The first book I read this year, Tokyo Man, actually started at the end of last year. There are some books for guests to read in the book bar in the hotel lobby. Because it is a paper book, it feels comfortable to read. I took it in my room for a long time and didn't read it continuously. On the first weekend of rest, I read the first and second volumes in one breath.
Reading Yasunari Kawabata's works for the first time, the overall feeling is a relatively trivial scene of people's life in Japan after the war. It's not as brain-burning as Dongye's works, but a bit like Korean dramas. Although it was after the war, the influence of the war on people's lives has always been a main line. Keiko's husband was killed in the war. She is alone with two children, but she is not married. Junsan's child, Bow, snuggled up to this mother and was closer than her own daughter. The daily life of an ordinary family gradually lost its seemingly harmonious balance in the depressed career dilemma of Junsan. Junsan disappeared, and Keiko fell in love with Zhao Nan, who was much younger than himself. Qing and Gong grew up together, and their feelings changed. The bow swings between Zhao Nan and Qing Dynasty. After his father's disappearance and death, he left Keiko in Qing's longing. Asako devoted himself to movies and plays, and married Xiao Shan because they treated life differently. Keiko persisted in her search and suffering, restarted her jewelry business and took on everything in this family. Although the child is rebellious and alienated, every time she comes back to her for some reason, she can see the warmth and care of her family from the heart. Akio was at a loss between Keiko and Bow and chose to leave.
Love your father's bow deeply and be closer to your mother. After her father disappeared, she was eager to escape from her mother and Qing, and left home to live with her aunt. But I don't have much affection for my mother, Kyoko, and even feel alienated. She gradually became independent, but she still relied on Keiko as a mother.
Asako, with a knife in her mouth and a heart hidden in her heart, hates Junsan because her mother and Junsan have brought too many changes to her life. She is rebellious and doesn't like the feminine taste of bow, but after marriage, she is very close to bow and becomes gentle and caring for her mother. She lost her father when she was young and had no complete fatherly love. In this combined family, she formed a rebellious character, maverick and mean. But she is kind at heart. When her mother was ill, she called her son, hoping that he and her mother would go home together and ease the gap between them. During the Chinese New Year, she will stay at home with clothes in her hand and make her home as gentle as her mother. In fact, there are many shadows that respect sons, such as being strong and tolerant of women. In addition, she can create opportunities for Zhao Na and Gongzi to meet, although she is a little silly.
Whether you hate Junsan or not, it may be because of the bow. He knows his mother's hard work and understands Junsan's pain, but he is not good at expressing it, including Childe's attitude towards his mother and Asako. He obviously cares about Asako, but he always says it's not easy to climb the mountain.
Jun San, feeling a little resentful, overwhelmed by the failure of his career, unable to face it, avoiding playing dead, and afraid to face the reality. Abandoning children and responsibilities to the family. Personal destiny, in the whole social background, is a lot of helplessness. At that time, the third army was not the only one in society, but more likely a common social phenomenon. Before deciding to avoid the world, he handled the marriage relationship with Kyoko, gave Kyoko a chance to remarry and find happiness, and told Kyoko to behave in business. When he is beyond his power, he is still worried about his responsibility.
Keiko, controversial, did not understand her for a time. She loves every child, but sometimes she obviously feels at a loss. Bow is sentimental, mean and unruly, and Qing is withdrawn and rebellious. She is in the jewelry business, and she dares to gamble in the whole economic downturn, and her business is getting better and better. After Junsan left, she relied on one person's efforts to maintain the existence of the family and protect the children. As long as they are willing to come back, their families are there. Losing her husband, losing Junsan, her fragility was pinned on Zhao Nan, but there was nothing in the end. Inner jealousy and imbalance sometimes distort her character, but she never contacted Zhao Nan actively and devoted all her energy to business. It was not until Zhao Nan finally left that she ran to the airport to see her off, waving wet hands and white gloves. It seems to bid farewell to the past, encouraging Asako to be a mother and promising to help him take care of the children. I hope Qinghe childe can get along normally and Junsan can start over. This is probably what she wants most.
There is some depression in the novel. It feels that it has been raining, that the whole society is depressed, that people's fate is uncontrollable, and that they are impetuous and disappointed. But there is always some hope, just like Bai Yutang respects his son and gives people hope and courage to live.