Main content: The bitter and tragic story of rickshaw pullers in old Beijing, from the story that Xiangzi tried to get rid of the tragic fate of life through personal struggle, and finally failed or even degenerated, mercilessly criticized the theme of that society-not letting good people have a way out. After the publication of Camel Xiangzi, it was translated into more than a dozen countries, which had a great influence. Synopsis of story:
Xiangzi used to live in the country. /kloc-when he was 0/8 years old, he unfortunately lost his parents and a few acres of fertile land, so he went to Beiping City to make a living. He is young and strong, and neither smokes nor gambles. He decided that pulling carts was the most profitable job. After three years of hard work, he finally scraped together enough 100 yuan and bought a new car. He was so excited that he almost cried. Since having this car, his life has become more and more exciting. He fantasizes that if this happens for two years, he can buy another car, one, two ... he can open a factory. Xiangzi runs boldly every day, and he doesn't think twice when he leaves the car. When the war was turbulent, he went out to pull carts. One day, just to earn more money, he ventured to pull his car to Tsinghua. However, on the way to the sidewalk, even the car and people were caught by more than a dozen soldiers, working for the soldiers, and even the car was taken away by the barracks. His ideal of self-reliance was shattered for the first time. Later, when the army was defeated, Xiangzi went out of the barracks at night and stole three camels left by the army. At dawn, three camels were sold to an old man for $35. From then on, he got a nickname, "Camel Xiangzi". On his way back to the city, Xiangzi suddenly fell ill. Xiangzi came to his senses, entered the city, and went to the original renter and garage. Si Liu, the owner of Renhe garage, is nearly 70 years old and has only a 37-year-old daughter named Tigress. Tigress looks like a man. Si Liu likes Xiangzi's efforts very much, and Tigress prefers the simplicity and reliability of this fool. Xiangzi gave 30 yuan money to Si Liu for safekeeping, hoping to save it before buying a car. Xiangzi didn't easily forget that his car was robbed. He can't wait to buy a new car at once. To this end, he did not hesitate to grab business with others. Xiangzi stayed at Mr. Yang's house for a month and got angry. He only stayed for four days and then left Yang's home. Xiangzi, full of worries, returned to the garage after 1 1 in the afternoon. He was seduced by Tigress's wine and slept with Tigress. Xiangzi woke up feeling ashamed and a little dangerous. He decided to leave the car factory and make a clean break with Si Liu. One night, Tigress told Xiangzi that she was pregnant, and Xiangzi was very surprised. When Xiangzi left, Tigress returned the thirty dollars that Xiangzi had saved in Si Liu, and asked him to celebrate Si Liu's birthday on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month to make him happy. Then she tried to get Si Liu to recruit him as a son-in-law. On the night of offering sacrifices to stoves, shopkeepers and others began to offer sacrifices to stoves. At about nine o'clock, Xiangzi took Mr. Cao home from Xicheng, and a detective followed them by bike. Mr. Cao told Xiangzi to pull the car to his good friend Mr. Zuo's house and asked Xiangzi to drive it home to see his wife and young master out. As soon as Xiangzi arrived at Cao Zhai, he was caught by Detective Sun, who was the platoon leader of the mutinous soldiers who had arrested Xiangzi. He cheated Xiangzi out of all his money, and Xiangzi's hope of buying another car was dashed. Soon, Mr. Cao's family left Beiping. The next day Xiangzi had to go back to Renhe garage. Si Liu's birthday is very lively. Because he was unhappy, he scolded Mulberry and poured his dissatisfaction on Xiangzi and Tigress. He doesn't want to marry his daughter to Xiangzi. He was afraid that Xiangzi would inherit his property and asked Xiangzi to leave. Tigress didn't buy her father's account, so she rented a house with Xiangzi in a big house and got very close. Only after the marriage did Xiangzi know that Tigress was not really pregnant. Xiangzi insisted on going out to pull a rickshaw. Tigress couldn't beat him, so she agreed. Today's "Man and Car Factory" has become "Man and Car Factory". Si Liu sold part of his car and gave the rest to a car owner, so he enjoyed it himself. Tigress gave Xiangzi 100 yuan and bought a second-class car, which was also in the same hospital. Soon, Tigress was really pregnant. However, Tigress doesn't like activities, but likes to eat snacks, which leads to the fetus being too big and dying in childbirth. In order to hold a funeral for Tigress, Xiangzi forced