the coconut did some work this day w/r to the novel "To Live" en.wikipedia.org
Quote Analysis
By Erita
“I’ve got to keep on living.” (Fugui, P. 85)
After a man, having gone through unspeakable horrors, deaths and suffering, witnesses yet another show of cruelty, what is he to do? Live. Live through the pain, and become sustained by the mere hope of survival. This very quote captures the thoughts of Fugui and the theme of the story; if only one were able to persevere and hope, their calamity would bring good fortune.
This quote is first stated by Fugui on P. 85, after hearing gunshots signifying the execution of Long Er. Here, he reflects on his luck, as, although he lost his wealth and land, it was because Long Er receive it that he was executed. The Communists had begun their campaign of land reform in the south during the 1950s, liberating farmland by eradicating landlords. If Fugui hadn’t lost the land, it would have been him in Long Er’s place. Instead, as he was now a peasant, a part of his own land was returned to him, and he no longer had to rent from Long Er.
Though it is first stated on P. 85, the quote is prevalent throughout the story, relating to its theme of survival. The first instance which hints at the theme is when Fugui started renting land from Long Er. Giving up his life of debauchery, Fugui started farming. He believed that, “if (he) kept working as hard as (he) had” (P. 50), he would be able to regain his family’s wealth after a few years. It was that hope for a better life that drove him to farm, working to the point of exhaustion, spending all day doing manual labour. Another example is after Fugui left the Liberation Army to return home (around 1949). Heading south towards Nationalist territory, Fugui was unable to pass the Yangtze River, and was delayed by a few months. The Liberation Army had just started the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign, and required the services of boat rowers. Hoping to repay the Liberation Army for their kind treatment, Fugui debated on whether he ought to offer his services. However, he was “terrified of war and afraid (he’d) never see (his) family again” (P. 80). Driven by his desire to see his family, Fugui ultimately decided against helping, which could have caused his demise. By choosing the safer, yet more cowardly route, he persisted in his journey to see his family, resulting in a joyous reunion. This, and his quote, emulates an old Chinese saying Fugui later recognizes; “escaping a calamity would give you great fortune.” In Chinese, the proverb is: sai weng shi ma yan zhi fei fu (xxxx,xxxx), translating to: Sai Weng lost his horse, but it was a blessing. On P. 33, Fugui’s father likens his family’s wealth to an “ox”, which reverted to a smaller “chicken” after he gambled away the fortune. When it passed to Fugui’s hands, the “chicken” also disappeared, leaving him with nothing. Sai Weng lost his horse, and Fugui lost his chicken. However, it was becauseof their loss that they received great luck; Sai Weng later regained his steed and a new one, while Fugui was provided with a share of his own land, and escaped the mass killings of landlords. Because Fugui kept on persevering to return to his family and to stay alive during the Chinese Civil War, he was able to regain his land and retain his life. s
Not only was this quote spoken by Fugui, but it had echos to something said by Old Quan. The words, “I’ve got to live” are uttered by him when Chun Sheng, one of Fugui’s fellow Nationalist soldiers, believes that their death is imminent. Old Quan’s experiences, though quite different compared to Fugui’s, also showcase the theme. One example is of his stubbornness to escape the Nationalist regiments. It is his belief that he’ll continue living that causes him to escape, though there has been precedent for deserters to be shot. It is his will to live that causes him to keep trying to escape, and, it is when he stops persevering that he winds up dead. He tells Fugui “I’m sick of running” (P. 63), though the last time he made it “within a hundred li of his home.” Plus, when speaking to Chunsheng, he says, “as long as you believe you won’t die, you’ll make it” (P. 72). However, during the time of his death, he walks out of his shelter to see his fallen comrades, continuing to do so even when bullets start firing. A show of dramatic irony, his logic finally fails when he watches his fellow soldiers die. As for Fugui’s quote, it parallels Old Quan’s since Fugui has learned from the mistakes of his comrade. Old Quan could’ve survived had he not tempted fate, choosing to go out when the enemy opened fire. In fact, he was getting closer and closer towards the favourable outcome of returning home, for the Liberation Army allowed prisoners of war to leave. So, Fugui knew he had to keep persisting in order for good luck to fall on him. Old Quan stopped surviving, and so he could not receive his great fortune.
The moral of the quote is timeless, and can be applied to this very day. The theme of persisting in the hopes for a better future can be seen in people’s determination to “keep living” and create a better life. An estimated 300,000 people crossed the Mexican-US border in 2017, braving border control and natural dangers hoping to get a better life and fortune in the US. That number only counts those who have been apprehended, knowing the risks of crossing, and yet still do so to escape poverty and welfare problems in Latin America. Another example is of the Parkland teens, who, after surviving a horrendous attack, chose to persist and advocate for gun control, hoping for a better outcome in the form of less school shootings. After surviving horrors and injustices, it’s up to the people to “keep living” in the hopes for a better future. |
