Reflection on the portrayal of the first meal welcoming the new daughter-in-law in the final part of the novel Wife Collecting

Prompt: Reflection on the portrayal of the first meal welcoming the new daughter-in-law in the final part of the novel Wife Collecting

Reflection on the portrayal of the first meal welcoming the new daughter-in-law in the final part of the novel Wife Collecting

I. Outline for Reflecting on the portrayal of the first meal welcoming the new daughter-in-law in the final part of the novel Wife Collecting (Standard)

1. Introduction:

- Introduction to the author, the work, and the detail of the first meal welcoming the new daughter-in-law in the final part of the novel 'Wife Collecting.'

2. Body of the Essay:

a. Overview of the Author and the Work:
- Kim Lân (1920 - 2007) was a writer known for his expertise in short stories, with his works often focusing on the spiritual beauty of Vietnamese farmers.
- 'Wife Collecting' is considered the most outstanding short story by Kim Lân and is excerpted from the collection 'Ugly Dog.'

b. Reflection on the portrayal of the first meal welcoming the new daughter-in-law in the final part of the novel 'Wife Collecting':

- The simple, impoverished meal reflects the hardship of people enduring the same suffering in the old society:
+ The meal on that hungry day looked truly meager and pitiful 'in a torn bowl, there was only a handful of jumbled banana flowers, and a plate of salt to eat with rice porridge.'
+ The scanty meal with 'a pot of watery porridge' where each person only got 'two bowlfuls flat to the brim' forced them to eat 'stretched porridge,' which was actually rice bran gruel, to sustain themselves.
+ The bitter and choking bran was still forced into their mouths because there was nothing else left in the house to eat.

- The warm, joyful meal brimming with hope for a bright future:
+ Granny Tu and her daughter-in-law tidy up the house, clean the garden, and prepare a meal for the hungry day.
+ It's called a meal, yet there's no rice, just watery porridge, but 'the whole family eats very deliciously.'
+ During the meal, everyone talks happily, only discussing the joys to come. Granny Tu talks about raising chickens, showing hope for a bright future.
+ Granny Tu prepares a surprise gift for the newlyweds: a pot of rice bran gruel. She enthusiastically introduces it as 'Khoan Porridge,' praising its taste, radiating the joy and happiness of a mother.
+ Each bitter and choking bite contains hidden sorrows that 'permeate everyone's mind,' yet they calmly accept, suppressing their humiliations without a word of complaint.

c. Evaluation:
- The portrayal of the first meal welcoming the new daughter-in-law in the final part of the novel vividly depicts a tragic reality of pre-revolution Vietnam, the famine of 1945.
- Through this detail, we perceive Kim Lan's profound compassion for the destitute in society. The writer employs subtle and deep character portrayal with many unique details, such as the pot of rice bran gruel, using simple, rustic language.

3. Conclusion:

- Summarize the value of the portrayal of the first meal welcoming the new daughter-in-law in the final part of the novel 'Wife Collecting.'

II. Sample Essay Reflecting on the portrayal of the first meal welcoming the new daughter-in-law in the final part of the novel Wife Collecting (Standard)

There is a Russian writer who once said, 'Art arises from extremes and conflicts.' Indeed, Kim Lân truly showcased creativity in portraying the space and people in the famine of 1945 through the work 'Wife Collecting'. In that picture, we see the severity of the feudal colonial regime pushing impoverished people to the brink, yet they still hold many precious qualities. The detail of the first meal welcoming the new daughter-in-law in the final part of the novel 'Wife Collecting' helped us imagine the dire scarcity at that time with characters like Tràng, the 'wife collector', and Granny Tu, who remained optimistic and life-loving.

Kim Lân (1920 - 2007) was a writer known for his expertise in short stories, with his works often focusing on the spiritual beauty of Vietnamese farmers, who live in extreme hardship and poverty in society. He writes truthfully and emotionally about the lives of rural people because he deeply understands their circumstances and psychology. 'Wife Collecting' is Kim Lân's most outstanding short story, extracted from the collection 'Ugly Dog'. The story vividly portrays the famine scene in a poor village to the extent that Tràng suddenly 'collects' a wife without any formalities. In the first meal with the new daughter-in-law, there's only watery porridge, some banana leaves, and a plate of salt, yet they all try to speak joyfully to dispel hunger.

Usually, the first meal with a new daughter-in-law is abundant and joyful. However, the first meal when Tràng 'collected' a wife in the year 1945 was extremely simple, if not to say lacking and somewhat miserable. Through the details of this meal, it depicts the poverty of people suffering together in the old society. The meal on that hungry day looked truly lacking and miserable 'with a broken bowl containing only a bundle of tangled banana leaves, and a plate of salt to eat with porridge'. The scanty meal with 'a bowl of watery porridge' for each person, causing them to resort to 'Khoan Porridge' as defined by Granny Tu, but it's actually rice bran gruel for sustenance. Bran is not food for humans, yet it appears in the family's meal, showing the degradation of human dignity in that famine. The bitter and hard-to-swallow bran is still forced into their mouths because the family has nothing else to eat. However, for many, this is still a luxurious meal that not everyone has, so they all enjoy it very much.

I hope the reflection on the details of the first meal welcoming the new daughter-in-law at the end of the story 'The Wife Collector' here will help you gain a positive perspective on life. Additionally, you can refer to the following articles to reinforce your knowledge: Analysis of the character Trang in the short story The Wife Collector, Reflection on the maternal beauty of Mrs. Tu in the story The Wife Collector, Analysis of the image of rice bran porridge in the short story The Wife Collector, Reflection on the maternal beauty of Mrs. Tu in the story The Wife Collector.