to sell the car, and Xiangzi's efforts were all in vain. Joey, the daughter of neighbor Joel Hadron, expressed her willingness to live with him. Xiangzi really likes Joy, but he is unable to support his family. I had to leave and make a promise. He also held a monthly subscription at the Xia family near the Lama Temple. Xiangzi fell ill in Xiajia. After his illness, Xiangzi began to degenerate, smoking, playing badly, being lazy, and no longer cherishing cars. It's windy and rainy. He doesn't drive, and his body is a little sore. He has a rest for two or three days. In the eyes of patrolmen, Xiangzi is a "thorn in the side" of the first class. While pulling a rickshaw, Xiangzi met Si Liu again. Si Liu asked him where Xiangzi's daughter was. Xiangzi said she was dead, and left without telling him where Tigress was buried. Being angry with Si Liu, Xiangzi was relieved again. He wants those disgusting people to die, Xiangzi wants to live well, and his life has hope again. He found Cao Fu again, and Mr. Cao promised to pay Xiangzi a monthly rent, willing to go with him with joy. Xiangzi felt that there was hope for life again and he came back from the dead. But Joy could no longer be seen in the yard, and Xiangzi was disheartened again. He went back to the garage to drown his sorrows by smoking and drinking. Xiangzi wandered in the street and met an old horse. His grandson pony died. The old horse lamented that being a driver for life is a dead end. Poor people deserve to die, and it's no use being strong. He suggested Xiangzi go to Baijia (a brothel in the suburbs) to have fun. Xiangzi learned that Xi 'er hanged himself in the White House. From then on, Xiangzi's heart sank to the lowest point, all hopes were dashed, and there was no hope of life anymore. If he can't be strong, he can only fall heavily. Xiangzi made money by all kinds of cruel means. Finally, he betrayed his friend Minh Nguyen and became a political profiteer. Xiangzi stopped pulling carts, so he did whatever he wanted, but he didn't contribute. In Xiangzi's mind, everything is "like that", and he can't help taking advantage of it. Xiangzi finally became the last ghost of individualism.
Brief introduction of the author
Camel Xiangzi is the representative work of Lao She, a famous modern writer in China (1February 3, 899 ~1August 24, 966). It is Lao She's own favorite work. Lao She, formerly known as Shu Qingchun, is called "She Yu" (the surname is divided into two) and "Lao She". Lao She is his most commonly used pen name, and there are other pen names such as Hongse and Feiwo. Manchu is a red flag man. Born in Xiaoyangquan Hutong (now Xiaoyangjia Hutong) in Xicheng, Beijing, a poor family in Manchu city. Modern famous writers and outstanding language masters are known as "people's artists". His father, a Manchu guard, was killed in the street fighting when Eight-Nation Alliance attacked Beijing. Lao She grew up in the living environment of the bottom citizens in Beijing. When he was abroad, he read many famous western European literature and began to write novels. His early works, such as Lao Zhang's Philosophy, Zhao Ziyue, Ermayina, etc., are satirical in humor, which is quite similar to the works of British writer Dickens, but sometimes they are exaggerated out of proportion and almost slippery. However, for Lao She, the initial creation is an indispensable practice. In 1930s, his creation gradually matured. /kloc-in 0/930, he created short stories such as Fair and Sakura Sea Collection. Finally, he released his representative work Camel Xiangzi at 1936. Overall framework: Xiangzi's three ups and downs come together: he came to Beiping to be a rickshaw puller, worked hard for three years, scraped together 100 yuan and bought a new car. A fall: even people and cars were arrested by the gendarmerie as able-bodied men. The ideal was shattered for the first time. Second: sell camels, pull carts desperately and save money to buy a new car. Raul: When it was time to get a monthly salary, Xiangzi's hard-earned money was also taken away by Detective Sun, and his second hope was dashed. Three times: Tigress bought Xiangzi a car at a low price from her neighbor's second hand, and Xiangzi got another car. Sanluo: In order to arrange Tigress's funeral, Xiangzi sold the car again. Xiangzi's trilogy of fate is the theme of "striving for progress-unwilling to fail-willing to fall": it mainly tells the bitter story of rickshaw pullers in old Beijing. This paper denounces the immoral people who oppress the people, exposes the exploitation and oppression of simple and kind workers in the dark old society, accuses the old society of turning people into ghosts, expresses the author's deep sympathy for the working people, and criticizes selfish and narrow individualism. At the same