Top 8 Analytical essays on the father and mother in “Living and dying while flying” by Pham Duy Ton

The first national language prose was contributed by Pham Duy Ton. His short story Life and Death is one of the achievements of early realist literature. The story was written in July 7, published in Nam Phong newspaper, December 1928, 18.

There are two or three sections of the dyke of village X, belonging to the government of X, which have leaked out. While the water of Nhi Ha River keeps rising, there is a risk of dyke breaking. Outside the drums reverberated, hundreds of people struggled with nature from afternoon until nearly one o’clock at night to protect the dyke. It was raining non-stop, the river water kept rising and rising, people’s strength seemed to be exhausted, but in the communal house, the lights were brightly lit, and the mandarins sat majestically.

Soldiers standing next to each other scratching, fan, and cigarette… Beside him, on the left hand side, a bowl of sugar-steamed oats is placed in a tray of smoky mosaics. Around the collapse, there are all kinds of teachers, team teachers, second-in-command teachers, and chief of staff. All are gathered to play shrimp nest. This scene completely contrasts with the scene outside the dyke, where hundreds of people are working hard, washing the wind and showering in the rain, like swarms of ants on the dike.

It is clear from the two scenes that we see that this is an irresponsible official in front of the life and death of hundreds of people. He only knows how to enjoy life for himself. Outside the dike, people are facing the danger of strong and extremely aggressive flood water every hour. The one wearing the soil, the other carrying the bamboo, embankment, embankment, and mud under the mud, the ten winds are gliding, wet like a rat.

However, Quan’s father and mother were majestic and dignified in the family. Bowl of books, lost literature… sometimes quickly, sometimes drill very rhythmically. Outside, the swarm of ants burying themselves in the rain is not as good as in the communal house with high and low cards. Quan is like being absorbed by magic power into one hundred and twenty black and red cards, but forgetting about the lives of good people, it’s pitiful. All year round, the mandarin does not know the life of the people and the work he is in charge of, under the mandarin’s chair there are many flatterers hugging their legs and obeying.

They even competed with each other to show their cards to the big officials that: I can enter, but I don’t dare to try to eat pliers. That: I have a couple, but I don’t dare to go overboard. It turned out that they were already floating for the mandarins” (won 2 games in a row). So, how do you remember your mission? Moreover, in the communal house, it is high, the lights are on, how dare you go down to that muddy, muddy place that night. Those people we call fireflies, wipe each other very skillfully.

Then the next game of cards, the mandarin had just finished the bowl of oats, stroking his beard and shaking his thighs. He just stared at the plate of cards waiting to draw a card for him to take. Suddenly, someone quietly said that it is easy to break the dyke, and the mandarin “ignored it”. Outside the loud screams of people, the sound of chickens and buffalos ringing in all directions, a wet countryman rushed to say “the dyke is broken”.

And then as if without thinking, the officer was harsh, abdicating the responsibility “he will be separated from her, imprisoned” … and then continue the unfinished game. The great mandarins let the dyke break, the people run wild, the little creatures will be swept away by the floods. Which is the parent of the people, which is to take care of the people, to love the people. The faces of the feudal mandarins appeared more clearly than ever.

Do you know that after the game is buzzing, when the water overflows, swirls into the abyss, the door of the house, the living people have no place to live, the dead lose their bodies… Alas! Do people know who to trust? The short story reminds us of “Dong Hao has a ghost” by Nguyen Cong Hoan.

The adopted son was a thief, reported the theft, not only did he fail to report the theft, but he was also intercepted by Mr. Huyen Hinh’s mandarin with extremely dirty tricks. The ghost of Huyen Hinh blatantly ate the people’s blood and bones. And here, the patriarch who loved the people abandoned the broken dyke and denied responsibility.

Live and die in flight – the name of the short story has deeply shown the face of the father and mother who is irresponsible with his work, despite the people facing death and he is only worried about not being able to play the game, Mr. just live and die. With contrasting art, the author exposes and condemns the irresponsible, callous, inhuman behavior of the mandarins, who despise people’s lives. They only care about gambling and exploiting black people to the bone marrow.

Through this short story helps us to deeply sympathize with the suffering of farmers in the old society. At the same time, it makes me even more hateful and disgusted with dishonorable officials. They are vermin, visiting that society must always purge. The short story “Living and dying while flying” has profound contemporary realism value.

