Reflecting on the Character Lao Hac in Nam Cao's Short Story 'Old Hạc'

Prompt: Reflect on the character Lao Hac in the short story 'Old Hạc'

Reflecting on the Character Lao Hac in Nam Cao's Short Story 'Old Hạc'

I. Structuring Thoughts about the Character Lao Hac in the Short Story 'Old Hạc' (Standard)

1. Introduction:

- Introduce the author and the literary work.

2. Body of the Essay:

a. Content of the Literary Work:
- Depicts the life of a poor farmer before the August Revolution.
- Lao Hac, widowed, has a son who, due to lack of money for marriage, ventures to work on a rubber plantation.
- Alone, Lao lives with his faithful dog named Vang.
- After a debilitating illness, Lao writes a letter asking the teacher to look after the garden for his son and then consumes dog meat in an act of self-inflicted death.

b. Lao Hac as a Poor and Suffering Farmer:
- Lao Hac, a poor farmer, faces the hardships of life alone after his wife's early death and his son's departure.
- His son leaves due to financial constraints, leaving Lao in poverty and solitude.
- Ultimately, Lao resorts to eating dog meat and taking his own life to secure the garden for his son, condemning the feudal society and colonial oppression.
- Condemns the half-colonial, half-feudal society that oppresses and exploits the lives of Vietnamese farmers.

c. Lao's Infinite Pure Heart:
- Despite his son's abandonment, Lao harbors immense love for him.
- Lao extends his affection to Vang, treating the dog as a beloved grandchild.
- Lao maintains self-respect, refusing assistance from neighbors and teachers.
- Lao symbolizes the typical pre-August Revolution Vietnamese farmer, showcasing purity and resilience.

3. Conclusion:

In conclusion

II. Exemplary Essay Reflecting on the Character Lao Hac in the Short Story 'Old Hạc' (Standard)

Nam Cao's works before 1945 often focus on farmers and impoverished intellectuals in society. Among them, the work 'Old Hạc' depicts the life of a pre-August Revolution farmer with poverty and suffering. The character Lao Hac in the same-titled work has left us with many profound impressions.

The tale of Lao Hac unfolds the life of a destitute farmer. Widowed, his only son, due to financial constraints, resolutely went to work on a rubber plantation. Thus, Lao lived in solitude in a ramshackle house with a dog named Vang. Enduring hardship, he scraped meager sustenance from the garden reserved for his son. When he realized survival was no longer possible, Lao wrote a letter instructing the teacher to tend to the garden, sold Vang, and consumed dog meat before taking his own life. Lao's death was intense and agonizing, mirroring the struggles of his life. Lao Hac epitomizes the pre-revolutionary Vietnamese farmer, impoverished yet possessing a noble quality that preserves an immaculate soul, pure even in the face of tragedy.

Reading the work, what we see in Lao Hac's life is a poignant and painful tragedy. His wife died early, leaving him with a son. However, poverty and the challenging conditions set by the girl's family forced his son to abandon marriage, leading to a resolute decision to work on a rubber plantation. With his only son gone, Lao lived alone in a humble house, accompanied only by a small dog - a memento his son bought, a companion. Lao lived in the cold, loneliness of old age, surviving on meager portions from the garden he dedicated to his son. Despite having a small garden, Lao staunchly refused to sell it, and the money earned from it was kept separate, even if it meant eating boiled bananas, steamed snails, or a meal of herbs and occasional roots.

Nevertheless, life never granted Lao a moment of ease or contemplation for himself. A prolonged illness took away everything he had saved, pushing him to the brink. Lao became 'weak,' and his work was taken over by others. At this juncture, he decided to sell Vang - the spiritual child and his sole support - then consumed dog meat before taking his own life. Lao's death was as tumultuous, painful, and agonizing as his tragic life. Perhaps Lao Hac's death served as a release from the torment of a life plagued by poverty, suffering, and loneliness. From Lao Hac's life, readers glimpse the hundreds and thousands of similar lives of Vietnamese farmers before the revolution. They lived in poverty, oppressed by a society half-colonial and half-feudal, stripped and exploited to the bone.

The life of Lao Hac is one of suffering, yet until his death, he maintained an incredibly pure and untarnished soul.

For his son, Lao poured out all his affection. Even when the son left for the rubber plantation, Lao uttered, 'He belongs to someone else now, not my son anymore.' Nevertheless, Lao never abandoned hope, even until his last moments. After a debilitating illness, left weakened and unemployed, he finally exhausted the resources from the garden. Faced with despair, Lao made the painful decision to relinquish life to spare his son from 'eating from the garden' meant for him. He wrote a letter entrusting the teacher to care for the garden until his son returned. Lao's life was one of loneliness and agony, and his death was a sacrifice to maintain a beautiful personality and the last path for his son's life. As a father, Lao would sacrifice everything rather than let his only son suffer in poverty. However, life seemed indifferent to Lao's circumstances, forcing him away without seeing his son one last time. The love he harbored for his son was profoundly moving.

The love and affection Lao had for his son, unattainable by the son, were channeled through Cau Vang. Lao loved Cau Vang immensely, treating it as one would a grandson, channeling all the love meant for his son onto it. Lao fed it 'like a rich family,' sharing everything with it. Lao Hac cared for Cau Vang more than he did for himself.

Moreover, Lao was a person full of self-respect. He respected Cau Vang, his son, the teacher, and neighbors. When selling Cau Vang, typically considered just a dog for meat or profit, Lao felt regret, breaking down, self-reproaching, 'at this age, I deceived a dog.' The pain embedded in his words intensified by his tears. In his direst times, when the teacher offered help, Lao declined due to self-respect, aware that the teacher's wife disliked him. Even in death, Lao was considerate, not wanting to trouble anyone. The money he saved throughout his life, afraid to spend it, was used for his own funeral, to not burden anyone else. Lao lived until the day he begged the authorities for a little dog meat to end his life, preserving his pure, benevolent soul. He steadfastly refused to tread the path of degradation like Chi Pheo or Mo.

Lao's death was indeed violent and painful, much like his life. It was the most resolute and authentic expression of Lao Hac's life. Perhaps, for Lao, death was liberation from a life at the bottom of society.