“The Child” was actually a somewhat calculated piece, but in its current state, it feels as though it ended before it even began.
The main idea wasn’t really family affection, but a parable-like reflection on the course of life.
As the saying goes, a child’s nature is apparent at three, and their future at seven. The second generation of the Cao, Sun, and Liu families is strikingly different. This has much to do with their childhood environments and family upbringing.
The story of the Cao family weighing an elephant reveals a household of varied personalities and outlooks on life, and how different family members respond to a small incident. Yet in such a family, the emergence of so many brilliant talents often foretells tragedy. A quiet ending marks the beginning of hidden worries. If Cao Chong had lived, would Cao Pi’s “Eulogy for My Younger Brother Cangshu” have been so heartfelt? We will never know. Everything was hidden by history’s winds beneath a respectful exterior and solemn words.
The children of the Sun family are comparatively united, striving for military strength and progress, trusting one another and willing to make sacrifices for each other. (I don’t mean to include some of the things Sun Quan did in his later years that wronged Sun Ce.) It is a lively family, full of promise like spring grass.
Liu Shan’s loneliness is really the central theme. He was kept apart under the guise of being cherished, and ended up relatively neglected. His father was constantly on the run, and his mother died when he was young, depriving him of love. Children who don’t receive love rarely learn how to give it. Surrounded by too many outstanding elders, he grew insecure. His lofty position left him nowhere to unburden himself. His father’s guilt made him relatively lenient, so Liu Shan no longer set his sights on greater things. In short, life had let him down time and again, and it was impossible to demand more of his outlook on life. Just as the final line says, it was already decided when he was still a child.
Theme:
The writing is very good, but at that time, there was no such title as "Master". People were called "Alang", "Lord" and so on.
Forgot to score, sin. Can't fight now.
Very interesting article. It is interesting to look at the descendants of the Three Kingdoms from different angles. The personalities and achievements of these people are so different. Zhuang Zhou said that Confucian thought imposes too much baggage on people's limited lives, making people lose sincerity and laughter. Liu Chan was a victim, and people tried to help him to destroy him. He was oppressed, but he did not collapse, but rebelled; his contempt for this oppression and his courage to fight back formed the Cao brothers' romantic style of seeing through life and death; they were independent, upright, and went their own way, which was the free and easy Sun family. Therefore, the Liu family gets respect, the Cao family gets appreciation, and the Sun family gets love.