Pham Duy Ton is the best short story writer of the early XNUMXth century. Among the works he left behind, “Living and Dying Despite Flying” is the most typical short story, the work clearly shows the humanitarian spirit through condemning the irresponsible, inhuman attitude that does not care about life and death. to the peasants of the mandarin class in the old society. Reading the work, readers feel discontent and hatred for the man named mandarin – the “parent” mandarin of the people.

The work is set in the flood season on the village of X. In the middle of the night, farmers struggle with rain and floods to save the dike: “Nearly one o’clock at night. It was raining heavily. Nhi Ha river water rose too big; the dyke section Village X, belonging to government X, seems to be very awkward, two or three sections of the dyke have been soaked for a long time, if not, they will break.” The lives of “people” in the whole region are in serious danger. “Some people have spades, some people have hoes, some people wear dirt, some people carry bamboo” everyone glides like a rat.

As a district official of the people, they should have stood by the people’s side and supported the people. Or at least meeting with dignitaries to discuss how to deal with it. But no, when all the black people are rushing to take care of the dyke, the mandarin is sitting in the communal house. “About four or five hundred yards away. That communal house is also in the dyke, but it’s high and stable. Even if the water is so big, it doesn’t matter”, in the communal house “the lights are bright”, “the soldiers’ uniforms, servants and servants are bustling around.”

In the midst of that joyful and joyful scene, the district mandarin became the center with a dignified, noble demeanor: the majesty and majesty of the mandarin “seated” “Left arm resting on the knee, right leg stretched out, letting the person’s name be given his name. The family knelt on the ground and scratched. A tearful soldier stood beside him holding a feather fan and would wave from time to time. The man standing with his arms crossed was waiting for the fire.

Beside him, on his left hand, a bowl of oats steamed with alum sugar, a casket of tortoiseshells, a silver medicine tube on either side, a gold watch, and countless other luxurious and noble items.” Quan seemed to be unaware of the plight of the people. That irresponsibility makes the reader unhappy and not understand why someone is so unknowing. As a person who is often indifferent to the tragic plight of the people, it is impossible, let alone, this is a mandarin!

The inhuman nature, the “living and dying” lifestyle of the district officials has gradually revealed. Rain and wind and the lives of thousands of people are not as noticeable as one hundred and twenty black and red cards. The atmosphere in the communal house is still very quiet, only sometimes hear the mandarin calling “die”, “da”, “picking”, “Bat books! Eat”, “Seven literature … phoenix” … The pleasure of gambling, red and black magic made the mandarins lose their conscience and humanity.

“The river water is not as dangerous as the high and low cards”, the comparison image shows the destruction of the conscience of the scoundrels. Finally, the dyke broke. Quan’s face was red, “the dyke was broken when he was far from your neck”. Then, calmly turned around and asked the teacher: “What are you doing?” The “loud” game. Quan was happy, gloating, exultant and at that same time “water overflowed, swirled into a deep abyss, houses drifted ice, rice fields were flooded”…

At this point, it is no longer discontent but hatred and resentment that has welled up. The name of the father and mother is too much a person to destroy the conscience, the heart of the wolf. He thought that there was no more humanity and humanity in his veins.

Building the image of a character named mandarin and father, Pham Duy Ton wanted to denounce the wrong forces, feudal dignitaries with a selfish and cruel nature who had no responsibility for the people’s lives. Leaving the people in the scene of “life and death wearing flight”, miserable and miserable, that has created the realistic and humanitarian value for the first flower of the modern Vietnamese short story.

The extremely dark life of the Vietnamese people in the countryside as well as the evil and despicable nature of the mandarins during the feudal colonial period … have been reflected clearly and truthfully in many realistic literary works. . In those literary works, readers cannot forget the image of the name of the mandarin and mother in Pham Duy Ton’s story of Living and Dying. It was a mandarin who went to protect the dyke, but because he was addicted to gambling, had no conscience, and had no sense of responsibility, a tragedy happened – the dyke broke – a terrible disaster for the good people.

The dyke resounded with the sound of drums beating continuously to encourage hundreds of thousands of villagers from afternoon to nearly one o’clock at night to try to preserve it by building up the dyke. In the sky, the rain was still pouring down. Down in the river, the water kept rising. Human strength versus water power.

However, in the pavilion, the lights were brightly lit, the father and mother sat stooping, majestically on the stall, the left hand resting on the knee, the right leg stretched out to let a family member kneel on the ground and scratch. A tearful soldier stood by, holding a feather fan, waving from time to time, another standing with his arms crossed, waiting for a cigarette (lighting a cigarette). Quan is so relaxed, how peaceful it is!