time, it also reveals that personal struggle is not the theme for the working people to get rid of poverty and change their situation. It also shows that people are animals that change with the environment and are the most vulnerable. The ugliness of human nature is exposed here. Lao She mercilessly criticized this society-it doesn't let good people have a way out. Summary and central idea of the novel: Camel Xiangzi tells the tragic story of Xiangzi, a rickshaw puller in Beiping, old China. Xiangzi came from the countryside, and the declining countryside made him unable to survive. He came to this city, eager to create a new life with his honest work. He tried all kinds of jobs and finally chose a rickshaw. This career choice shows that although Xiangzi left the land, his way of thinking is still the way of thinking of farmers. He is used to individual labor, and he is also eager to have a car as reliable as land. Buy a car and be an independent worker. "This is his wish, hope and even religion." The city seems to have given Xiangzi a chance to realize his wish. Struggled for three years, bought a car, and was robbed in less than half a year. But Xiangzi still refused to give up his car dream. Although he doubted his pursuit and wavered several times, he kept pulling himself together and struggling again. It should be said that Xiangzi's tenacious character and stubborn attitude struggle with life, which constitutes the main plot content of the novel. The end of the struggle ended in Xiangzi's failure, and he finally failed to realize his dream of owning his own car. The realistic profundity of this novel lies in that it not only describes Xiangzi's material life deprived by the harsh living environment, but also describes Xiangzi's spiritual degeneration after his life ideal is destroyed. "He has no heart. His heart has been taken away." In this way, a hardworking and kind-hearted rural youth was transformed into a walking dead unemployed.
Generalization of character image
Xiangzi-Xiangzi comes from the countryside. He is honest, strong and patient, just like a camel. He has strong self-esteem, bears hardships and stands hard work, and makes a living on his own. But in the end, after three ups and downs, Xiangzi had lost confidence in life. He became numb, down-and-out, cunning, taking advantage, eating, drinking, gambling and giving up on himself. A first-class driver who was once so strong did not struggle out of his tragic fate in the end. Xiangzi is the epitome of the poor working people in the old society, and he reflects the hardships and helplessness of the working people in the old society. Tigress, a shrewish and calculating middle-aged woman, is born with a man's character. She is good at taking care of things and keeping people and garages in order. Grandpa Si Liu, the Paoge in the old society, opened a garage after improvement. As an honest and frank person, he has a strong personality and never refuses to lose face in the outfield. Teacher Cao, an ordinary teacher, loves traditional art. Because he believes in socialism, he tolerates others. He was regarded by Xiangzi as a "virtuous" grandmother-a kind-hearted, strong-willed and helpful old lady. After experiencing misfortune, he learned the lowest methods in the old society. He has his own ideas and often enlightens Xiangzi. He is the man Xiangzi admired. Pony's grandfather, a driver who has worked hard all his life, can't even save his grandson in the end. Joy, a kind and sad figure, is Xiangzi's favorite, but what she left us was deep sympathy and infinite thinking. Er, Hadron-a driver who gives up on himself. Personality change: Xiangzi: (at first) honest, tenacious, self-respecting, hard-working; (finally) numb, down and out, cunning, easy to take advantage of, self-indulgence. Tigress: She has a heavy mind and a dual personality. On the one hand, she has her own desire to pursue happiness and is sincere to Xiangzi. On the other hand, the consciousness of the exploiter has penetrated into her soul. She wants to control Xiangzi, who is the possessor and dominator of the family. Theme of the novel: social level: it is generally believed that this novel reflects the tragic life of the people at the bottom of the old China city, and Xiangzi's tragedy mainly embodies the connotation of social criticism including national criticism; The level of the relationship between civilization and human nature: the story of moral degeneration and spiritual corrosion caused by the opposition between a simple farmer and modern urban civilization contains thoughts on the relationship between urban civilization disease and human nature. Lao She tried to reveal how the anomie of civilization caused the pollution of human nature in the city, and was deeply worried about the harm that