Top 9 Best Analyses on the Significance of the Short Story Title 'Chí Phèo' by Nam Cao

'Chí Phèo' is a masterpiece of Nam Cao's literature, representing a remarkable achievement in modern literature. The various titles given to the work include 'Cái lò gạch cũ' (The Old Brick Kiln), 'Đôi lứa xứng đôi' (Perfect Match), and finally, 'Chí Phèo'.

The short story was initially titled 'Cái lò gạch cũ'. The imagery of the old brick kiln holds a special place in the narrative. The story begins with Chí being found in the abandoned kiln and ends with him killing Bá Kiến and then committing suicide. Thị Nở witnesses the scene and glimpses the deserted kiln below. Thus, the author creates a circular structure depicting the entangled lives of society's victims, revealing a pessimistic view and despair in the face of the extreme tragedy of the peasant class during the August Revolution.

In 1914, the publisher changed the title to 'Đôi lứa xứng đôi'. This change reflected the commercialization of literature at the time, where literature became a commodity to satisfy the tastes of the majority of readers. The title 'Đôi lứa xứng đôi' highlighted the discrepancy in the reception of Nam Cao's artistic literature by some contemporary audiences. Nam Cao's artistic style does not denigrate the impoverished people. While portraying them with an outwardly rough and ugly appearance, Nam Cao's pen delves deep into the characters to develop and affirm their inherent goodness and beauty even when they lose their physical and moral integrity, while also extolling warm human sentiments.

In 1946, Nam Cao changed the title to 'Chí Phèo' with specific meanings. On one hand, it directs readers to the central character of the work; on the other hand, it reflects Nam Cao's artistic style. The character Chí Phèo typifies the peasant class before the revolution, pushed onto the path of becoming outlaws.

The title 'Chí Phèo' also serves as the name of the main character in the story. The author employs this title to elucidate the fate, life, misfortunes, loneliness, and isolation of the main character. Moreover, this title creates a haunting, impactful impression on those who have, are, and will read the story.

The title 'Chí Phèo' encapsulates the essence of the work. In it, the character Chí Phèo is a victim, a product of a semi-feudal colonial society. Chí is a virtuous peasant but is pushed to the brink of becoming a rogue, a thug, losing all semblance of humanity. He becomes a demon of Vũ Đại village, rejected the right to be human. Nam Cao discovers deep within that person's nature is goodness. With just a bit of nurturing affection, it will ignite. Ultimately, thanks to Thị Nở's love, Chí awakens. He goes to Bá Kiến's house, demands justice, kills Bá Kiến, and then takes his own life. The title has contributed to revealing the realism and humanity of the work.

Analysis of the Significance of the Short Story Title 'Chí Phèo' No. 2

'Chí Phèo' is the pinnacle of realism in Vietnamese literature. Through this short story, the writer Nam Cao intricately explores and portrays the tragedy of degradation, the tragedy of being denied humanity among the poor in the contemporary feudal society. The title of the short story has undergone several changes, from 'Cái lò gạch cũ' (The Old Brick Kiln), 'Đôi lứa xứng đôi' (The Matching Couple), and finally, Nam Cao opted for the concise and poignant title 'Chí Phèo,' which still effectively conveys the main themes of the work.

Initially, the short story 'Chí Phèo' was titled 'Cái lò gạch cũ.' Throughout the story, we can see that the old brick kiln is a familiar image appearing at the beginning associated with the birth of 'Chí Phèo' and at the end when Chí Phèo dies. Witnessing Chí Phèo's death, Thị Nở looks down at her belly and in her mind, the image of the old brick kiln appears as a tragic solution for Thị Nở to escape the harsh prejudices if the child had been shaped after days of living together with Chí.

Nam Cao chose a corresponding structure for the beginning and end to create the entangled circle of Chí Phèo's tragedy – the tragedy of the degradation of the poor peasants. The image of the old brick kiln also evokes extreme pity for the reality of degradation, for the tragic fate of the peasants in the contemporary society.