And yet, on the outside, on the left hand side, a bowl of alum sugar oats is placed in a mosaic tray, the smoke drifts … Around the stall, there are all the faces of the teacher, the team teacher, the second teacher, the chief bookkeeper at. All are gathered to play shrimp nest. This scene makes the reader both sad and angry.

What two separate worlds. At nearly one o’clock at night, everyone was gliding like a rat, making it difficult for humans to compete with the power of heaven, yet the mandarin did not pay any attention to that dike job, while he had the duty to keep the children. dike safety, protect property and lives for villagers. Obviously, this is a mandarin who is irresponsible before the life and death of the people, he only knows how to enjoy and live happily for himself.

He is even more inhuman when all the people are trying to fight every hour and every minute between the life and death of the dyke, he is also fighting every hour and every minute with the shrimp nest games with the gang. Outside, the dyke is bustling and noisy with the exchange of Eight books! An; That literature… Phong at times is fast, when drilling is really rhythmic and comfortable. Outside, the dyke broke the dyke surface, no matter how high the river water is, it is not equal to the high and low water.

Is it possible that the other hundred and twenty black and red cards have a great magic power that makes the man fascinate and forget how many lives and property of the people are waiting for him! But yes, he doesn’t need to know anymore because around him, there are people around him who always show flattery, servants, yes…

They even told the official that I could enter, but did not dare to try to eat pliers, that I had a pair but did not dare to pass. It turned out that they had sunk the bait for the mandarin (won two consecutive games). Like that, I like it so much, I’m so happy, how can I remember what else? Besides, in the high communal house, the lights are on, but if you go down there, will the mandarins be wet like a rat? And then we didn’t have the opportunity to serve the mandarin, make the man happy? The responsibility of the mandarin and us is like that?

Another game continues. Quan just finished eating the bowl of oats, stroked his beard, and shook his thighs. He looked at the venom plate (the plate containing the cards) to wait for his turn to stroke the cards. He was contemplating waiting for someone to draw a card for him to take – he would be loud. Suddenly, someone softly told Bam that it was easy to break the dyke! Aggressively Ignore and order to continue…

Outside, there was a loud cry, the sound of chickens, dogs, buffaloes, cheers, and chirping in all directions. A countryman whose clothes were wet, rushed in: Bam… big man… dike broke!. The big man shouted:.. When the dyke broke, he slit your throats, when he imprisoned you… Where would the soldiers dare to let it run in here, there are no rules anymore?… Throw it out. After that noisy red face, what is the Master’s voice? Yes, I haven’t picked it yet. Then just go!… Chi… chi.

The mandarin’s voice was loud and happy, he clapped his hands really hard: Here it is, that’s it!. Quan spread his cards out, laughing happily: Thom tom, chi chi bouncing! Bitch you. It turned out that he was still bad at the game, or had not finished the meeting, even though the heavens were full of landslides, crushing the drifting people, he also saw the shelves. At this point, our hearts shrink, that’s their true face!

Do you know that when you play a big game, everywhere the water overflows, swirls into a deep abyss, houses drift ice, when your cheeks are flooded… The living have no place to live, the dead have no place to bury, floating on the water surface? … a terrible disaster for the good people – is this the achievement of the father and mother who took care of the dike at that time?

Living and dying in flight is the name of a short story, but it clearly reflects the ugly and inhuman face of a mandarin and parent under the French colonial period. He lived a frugal life, knowing only black and red gambling – that was his joy, his happiness. Holding a great position – father and mother, but no need to know the responsibility, no need to worry about the people, he only knows how to satisfy, his hobby is despite the good people suffering so much pain and suffering because the dyke breaks is to lose everything. . He only knows how to live and die. That attitude must be for a moment, for a moment, but it is the essence, the wandering heart of the inhuman mandarins.

The story helps us to understand and deeply sympathize with the misfortunes of the people in the old society. The more we understand, the more disgusted we become with the old inhuman mandarin face. They are just worms and worms that cause pain to good people. And I hope that in this new society, those who are holding high positions will live properly as servants of the people, knowing how to take the people’s happiness as their own. Perhaps that is also the common dream of all people today.

Before the August Revolution, people’s lives were always miserable and miserable. Indeed, in front of that scene, there were many poets and writers who could not hold back their anger and sympathy for the small lives. We know the misery of exploitation through Ngo Tat To’s work “Lights out” and the alienation and metamorphosis of a person from an honest farmer to a demon rejected by human society. “Chi Pheo” by Nam Cao. But that is not all, and the peak of the rotten misery of the old society is sharply expressed by the image of the father and mother through the short story “Living and dying despite flying” by Pham Duy Ton.