pathological urban civilization brought to human nature. Lao She's works exploring the source of modern civilization were unique in the 1930s. Camel Xiangzi occupies an important position in the history of modern literature in China. Most of the new literature after the May 4th Movement is good at describing the lives of intellectuals and peasants, but few works describe the urban poor. The appearance of Lao She broke this situation. With a number of works describing the life of the urban poor, especially the novel Camel Xiangzi, he expanded the expression range of new literature and made special contributions to the development of new literature. Related comments: "Camel Xiangzi" is a tragedy described by Lao She with sympathetic strokes: in Beijing in the 1920s, a hardworking and sturdy inferior man struggled hard with a beautiful dream of getting rich, and was finally swallowed up by a dark storm. Revealed the slave psychology and hope of the "little people" at that time. With the suicide of Xiangzi's beloved woman Xier, Xiangzi put out the last spark of personal struggle. This is one of the fates of the poor citizens in old China and old Beijing. Camel Xiangzi is a classic of modern vernacular novels, which uses a lot of descriptions of Beijing dialect and some old Beijing customs. Camel Xiangzi was first published in Cosmic Wind magazine (1936), and 10 People's Literature Publishing House (1955) published a new monograph. Lao She made some modifications and deleted the second half of chapter 23 and the whole chapter 24. The complete works of Lao She published by People's Literature Publishing House in 1980s, 1982, restored the original appearance of the old edition. There is a saying in Camel Xiangzi that "money will lead people into a bad society, put aside noble ideals and willingly go to hell." It not only vividly describes that the lower class people, after endless grief, pass on their resentment of social injustice to money. In fact, what is evil is not money, but an unhealthy mentality. It is this distorted cynicism that depicts the social sorrow and human sorrow and constitutes a social tragedy! Language achievements: First, Lao She wrote the bumpy and miserable life of a laborer and a rickshaw puller based on his living environment, what he saw, heard and met at that time, which made readers feel deeply and personally at that time. In addition, readers who are also living in ups and downs can feel that someone understands their experiences and knows how to face their misfortunes. Secondly, Lao She wrote this rickshaw puller truly and nakedly, without any distortion or modification, presenting the exploitation and oppression of laborers in the dark old society of China at that time to the readers completely. This will help government officials who read this book to understand the poor life of workers, thus improving the harm caused to them by the dark old society in China. In addition, readers of other classes can understand the poor life of workers after reading it, thus helping them face various difficulties. Third, Lao She wrote this book in Beijing vernacular. In this way, the reader class of Camel Xiangzi will be wider. Moreover, those citizens whose Chinese level is not high will not be affected by language barriers and cannot understand what Lao She expressed. Lao She is an outstanding "master of language art" and has made great contributions to the development of language art in China vernacular literature. Lao She grew up in a miscellaneous courtyard in Beijing. He also likes local operas and folk arts in Beijing. He is very familiar with Beijing dialect, which is a good foundation for his integration into Beijing local spoken language in his creation. He once said: "Some people criticize me, saying that my literature is not bookish, too vulgar, too poor, and almost vulgar as a driver's pawn;" "I'm not ashamed at all!" However, Lao She did not completely use Beijing dialect in his creation, but refined and processed it by himself. It can be said that this kind of language training effort runs through Lao She's life's creation. Camel Xiangzi is a mature work of Lao She's language art. His language not only retains the liveliness of folk spoken language, but also has the simplicity, agility and mellow artistic language. It is known as "nothing is so simple, natural and pure without the paleness of a student's accent, the melodrama of Taiwanese, and the verbosity of Europeanization". This language can be elegant or vulgar. In Camel Xiangzi, Lao She wrote all kinds of people in civil society in this language, which is very interesting in life. Writing about Xiangzi's experience in torrential rain and scorching sun, and writing about the night in Beihai are full of brushwork, scene blending and rich in texture.
