"Border Town" Thesis Outline
The thesis outline is the concrete embodiment of the author's conception of the article. It is convenient for the author to arrange materials and develop arguments in an orderly manner. Below is the outline of the essay on "Border Town" that I collected and compiled. I hope you like it.
"Border Town" Thesis Outline Part 1
"Border Town" is Shen Congwen's representative work. The work depicts the unique customs and customs of the western Hunan region with a beautiful style that combines lyric poetry and essays; The pure love story of the boatman girl Cuicui shows the kindness and beauty of human nature.
Thesis title: A brief analysis of the nostalgic beauty in Shen Congwen's "Border Town"
1. Introduction
"Border Town" is the most distinctive novel in the history of modern literature The text of the novel is the pinnacle of the literary pastoral tradition. Shen Congwen's "Border Town" constructs a "Western Hunan World" that belongs to him, reflecting "a beautiful, healthy, natural and unnatural form of life." The novel depicts many distinctive, unique, kind and lifelike characters. The most commendable thing is the creation of the image of the goddess Cuicui in Shen Congwen's heart. She is the angel of love and the elf of mankind. It is the most perfect embodiment of love and beauty. The beauty of nature, folk customs and human nature that the work strives to express is so harmonious, graceful, pure and admirable. Compared with the turbulent society at that time, the border town that Shen Congwen touched with poetic brushwork was simply a "paradise" away from the world. "Border Town" not only expresses the aesthetic pursuit of ideals and subjects, but also reveals the author's slight sadness and loneliness. There are also people's helplessness and helplessness in the face of fateful variables, which hides a deep tragedy. "Border Town" is a treasure in the history of modern literature. It truly embodies Shen Congwen's aesthetic ideals and aesthetic pursuits, and it has reached the extreme and is admired by readers.
Western Hunan is located at the junction of the three provinces of Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou, so the border towns of Tea Village are less affected by the erosion of modern urban capitalist civilization. In addition, ethnic minorities live together there. In the past, the oppression of the Han chauvinists, who unified China, increased the cohesion and unity of the ethnic minorities, but the class and hierarchical concepts within the ethnic group were relatively weak. In the world of western Hunan, Shen Congwen spent the childhood that an ordinary country child should have in the natural environment of mountains and rivers. When he was young, he struggled to survive in the disturbing military camp. Later, he abandoned the army and Congwen went to Beijing, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties. His arduous literary creation career began. During this period, Shen Congwen saw too much blood, hypocrisy, cruelty and ugliness in urban life. So he could only turn around, look for the courage and confidence in life from the past and the people, and use the original beauty of humanity and human feelings in the countryside to transform society and reshape national morality. Of course, the hometown of Xiangxi, known as "China's Switzerland", was eventually discovered and loved by Shen Congwen.
2. Thesis
(1) The first aspect of the nostalgia and beauty of "Border Town" is shown by describing the beauty of landscapes, beautiful natural scenery, and the simple and lovely Xiangxi. .
The opening chapter of "Border Town" leads readers to the beautiful scenery of western Hunan. The border town is surrounded by mountains and rivers, far away from the hustle and bustle, peaceful and serene, like a place outside the world. The old man, the girl and the yellow dog under the white tower live by a small stream. "The stream is as clear as a bow back." This small mountain city is full of birds singing, flowers fragrant, green mountains and green bamboos; simple stilted buildings and small white pagodas standing tall, accompanied by a stream of clear water. The flowers bloom and the water flows naturally, and the natural seasons of life cycle endlessly.
(2) The second aspect of the beauty of nostalgia shown in "Border Town" is through the old boatman's love for his daughter and granddaughter. The old boatman is another character that the author tried his best to portray in the novel. He loved his daughter and granddaughter very much and gave his whole body and soul to them. Seventeen years ago, when his only daughter fell in love with a green camp soldier stationed behind his back and had a child, he "didn't add a weighty word, just acted like he had never heard of it. I still lived my life peacefully." Later, the soldier took poison and died, and his daughter died for him. The old man took the initiative to take up the important task of raising orphans, without a single complaint, for decades, coming and going in the wind and rain. .
