Prepare for 'Two Children'

1. Prepare for 'Two Children' - Thạch Lam, short 1

A. BASIC KNOWLEDGE

I. Author:

1. Life

- Thạch Lam (1910 – 1942), pen name of Nguyễn Tường Vinh (later changed to Nguyễn Tường Lân) was a writer belonging to the Self-Reliance Literary Group. He was born into a family of officials with aristocratic roots in Hanoi.
- During his childhood, Thạch Lam lived in the countryside of Cẩm Giàng district, Hải Dương province, then moved to Thái Bình.
- He studied in Hanoi, passed the examination with distinction, and then worked as a journalist.
- He gained fame in the field of short stories.

2. Career

- Collection of short stories: Early Autumn Wind (1937), Strand of Hair (1942).
- Novel: A New Day (1939)
- Collection of essays: Following the Stream (1941).
- Miscellany: Hanoi's Sixteen Districts (1943)

3. Style

- He always focuses on exploring the characters' emotions. Therefore, the plots in his works are often loose.
- Thạch Lam's storytelling style often shifts the perspective to the characters, allowing them to express their thoughts and emotions.
- His prose is profound, rich in emotions, each of his stories is like a lyrical poem.

emotion.
- Thạch Lam's narrative voice is luminous, profound, containing a profound, serene view of life.

4. Thạch Lam's Literary Philosophy.

– Thạch Lam believes, “There are two ways of observation: an external observation and an internal observation. Looking externally, one can only see the state of affairs of a scene (...) People can train themselves to listen attentively, to look carefully, but without the eye of the soul, they can never penetrate the secret of the psyche”.
- He emphasizes more on the inner world of human beings, he writes: “What is needed is an internal observation, enabling the artist to understand the hidden meaning of the object, the psychological state of a gesture or a word”.

II. The Work 'Two Children'

1. Origin and Context of Creation
- The work was printed in the short story collection 'Sunshine in the Garden' (1938).
- The story of the Liên sisters closely resembles the childhood of the author himself in the rural district of Cẩm Giàng, as recounted by Thạch Lam in his memoir.

2. Critical Reception of the Work
- 'Two Children' underwent various ups and downs in critical reviews and reception. Vũ Ngọc Phan epitomizes the low evaluations of the work by calling 'Two Children' a 'mediocre' short story.
- In 1957, with his article, Thạch Lam, Nguyễn Tuân proposed the first authentic opinions on 'Two Children': 'The story has a genuine flavor. It evokes a nostalgia for the past, while also encompassing something that lies in the future... Where the worldview of the two children in a rural alley, the image of the train and the train whistle have become a habit of emotions and aspirations. Reading 'Two Children,' one feels infinitely occupied with a cool and profound homeland.'.
- Đỗ Đức Hiểu wrote: 'In 'Two Children,' we can see a conflict between darkness and light, darkness or poverty and loneliness, light is just a fleeting dream. At the beginning of the story, light gradually fades away. The end of the story is filled with darkness in the rural district, or filled with the world. And we can see here Thạch Lam's philosophy on the fate of human beings. The development of the story is the conflict between darkness and light.'

3. Plot
- The plot, understood in the sense of encompassing conflicts to create drama, is completely absent here.
- 'Two Children' only has one situation (a mood situation), which is the activity of the Liên sisters selling goods at a rural alley waiting for the train from Hanoi to arrive to replenish their goods (as instructed by their mother).
- Their attention is focused on seeing the train. The train arrives, brightening up for a moment and then leaving, the vendors also leave. The Liên sisters close the stall and sleep.
- If we rely on the events of the plot above, 'Two Children' cannot tell us more about the mundane actions of two children on a night in a poor rural alley, melancholic.

4. Thạch Lam's Sensitivity through the Passage: 'In the afternoon, it's the afternoon. A peaceful afternoon like a lullaby, echoing the call of frogs in the fields along with the gentle breeze... Liên sits quietly... Liên doesn't know why, but she feels a melancholic feeling before the dusk.'
- The subject described in this passage is human: Liên.
- Posture: 'sits quietly'.
- Mood. 'melancholic'...
- The setting of the story, right from the start, has been seen through Liên's eyes. It is not accidental that the image of the eyes appears right after the posture of the character: 'her eyes filled with darkness'.
- Therefore, form and color are natural products of this reality reception.
- The key to unlocking the story lies here, in the character Liên with two modes of perception: through the five senses and also through intuition: a very romantic sadness.