Ideal and reality are always full of contradictions, often irreconcilable, but exist at the same time. Society is realistic, it will not change because of one's ideal, nor will it be perfect. I pity Xiangzi, a camel. I feel very sorry and helpless, but I also admire him. I admire his previous strength and his progress. However, he failed to defeat himself and society, and was defeated after all. Although this is only a novel, it reflects the cowardice of human nature. After all, few people can persist for a lifetime, but we can gradually change in the process of pursuit. After all, what will happen tomorrow? We don't know, but we can grasp today. Camel Xiangzi truly depicts the tragic fate of a rickshaw puller in Beijing. Xiangzi came from the countryside and worked hard to make money. He worked hard for three years and traded his sweat for a rickshaw. But before long, the mutinous soldiers of the warlord took his car away; Then the detective of the reactionary government cheated him of his only savings, and the master evaded the spy's tracking, which made him lose a relatively stable job. Faced with one blow after another, he struggled and still stubbornly wanted to make greater efforts to realize his life dream. But everything was in vain: I bought a car with Tigress's savings and soon had to sell it to arrange Tigress's funeral. His wish was finally completely dashed. His favorite happy suicide blew out the last spark of hope in his heart, and he lost any desire and confidence in life. He changed from aggressiveness to self-indulgence: Xiangzi, who had been upright and kind, was crushed by the millstone of life. Xiangzi is kind and simple, loves labor, and has a camel-like positive and tenacious spirit towards life. He has always been very strong, struggling, unwilling to listen to Gao Ma's words to lend usury, unwilling to covet 60 cars in Si Liu, unwilling to listen to Tigress's words to do small business, all of which show that he thinks that "owning his own car means everything" and does not want to climb up. What he dreams of is to seek an independent life by his own labor. The work describes that after Cao Zhai knocked away his hard-earned money, the detective was most concerned about Mr. Cao's entrustment, because Mr. Cao was a good man in his view; He also described his concern for the grandparents of the old horse and pony, showing his kindness and integrity. The reason why his tragedy can arouse readers' strong sympathy is that besides his social status and unfair experience, these personality characteristics have also played an indelible role. Hard-working and strong people like this have finally become first-class "thorns" and embarked on the road of depravity, which clearly exposed the sin of unreasonable society corrupting people's hearts. The work writes: "The laziness of the bitter people is the natural result of hard work and failure, and the tricks of the bitter people contain some axioms." He added, "Man has improved himself from wild animals, but so far, he has driven his own kind into wild animals. Xiangzi is still in the city of culture, but he has become an animal. It's not his own fault at all. " It is from this understanding that Lao She wrote this tragedy with deep sympathy for those who were insulted and damaged. This makes this work have the power of angry accusation and strong critical spirit, which is deeply branded in the readers' hearts. The novel also describes in detail Xiangzi's efforts to realize his life wishes. As an unconscious self-employed, have you ever seen a grasshopper, despite the urgent need to improve your living conditions? I jump far by myself, but I can't even fly if I am caught by a child and tied with a thread. Fight into a ball, fight into a formation, hum, and eat up the crops in the whole area in a moment. No one can cure it! "Although this formulation is relatively simple, and there is no further specific plot in the works, it can still be seen that this is a brand-new conclusion drawn by Lao She's exploration of the road of liberation of working people, which shows the valuable progress that he did not have in his past works. 3. In the late 1920s, the words Peiping, war, oppression, money, rickshaw pullers ... combined into two words-Xiangzi. Xiangzi camel. Xiangzi, a young farmer from the countryside, abandoned his empty home except himself and came to the city, scrimping and saving every day, desperately pulling the rented car day and night, just to save money to buy a car of his own. Three years have passed through Xiangzi's efforts. He has his own car, so he can't be angry with the owner. He can pull as he wants! The happy days did not last long. Beiping was in danger during the war. Xiangzi, a rickshaw puller, was inexplicably arrested by the warlords. These bitter Xiangzi can endure, but what makes him most miserable and angry is the only sustenance in his life-the new car he bought with three years of hard work and sweat was taken away. Xiangzi went through all kinds of hardships and fled back to