(3) The third aspect of the beauty of nostalgia shown in "Border Town" is through the old boatman's dedication to his work and his generosity to the people in transition.
In the author's writing, the old boatman is an outstanding representative of the working people in ancient China. He is kind, hard-working, simple, honest, loyal to his duties and fulfills his duties.
Although he lives in poverty, he is not greedy; he is willing to give to charity, but never asks for anything, and "seems to have peace of mind in everything." Serve others all your life without expecting anything in return from others.
(4) The fourth aspect of the beauty of nostalgia in "Border Town" is that the most precious beauty of nostalgia is reflected through the harmony and nature between neighbors
This is what Chuan Shunshun did by the way. General representative. He was "generous and free", "happy to make friends, generous and able to help others in need." He was "unfazed by the boatmen who went bankrupt due to shipwrecks, the passing veterans, and the traveling literati and poets". "Everyone who came to this place was famous for seeking help. Try to help”. He lacks the selfishness and narrow-mindedness of urbanites, the greed and sophistication of businessmen in amassing money, and the insidiousness and treachery of villains. He has the broad and generous mind of country people, and a heart of righteousness and wealth. The benevolence and righteousness of the villagers have added a kind of upright and upright character of the villagers. It is this kind of virtue that affects the neighbors, so that this remote place with no mountains and water has preserved a folk custom that is unimaginable in the big city, and this kind of "valuing justice over profit and being able to keep one's word" The simple folk sentiments of "Yue" have nurtured one generation after another on this ancient land, interpreting one legendary pastoral story after another.
(5) The fifth aspect of the nostalgia and beauty of "Border Town" is reflected through the description of customs. The most eye-catching aspect of the description of customs in "Border Town" is the depiction of entertainment folk customs such as the Dragon Boat Festival. description. For example, the third section of the work reads: "The oarsmen each hold a short oar, and follow the slow beat of the drum to row the boat forward. Sitting on the bow, his head is wrapped in red Bu Baotou holds two small flags in his hands and waves them left and right to direct the advancement and retreat of the ship. Those who play drums and gongs usually sit in the middle of the ship. As soon as the ship moves, they will immediately start beating the gongs and drums simply. , to adjust the oar rhythm for the oarsmen, the speed of a boat has to rely on the sound of drums, so whenever the two boats compete fiercely, the drums sound like thunder, and the people on both sides of the bank cheer for each other, which reminds people of Liang Hongyu's Old Stork River. Various scenes of fighting with water and beating drums."
How spectacular and beautiful this festive custom is! The author narrates the entire process of dragon boat racing in detail, which contains the author's piety and praise for it. The thunderous drums described in the work, the cheers of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and the sound of firecrackers celebrating victory are organically combined to convey to the world the strength and vigorous vitality of this ancient nation in western Hunan. This massive and exciting ancient folk activity in western Hunan contains the national vitality of determination, confidence, courage and hard work.
3. Conclusion
"Border Town" is a unique artistic masterpiece in the history of modern Chinese literature. "Border Town" is regarded by many readers as "a book that proves that all human nature is good." "Border Town" is a beautiful fairy tale world. There is no ugliness, only goodness and beauty. It is purely an pastoral song of human beauty. "Border Town" is about Xiangxi in the past, a closed rural society that has not been affected by modern civilization. The people who are active here, whether it is Shunshun who manages the pier, the veteran soldier Yang Mabing, or the grandfather Tong Cuicui who manages the ferry, all rely on their own labor to make a living, and they are all kind-hearted and sincere to others. They don’t think about the meaning of life, they just work silently and faithfully, and they all believe in the innocence of the soul. Here, people and people, people and nature are in perfect harmony, so what permeates the works is a lively " life". This kind of "life" is still in a state of freedom, from the old man holding the ferry and his granddaughter Cuicui, who depend on each other, to the two sons Tianbao and Nuosu of the Zhangshui Wharf group leader who also love Cuicui. Everyone is kind, honest, and enthusiastic. They have simple and persistent beliefs, and they are full of tenacious vitality in their quiet and simple life.