Surely just by reading the title of the story, we can imagine a part of the story’s content. As a mandarin, a person who gets to eat on a daily basis, someone who lives on taxes on the blood of the people who should be taking care of the people’s lives, but in the end, the people have their own people to take care of themselves, the rich mandarins enjoy the benefits. And that was also the rotten face of the inhuman society at that time.

The story begins with disturbing details about the condition of a dike. About one o’clock at night, it rained heavily. The water of Nhi Ha river is so big, the dyke of the village…belongs to the government… it seems so awkward, two or three sections have been secretly smuggled, if not clever, it will break. Faced with this dangerous situation, hundreds of people are trying their best, some with spades, some with hoes, some with earth, with bamboos, wading through the mud like a rat, to save the dike. is on alert.

Although he tried his best, no man’s strength could be compared with the strength of heaven. Although people are exhausted, tired, despite the chaos of space due to the sound of drums and snails, the fierce nature continues its work, the rain is still pouring down, the water level is below The river quickly rose, making the situation even more dangerous. If this continues, the dyke will fall into a critical situation, the lives of hundreds of thousands of small people will be buried in the flood water.

Times like this really need a leader, need a great resource to protect the dyke, maintain the survival of people, but apart from the poor, poor people who are struggling to cope. To find a way to live, there is no one to support or help. Near the dike, about four or five hundred yards away, there is a communal house, which is also located on the surface of the dike, but high and solid, if the dyke is accidentally broken, it will not cause any damage. And that high and safe place is where the parents, who are the parents of the people, are enjoying their rich life.

In the old days, being a great mandarin was to eat on the couch for a while, to live without having to think about it. That’s right, regardless of the natural system, regardless of the struggles and struggles of the people, it’s not the mandarin’s business, that’s not enough to attract the attention of the cold-blooded, unwitting people. After reading it, we are filled with discontent, resentment and contempt.

All grievances are directed towards the name of the father and mother. It was an irresponsible man, a gambling henchman, indulged in extravagant luxury. But if only at this point, he was no different from the mandarins or the rich aristocrats at that time, the most miserable thing was that he was the one who sat on the soft mattress, the one carrying the water, the servants around full of letters. while the whole villagers are struggling to fight with the dike to protect crops and protect lives.

What is his responsibility, he was instructed to come down to this area to do what, perhaps he has forgotten because now his head is only full of drunken smoke and how much money he will win in that gambling game. .

The image of the father and mother now becoming an evil father, heartless to see his people, whom he is exploiting to eat for a while, they are also compatriots, the people with him, but now when he becomes When I was a big man, he immediately forgot the day’s love.

He was sent down to help the people but just like a puppet, he was like a tyrant who was carrying out orders no matter what was around, the people below were just like slaves and hard work was a duty. what they had to do, he was indifferent and uncaring with no mercy or concern.

Every second and every minute that passes, people have to struggle with nature, the situation is like a thousand pounds hanging by a hair, but that hardship is not worth worrying about as the thrill of the game he is playing. If only he could devote himself to the people’s business with a part that he enjoys gambling, how good it would be. He put all his energy into gambling and it was a great concentration, a great effort to win the game.

Indeed, when the dyke was in extreme danger and someone guessed that “it’s easy to break the dyke”, he calmly “ignored”. The climax of the bastard is when someone rushes in to report the broken dyke, he yells angrily, “The dyke is broken, when he cut your throats, when he imprisoned you!…” . He was angry, not because the dyke broke, but about the henchman running in to break the game in his winning position, he put all the responsibility on those who were trying to save the dam, he didn’t care. to regret.

The climax of the irony that the author puts into the work is when the dike is broken, the water is flooded all over the fields and houses, the “respectable” official has a game of cards, he shouts with joy, much money finally returned to his hands. His joy was evident on his despicable face, he lived trampling on so many lives, so many people had to struggle to make a living and pay blood taxes to let him play. And he was a representative representative of the inhuman ruling class in society at that time.

This is the corrupt side of society that everyone knows, everyone wants to fight to erase it, many people stand up to fight against that corrupt regime, but just in time to rise up, they are tragically suppressed, they suppressed the people’s intention to revolt from their thoughts, there were many unfortunate sacrifices, but in the end nothing was in vain. In the end, people were also lit by the Party with a light to guide the way to fight for the inherent freedoms of people that they should have enjoyed.