5. Characters

a) Quantity and Occupations:
- The work comprises nine individuals: Liên, An, Sister Tí, Granny Thi, Uncle Siêu, the Blind Husband and Wife, Sister Tí's son, and others. These are the characters directly described in the work.
- Additionally, there are about ten to fifteen more individuals mentioned as passing characters: the toothless old lady, Uncle Phở Mĩ, Mr. Cửu, Mrs. Lực, Granny Chi, the soldier uncle, Granny Thừa, Granny Lục, the teacher; two or three uncles; two or three lantern bearers, ...
- In terms of occupations, the rural alley presents a near-complete miniature administrative structure: the military, officials, teachers, laborers, vendors, beggars, drunkards,...
- What 'Two Children' lacks is a character of authority, wealth, prosperity...
- What the story has in abundance, however, are the poor, seemingly living on fleeting hopes: the train from Hanoi...

b) Characteristics of the Central Character
- Liên is the central character.
- Though young, Liên leans towards an introspective lifestyle.
- Liên is a character worthy of respect. Due to early exposure to life's hardships, she possesses diligence and perpetual concern.
- While only describing the lives of the Liên sisters over a short period, the impression we get here is the monotony repeated from one day to the next in a dull manner. It takes a lot of perseverance, courage for the Liên sisters to accomplish that. The daily struggle wears people out, robbing them of even the smallest joys.
- But that doesn't make Thạch Lam's characters bitter towards life. In Liên, she possesses a tolerant, generous heart. Liên not only loves An but also values poor children living near the market.

c) Role and Position of the Character's Eyes and Soul
- The eyes and soul are two objects constantly mentioned in the story.
- But they are not described to highlight the character's personality as in realism but rather seen as channels for the character's reality reception.
- Therefore, the accompanying verbs only aim to describe its physical activities: closing, opening, looking down, looking up... 'An and Liên silently look up at the stars to find the Milky Way and the duck following the God of Agriculture...'
- Following the gaze of the two sisters, especially Liên, the story frames its space into that gaze.
- The narrator is very objective, showing no intention of interference, allowing the story to innocently continue based on the perceptions of the two children.
- This narrative principle of sending this perspective has given the work a lively atmosphere of the rural alley while also showing how life is perceived there.
- Hence, when naming the story, Thạch Lam made his intention clear: this is not just a story about two children but mainly about how two children perceive life.

d) Female Character World
- The feminine nature of the work creates a poetic essence.
- Among the characters of the rural night, only Uncle Siêu is a man (the gender of Uncle is known through the name according to the Vietnamese naming convention, as the author gives no signals about gender: Uncle could be used for both men and women), while the rest are women.
- The narrative's focus on the poor is a humanitarian view, but emphasizing women is another humanitarian gesture by Thạch Lam.
- Thạch Lam's women still possess the good qualities of traditional women such as patience, sacrifice, generosity... but they are modern individuals because they not only dream but also dare to wait for that dream. Waiting for a change in life.
- The positive significance of this perspective has filled the story with belief, optimism, vitality...

6. Time Reversal Art
- Time reversal from the rural alley to Hanoi occurs three times.
- All three times are associated with Liên's work or mood. Hanoi, after each appearance, becomes more poignant.
- The first time informs us of the circumstances of the Liên sisters: they have to earn a living, support each other because their father lost his job in Hanoi.
- The second time, the narrator proposed a comparison of the past and present, Hanoi and the rural alley: “Liên remembers when in Hanoi she enjoyed delicious, exotic gifts... In addition, the memories are vaguely remembered, just a bright, sparkling area”.
- The third time, Hanoi appears right in Liên's inner monologue: “but they returned to Hanoi... Hanoi is distant, Hanoi is bright, cheerful, and the district is bustling”.
- The narrator is shifting the perspective from external to Liên's inner self. This process of movement illustrates Liên's awareness of herself and the people in the market alley, becoming more intimate.
- The more miserable, harsh, lonely human life is, the more intense the dreams of paradise, of change become. Hanoi is the paradise of the Liên sisters. Now, it's far away in the night, so the longing, the sorrow becomes more poignant...