Beiping. In the "Renhe Car Factory", he was filled with sorrow and continued to pull rickshaws. After a lot of hardships, when he finally found a relatively stable job of pulling a moon cart in a peaceful and kind family, he lost his stable job because his employer was targeted by spies and was drained of his savings by detectives of the reactionary government in the name of "buying a life". Faced with one heavy blow after another, he still held his head high proudly. He is a youthful, tall and strong Xiangzi! How can you be knocked down by difficulties so easily? He refused to give in. He will use his own strength, blood and sweat to earn food for himself and his wife Tigress! Tigress bought a car for Xiangzi at a low price. Xiangzi thought he had gone back to the past and had to sell it again because of Tigress's funeral. Xiangzi is a kind and upright man, strong and willing to struggle. He didn't want to listen to Gao Ma's advice to loan sharks and covet 60 cars owned by farm owner Si Liu, and he didn't want to listen to Tigress's advice to do small business, because he thought that "if you have your own car, you will have everything". What he dreams of is to seek an independent life by his own labor. He doesn't drink or smoke, and he doesn't have any bad habits, but God still has no mercy on this poor honest man. Numerous blows and setbacks finally shattered Xiangzi's iron spirit. He stopped pulling carts so hard, drinking and smoking, and Xiangzi, who had been kind and upright, disappeared. He only learned to eat, drink and gamble and sell his friends' walking corpses for money. But as written in the work: "The laziness of the bitter people is the natural result of hard work, and there is some axiom in the thorns of the bitter people." Xiangzi's fall was not Xiangzi's fault, but the foul atmosphere of the whole society made Xiangzi, who was originally kind and upright, qualitative. Xiangzi is a tragedy. He used up all his strength and all his pain, but he still came back empty-handed. If Xiangzi had lived in our time, he might not have become such a diaosi. Because he is so strong, so kind and so upright, he can put everything down for his own ideal! We should also learn from Xiangzi's spirit of "difficulty in eating". Although we may not be "masters", we can have a clear conscience as long as we work hard. Xiangzi is an ordinary coachman with distinctive personality, and he has many excellent qualities of working people. He is kind and simple, loves labor, and has a camel-like positive and tenacious spirit towards life. At ordinary times, he seems to be able to tolerate all grievances, but he also has the need to resist in sex. His angry resignation in Yangzhai and his revenge on Si Liu, the owner of the car factory, can illustrate this point. He has always been strong and struggling, which is also a manifestation of his unease about his humble social status. He doesn't want to listen to Gao Ma's advice to loan sharks, covet 60 cars in Si Liu, and do small business according to Tigress's advice. All these show that he thinks that "owning his own car means everything" and he doesn't want to climb up and buy a car as the owner to exploit others. What he dreams of is to seek an independent life by his own labor. This is the humble but legitimate life wish of individual workers. The work describes that after Cao Zhai knocked away his hard-earned money, the detective was most concerned about Mr. Cao's entrustment, because Mr. Cao was a good man in his view; He also described his concern for the grandparents of the old horse and pony, showing his kindness and integrity. The reason why his tragedy can arouse readers' strong sympathy is that besides his social status and unfair experience, these personality characteristics have also played an indelible role. Hard-working and strong people like this have finally become first-class "thorns" and embarked on the road of depravity, which clearly exposed the sin of unreasonable society corrupting people's hearts. The work writes: "The laziness of the bitter people is the natural result of hard work and failure, and the tricks of the bitter people contain some axioms." He added, "Man has improved himself from wild animals, but so far, he has driven his own kind into wild animals. Xiangzi is still in the city of culture, but he has become an animal. It's not his own fault at all. " It is from this understanding that Lao She wrote this tragedy with deep sympathy for those who were insulted and damaged. This makes this work have the power of angry accusation and strong critical spirit, which is deeply branded in the readers' hearts.
After reading the book Camel Xiangzi, I learned what kind of life people lived in the chaotic society at that time. Based on the life of Beijing citizens in the late 1920s, this novel takes the bumpy and tragic life experience of rickshaw driver Xiangzi as the main plot, profoundly exposes the darkness of old China, accuses the ruling class and deeply sympathizes with the working people.
I hope this helps.