Melancholic World: Sinking - Book Report/Review Example

Sinking Sinking. This is definitely the best word to describe the melancholic world of the narrator of the story. Being twenty-one, in a foreign land with so much feeling of discrimination being unwanted, he cannot think of any other recourse but to feel bad about the situation, thus the feeling of sinking. The narrator talks about a wall growing thicker and thicker. He seems to isolate himself from the real world. As a stranger or a foreigner in Japan, he feels unwelcome and unwanted by the people around him, especially his classmates. However, in my opinion, such feeling comes from an inner sense of inferiority. Coming from, China, a poor country then compared to Japan, he and his brother were forced to go to Japan to seek for better education, which will eventually lead to a better life. There is so much feeling of anxiousness in his heart. The narrator seems to look at things, always on the negative side. He never seeks for contentment. As he walks back going to his home he begins to feel calm. There seems to be a change of heart, because of the beautiful weather, he vividly described the beauty of the plants and the flowers which seemed to have touched his heart. Indeed, the beauty of Japan is undeniable, that no matter how uncomfortable you are right now, or how unwelcome you think you are, the beauty of the Japanese scenery will even for a while, change your heart and mind. In my opinion, the narrator experiences the terrible sense of home sickness. And the simplicity of his home, compared to the somewhat faster paced Japanese setting makes him feel out of touch. Maybe it is a normal feeling, being so young and being away from home, and imagining the expectations of family members back home, it is sometimes uncontrollable to be hard on oneself. According to the narrator, when all else fails, you can conveniently go back to nature, be in its bosom. And I think this applies to all cultures. When people mention about soul searching, they usually go back to nature, or intoxicate themselves with breathtaking views. Probably because we receive gratification from it without giving up part of ourselves, or with no consideration at all. It is very much for free. And it does not discriminate. Anyone can enjoy it. Whether you are rich or poor, educated or not, its beauty will remain present. And it does not want anything from you. And by looking at or going back to nature, we somehow feel very much in control, mainly because, we have the power over it, no matter how little, we can ruin it, or enhance it, even in our own little way. The narrator seems to experience attention deficit disorder. He reads out of sequence. He grows easily tired of the book. And few days later, he would pick up a new one. His restlessness becomes reflected in his habits and way of life. Whenever his Japanese classmates would joke around, he always thinks that it is at his expense. Thus, the gap between him and his classmates grow everyday. And probably it as his own personal perception of things; it really has nothing to do with how the classmates feel about him. At this stage he begins to sink in his own melancholia. He didn't have the courage to talk to the Japanese girls. He despised himself for not having the courage to do so. He is in agony for being a China man. Despite the fact that the young girls smiled at him, while he was in contemplation in his bed, he felt as if the smile was not meant for him, or the smile was a way of mockery. And again, this maybe because of the fact that he begins to sink in his own melancholia. He is 21 years old, sad and lonely, experiencing the prime of his youth in a foreign place and he cannot express his love of the opposite sex. At one point he feels he needs to find a woman to fill in the gap that he is experiencing, otherwise his melancholia will continue on, A lot of authors say that we have no control over so many things in life, and yet we have full control over how he will react and how we will feel about a certain situation. The narrator's melancholic and depressive mood, is best explained by the fact that he realizes he has no one else to turn to but himself, and yet, he cannot even fully trust himself. Sinking. In my opinion is well-written in a sense because it touches the inner melancholic in each and everyone of us. I think, we all have the tendency to feel this way, and no matter how hard we suppress it, out inner consciousness will remain persistent in reminding us of this sadness. Probably, this feeling matches the time and civilization of early Japan and China, wherein people are very much insecure with each other and with the government. People, who feel that they do not have control over the situation feel like there is no way to save themselves but just sink in their own desperation. The way the story was told was so specific as regards the emotions of the narrator that I would like to believe that this came from the real experience In the Wine Shop This story holds so much nostalgia. It makes feel worried about my future and the things that are bound to come. The narrator of the story has been away from his hometown for ten years, already, traveling from where he used to work to another town, he decided to stop by his home town to reminisce, and