In the work “Living and dying despite flying”, author Pham Duy Ton skillfully used contrasting measures to reveal the true nature of the mandarin class at that time, they were inhuman, disregarding the life of the people. Live a life, enjoy gambling. And that was also the dark side of society at that time, people with low throat always lived in poverty, suffered from oppression and had no human rights.

The rich and powerful are the masters of society, they make their own laws and force others to obey them, their inhumanity has made them lose their humanity, they are just attractive demons. blood no more no less. But then every pain will come to an end and a better age will come to people, there will be no more pain and loss, no longer being crushed to the extreme of suffering, life will be less wrong. coal and suffering.

Closing the work, we can still hear the screams, the pitiful cries of the poor people, they are pitiful little people and brutally trampled by the ruling class. But this pain will eventually come to an end, indeed, people have stood together to stand up against the heartless and bossy rulers when the light of the Party illuminates the way.

Life will return to its true meaning, society will no longer distinguish between riches, and no one laughs at other people’s sorrows. That is society, a world worth living in.

“Character is the mainstay of the short story” (To Hoai). Through the character, the writer not only conveys his thoughts, feelings, love and hate attitudes, but also shows his artistic talent to build his unique character.

Coming to Pham Duy Ton’s short story Living and Dying, One can recognize that one of the main characters, conveying the author’s thoughts and talents, is the image of a government official going to the dike. The writer’s detailed, vivid and skillful description has created a typical portrait of the feudal mandarin class in the early twentieth century.

The image of the government does not appear at the beginning of the work, but at the beginning of the work is the scene of hundreds of thousands of peasants with “muddy hands and feet, hundreds of thousands of fears, with their weak bodies to cope with the heavy rain. to protect the life of the ship’s crew”. In the scene of hundreds of people in that scene of heaven and earth, where is the government? the writer’s artistic lens shoots close-up “in the communal house, the lights are brightly lit; soldiers, servants of strangers, bustling about.”

As for our “father and mother” they “sit majestically” on the ledge, “the left hand rests on the knee, the right leg stretches out, letting the family member kneel on the ground and scratch. A tearful soldier stood by, holding a feather fan, which would wave from time to time. Another guy stood with his arms crossed, waiting for it.” With just a few sketches of that scene, that posture, we can guess the rich, rich and leisurely life of the mandarin while on duty to protect the dike.

In addition, the writer’s pen also depicts more deeply and in more detail the objects in the mandarin’s room: “Beside him, on the left side of his left hand, a bowl of oats steamed with rock sugar, placed in a mosaic tray, the smoke rose in the air. , the box of rectangular lips is open, the silver compartment is full of golden betel nut, areca nut, purple root, on both sides there is a silver medicine tube, a gold watch, a banana knife every day the tube is touched, ear pick, medicine pot, pens, cotton swabs…”.

If it is said that the object represents the person – its owner – it can be said that, through the objects around the manor, the author wants to show the number way: flowers, enjoyment of the mandarin. And certainly, the mandarin showed a relaxed and delighted look in his warm bed, full of luxurious food and servants waiting around to serve him. While it was raining and windy outside, people were confused in the scene of “boiling water”, “inside it seems to be quiet and very solemn”. The “quiet and solemn” of the place where the government is conducting an “important event” is playing shrimp nest.

Not only describing the scene to highlight the character’s status and personality, the author also focuses on describing the language of the character’s father and mother. The character does not talk much, only occasionally speaks, but most of them are majestic and majestic orders with the staff, soldiers and teachers, the chief general. When it is a powerful command: “Dieu, you!”.

When it is a commandment, urging the teacher to leave: “If you eat or not, pick it up!”, then: “Then pick it up!”. In particular, the author focuses on the posture, attitude and angry slurs of the great mandarin when a villager bursts in to report the broken dyke:

“The big man’s face turned purple, turned around and shouted:

– Let it break! … Let it be broken, when he was far away from you, when he imprisoned you! Do you know? … Where are the soldiers? How dare you let it run in here like that? No longer allowed to switch anything else?

………….

Get him out of the way!”.

Why is the big man so angry? It turned out that the villagers dared to break into the communal house without knowing the rules. Moreover, because the other villager interrupted the mandarin’s game while the mandarin was waiting for the card. The crime of that person is great! If they are broken, the mandarin will “remove the neck”, will “abandon” them. The “furious anger” of the father and mother must have scared many people!

And even more terrifying was the indifference, coldness and indifference of the government when he returned and asked the teacher to leave: “What do you see?” It’s as if the mandarin didn’t hear the urgent news from those black people. It seems to him, “a hand of cards is as high as a dozen dikes, flooded fields!”, “if you still fail to finish the game or finish the meeting, even if the heavens fall, the earth will fall, the dyke will break and people will drift away, you will also see the shelf”.

