Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Discussion 3: Meanings of Life
At the end of the story, after all the anguishes of losing everything, Fugui is with an old ox. In stead of committing suicide, which most readers expect, Fugui achieves peace inside. In your opinion, what is Yu Hua trying to say about the meaning of life? Does life mean to live?
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I think Yu Hua is telling the readers that no matter how hard life is, there is no reason for one to give up on his or her life. In such a unstable and oppressive society, the only choice Fugui has is to accept his fate and achieve a state of peace in mind. In this case, for Fugui, the purpose of his life is to live.
ReplyDeleteEven though I haven't read the book, I suspect that the ox gave him company, the chance to have a companion to rely upon. Being able to live has to do with knowing that you're not alone, that someone, regardless if it's a human being or someone from another species, is there for you. Life is all about having connections with others and for this character in particular, he simply needed a friend. Most of the time, we need someone we can share things with and listen, even if they can't speak. Living is a blessing and once someone sees that there's life without being purely alone, they're most likely to let nature take them, not dying on their own hand.
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