My Old Home
 |
| Lu Xun (1881-1936) |
About the author
· Lu Xun is the pen name of the writer born as Zhou Shuern.
· He was born to a family with a strong Confucian background
· He has been considered China’s greatest writer in the 20th century.
· He was a short story writer, essayist and translator who is commonly considered the father of modern literature.
What is the story about?
My Old Home is a story about Xun’s memories, from youth to middle age that depicts the conflict between memories and realities. The story describes how Xun feels while being away from home for many years. Upon arriving at his long-past home, his memories are forced to come to confront with the realities. His prior conceptions and understandings of the world come into conflict with his realities.
Setting
The setting of the story is the narrator’s hometown. As the title suggests, the narrator’s old home. When the narrator arrives after more than twenty years, the village is drab, desolate and devoid of any semblance of life located under a vast and graying sky. For the narrator, it is not as lovely as it is in his memory. He finds no sign of progress within the span of more than twenty years.
Characters
Runtu
Runtu was the narrator’s childhood friend. His father was the narrator’s only one busy-monther. Runtu used to look after watermelon field. He used to hunt zha. Runtu and the narrator were best friend in their childhood. They used to play happily together. When the narrator returned hometown after twenty years, Runtu showed very formal behaviour. He called the narrator ‘Master’ and spoke few words. He was plagued by famine, too many children, harsh taxes, soldiers, bandits, officials and gentryfolk (people belonging to a high social class). Living a hard life, Runtu suffered premature old age. The narrator offered him furniture and other things from his possessions. Runtu selected two long tables, an incense burner, some candlesticks and a set of scales.
Hong’er
Hong’er is the narrator's’s eight years old nephew. He lives with the narrator’s mother in their hometown. He is excited with the narrator’s arrival, so he hurriedly welcomes and greets him. He plays with Runtu’s son, Shuisheng. Shuisheng comes to the narrator’s home with his father.
Mrs. Yang
Mrs. Yang is a woman of fifty. She is second sister Yang who ran the beancurd shop. She used to sit whole day in the Beancurd shop diagonally. People called her the ‘Beancurd Beauty’. She used to powder her face, and her cheekbones weren’t so high, nor were her lips so thin. According to the narrator, she stood in the ‘compasses’ pose. She comes to the narrator’s home and asks for the old furniture.
Understanding the text
a. How does the narrator describe his feeling at the arrival of his old home?
Upon arriving at his old house, the narrator describes his feeling in a disappointing manner. For him, the towns and villages were without interest and colour; they were dull and boring. They were desolate and devoid of semblance of life. He became nostalgic and formed an image of his old countryside which was far more lovely as well as beautiful. What he doesn’t like is there is no sign of progress.
b. What were the three kinds of servants in China then? What does it indicate about contemporary Chinese society?
The three kinds of servants in China were ‘yearlongs’ who worked the whole year long for one family, ‘short timers’ who worked by the day and ‘busy-monthers’ if they tilled their own land but worked for a specific family just during the holidays or when rents were collected.
It indicates that contemporary Chinese society is feudalistic. There is the existence of servants and masters. In other words, the categories of workers are clear indications of inequality and labour exploitation of the poor.
c. What makes the narrator nostalgic? What did he do with Runtu in the teenage?
His mother’s persuasion to meet Runtu made the narrator nostalgic. She told him not to forget to meet Runtu because he asked for him every time he came by. When his mother informed him that Runtu really would like to see him again, a marvelous scene flashed before his eyes. The scene was the reminiscence of his past with Runtu.
He used to enjoy playing with Runtu in the teen age. He wanted Runtu to catch birds and used to play in the snow with him. They used to go out to the beach and collect shells and also used to hunt animals in the watermelons patch.
d. How did Runtu Hunt a Zha in his young age?
When Runtu was twelve years old, he stabbed at Zha with all his might but the crafty animal makes a lightening turn, runs back between his legs and makes its good escape. The animal was in the midst of emerald green watermelons.
e. How does the narrator make a humorous picture of Mrs. Yang?
The narrator made a humorous picture of Mrs. Yang by giving her artistically humorous description. He portrayed her as standing in front of him wearing a pair of trousers, hands on her lips, legs wide apart like a pair of compasses and recalling his childhood when she was called the ‘Beancurd Beauty’. It is because she used to sit whole day in the beancurd shop.
f. According to the narrator, what were different factors that made Runtu a poor man throughout his life?