The dramatic climax of the story is in the details of the ending, depicting the image of the mandarin when his post is loud:

“The big man clapped his hands and shouted loudly:

– Here it is! … But again! Then he quickly spread the cards, smiling and saying:

– YES! Pine shrimp, chi chi bouncing!… Dieu, you!”

And “while the great officials were resenting such big cards, everywhere in that region, the water was overflowing, swirling into a deep abyss, houses were floating, and rice fields were flooded; the living have no place to live, the dead have no place to bury, floating on the water, a lonely shadow…” What a tragedy that is both painful and infuriating!

Thus, the father and mother clearly appeared in the work, not only showing indifference and irresponsibility, but also exposing the cruel, inhuman nature, “the heart of the beast”. As “parents of the people”, but the government considers the life and property of all peoples not equal to one of his cards.

Putting the character in conflict, dangerous, dramatic situations to let the character reveal his own attitudes and behavior, Pham Duy Ton has shown a sharp, mature, and expressive narrative pen. imprinted with modern Western literary art of the XNUMXth century.

Above all, through the portraits of the mandarins, the writer has shown his anger, harshly condemning the mandarin, or is also typical for a part of feudal mandarins in the first half of the century. XX, both irresponsible and inhumane, is ready to trample on all the poor people to enjoy a luxurious and selfish life. The title “Living and dying while flying” of the work is also the words, the attitude of the father and mother towards the poor people in the scene of natural disasters, the loss of their home and the loss of their home.

With “Living to Die and Fly”, Pham Duy Ton is recognized as one of the outstanding critical realist writers in the twenties of the twentieth century, who laid a solid foundation for the critical realist literary movement. Vietnam period 1930-1945 with prominent authors such as Nguyen Cong Hoan, Ngo Tat To, Vu Trong Phung, Nam Cao, Nguyen Hong…

And the image of the mandarin in this short story can be seen in the feudal mandarins in realist literature of the later period, in the Ba Kien, Nghi Hac, Nghi Dai, Hinh district… The work is indeed valuable. realism and deep humanity.

Pham Duy Ton (1883 – 1924) was one of the first writers to lay the foundation for the modern short story genre. Under his pen, the image of the working people and the regime of our country at that time appeared in a very real way. Those are the poor, hard-working farmers who always have to worry about their lives, and the people who are the parents who should care and care for their people do not care. to the lives of the people who depend on them. They are indifferent, apathetic, only enjoying what belongs to them. And those images were described clearly and sharply through the work of Living and Dying in Flying, and prominently in it was the character named the mandarin.

Right at the beginning of the work, the author focuses on describing a scene of extreme urgency and tension. It is a picture of small farmers trying their best to hold on to the dyke to prevent the water from breaking on a night of heavy rain and wind. Thousands of farmers with their hands and feet covered in mud, no matter who they are, have to fight the flood with very rudimentary means. natural disasters, floods”.

In such a situation, anyone feels urgency and anxiety, the first thing that readers feel curious about is the absence of pictures of the parents and guardians anywhere. At that time, the image of the mandarin appeared. It turned out that while the weak and weak people with rudimentary tools were trying their best to keep the dike, the mandarins and the powerful were playing cards together.

In a magnificent setting, officials and people in power were playing cards together, not even paying attention to what was happening outside. When a servant reported, even the mandarin pretended that nothing happened, still deliberately continued to play with a very calm attitude. The whole work follows a steadily increasing rhythm. When the farmers out there are working together to fight the flood, but it is not an easy thing.

Without specialized items or with the help of the government, the efforts of so many people are just difficult things, fighting with stones with eggs. And what is to come has come. According to the increasing rhythm, every time the water rises, the dike weakens, every time the mandarin wins a game with increasing noise. When the people needed the mandarin the most, he was indifferent to everyone’s suffering.

Quan is even enjoying a happy life “beside him, on his left hand, a bowl of oats steamed with alum sugar, placed in a mosaic tray, the smoke rose. Around him were all the teachers, team teachers, second-in-command teachers, the chief of staff. All are gathered to play shrimp nest.” From one game to another, the mandarin could only sit and shake his thighs and enjoy.

There were slaves whispering “mandarin, it’s easy to break the dyke”, but he didn’t even think about anything. He seemed to be fascinated by his black and red cards and flatters. That shows how selfish and irresponsible the image of the new parent is. When the mournful and tragic sounds caused by the levee breaking, the official received the news, he not only ignored it, but also shied away from his responsibility, causing “he will distance her, imprison you” and then continued his game despite how many people were being swept away.

