To Live

In the past two days, I read Yu Hua’s book To Live. This is a story about the main character——Xu Fugui. Although the story is not as long as other literary works, it shows the reader a unique perspective and a profound character image.

The beginning of the whole book begins with the scene where “I” met the rich and noble old man holding his rich and noble cow. The important storylines were told to “me” when the Fugui old man and “I” chatted. The end of the book also ends with the scene where the rich and noble old man led the rich and noble cow away. This kind of story connection and the scene at the end make me feel that the whole story is complete.

I think the theme of living is suffering and strength. The emotional tone of the whole book gives people a very heavy feeling. Xu Fugui’s stabbing in pain again and again makes it difficult for me to accept such a cruel fact, and I sympathize with him. First of all, I think suffering means that rich and noble have experienced many difficult things. One after another, his father fell to death because of anger, his mother died of serious illness and did not see the last face, Jiazhen died of illness, Youqing died of excessive blood donation, and his daughter died of postpartum hemorrhage. All these hardships have become the story lines of the whole book. Basically, every time he reads dozens of pages, he will experience all kinds of hardships. Although the book is called a live, it actually tells the story of one death after another. At the end of the story, Xu Fugui can only live with the cattle he saved. However, it was this time that Xu Fugui was destroyed by fate again and again that made his heart strong. Being strong means that he faced and overcome difficulties again and again (both active and passive). I think that people can’t live for the sake of living. To live is to have an attitude of creating value, being calm and stable, and always full of expectations for life. As long as there is a goal or hope, and a firm belief, no matter how much suffering, it is meaningful to live. People do not live for other people or things other than living. Even if they have no money or work, they should continue to live peacefully after the tide. Nothing other than living will not overthrow a person’s purpose of living, as long as he has hope for the future. Through this book, the author makes people realize the true meaning of living. Warn people that people do not live for money, status, interests and love. Living is the greatest happiness, and living is the essence of life.

We may encounter all kinds of problems or hardships in our life, and may be destroyed by fate like the protagonists in the book. But we should never forget that the best strategy to face difficulties and challenges is to persist in living. The essence of living is to enjoy the present life calmly. The right way is to complain less and act more.