According to the narrator, famine, having many children, imposition of harsh taxes, soldiers, bandits, officials, gentryfolk and so on were the factors that made Runtu a poor man throughout his life.
g. How does the narrator help Runtu before leaving the old home?
The narrator helps Runtu before leaving the old home by letting him to take whatever he wants from his possessions. Runtu selects two long tables, an incense burner, some candlesticks and set of scales. He also asks for ashes from kitchen stove to be used for fertilizer.
h. How does the author differentiate two kinds of idols?
The author differentiates two kinds of idols by showing his childhood friend Runtu’s belief on superstitions and his belief on hope. Runtu worships superstitious idol, so he takes censer and candlesticks. Hope is not an idol but exists side by side with one’s life. Runtu’s hope of superstitious idol is for something immediate but the narrator’s hope is a long-term phenomenon.
Reference to the context
a. While reading the friendship between the narrator and Runtu, Hindu readers remember the relationship between Krishna and Sudama. Which particular description reminds you of the mythological example?
Krishna and Sudama are childhood friends who promised to cherish their bond forever. Years later, Krishna was of royal background, became richer after being king of Dwarka and married the goddess of prosperity but Sudama didn’t earn much. It became extremely difficult for him to run his family. Being poverty stricken, Sudama went to Krishna’s palace with some beaten rice to ask for his favour. Krishna behaved well as a true friend had to do. Sudama felt hesitated as he thought himself was a Brahmin of low status.
Similar to the case of Krishna, the narrator doesn’t have any class consciousness in their friendship. He remembers his days with Runtu. He can’t stand waiting for Runtu but Runtu calls him ‘Master’ and shows some sort of hesitation. It is because Runtu’s father was a busy monther in the narrator’s family. Thinking that he is of low social status, Runtu speaks few words in a formal manner. This description reminds us of the mythological example.
b. How does the story support the proposition that the relationships of childhood are innocent, impartial and disinterested?
The story supports the proposition that the relationships of childhood are innocent, impartial and disinterested. The narrator and Runtu are childhood friends. In their childhood, no one was class conscious. They used to play together, catch birds and enjoy accompanying each other. They did not have any reservation of being friends. Everything between them was fair and just.
Runtu’s father was the busy monther in the narrator’s family. The narrator and Runtu were good friends. Whenever they have to be separated, they cried. During the time they play together, they were happy and satisfied. Their social status did not work as the barrier to their friendship. The narrator never felt himself superior to Runtu. Runtu also did not hesitate to be with the narrator. But, in their adulthood, Runtu becomes more formal to the narrator. Observing Runtu’s behaviour, the narrator realizes that there is a high and invisible wall all around him that isolates him from his childhood friend.
c. After reading the story, what inferences can you make about contemporary Chinese economic and social system?
After reading the story, we can make inferences about contemporary Chinese economic and social system that inequality is all pervasive. Poor has to serve the rich to earn their livings. There are categories of people in terms of the type of service they involved in such as busy monthers, short-timers and yearlongs.
Contemporary Chinese society is deprived of equal distribution of production. The gap between the rich and the poor is wide. Social status, there, is determined by their economic condition. The voice of poor is unheard of. They speak few in front of the rich. Rich people are considered the people of higher class. Working class people are of lower status and have to be polite and formal to the rich. This concept is evident in the manner shown by Runtu.
d. What does the story indicate about the geographical features of the narrator’s hometown?
The story indicates the narrator’s hometown is located in the countryside because most of the scenes he has presented are of country. His hometown in his memory is far more lovely than the one in the present. The author has given exclusive description of emerald green watermelon field and the beach where the narrator with his friend goes to collect shells. He also talks about bird catching, animal hunting and watching other sea animals. Inclusion of such natural scene suggests that his hometown is located somewhere in the countryside near the sea. It is, in fact, a place of natural beauty and excellence.
The narrator is not satisfied with the present picture of his hometown. He describes it as drab, desolate and devoid of any semblance of life. He finds no sign of progress during the time span of some twenty years. But there is certainly some sort of change as he said that the hometown in the past was more beautiful and pleasant than it is in the present.