hopefully to meet old colleagues, friends and other family members. But to his disappointment, he did not see any familiar face. Even the structures and buildings have already changed. Sometimes we try to reconnect, or we go back to the places we were originally from, not mainly to please ourselves. Sometimes, we do it for the people we love or we care for. And this is basically very common in Asian Culture, wherein the needs and wanting of the parents seem to be an unbreakable law that will forever haunt us if we did not follow it, or do as they pleased. There are different reasons why we cannot let go of the past or sometimes visit it. But In my opinion, in doing so it makes us more aware of our existence and the history of our lives. As for Wei Fu, he primarily came to this old down to move the grave of his young brother who died when they were little, because his mother heard the news that the water in the river has began rising and it has slowly eaten out the graves. Although it took him a long time to come back, since he did not have money, he was determined to come back, for the sake of his mother, who cannot sleep well while thinking about the grave of his other son. When he came to the riverside, to transfer the grave of his brother, he found this strange excitement in him, to finally come close once more with a younger brother who was so fond of him. In my opinion, such thought of somebody, being fond of him, reaffirmed him as an individual, despite the fact that it was just all memories left, those were wonderful memories that can keep him happy for quite a while. When he discovered that the body of the younger brother was no longer there, he still continued with his project, and "pretended" to be transferring the tomb to a better place, all for the sake of giving his mother a peace of mind. It is amazing how people would do whatever it takes to give the people they love some peace of mind. Despite the fact that he had to lie to his mother, it has already served its purpose or it has symbolically given his mother's heart peace. When asked by the narrator about his purpose in the town, he mentioned several times that it was for something futile. Maybe he felt the need to use the word "futile" to save himself from prejudices, and worthless remarks. Or it was his own way of saving his credibility. But I think the reasons he had for coming back were not futile at all. Those were necessary things that must be done in order for him and his family to move forward. Then the same pattern was applied in his story about a girl named Ah Shun. His mother remembers this girl as somebody who dreams of having artificial flowers to put in her head. So when his mother found out he was going to their old town, she asked him to buy flowers for Ah Shun. He took time to find those rare artificial flowers, and with excitement he came to his old town to give the flowers to Ah Shun, only to find our that she has died with the same illness of her mother. And again, he lied to his mother, to give her peace of mind. He said that Ah Shun received the flowers and she was very happy about it. This story is a story within a story. The protagonists, in their conversation, talked about their different reasons and purposes why they are back in this town. The approach in their story is not personal; as if they are back in this town because somebody compelled them to do so, not necessarily because they wanted to. But of course, these are just reasons to save each other from unwanted prejudices. Given that they have been colleagues, they still expect each other to have done well after leaving the town. Thus, they were careful with their words. This story made me feel as if I was one of them in the table, drinking wine. The stories were so detailed, that it made me empathize with the mother, (who is in need of closure), with Ah Shun, who has lost all her hope, and with Wei Fu, who sees his purpose in the town as futile, and with the narrator who, from the eyes of Wei Fu, sees his future with anxiety. My Old Home The narrator has journeyed seven hundred miles to go back to his old home which he left twenty years ago. The main purpose of his visit is to help his mother and family relocate to a new place, since they have already sold their old house. He feels depressed upon seeing the old house. According to him, this isn't used to be their house. The old house was much better. But then he contemplates, that nothing has really changed, only him mood has changed. And it is mainly because, he came back to this place with no illusions. "This time I had come with the sole object of saying goodbye. The old house our clan had lived in for so many years had already been sold to another family, and was to change hands before the end of the year. I had to hurry there before New Year's Day to say goodbye for ever to the familiar old house, and to move my family to another place where I was working, far from my old home town". (Lu Hsun, My Old Home) As he arrives in his home, his mother meets him and gives him a cup of tea. He saw his nephew for the first time and they talked about moving furniture. Some furniture have already been sold, but according to the words of his mother, it is quite difficult to make people pay up. And his mother has mentioned about Jun Tu, a