In Shen Congwen’s view, the world in western Hunan is a “divine” world. It is an ideal kingdom constructed by "love" and "beauty". "Border Town" is a monument in this kingdom. In "Border Town", the author uses a quiet and distant style, uses a gentle and gentle writing style, and uses the artistic conception of poetry and music to depict the simple customs and wild prostitutes. , vulgar sailors and dull mountain people also appear honest and lovely because of the simple customs and primitive vitality of their hometown. They do not have an extreme attitude towards everything and appreciate all life with tolerance. This elegant and moderate attitude towards life and aesthetics show that Shen has accepted more things in traditional Chinese culture. Beauty is definite and perceptible in Shen's heart, and its parameter values ??are stable.
"Border Town" Thesis Outline Part 2
1. Cuicui's Tragedy of Life Experience
The small town has not been affected by modern civilization and maintains its simple charm, but traditional ideas have also exerted influence on human nature. Resulting bondage. Cuicui's Shenshi was very pitiful. She originally had a happy family with loving parents, but her father chose to commit suicide when he couldn't choose between love and responsibility. At that time, Cuicui was still in her mother's belly. After Cui was born, her mother committed suicide. Only Cuicui and grandpa were left. It didn't take much to think about how difficult and miserable the life of the old and the young must be. Although grandpa cares about Cuicui, he does not have the delicate mind of a woman to guide Cuicui in love. Before she got married, her grandfather passed away, leaving Cuicui alone and helpless, but her journey in life had just begun.
2. The love tragedy of Cuicui and Nuosong
The hero and heroine of the novel fell in love with each other when they first met. Originally, the two people were in love, and there should be a good ending. However, Nuosong's brother also fell in love with Cuicui. In order to avoid being hurt by love, he went out to the beach and died. This made Nuosong feel that he would be sorry for his brother if he insisted on marrying Cuicui, and Mr. Chuan felt that his eldest son liked Cuicui. Cui, now that the eldest son is dead, it is not easy to marry Cui Cui to Nuosong. [] Because she had no mother since she was a child, no one told Cuicui how to deal with feelings. She didn’t know how to deal with Nuo Song’s pursuit, so she chose to escape. Her shy personality made Nuo Song not know that Cuicui was actually He liked him; but grandpa was very tactful in handling the matter, which made Nuo Song misunderstand his meaning. Moreover, Nuo Song always felt guilty about his brother, and finally chose to leave. The flower of love between Cuicui and Nuo withered before it had time to bloom. The reason for this tragedy is mainly because the hero and heroine did not have a good grasp of their own destiny and missed the opportunity.
3. Tianbao’s emotional tragedy
In "Border Town", Tianbao is a tragic character. Emotional tragedy is the label of his life. He fell in love with Cuicui. What a tragedy. A pure and beautiful woman, but she is also the sweetheart of her younger brother Nuosong, so Tianbao must face a dilemma: fulfill his younger brother's feelings and travel to a foreign land by himself; or pursue Cuicui at all costs and achieve a beautiful marriage. Under this choice, Tianbao's tragic fate was doomed. As an older brother, the kind-hearted Tianbao would not compete with his younger brother for his lover, so he chose to fulfill his love. He was sincere to Cuicui. Although he quit, he felt painful and lonely inside. In order to get rid of his emotional pain and get rid of this negative emotion, Tianbao chose to leave home and go to the beach. Because his emotions were affected, he lost his previous calmness and judgment when facing emergencies. He accidentally fell into the water and never came up again. Tianbao's life was very short, but he didn't meet the right person at the right time, so his love couldn't bear fruit.
