Chueh-hsin is a very important figure in Mr. Ba Jin's Home, and also a very distinctive figure. Mr. Ba Jin once said, "I should spend more ink on Chueh-hsin." It can be seen that Chueh-hsin's weight and decisive position in the author's mind.
You can simply analyze the image of Chueh-hsin. Chueh-hsin's personality can be divided into two stages. The first stage is that he grows up until he graduates from middle school. At this stage, Chueh-hsin has not felt the cruelty of fate, and he is so outstanding. "He was born with a handsome face and was very smart since he was a child. He is loved by his parents at home and praised by his husband in private schools ... He grew up in a loving environment ... He was an excellent student in middle school ... He is very interested in chemistry, and he plans to go to a famous university in Shanghai or Beijing to continue his research after graduation. He also wants to study in Germany. " He grew up in a rich environment and looked forward to a bright future. As written in the book: "His mind is full of many beautiful fantasies. During that time, he was the most envied person of ordinary students. " If there is no big change, Chueh-min will step by step towards his ideal and embark on the smooth road of life.
But fate played a cruel joke on her at this time, and his future changed forever. After graduating from high school, Chueh-hsin entered the second stage of his life. Because of the contradiction between the elders at the mahjong table, he lost his childhood friend and married a woman he didn't know. But this marriage was decided by drawing lots, and this absurd practice changed his life. Studying abroad has also vanished. Then he lived the life that a gentleman should have under the arrangement of his father and began to assume the responsibilities that a gentleman should have. He is not a playboy who only knows how to eat, drink and be merry, but tries to support this family after his father died. Although his shoulders are still so immature, he has been deprived of his youth. He had to face the intrigue of his extended family. "Many visible and invisible arrows began to shoot at him." "Beneath the surface of peace and love, he saw hatred and struggle, and he himself became the target of people's attacks." At first, he didn't choose silence. "He was angry, he struggled, and he thought his behavior was justified. However, the result of the struggle only brought him more trouble and more enemies. " His struggle is fruitless, but it will drag him more tired. So he chose to perfunctory his family. "He sacrificed part of his time to please them, just for a few days of quiet life." He scraped along and gave up his dream. Only when he had children did he see hope and future. However, it is inevitable that he will have to deal with that big family. He adopted "bowing down" and "non-resistance". In fact, this is not his original intention, but his helplessness in the complicated family struggle. Chueh-hsin's tragedy unfolded in this helplessness.
Chueh-hsin's tragedy was not caused by him alone, but by the whole family and society.
The first is Chueh-hsin's own reasons. In the face of things, he chose to escape, too much patience and too much obedience. Even if you sacrifice yourself and your loved ones, you should follow the old traditions. For this reason, his dream of studying abroad was shattered. His beloved Mei married someone else, and finally his beloved wife died in the suburbs. Even before her death, they didn't see each other for the last time. Chueh-hsin once lamented: "We live in such an era that we are only qualified to sacrifice." But his unprincipled obedience sacrificed not only his own happiness, but also the happiness of others and even his life. This is a complete sign of cowardice. "He doesn't say a word of resistance", if it is out of helplessness, then "no resistance" is entirely because of his cowardly character, which is undoubtedly at the mercy of his family. Chueh-hsin's tragedy and his own cowardice are unshirkable responsibilities.
Second, family reasons. First, Chueh-hsin's family status. As the eldest son of the family, he was destined to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the whole family from birth. He is the future of the whole family, and he carries the hope of the family. Family is the center of his whole life, and everything he does should be family-oriented. Therefore, it is difficult for him to look at the whole society, and he will not fight against the evils of society. This special position doomed him not to be as radical as Chueh-hui and not to fight bravely. Second, the ideological roots of Chueh-hsin. This stems from the first point. As the eldest son and grandson of a big feudal family, he is naturally expected to receive a good education, which is also a kind of feudal moral education. The Confucian concept of filial piety has naturally been integrated into his blood. This also put a heavy yoke on him ideologically. In his mind, he doesn't just live for himself, he lives for the whole family. Completely slaves to feudal ethics. Obey the rules of the eldest son. He has completely become a puppet, being played and manipulated, with no mind and no soul.
Finally, social reasons. In the era of the disintegration of feudal society, feudal families like Gao were doomed to decay. The gradual corruption of the family made Chueh-hsin realize that the old tradition it adhered to could no longer support the family, and the great realistic pressure made Chueh-hsin confused. He always thought that the feudal order was unshakable, so he had to stick to it in the chaotic situation.
Chueh-hsin is a man between the old and new systems, and his contradictory situation also causes his contradictory personality.