Then, when the mandarin won his biggest game, the people were being swept away by the flood currents. There is suffering that cannot be called out to anyone. Even those who were educated at the mandarin’s side did not tell him anything but just stayed by his side.

The image of such mandarins is the worms in the old feudal society. Those are the most unscrupulous and selfish people. The mandarins who should be the ones who know how to love their people, take care of their people’s lives, did not have any action to show that. For them, the only thing that matters is the best way to enjoy life.

That made the low-income working people have to endure many hardships and hardships. They should have received attention and care from their parents, but now those people are oppressing and exploiting them more than anyone else, so that when the mandarins finally get the biggest game, it’s time for them to come. people suffer the most loss and suffering.

Through the work of Living and Dying with the image of the mandarin and mother, we can see the epitome of the old feudal society and the difficulties that the peasants had to endure. At the same time, it also makes the reader hate the people who have caused people to fall into such a difficult situation now.

Pham Duy Ton (1883 – 1924), one of the best short story writers of the early XNUMXth century. Among the works he left behind, life and death are the most typical short stories and are considered as one of the opening works for the trend of realist literature in our country. Pham Duy Ton has successfully portrayed the image of the “father and mother” character and thereby denounced the irresponsible behavior of the contemporary mandarins.

At the beginning of the story, the author describes the extremely dangerous situation of the people: “It was almost one o’clock at night. It was raining heavily. Nhi Ha river water was too big; the dyke of X village, belonging to the X palace, seemed so shaky. very long; two or three paragraphs have been examined for a long time, if not clever, they will break.” The lives of the people of the whole region are in serious danger.

The scene of hundreds of thousands of people struggling to cope with the flood was urgent and hard. Drums beat in rapid succession, snails blow anise shells, folk people “Some people use spades, others use shovels, some wear soil, some carry bamboo, some people build embankments, they swam under the mud, flooded past their elbows, who they are? glide like a rat.”

In the face of a critical situation, the mandarin – “the parents of the people”, who was responsible for urging the people to protect the dike, was standing in the communal house, about four or five hundred meters away, also on the dyke surface but high and high. steadiness. Outside, the people are weak and weak to fight against the water, in the pavilion the lights are brightly lit, the soldiers, the servants, and the servants are bustling about.

Quan is still leisurely, leisurely, and doesn’t care at all about the tragic feelings of the people. The scene in the communal house still maintains the majestic atmosphere of the usual public place, having no connection with the people’s outside dyke protection scene. The author intends to set up two sharply contrasting scenes to denounce the irresponsible behavior of the contemporary mandarins.

Readers cannot imagine in the situation of “thousands of pounds hanging hair” of hundreds of thousands of people’s lives, but “parents” still calmly enjoy! The mandarin is still standing in the middle of the collapse, “the left hand rests on the knee, the right leg stretches out so that a family member kneels on the ground and scratches…” And a whole bunch of servants served the mandarin, some fanned, the child folded his arms to wait for a cigarette.

It wasn’t enough, he was surrounded by many luxurious and luxurious things to serve his enjoyment, such as bowls of oats steamed with alum sugar, golden betel nut, areca peas, purple roots, silver medicine tubes, gold watches.. cotton swab wallet. While “human strength can hardly be compared with the power of heaven! The dike can’t resist the water! Worry! Unfortunately! This dike is broken”, the gang members are sitting at the same table serving the big table.

Through this scene of playing cards, the author has exposed the inhuman nature of the name of the district mandarin “Live and die while flying”. It was a game, playing cards again while on duty as a foreman, but the mandarin still kept the order from above and the atmosphere of respect and dignity. Outside, the rain and wind rumbled, the people were confused, hundreds of them were soaking in the rain like worms and ants… the mandarin was still leisurely, leisurely, all his mind was focused on this moment. 120 cards.

The atmosphere in the communal house is still quiet and dignified, sometimes only the mandarin’s voice calls “diet”, “da”, “smiling”, “sat Van… Phong”. The pleasure of gambling, the red and black magic of the game, made him lose all conscience; “If you still fail to play the game, or have not finished the meeting, even if the heavens and the earth fall, the dykes break and the people drift, you will still die.”

Such irresponsible and callous behavior is the end! The game continues, there is great danger outside the dyke, a scene of thousands of sorrows and sorrows is about to be born, but the mandarin is still leisurely “hey, hey, the dyke is broken, the river water is dangerous, not equal to the high and low cards … “, “a high hand is not equal to dozens of dikes, flooded fields …”.