4. Grandpa’s tragic fate
In the novel, the grandfather’s life was also very difficult. His daughter committed suicide when he was middle-aged, and he was only accompanied by the children left by his daughter. he. Grandpa's greatest wish in his life is to find Cuicui a husband-in-law, so that his sweetheart can take care of Cuicui and enable Cuicui to live a stable and happy life. Grandpa has experienced the baptism of time. He has a meticulous mind and worked hard to facilitate the marriage of Cuicui and Nuosong. However, because he was always not so direct in handling things, Shunshun was always dissatisfied with him. Tianbao's death also hit Nuosong and made him feel guilty. Grandpa is getting older. He should have a family full of children and spend his old age happily and leisurely, but he has to make a living and worry about his granddaughter's marriage. Grandpa is strong, but also lonely, which makes this man sympathetic. His love for his granddaughter, his running around in life, and his age are not forgiving. He finally died on a stormy night, which made his tragic life a tragedy. It came to an unsatisfactory end.
"Border Town" Thesis Outline Chapter 3
The story told in the novel "Border Town" is relatively simple: there is a stream one mile away from Chadong Mountain City in western Hunan, and there lives an old man playing with a ferry by the stream. There is a granddaughter named Cuicui. The old boatman and his granddaughter depend on each other. The leader who is in charge of the dock in the city is named Shunshun. His two sons Tianbao and Nuosong fall in love with Cuicui at the same time, and Cuicui But he fell in love with his younger brother Nuosong. The eldest brother Tianbao was disappointed when he drove a boat downstream and drowned in an accident. The younger brother felt very guilty because of his brother's death. On a thunderstorm night, Cuicui's grandfather died, although Nuosong also died. He loved Cuicui but never came back, leaving Cuicui to live alone.
1. The beauty and health of life
On the one hand, the health and beauty of life refer to the nature and beauty of body and appearance. In "Border Town", young people have strong bodies. Strong and full of vitality. In order to describe this characteristic, Shen Congwen often used animals to describe the characters' physiques. For example, he used "strong little bulls and little tigers" to describe Tianbao and Nuosong, and used "an innocent and lively little animal" to describe Cuicui. . The author does not mean to belittle at all, but is full of love for the natural and agile atmosphere exuded by these young people. The appearance of Cuicui also has natural beauty. Shen Congwen described it this way: Cuicui grows in the wind and sun, with green mountains and green waters as far as the eye can see, and a pair of eyes as clear as crystal. The natural and simple beauty of Cuicui expresses the author's aesthetic ideal and taste to a great extent. On the other hand, there is the nature and beauty of love. In "Border Town", Shen Congwen describes the love between Cuicui and Nuo Song very implicitly: the first time they met at dusk and fell in love at first sight; the second time Nuo Song went to Qinglangtan , Cuicui did not see him; for the third time, Cuicui and Nuosong met by chance during the dragon boat race, and the two looked at each other and smiled. After an accident happened to the security guard, Nuosong felt guilty and left his hometown sadly, while Cuicui was waiting at the ferry where he left sooner or later. Although the love between the two is unforgettable, the time they spent together was very short. Shen Congwen also used very superb skills to describe the girl's reserve and shyness. Such love is serious and solemn, full of divinity. The beauty.
2. Pure, beautiful and noble personality
The characters in the novel "Border Town" basically have the beautiful character of honesty, bravery, enthusiasm and sincerity. In this small town, almost no one is bad. . For example, the old boatman regarded ferrying as his bounden duty, worked hard all his life, and never took money from passengers. Occasionally, the old boatman also tried his best to overpay for some benefits he had to get; He has won the respect of many poor people. For example, after a boatman was in an accident on the water, he often donated money to help him. When there was a dispute between the boatmen, he was often asked to make a referee. Shunshun could always solve the problem satisfactorily. . Other characters such as Tianbao, Nuosong, Cuicui, etc., their honesty, kindness, enthusiasm and sincerity are the representatives of outstanding young people.
