Top 6 Best Essays Analyzing 'The Cold Breeze of the Early Season' (Grade 6 Literature with KNTT Textbook and CS)

Thạch Lam is a renowned writer of the Romantic literary movement. His works primarily delve into the inner lives of characters, exploring the delicate and unclear emotions experienced in everyday life. One of his iconic pieces is the short story 'The Cold Breeze of the Early Season.'

The story begins with a winter morning scene. After a night of heavy rain, the cold wind begins to blow. The character Sơn wakes up to find that everyone in the household, including his mother and sister, has already put on warm clothing. Outside, the wind blows dust and dry leaves, and the sky is a dull white. The potted plants' leaves tremble and seem to freeze from the cold.

Thạch Lam then gently depicts the daily life of Sơn's family. His mother asks his sister to take out the laundry. When she sees an old but still intact blue quilt, Sơn’s mother remarks, 'This is Aunt Duyên's quilt.' The old nanny fondly inspects the quilt, carefully feeling its stitches. Hearing this, Sơn is moved, remembering his sister and feeling a deep affection for her. He is particularly touched when he sees his mother’s eyes glistening with tears. The quilt serves as a memento symbolizing the sacred bond of motherhood, sibling love, and the kindness of the nanny.

Sơn’s family is relatively well-off, and his mother lovingly cares for her children. Sơn wears a red woolen coat, with a darker outer garment, a contrast to the poor children in the village who wear tattered brown clothes patched in several places. Their lips turn purple from the cold, and their bare skin turns bruised. When the wind blows, they shiver and clatter their teeth. Seeing Sơn and Lan, the village children express their happiness, and Sơn and Lan treat them with warmth rather than looking down on them like some of their cousins.

What stands out the most is when Lan sees Hiên standing by a pillar of the shop, hunched and shivering in a tattered coat. Sơn, feeling a surge of compassion, recalls that Hiên is poor and remembers playing with her in the garden when they were younger. Lan and Sơn decide to give Hiên the old quilt. Lan eagerly runs home to fetch it, while Sơn waits quietly, feeling a warm joy inside. The act of giving the old quilt demonstrates a deep, selfless love and compassion. Even though small, this gesture is noble and precious.

However, the story does not end there. At the conclusion, Hiên's mother brings the quilt back to Sơn’s mother, an act showing that even in hard times, some people maintain their integrity. 'Even when poor, maintain your dignity,' the saying goes. After learning the full story, Sơn’s mother lends Hiên’s mother five coins to help buy new clothes for her child. Sơn’s mother is not angry but lovingly calls her children over and caresses them. This highlights Sơn’s mother’s kind-hearted, forgiving nature and her deep capacity for love.

'The Cold Breeze of the Early Season' is a simple yet profound story, filled with lessons about love and compassion.

The short story "The Cold Wind of Early Winter" features a simple plot revolving around a story of giving and receiving a winter coat among three children and two mothers in a poor village over sixty years ago. As some have noted, "The story talks about the cold wind, but it also warms with the kindness of life and humanity."

The story begins with the chill of a cold winter morning, where the cold sneaks in after a night of rain. As soon as Sơn wakes up, he finds that everyone in the house, including his mother and sister, is already wearing winter coats. Outside, the wind howls, blowing dry leaves around. The cold is biting, and the sky is overcast. The potted orchids shake in the cold, almost freezing from the chill. Sơn, shivering, rises from his bed after covering his younger sibling with a blanket. The cold wind, however, brings forth a warmth in their lives. The family recalls winters past, and upon seeing the worn but still intact coat of Duyên, a departed child, the mother says, "This is Duyên's coat." The elderly wet-nurse, who had cared for Duyên since infancy, lovingly examines the coat. The memory of Duyên, who passed away at four, touches everyone deeply, especially Sơn, who remembers her fondly and is moved to see his mother holding back tears. The coat, a relic of Duyên’s short life, stirs emotions, symbolizing maternal love, sibling affection, and the deep compassion of the wet-nurse. Thạch Lam's delicate, emotionally rich writing captures these moments with sensitivity and insight, as noted by Nguyễn Tuân, who praised Thạch Lam’s refined, empathetic approach to life’s complexities.

As the cold deepens, the warmth of childhood camaraderie grows stronger. Sơn and his siblings come from a middle-class family, well cared for and dressed warmly. Sơn wears a red wool coat with matching undergarments, over which he dons a dark coat. For children of the time, this was an enviable attire, a dream for the poor. Meanwhile, children from the poorer parts of town, like Cúc, Xuân, Tí, and Túc, wear tattered brown clothes, patched in many places. Their lips are blue, and the skin beneath their torn clothes is bruised from the cold. When the cold wind blows, they tremble, their teeth chattering. The beauty of Thạch Lam’s writing lies in his portrayal of childhood friendship. Despite their hardships, the poor children beam with joy when Sơn and his sister visit. Sơn and his sister, Lan, play with them happily. Xuân marvels at Sơn's coat, admiring its beauty. Cúc innocently asks where the coat was bought. Sơn, proudly and naively, explains that it was purchased in Hanoi and that his mother plans to buy him an even more expensive one. The desire for a new coat, a simple luxury, speaks to the hopes of impoverished children, a subject Thạch Lam tackles with deep compassion and understanding.