7. Dialogue Art
- Dialogue in 'Two Children' occupies a very low proportion. Out of 2739 characters in the text, only 221 characters are for dialogue.
- Among the four characters focused on in the picture of the rural alley (An, Liên, Sister Tí, Uncle Siêu), An is the youngest character but has the largest number of dialogues after Liên: 8 out of 23 turns. Sister Tí speaks three turns, Uncle Siêu two turns. The remaining two turns are by Crazy Granny Thi. These dialogues play a role in driving the plot forward. They also reveal emotions, explain the reasons for the characters' actions in reality...
- Dialogues are constructed in a fast-paced narrative style.
- The majority of dialogues are in the form of questions. Answering questions is an action that drives the plot.
- Another common form of dialogue in 'Two Children' is in the form of questions: “Can you light the lamp, Sister Liên?” “This pole is about to break, isn't it, Sister?”
- Dialogue in the story both serves to maintain the pace of plot development and is impressive aesthetic signals originating from the restless, eager, worried, sad, compassionate... inner world of those in the poor market alley.
- In that desolate street, those wandering lives lean on each other to live. They cannot help each other materially, but through their voices directed at each other, we see these as spiritual, soulful bright spots, helping them be more confident in their work, in the purposes they are pursuing.

8. Flavor
- Flavor, though appearing only twice in the work, truly leaves an impression on the reader.
- The first time: “A damp smell rises, the daytime heat mixed with the familiar dust smell too much, making the Liên sisters think it is the smell of the land, of this homeland”. That's the smell of the rural market.
- The second time is the smell of Uncle Siêu's phở: “The sound of the gong is clear, the smoke follows the wind blowing back to where the two sisters are. Uncle Siêu has arrived, put down the phở cart... An and Liên smell the fragrant phở”.

9. Light
a) Main Color Shades: – Light associated with vision remains the deepest obsession in 'Two Children.'
- After the drums 'call the evening,' the color of the rural alley painting is bright and hot: “The west, glowing red like fire.” This color is described as a block rather than through specific lines directly describing the sun and the twilight scene.
- The characters look towards, or more accurately, they look towards any light entering their eyes:
+ In the distance, there is sunlight, starlight.
+ A little closer is the light of fireflies, the light of lamps, all kinds of lamps: hanging lamps, flower lamps, strings of green light, candle lamps, lanterns, kerosene lamps,...
+ With countless appearances of light: red like fire, pink like a dying coal, green light, azure light, golden light floating in the dark, white light, accompanied by the intensity of brightness: sparkling, radiant, dazzling.
+ More special is the appearance of light forms: light crevices, streaks of light, halo of light, light spots from fire (twice), bright seeds, bright areas, spots (of light) from red coal,...
+ The highlight of that light display is the most unique observation: “Those light sources all shine out onto the street, making the sand sparkle everywhere and the uneven road more rugged because of the small stones, one side bright, one side dark.”

b) Memory Light
- Not as much as exploring normal light, but Thạch Lam's memory light vividly portrays Liên's emotional state.
- The first mention of Hanoi “when the whole family left Hanoi to live in the countryside because Liên's father lost his job,” Liên's memories of Hanoi have not yet appeared. But by the second time, Liên had “remembered when in Hanoi” and Hanoi was evoked from the smell of Uncle Siêu's phở, as “a cup of cold red and green water” (childhood memory) is “a bright, sparkling area.” Hanoi is synonymous with light.
- Because of that light, because of the devotion of countless other lives out there, because of the scenes for their own destinies, although sometimes “Liên's soul is calm” there are still “vague feelings of not understanding.”
- The train brings light, but when the train passes by, it revives memories, it is longing, the nostalgia of Hanoi in the glow of the lights.

c) Train Light
- The train brings a glimmer of future hope to the rural alley.
- Before the train appears, the alley lives in a sluggish, dreamy state, lacking vitality, and all actions converge on the psychological waiting for the train.
- Thạch Lam devotes 852 characters (almost a third of the characters in the work: 852/2739) to focus on the train passing through the alley.
- That train is a source of life both materially and spiritually for the people of the alley.
- The train's light brings Hanoi to the Liên sisters. It is still the delicate perception in the quiet night:
+ Sound appears first “loud thumping, the sound of very strong cars entering the station”.
+ Color: “a burst of smoke white up in the distance” then the sound again “the noisy sound of passengers softly.”
+ Shape: “the whistle had blown, and the train roared in. Liên pulled her sister up to watch the convoy pass by, the cars brightly lit, casting light down on the road. Liên only vaguely saw the luxury upper-class cars, shining and sparkling, and the bright glass doors.”
- In just a short passage, Thạch Lam uses four [sets of] nouns and adjectives to describe light, luminous, shining, sparkling glass doors, light has taken the throne.
- Even as it fades into the dark night, there is still the light of “red coal dots flying over the railroad.” An and Liên watch on.