The title 'Cái lò gạch cũ' has encapsulated the remarkable image in the short story 'Chí Phèo' but has not yet shown the phenomenon of Chí Phèo as well as the reasons leading to that situation. In 1914, the publisher arbitrarily changed it to 'Đôi lứa xứng đôi' to attract readers as on literary forums, love stories were appearing in abundance. The title 'Đôi lứa xứng đôi' partly expresses an important part of the short story, which is the love of Chí Phèo - Thị Nở. The love of those people at the bottom of society is truly touching, truly worthy of respect, but these love stories are not the most important content that Nam Cao wants to convey in this work.

The new title only directs the reader to the love story of Chí Phèo - Thị Nở without expressing the horrifying tragedy of Chí Phèo's degradation. On the other hand, the title 'Đôi lứa xứng đôi' also carries a tone of enthusiasm, ridicule. Nam Cao's artistic purpose is not to denigrate those poor people but the description of the ugly, rough appearance aims to highlight the value of people, the good qualities within them.

This is also why when republished in 1946, Nam Cao changed it back to 'Chí Phèo' as it is today. 'Chí Phèo' is a concise but richly expressive title. The title not only directs the reader to the central character of the short story, Chí Phèo, but also somewhat reveals the phenomenon of Chí Phèo, the tragic degradation as well as the reasons leading to that phenomenon. To this day, when mentioning the work 'Chí Phèo,' people still deeply impressed by a person suffering from the tragedy of degradation in both appearance and character.

Nam Cao's success in the short story 'Chí Phèo' is not only in discovering the remarkable phenomenon with human significance but also lies in the masterful artistic description, through the choice of title, which has somewhat demonstrated the talent and dedication of that artist.

Analysis of the Meaning of the Short Story Title 'Chí Phèo' No. 5

The story initially titled 'The Old Brick Kiln' to emphasize the appearance of Chí Phèo in life. This naming is based on the image of the abandoned brick kiln at the beginning and repeated at the end of the work, emphasizing the deterministic nature of the phenomenon Chí Phèo, creating an impression in the reader's mind. However, this title showed the author's pessimistic view of the fate of the peasants. Later, the New Life Publisher changed it to 'The Matching Couple,' based on the love story of Chí Phèo - Thị Nở, arousing the curiosity of readers. However, this title still did not summarize the meaning of the work. Finally, the title 'Chí Phèo' was chosen by the writer when republished in the 'Luống Cày' collection.

The title 'Chí Phèo' encapsulates the content of the work. Chí Phèo is a victim, a product of the semi-feudal colonial society. Chí is a kind-hearted farmer but is pushed to the 'dead end' to become a thug, a hoodlum, losing both his human form and nature. He became the evil demon of Vũ Đại village. Chí Phèo was denied the right to be human. Here, Nam Cao discovers deep within that person is a kind-hearted nature. With just a little bit of love, it will ignite. Finally, thanks to Thị Nở's love, Chí awakened. He went to Bá Kiến's house to demand justice, then killed Bá Kiến and ended his own life. The title contributed to revealing the reality and humanity of the work.

Analysis of the Meaning of the Short Story Title 'Chí Phèo' No. 4

The short story 'Chí Phèo' originally titled 'The Old Brick Kiln' was later renamed 'A Matching Pair' by the publisher when first printed as a book in 1941. It was not until its reprinting in the collection 'Plowing the Fields' in 1946 that Nam Cao changed the title to 'Chí Phèo'.

The title of the short story 'Chí Phèo,' chosen by Nam Cao, initially reveals the central figure of the work, which is the character Chí Phèo. Through this character, Nam Cao aims to encapsulate a phenomenon in rural Vietnam before the revolution. It portrays a section of the virtuous people being pushed into a path of thuggery and degradation. Chí Phèo is not just a character in the story but also a symbol for such individuals.

'Chí Phèo' is one of the famous short stories by the writer Nam Cao. The story was originally titled 'The Old Brick Kiln.' However, when first printed as a book, the publisher changed the title to 'A Matching Pair' (NXB Đời mới, Hanoi, 1941). In 1946, when reprinted in the collection 'Plowing the Fields,' Nam Cao changed the title to 'Chí Phèo.'

