explores the rich and subtle inner world, authentically bringing forth the hidden beauty within Liên...

1. Liên possesses a sensitive, refined, and compassionate childlike soul.

a. Love for nature: Her tender heart sensitively appreciates the beauty of nature

- The pure and innocent soul of childhood opens wide to embrace the subtle, dreamlike changes in the scenery. Liên becomes attuned to the transformations in the land and sky as the day fades:

+ She listens to every sound signaling the impending end of the day: the distant sound of the autumn drum; the croaking of frogs echoing from the fields; even the buzzing of mosquitoes. It's as if she's absorbing the quiet and still air of the rural evening.

+ Liên's gaze encompasses the western sky, glowing vividly in the sunset. The sky is a bright pink, resembling burning flames with clouds that 'sparkle like dying pieces of coal'. Against the sky, the dark outline of bamboo clusters stands out... The moment of sunset evokes a vague, melancholic sadness in the girl.

- Beyond loving the scenery, Liên is deeply connected to this land. Observing the scene of the market that has withered, she senses the hardship of the impoverished land through the discarded items left on the market floor: 'pomelo peels, banana peels, sugarcane leaves'. Liên loves this piece of land so much that she even claims the dusty scent as its own: 'a musty smell of dust rising, making Liên think it's the unique scent of this region'.

- Particularly, Liên discovers simple yet poetically rich beauties. Through her perception, a summer night suddenly becomes pure, tranquil, and strangely charming: 'the night begins, a summer night as gentle as velvet and breezy'. There's also the beauty of the deep night sky with thousands of stars competing to shine...

=> The way she perceives nature reflects Liên's open and affectionate soul, deeply connected and loving towards the surrounding world.

b. Not only does she love nature, but her heart also knows how to love and empathize with the suffering of humanity.

- Liên sympathizes with the harsh, impoverished life of the poor people in her community.

+ It pains me to witness impoverished children rummaging through garbage, knowing they have no means for themselves.

+ Liên sends a touch of concern to Granny Thi, urging her to quit the overflowing alcohol.

+ The girl empathizes with the struggles of Tí and her mother, who 'spend the day catching crabs and shrimps, then work late into the night without getting anything to eat.'

+ Her eyes tightly grip a bundle of sympathy and hesitation as she observes the dire situation of Uncle Sẩm's family: 'the whole family sleeps on a torn mat; the iron basin is empty...' It's as if she can envision the extreme hunger and cold awaiting them.

- Alongside the deep empathy for the harsh life of the impoverished people in the district, little Liên also senses the stagnation and deadlock in their existence. They are confined within the murky pond of life, surrounded by darkness with no light and no future. Her gaze permeates deep compassion. 'At that moment, people sit silently in the darkness as if awaiting something brighter to come.'

=> Artfully portraying profound emotions in facing the nature of human life, Thạch Lam has brought forth a world of pure and bright childhood souls rich with love.

2. Not only does Liên know how to love, but she also dreams and aspires for the future.

a. That soul always earnestly turns towards the light.

- The young soul finds itself engulfed in the dim and gloomy space of the impoverished district, especially a darkness that blankets the entire sky, dominating every moment and space. It's no coincidence that Thạch Lam emphasizes the night, 'streets and alleys gradually filled with darkness... darkness covering all the deep paths across the river, the road through the market, the smaller alleys into the village...'. In the midst of this dark life, two pitiful children stand out: 'Since Liên's family moved from Hanoi, since they had this shop, every night Liên and An had to sit in the darkness of the surrounding city scene.'

- Yet, with the vigor of a bright, childlike soul, Liên refuses to 'submit' to that dense shadow. Her eyes always earnestly seek sources of light. Sometimes, she looks up at the deep night sky to admire 'thousands of stars competing to shine', and at other times, Liên seeks out the warmth of nearby lights: the string lights in the shop; the small light of Tí's husband;... even cherishing each glimmer that sneaks through a crack. Her soul is like a robust sapling always reaching towards the light.

b. The girl also knows how to seek joy and look forward to the future. This beauty is expressed through the anticipation of the night train passing through the district.

- Liên stays awake, waiting for the train not just to sell a few more items, but to see a bustling river, a brilliant source of light. Because that train is the only joy after each long, dull, and dark day in this place... So Liên waits for it as one hopes for something grand and miraculous.

- Liên awakens the excitement in her from the moment the train is yet to arrive, greeting it with all the joy and delight.

+ Through her eyes, the train suddenly becomes splendid and extraordinary: 'a roaring train approaching...' The train seems to arrive in a mythical world. It stirs up in Liên so many emotions reminiscing about a happy past and dreaming of another world.

+ As the train passes, Liên still gazes wistfully. It triggers elusive thoughts in Liên that she can't explain. She drifts into sleep with the thought 'Living amidst so much unknown vastness like... a small region.' This reflection indicates that Liên has early awareness of herself, the consciousness of her personal identity, planting in the reader's heart the hope that her bright soul will not be confined in this dark and stagnant life forever.