Chueh-hsin accepted the concept of traditional feudal ethics from childhood, which was completely inherited from his grandfather and father. At the same time, he is in a period of social transformation and is eager to read progressive publications with his younger brothers. "Every night, he and his two brothers take turns reading these books and newspapers, and even the communication bar won't let go easily. They sometimes discuss various issues mentioned in these books and newspapers. " Although his thoughts were not as radical as those of Chueh-min and Chueh-hui, and he was called a supporter of "Liu Bannong's Bowism" and often said that he liked Tolstoy's "non-resistance", his thoughts had gone beyond the feudal ethics, which was a great progress. In this way, he can "combine the theory of" New Youth "with the reality of their big family without conflict. This gave him comfort, so that on the one hand, he was convinced of the new theory, on the other hand, he was in line with the life in the old environment and did not feel contradictory. " It is in this contradiction that he seeks the intersection of ideal and reality. Perhaps only in this way can he find his young heart and not get old too early.
Chueh-hsin's greatest sorrow is the departure of two beloved people.
When he came to Mei's bed and watched her "lying quietly on the bed, eyes closed slightly, hair floating on the pillow, thin face as white as paper", what would his heart feel? Sad? Regret? Sad? But all this is of no help, and nothing can save the fallen young life. Who can accompany lonely people to live alone in a lonely and deserted temple?
What was Jui-chueh's mood when her voice flew into his ear from the window? A dilapidated wooden door finally separated them and never met each other until death. What kind of pain did he feel when he roared outside the door? Two dilapidated wooden doors finally "stopped the last love".
Chueh-hsin regretted it. "What really took away his wife was something else, the whole system, the whole ethics, the whole superstition. All this is on his shoulders, making him bear the pressure for many years, depriving him of his youth, his happiness, his future and the two women he loves. He is beginning to feel too burdened now. He wants to give up. He is struggling. " If this is an ideology, then he can be called practicing this consciousness by helping Chueh-hui leave home. He truly felt that "this family needs a traitor" and sincerely hoped that this decadent family would change.
The typical image of Chueh-min reveals the tragedy that a cowardly individual was destroyed under the oppression of feudal ethics and eventually ruined the happiness of himself and others. He formed a sharp contrast with Chueh-hui, and also showed people a contradiction in their hearts under the background of the alternation of old and new times.
Thinking about home
It took a long time to finish reading Ba Jin's Home. Although I failed to pass the exam, I'm glad I finally read it.
Angry that I was born late, I didn't catch up with that era, and I couldn't appreciate the enthusiasm of the young people in the book. There is no hatred for feudalism because it is not poisoned by it. What I can empathize with in the book are those who feel helpless and even sad about their growth. I'm afraid this is unexpected by the author. But this kind of miscellaneous feeling is not to send some feelings, but to send feelings.
Chueh-hsin and Chueh-hui are two diametrically opposed characters in the book. One resigned to fate, and the other never gave in. Chueh-hsin always wronged himself in order to take care of others' feelings. Chueh-hui insisted that he was right and would not care too much about others. Under the background of that era, the author deliberately put Chueh-hsin in a tragic place to alert the youth, and also shaped Chueh-hsin into a model to awaken the youth and guide them to the road of freedom. But in today's society, in my humble opinion, Chueh-hsin is not necessarily undesirable, and neither is Chueh-hui.
Chueh-hsin cares about the harmony of his family, preferring to suffer a lot for himself, and he has repeatedly wronged himself for other people's ideas. This spirit of fraternity and sacrifice should be an example for the world. Its inadvisability is that it is almost cowardly to resist knowing that others are deliberately hurting, and Jue's death is really a big mistake. People should have the character of love and sacrifice, and it is the foundation of social warmth to think of others in everything, but people who love each other need eyes that distinguish right from wrong. Chueh-hui's personality can't have too many advantages in today's society, and no matter how correct it is, it can't be too attached to itself. Many times, his ridicule and accusation of Chueh-hsin are almost vicious. Nowadays, young people are as self-centered as Chueh-hui. They refused to give in to their friends, brothers and even their parents. They only care about their own joys and sorrows and refuse to think of others at all. Perhaps this is the inevitable development of the times. Old people always sigh that each generation is worse than the next, and the older generation always feels that the next generation's behavior is unreasonable and disrespectful to others. And this reason is mostly reflected in the refusal to hurt others when people get along with each other. In the eyes of the new generation, these are often accused of being smooth. It is true that people are becoming more and more rational and have a stronger sense of rights, and they always refuse to suffer any losses. However, people always live in society, and we must never completely ignore others after we have finished contacting them.
You may find that no matter how angular young people are, they will become more gentle after middle age, which is what the world calls "worldly wisdom", but on the other hand, because people are mature, they find that people must take into account the feelings of others in their communication.
After so much nagging, I found that what I wrote was not so consistent with what I wanted to express. Hehe … I don't want to say more, just one meaning: don't be too self-centered, put yourself in others' shoes and take care of others' feelings. In the final analysis, a harmonious society is the harmony between people.