One poignant detail in the story is the mention of Hiên, a poor girl standing coldly outside a shop, wearing a tattered coat that barely covers her. Sơn, moved by pity, recalls that Hiên's mother is very poor, and he remembers how Hiên had once played with his late sister Duyên. Sơn and Lan decide to give Hiên their old coat. Lan eagerly runs home to retrieve it, while Sơn waits, feeling a warmth spreading within him. The old coat, which seems insignificant to Sơn’s family, becomes invaluable to Hiên, who is suffering from poverty and the cold. This act of generosity, the sharing of a warm coat, highlights the theme of "one hand gives, the other receives," demonstrating the value of empathy and human kindness. Even in the harshest cold of early winter, the warmth of human connection is what shines through.

The story concludes with a new twist: the coat is returned, and a loan is made to buy another. Hiên’s mother brings the coat back to Sơn’s family, explaining that she had seen Hiên wearing it and asked her about it. Upon hearing that the coat was from Sơn, she rushes to return it. Despite being poor, Hiên’s mother is clean and dignified. For Sơn’s mother, the coat is a cherished memory of her lost child, Duyên. When Hiên’s mother asks to borrow money to buy a new winter coat for her child, Sơn’s mother kindly lends her a small amount. The gesture of "treating others as you would treat yourself" speaks volumes, and the final moment between Sơn’s mother and her children, teaching them to be compassionate, adds depth to the story. Thạch Lam, a member of the Tự Lực Văn Đoàn, continues to leave a lasting impact with his stories, which are filled with empathy for the poor and tender portrayals of childhood. His works, though often forgotten, are timeless and evoke a sense of warmth and human dignity.

Thạch Lam, a prominent writer of the Tự lực văn đoàn group, authored the remarkable short story 'The Cold Wind of Early Winter,' which delves into the theme of childhood.

The story begins with a detailed portrayal of a winter morning, skillfully crafted by the author. After a night of rain, the wind picks up, and a biting cold seems to herald the arrival of winter. Sơn wakes up from his blanket, and notices that everyone in the house, including his mother and sister, is already up and sitting around a fire, brewing tea. They are all bundled up in winter clothes. Outside, the wind causes dust and dead leaves to scatter, while the sky is a dull, cloudy white. Even the potted plants seem to shiver in the cold. Sơn, feeling chilly, pulls the blanket around his head and calls for his sister.

His mother tells his sister Lan to fetch a bundle of clothes from the room. She pulls out an old, faded blue quilt, once worn by their late younger sister Duyên, who had died at the age of four. The old nurse gently caresses the fabric, her hands tracing the delicate stitching. When Sơn hears his mother mention Duyên, he feels a wave of sorrow and love for his lost sister, noticing the tears in his mother’s eyes. The quilt becomes a cherished memory of a beloved child lost too soon.

After bundling up in warm clothes, Sơn and Lan head out to the market. They encounter several poor children, including Cúc, Xuân, Tí, and Túc, who are dressed in tattered brown clothes, with their faces turning purple from the cold. Their clothes are so torn that their skin shows through, and they shiver in the harsh wind, their teeth chattering. Upon seeing Sơn and Lan in their warm clothes, the poor children express admiration and envy. Sơn and Lan show kindness, not the scorn usually reserved for the poor by their wealthier relatives.

Suddenly, Lan spots Hiên, a girl standing alone by a pillar, wrapped in a threadbare coat with holes exposing her back and arms. Both Sơn and Lan feel pity for her. Sơn recalls that Hiên is very poor and remembers her playing with Duyên in the past. Moved by a compassionate impulse, Sơn decides to give Hiên his late sister’s quilt. He shares his idea with Lan, who agrees enthusiastically. Lan hurries to fetch the quilt, while Sơn waits quietly, feeling a warmth of joy and satisfaction. The act of giving the old quilt demonstrates the kindness and generosity of the two children.

When they return home, they worry that the nurse will inform their mother about their secret gift. Sơn feels anxious and even considers going to Hiên’s house to retrieve the quilt. However, this is a natural reaction for a child who fears being scolded. To their surprise, when they return, they find Hiên’s mother at their house, returning the quilt. Despite their poverty, Hiên’s mother holds onto her dignity, refusing to accept charity without reciprocating. Sơn’s mother, upon hearing the story, offers Hiên’s mother money to buy fabric for a new coat. This act of generosity reveals the kindness of Sơn’s mother, who does not scold her children but instead lovingly embraces them. The story ends with a message about the power of compassion and the deep love shared between people.

'The Cold Wind of Early Winter' is a short story that, though simple, carries profound emotional depth. Through the lens of this narrative, the reader gains insight into the importance of love and compassion among humans. It is a truly excellent work by Thạch Lam.