d) Contrast of Light and Darkness
- Unlike Hugo, the master who used the contrast of darkness and light to demonstrate the movement from darkness to the light of the soul, of social intellect, and moral light, intellect always triumphs… Thạch Lam still exploits these two images but not to advocate for that intellectual ideal.
- He merely creates impressions, to distinguish more clearly the two opposing principles (light and darkness) to show a very realistic view of life: there are the poor, longing for the light of happiness, they wait forever, happiness comes and goes as fast as that train, so fast that Liên cannot even discern people's faces, then night falls again, fireflies stop their activity, stars still shine, sleepiness comes to Liên, to wake up the next day waiting for the train again…
- That repetitive cycle of life is extremely monotonous. It does not hide the impoverished life both materially and spiritually in the urban area not far from the village (old lady Thi goes toward the village).
- But thanks to that, it has the infinite ability to engrave into our souls that lingering image of the rural alley. Thạch Lam's rural alley is the epitome of any poor rural alley.
- The ghost of the rural alley is not only poverty but also deeper, it is gradually being forgotten. Against the backdrop of reality, the poorer it is, the fewer people take the train through the rural alley, but the messages: perhaps there are a few buyers, some are absent forever, few people get on and off [the train], sparse people... are just like the mixed feelings in the poem 'The Old Man' by Vũ Đình Liên.
- Although darkness is the concluding image of the work, it is also the artistic feature that darkness plays throughout the story, just as the backdrop for light to appear like the deep night sky to illuminate the stars, the dark space for fireflies to flicker.
- And even when “there is no longer” fireflies, even when Liên has to “turn down the light” to sleep, the feeling of light within Liên still does not fade. The work ends when Liên stops observing, contemplating, and peaceful sleep comes.
- Unlike darkness, Thạch Lam describes light three times in the rural alley: the “glowing red” light of the evening sky, the light in Liên's memory of Hanoi “a bright, sparkling area,” and the light of the train convoy with the “brightly lit cars shining light down on the road.”
- Three times describing light is three times the author implicitly alludes to, comparing life in the present with the past and future of humanity.
- In reality, there is clearly no happiness because that glowing red evening glow soon sinks into the silent, desolate darkness. Choosing the moment in the evening, Thạch Lam not only brings melancholy poetry into the prose but also brings the dull, lifeless life of the poor but not to the extent of extreme unhappiness of the rural alley to the pages of the book.

10. Artistic Highlights
- The special literary techniques have made 'Two Children' one of the outstanding literary works of the nation.
- It is easy to see that the images in the story are often portrayed by repetition. Although each repetition is handled differently, this very use of it has created a highly impressive effect of the monotony, the turmoil of life.
- In addition, the use of internal monologue always slows down the pace of the story. 'Two Children' is clearly narrated slowly because the events here are not high and there is no conflict even though contrast is highly regarded.

11. Thạch Lam's Belief in a Beautiful Life
- Thạch Lam strongly believes in the future.
- Although he places reality's losses in the stream of life, the operation of the universe constantly revolves, Thạch Lam proposes thoughts in line with objective laws: Humans will always find ways to exist and survive in any situation.
- This belief has led Thạch Lam to propose a creative, deeply meaningful comparison between the usual and the immutable: a comparison between in here (narrow space) and out there (vast space), a comparison between the small, limited human life and the vast, eternal universe: “But now they have closed everything, also silent, dark like outside the street”…
- Thạch Lam aims at philosophy: when humans cannot change their circumstances, dreams are an effective solution for them to overcome the most difficult moments.
- Placing the finite in the infinite, placing the corroded reality in the dream of light... Thạch Lam always looks toward that distant place. He shares and firmly believes in the aspirations of humanity.

SECTION I: GUIDELINES FOR COMPOSITION:

Question 1: The Time and Space of Rural Scenes: 

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