servant boy who used to be his playmate some thirty years ago. As he hears the name of Jun Tu, he begins to recall memories of his childhood; most of it have been happy memories, given that he was a spoiled child. He was very fond of Jun Tu because Jun Tu knew a lot of things about birds and hunting; these things were not known by his other playmates. And he specifically waits for New Years because it is usually the time that Jun Tu comes. Finally he meets Jun Tu. This time, no longer with crimson face, no longer in high spirits. He brought with him his 5th child, and he addresses the narrator as "master". As if the whole world has stopped for Jun Tu, he was no longer the cheerful boy he used to play with. Upon seeing him again, he feels the hopelessness in his eyes. And obviously, although he has become richer, Jun Tu's position has gone worse off. In closing he says that roads are made in this earth, because a lot people pass in one direction. This story symbolizes the silent hopes of the writer. Indeed, a lot of young people from far off provinces dream of going to bigger cities to seek for better life. But once they have somewhat made it and have gone back they become melancholic and feel bad for the people they have left behind. White Dog and the Swings By Mao Yan Mao Yan's White Dog and Swings had its setting set during the heyday of the Chinese Liberation Army. It talks about How two friends ( a girl and a boy) grew up together and shared the adoration for a white dog, which was very rare at that time, and was a sign of luxury. While playing the swings, the girl and the dog caught up in an accident causing Nuan (the girl) to lose her left eye. After ten years, they accidentally meet again the bridge way of their old town. As much as the narrator would like to reach out to Nuan, she spoke without compassion. Nuan, dressed in working clothes and looking somewhat terrible has revealed she has married a mute, and gave birth once but to three boys. The narrator invites Nuan to get together, but Nuan replies that if he wants to find her, he can ask from the villagers where One eye Nuan lives. As he visits her, he meets the mute husband of Nuan who at first was aloof with him. Finally he sees Nuan's three boys whom later on revealed as all mute. Nuan then asks the Narrator, that if they were younger, and she invites him to marry her, will he consent, the Narrator has answered in positive. And it seems from Nuan's last sentences in the story, she has implied that she wants to bear a child again, this time from the narrator, "I was afraid you'd be disgusted, so I bought an artificial eye. It's just the right time of the month'.I want a child that can speak'If you agree, you've saved me..If you don't you've murdered me'There's thousands of reasons and millions of excuses, but you mustn't use any of them on me." (Mao Yan, 62) The author keeps on entertaining the idea of fate. As if it was Nuan's destiny to be one eye, marry a mute and eventually have three children who are also mute. Mao, has focused on every woman's desperation, who at that time has suffered from societal discrimination, and distress. As if there is nothing left for her to do. I cannot imagine myself to be the only member of the family who can speak. And being a parent, you see your legacy through your children. And you want to be vindicated, somehow through your children. Mao Yan's story in my opinion is simple, yet very piercing. These are ordinary problems and desperation blown up to extraordinary ways. He used so much metaphors and capitalized in the existing intimate relationship between the two protagonists. A Wordless Monument By Quiao Dianyun A Wordless Monument is a story about a village in distress. In distress, because during this period of revolutions, villagers were so desperate that they had nobody else to turn on their angst but to each other. One day, revolutionary officers consented the desecration of an ancient tomb. This tomb, was destroyed by villagers and in return a bridge was build on it. One villager, named Xu Shuge however, thought of rubbing a stone as marker of the former tomb. Later on the military has tortured him by pulling his beard. Years later, some high ranking military officers came to the town to look for the tomb. Apparently, it was a National Treasure. Because of Xu Shuge's marker, they managed to find it and he was given 500 dollars as reward. The towns people who were filled with envy, spied on him and kept on following him. They ruined his garlic plantation and even put dog manure on his doorstep In the end Xu Shuge used the money to build the town a new bridge. In my opinion, the author used so much negative energy in this story. It was full of biases, and has almost given up on the idea of good faith. It seems as if everything, though it appears good at first glance, is disguised with malice. Probably this was written during the time that any idea of goodness has been absent for quite long. There is so much need for villagers to release their aggression; they do this by inflicting violence amongst themselves, or to any physical structure. Wordless monument, depicts a silent reminder about the identity of the town. No matter how hard they give up on it, it can never happen, because it will forever be part of who they are. Read More