With this title, Nam Cao aims to highlight the profound reality and humanity through the character Chí Phèo. Chí Phèo is a typical character, embodying a segment of virtuous people pushed onto a path of thuggery and degradation. The writer vehemently condemns the brutal society that has ravaged both the physical and spiritual aspects of the peasant laborers. At the same time, Nam Cao reaffirms their inherent goodness even when stripped of both appearance and character.

Nam Cao is an outstanding realist writer with authentic short stories, vividly portraying two main themes: impoverished peasants and impoverished intellectuals, trapped in the old society. The short story 'Chí Phèo' was originally titled 'The Old Brick Kiln.' However, when first printed as a book, the publisher changed the title to 'A Matching Pair' (1941). It was not until it was reprinted in the collection 'Plowing the Fields' (1946) that Nam Cao changed the title to 'Chí Phèo.'

The work carries profound realism and humanitarian value. With this title, Nam Cao showcases the central figure of the story, Chí Phèo. This character has become a symbol for a segment of virtuous peasant laborers pushed by contemporary society onto the path of thuggery. Chí Phèo is not an isolated phenomenon but rather representative in nature. Simultaneously, the writer aims to affirm their inherent goodness even when stripped of both appearance and character.

One of the successes of great writers is not only building a prominent image but also contributing an attitude, highlighting the plot, and emphasizing their characters. Among these, one outstanding work by Nam Cao is titled 'Chí Phèo'. From the very title, it leaves a lasting impression.

The work 'Chí Phèo' was written during a time when our country was under the oppression of two layers, including the cruel feudalism represented in the story by - Bá kiến, but in the dark lantern work by Ngô Tất Tố, it was the character Nghị Quế, wealthy but ruthless.

Chí Phèo, a farmer who was once as innocent as the earth, was born orphaned, raised by an old man who found him in an abandoned brick kiln. From that moment on, Chí's fate grew, but unfortunately, he encountered representatives of the ruling class at that time, Mrs. Ba and Mr. Bá.

Chí's life changed and turned upside down from that day on, the journey of a gentle soul gradually degraded day by day into a homeless, friendless rogue, he became Bá Kiến's henchman and turned into a devil of the village of Vũ Đại.

Reading the work, one feels compassion not only for Chí but also for the fate of a person degraded and subjected to oppression, subject to the influence and degradation of society at that time. Chí Phèo emerges, a haunting and deeply disturbing image in the reader's mind. Then, the publisher Đời Mới renamed it 'matching pairs' based on the love story between Chí Phèo and Thị Nở. This title evokes curiosity and to some extent summarizes the significance of the entire work.

However, the title of the work 'Chí Phèo' becomes even more haunting and special. It is the protagonist's actual name, a specific person with a specific fate. This title encapsulates the essence of the work, depicting how Chí is pushed into becoming a rogue, a thug, and devoid of humanity. In the end, Chí is awakened but is killed on the very line between good and evil.

Nam Cao titled it to encapsulate the essence of the work, thereby revealing the value, ideological content, and attitude of the writer. Moreover, it shows us the profound realism and humanity in Nam Cao's pen.

Initially, the short story 'Chí Phèo' was titled 'The Old Brick Kiln'. This title emphasized the presence of Chí Phèo in life, based on the image of the old brick kiln abandoned at the beginning and repeated at the end of the work. This signifies the law-like nature of the phenomenon of Chí Phèo, creating an impression in the minds of readers. However, this title reflected the author's pessimistic view of the fate of farmers.

Then, the publisher Đời Mới changed the title to 'Matching Pairs,' based on the love story between Chí Phèo and Thị Nở, intriguing the curiosity of readers. However, this title also did not fully capture the meaning of the work.

Later, the title 'Chí Phèo' was born, also the name of the main character of the story. The author used this title to clarify the fate, life, misfortune, loneliness, and solitude of the mentioned character. At the same time, this title also creates a haunting, strong impression on those who have, are, and will read the story.

The title 'Chí Phèo' has encapsulated the entire content of the work. Chí Phèo is a victim, a product of the semi-feudal colonial society. Chí is a kind-hearted farmer but is pushed to the 'dead end' to become a rogue, a thug, losing all human dignity and characteristics. This title has contributed to revealing the realistic and humanitarian value of the work.