3. The harmonious beauty of interpersonal relationships
The harmonious beauty of interpersonal relationships can be seen from the relationship between the rich and the poor. What is described in "Border Town" is a A patriarchal society with some primitive clan heritage, in which there is no conflicting class hatred. Shun Shun, the boat manager, is a rich man and the old boatman is poor. However, they can live in harmony. When the old boatman goes to Shunshun's home, he can get the respect that an old man deserves. Shunshun sees the old boatman and Cuicui living together. When faced with difficulties, he often sent people to deliver financial aid to the old boatman. Second, harmonious interpersonal relationships can also be seen from the interactions between friends: almost everyone in "Border Town" can treat their friends sincerely. Yang Mabing once liked Cuicui's mother when he was young, but they did not get together. , but he did not bear any grudge against the old boatman's family. On the contrary, he became a lifelong friend with the boatman. After the old boatman passed away, Yang Mabing moved to the boatman's home and took on the responsibility of taking care of Cuicui. They depended on each other and waited for the return of Nuo. Finally, the harmonious beauty of interpersonal relationships can also be seen from the love and compassion of the elders for the younger ones. When Tianbao proposed marriage to Cuicui, the old boatman agreed. When he learned that his granddaughter liked Tianbao's younger brother, he respected Cuicui. wish to help her granddaughter realize her wish as much as possible.
4. The simple beauty of folk customs
In the society created by "Border Town", truth, goodness and beauty can be found everywhere, and the boat manager Shunshun is a typical representative figure.
The novel describes him as generous, loving to make friends, generous and able to help people solve their urgent needs. Shunshun generously donated money to shipowners who went bankrupt due to shipwrecks, and did his best to help them. In Shunshun we do not see the selfishness and money worship of modern people, but a simple integrity and aboveboard character, and we can also find these advantages in the Tianbao brothers. The Tianbao brothers all fell in love with Cuicui. In their hearts, true love has nothing to do with money, status, fame and fortune. It represents giving and dedication rather than request. But when their own happiness conflicts with others, they all Being willing to endure pain and give up love is the beauty of adulthood. This directly shows the self-sacrifice spirit of the Tianbao brothers. They use a healthy and natural life form to demonstrate an ordinary and great human beauty, which makes readers moved. It is precisely the virtues possessed by these villagers that allowed this land to form simple folk customs, and such simple folk customs are also passed down and carried forward from generation to generation, interpreting many touching and beautiful stories.
5. Conclusion
Shen Congwen borrowed the novel "Border Town" to depict the beauty of human nature, and at the same time concentrated these beauties on the word "love": the love between the sexes, the love between parents and children. Love, friendship. Through these emotions, it describes the simplicity, friendship between people, and the kindness and sincerity in people's hearts, creating an ideal living environment in which everyone can maintain the virtue of being a human being, and everyone can Keeping the purity of the soul is a natural and harmonious society that is not polluted by the secular world. "Border Town" Thesis Outline Chapter 4
1. Water containing the connotation of death - the power to end life