A comparison, thinking to the bottom of the conscience. The lives of hundreds of thousands of people are as good as trash, not equal to the black and red fun of a game of cards! The game was coming to an end, he had just finished eating a bowl of oats, sitting smugly stroking his beard, shaking his thighs nervously, waiting for disaster to happen. The sound of the sky rose to the ground, everyone was startled, but the mandarin was still calm and still did not lower the card. The card game is about to be “buzzing” and that’s when the dike is about to break. “The dyke is about to break”, the mandarin said: “Ignore it” and then calmly changed his sitting position and turned to tell the teacher to say “If you eat or not, pick it up!”

The dyke broke, the people’s cries of sorrow, the rushing sound like rushing, the sound of chickens, dogs, buffaloes and cows resounded in all directions. Quan blushed and shouted: “The dyke broke, when he cut your throats.” And calmly turned around and asked the teacher: “What are you picking?” The big “buzzing” game, the mandarin happily clapped his hands and collapsed, laughing gloatingly, exulting, that was also the time everywhere “water was overflowing, houses were floating, the living had no place to live, the dead had no place to live. burial place…”

“Live and die without flying”, “wearing the people, not the people of the time”, that is the inhuman philosophy of the ruling mandarins. They are the ones who have lost all humanity, the “wild heart”. In a tone of voice when passionately touched, when ironically sarcastic, Pham Duy Ton expressed his sympathy for the people’s tragic situation and his sympathy for those whose conscience was buried.

The image of the mandarin and mother figure in the fairy tale has a typical character and marks a new development step of the country’s prose.

Living and dying wearing the most famous short story of writer Pham Duy Ton. Not only succeeding in renovating the writing style, the author also showed readers the portrait of the irresponsible, dehumanizing father and mother – representing the ruling class at that time.

The name of the mandarin was the person who was sent to protect the dyke in village X, town X. At that time, it was pouring rain, the dyke had been smuggled in many sections and the risk of breaking was very high, everyone was worried and scared. , the hoe and the spade are very supportive. The thought that the leader, who is still considered the parents of the people, will help everyone to overcome this crisis, but the reality is completely opposite.

The father and mother were in a high, clean place, even if the dyke broke, it would not affect him. The scene where the parents live is very cozy and clean, “lights are bright; Nha le, soldiers are bustling around” where the majesty and majesty of the mandarins sat. Beside him with many mountains and sea flavors: bowls of oats steamed with alum sugar, yellow betel nut, areca beans, purple roots, etc., the servants are on duty, those scratching their feet, those waving fans. How leisurely and joyful it is.

You don’t know how miserable and miserable the people are out there. Around the collapsed place where he sat, there were also teachers, the first team, and the second team sitting for him to play tam dais. The scene is extremely dignified, quiet, only hearing the voice of the father and mother, the yess of his servants. A whole system of mandarins enjoys and plays while the people are buckling against the fierce nature. These two opposing scenes further clarify the cruel face of the father and mother.

But that cruelty is further portrayed by the author, and heightened even further in his two dialogues with soldiers and commoners. The first time, when the mandarin was “sitting stroking his beard, shaking his thighs, eyes engrossed in looking at the venomous dish”, there was a loud cry in the distance that made everyone startle, but the mandarin was still calm because he was going to be loud. Someone whispered: “Bam, it’s easy to break the dyke”, the father and mother let out a very irresponsible sentence: “Ignore it” and continued his game.

For the second time, this time his cruel, inhuman face was more evident. “The big dam… the dyke is broken”, then everyone was scared and anxious, and the government officials shouted loudly: “The dyke is broken!… The dyke is broken, when he was far from your neck, when he left prison you! Do you know? Soldiers fighting? How dare you let it run in here like that.”

Thought he would be scared to see what was going on, but he continued his game. When his game was loud, it was also when the water flooded everywhere, the living had no place to live, the dead had no place to bury, the situation was extremely pitiful.

By contrasting art, the author has exposed the cruel and inhuman face of the father and mother. He only cares about playing, enjoying and exploiting people, but absolutely does not care about their fate and life. Character language is simple, showing a cruel personality, close to everyday speech.

With a reasonable arrangement of details and specific language for each character, the author has successfully portrayed the portrait of the cruel, dehumanizing father and mother, he is also the representative of the ruling class. rights at that time. At the same time, the work also shows deep sympathy for the fate of the unfortunate and poor people.