The Temple, Short Story Analysis
People think that we live our lives separately from each other, never thinking that part, of who we are as individuals, comes from our close personal relationships. Grandparents, parents, friends, and even complete strangers all help to contribute in the decisions we make, as well as help shape the reality in which we live in on a daily basis. Gao Xingjian, author of "The Temple", takes us on a journey in understanding the desire for personal growth, freedom and fulfillment. In this descriptive essay, Xiangjian is speaking to a group of people, talking about life and its intricate part of networks of relationships, chosen, and accidental, contemporary, and historical. The relations in this short story seem to challenge the characters because of their perception of what human freedom and happiness means, therefore exposing them to the reality that life is unpredictable and is always changing. The honeymoon experienced between this young couple, encounters with strangers while travelling, the past generations of families and the temple of perfect benevolence teach us that ideas have limitations, and that nothing in life is ever perfect. The honeymoon celebrated between Fangfang and her husband, is not only a time of joy becaus
Life has many imperfections, and everyday is an experience of learning and growing. The couple pertains to be free in life, but in fact place restrictions upon not only themselves but also other people. The temple is tilting, there are cracks in the wall, showing that imperfections will always exist, and the perfect union shared between them will also endure some hardships. The honeymoon gives them freedom of movement outside of the place in which they want to live in, but their mentality is still confined to a small space. The settling of emotions after they realize what they've now seen is where the real lesson is in this story. The temple is not a symbol of the couples love for one another; it's a way in which to show that perfect unions can only last for a short time. Fangfang asks if the young boy is the mans' son, and then continues, "What about your wife?" A projection of how things are supposed to be is happening within this conversation, upholding to the image of perfect, and a perfect world with father and son, husband and wife relationships. The journey itself may not have been exactly what they were expecting, but the gift received was much greater, in what it contained mentally and spiritually for them as individuals. " Their perfect ideology of what perfect is, gets a concept of reality placed upon it, and changes the entire illusion that they live in, as life starts to breathe in over them. All things, no matter what relationship are subject to some sort of decay and erosion. The marriage opens up a new world for this couple, somewhere they can escape too, away from the long history of imprisonment given to them by past generations. Set against a background in Communism of past generations, the effects of confinement and hardship still linger on in the couple's lives, and they no longer want to be a part of the strict system in which they have been raised in where the word "freedom" is not really understood. The honeymoon helps them face the limitation in the world, and to admit that no matter how strong the union is between two people, life has twists and turns. A religious connection is also established because of the historical underlying of the temple, where the temple could have been for Buddhist or Confucius monks, which got demolished by Mao Ze Dong during the Cultural Revolution, while he was in Communist power.
Common topics in this essay:
Gao Xingjian,
Revolution Communist,
,
Perfect Benevolence,
Cultural Revolution,
past generations,
Buddhist Confucius,
temple perfect benevolence,
cultural revolution,
temple perfect,
perfect benevolence,
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Acceptance Essays