The image of water in "Border Town" not only has a clear and transparent soft temperament, It also contains the connotation of strong and fierce death. In the novel, three beautiful and pure creatures died because of water. The first is Cuicui’s mother. The only daughter of this old boatman was unwilling to violate the norms of morality and responsibility, and eventually died in order to fulfill the loyalty of love - she died of eating cold water after giving birth. This was not only her personal tragedy, but also indirectly caused the tragedy of Cuicui. . Cuicui, a poor orphan, has only her grandfather since she was born. In the novel, Cuicui often has such terrible thoughts as "What if grandpa dies?", and the old boatman can't let go of his daughter's death. He always thinks about it. They are all quite sad, and they can't help but worry that Cuicui may have the same fate as her mother. At the same time, they will also say to themselves, "Cui Cui, grandpa is gone? What will happen to you?" It can be seen that the water Taking away the life of Cuicui's mother, it also plunged Cuicui into an extremely fragile state of life. Next is Shunshun's eldest son Tianbao. After experiencing singing under the moon, Tianbao resolutely decided to leave Chadong by boat, but unexpectedly drowned under Citan. With the death of Tianbao, the originally simple love story became full of misunderstandings. Tianbao's death planted a deep grudge against the old boatman in the hearts of shipowner Shunshun and Nuo Song, and laid the foundation for the original innocent love between Nuo Song and Cuicui. With the lingering haze, Cuicui's love tragedy seems to be a foregone conclusion. Finally, there is Cuicui’s grandfather, the old boatman. After a night of lightning, thunder, and violent storms, Cuicui woke up and found that the rain had washed away the vegetable garden next to the house, washed away the white tower behind the house, and even taken away her grandfather's old life. This was undoubtedly a subversive blow to her. If Cuicui lost her love due to the Nuo song, then losing her grandfather made Cuicui lose support and shelter in her life. She lost her only relative and her support since childhood. From then on, she could only live alone in this world, waiting for the lover who did not know when to return. The tragic atmosphere reached its climax here.
2. Saxifrage—the hazy love of a pure and beautiful girl
Saxifrage is an important plant image in the novel. It is mentioned six times in one ***. The first five times were in dreams, and the last time was when Cuicui picked a handful of saxifrage in reality. The image of saxifrage is a symbol of Cuicui's pure love, and the process from dream to reality indicates that Cuicui's love consciousness is self-awakening step by step. Cuicui fell asleep while recalling the love story told by her grandfather about her mother and father singing to each other during the day. "In the dream, the soul floated up to a beautiful song, as if gently floating everywhere, up to the white tower." , got off the vegetable garden, got on the boat, and flew back halfway across the cliff of the opposite mountain - what to do? Pick saxifrage! "This is the first time the image of saxifrage appears in the article.
The love story of her parents and the song of Nuo Song under the moon that night prompted Cuicui to start a love fantasy in her dream. Saxifrage is the image of Cuicui's lovesickness and the song of the girl singing to her sweetheart in her dream. What she did was a telepathic feeling, and the bold fantasy of flying to the cliff to pick saxifrage heralded her pursuit and expectation of love. In the fifteenth section of the novel, when grandpa sang the love song that Cui Cui had given her, Cui Cui said the words "I picked another handful of saxifrage" not in her dream but in her mouth. This further shows that the girl's heart has begun to open up, and it also makes the grandfather finally understand where his granddaughter's heart belongs. In the seventeenth section of the novel, Cuicui went up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots. "Cui Cui tipped the bamboo basket to the ground. Except for a dozen small bamboo shoots, it was just a handful of saxifrage." This is the last time saxifrage is mentioned in the novel, and it is also the only time Cuicui picks saxifrage in reality. This plot implies that Cuicui's innocent emotions have transformed from secret expectations to explicit displays. As Yan Xiaoyun said: "It is in this process of mutual reflection that 'Saxifrage' and 'Cui Cui Love' achieve two-way construction. In the emergence of 'just right', Saxifrage has transcended aesthetic value. The semantic explanation function, with only six words, can replace cumbersome descriptions and concisely present the complex psychological changes of Cuicui."
3. Mills and ferries - modern values ??versus tradition. The Impact of Values
The mill and the ferry are a set of relative humanistic images in the novel, symbolizing two completely different lifestyles respectively, and overall reflecting the impact of modern values ??on traditional values. Some people even believe that "the two images of mills and ferries not only reflect the characteristics of the times and folk customs in western Hunan, but also highlight a society in which feudal patriarchal relations and primitive people's nature are intertwined." 70 From a purely Nuo perspective, there were two women waiting for him in his love life. One was Cuicui, who fell in love with him at first sight, and the other was the young lady from Mr. Tuan's family who took the initiative to propose marriage. If the mill is the dowry of the lady of the Tuan family, then the ferry can be regarded as the dowry of Cuicui. The life and values ??represented behind the ferry: From the mouth of the old boatman, we know that there is a ration for operating the ferry: three buckets of rice and seven hundred coins. This is the total income of the grandfather and grandson. When Cuicui and Tianbao first met, Shunshun asked Tianbao to give the duck to Cuicui, and said, "I know that the life of my grandfather and grandson is very tight, and I can't make rice dumplings during the festival, so I gave him many pointed rice dumplings." . It can be seen that the life of the grandfather and grandson guarding the ferry is very poor. Even though their life is so poor, when a guest insists on giving the grandfather and grandson extra money for the ferry, they force the guest to return the money to them and bring their own money. Good cigarettes entertain passengers. The situation in the mill is completely different. In the tenth section of the novel, Nuo invited Cuicui and the old boatman to the city to watch the excitement. When the old boatman went to the new mill to see the water mill, he heard an acquaintance say that the mill was worth a lot of money. Cuicui also heard the women talking by the river: "I have a brand-new mill by the river, which is better than hiring ten people for many years." "A mill can produce seven liters of rice per day, and three Fighting chaff". It can be seen from this that if you get a mill, you can live a prosperous and worry-free life. The ferry is mobile, while the mill is fixed. The ferry does not bring wealth, but the mill can bring wealth. From the different characteristics of these two images, it is not difficult to see that the ferry is a symbol of the traditional culture of the border town. The image is closely related to and goes hand in hand with the daily life of the people in the border town. It is an important means of transportation for the people in the border town who live by the water. In a sense, the people in the border town cannot leave the ferry for a day. It symbolizes A simple, honest, comfortable, free and romantic way of life, although poor, reflects the traditional values ??of valuing justice over profit. The "mill" is an emerging image derived from the impact of modern civilization. At that time, it existed as a "rare thing" that ordinary people could only dream of. It represented a rich but vulgar lifestyle, conveying It embodies the modern values ??of valuing profits over righteousness. Through Cuicui's ears, we know that the women by the river once talked like this: "He is not a stupid waiter. He doesn't want a mill, but a ferry?" "You can eat whatever you like, and the ferry will not be inferior to the mill!" It can be seen that in the original concept of the Chadong people, the two images of mill and ferry are not comparable, and there is no good or bad advantage. There is no difference between bad and bad, as long as everyone "loves it in his heart", it is good.
But as time goes by, modern values ??continue to invade, and the concept of "profit" is gradually added. Comparing the two, anyone with a discerning eye can see that "managing a mill by the river is more varied and interesting than managing a ferry", and "managing a mill by the river is more varied and interesting". It is simply impossible for a ferryman to have a mill." This has almost become the entire ideological concept of the entire Chadong people. This also reflects the strong impact of modern values ??that value profit over justice on traditional values. Of course, the author also expressed his affirmation of traditional values ??through Nuo's decision to choose Cuicui with only a ferry boat instead of a rich girl with a mill as a dowry. As Luo Caiping said: "It is precisely because of his deep concern about the loss of national virtues and the responsibility of reconstruction that Shen Congwen placed rich symbolic connotations on the eternal 'ferry' in "Border Town". It is not only the noble boatman of the old boat It is a symbol of personality and even national morality, and is the essence of the two brothers' sincere love for Cuicui. It not only embodies the author's social ideal of human nature being good, but also reveals a kind of 'ideal' in the depiction of ideal life and ideal society. A life form that is beautiful, healthy, natural and not contrary to human nature." 93 The author hopes to open up a new perspective for the interpretation of "Border Town" from the perspective of literary geography, in order to serve as an inspiration for later generations. ;