In the biography of Shen Congwen, Mr. Jin pointed out: "To study Shen Congwen, we must first realize that he is a marginal person and a self-exiled person. In China literature, from Qu Yuan's wandering exile, Li Bai and Du Fu to Cao Xueqin, the works of such marginal people are different from ordinary writers. "
Shen Congwen is a very pure writer. When he looked at the world with clear eyes, all he saw was a blue crystal world, clear and full of warmth. I often have no feelings about worldly complexity, ugliness, hatred, malice, intrigue, intrigue and intrigue. Border Town is about a "quiet and peaceful" world.
Of course, "what the baby's eyes see is actually the human infant stage-this stage has actually disappeared." (See Cao Wenxuan's "The Art of Returning to Baby-Reading Shen Congwen's Novels") This quaint folk custom is also disappearing. Mr. Shen is in the long river? The inscription says: "1In the winter of 934, I went back to Xiangxi on business from Beiping and took a boat from Shui Yuan to my hometown Fenghuang County. I have been to my hometown for eighteen years. Once I entered the Chen Valley, everything was different. On the surface, everything has naturally made great progress. If you try to pay close attention, you will see a downward trend in the process of change. The most obvious thing, that is, the integrity, simplicity and beauty of human nature maintained by rural society, is almost disappearing, replaced by a realistic and profitable outlook on life that has been successfully cultivated in the real society in the past 20 years. " The life written in Border Town does exist, but by the time Border Town was written (1933- 1934), it almost did not exist. Border Town is a nostalgic work, a kind of nostalgia with regret. Border Town is a tender work, but there is a deep sense of tragedy behind it. (See Wang Zengqi's Reading, selected from Sitting Alone, Ningxia People's Publishing House, 1996. )
When talking about Border Town, Shen Congwen once said: "What I want to show is a' life form', a' beautiful, healthy and natural life form that does not contradict human nature'." Therefore, everyone agrees that Border Town is an "ideal life form", and what it praises is "the beauty of human nature". But in fact, the author "just wants to build a small Greek temple" to "worship human nature". But the "beauty of human nature" he wants to praise is already changing. The author himself said: "Everything is good, but there are misfortunes everywhere. Since it is unfortunate, a simple happy ending will inevitably lead to tragedy. The story is full of oblique winds and drizzles in mid-May, as well as the sultry and lonely summer rain in mid-June. " In a "civilized" society, the frankness and kindness of human nature are difficult to play in front of natural human nature, and the whole novel is shrouded in a sense of helplessness. Whether this "beauty of human nature" exists is a topic worthy of attention. When I noticed the image of "White Pagoda" in my works, everything suddenly became clear.
At the beginning of the work, I talked about the white tower: "... there is a small white tower by the stream, and there is a family living under it." There is only one old man, one girl and one yellow dog in this family. " The old man who manages the ferry has lived under the tower for 50 years. Ye and Sun have been living in the world of the White Pagoda, which guards the ferry, the family and the dream (sleeping in the White Pagoda in the afternoon, the soul is floating with beautiful songs and also floating on the White Pagoda). )
"Cui Cui inadvertently looking back, I saw the white tower behind the house was gone. I was surprised and hurried to the back of the house, only to know that the white tower had collapsed and a lot of bricks and stones were lying there at sixes and sevens. Cui Cui was very scared and didn't know what to do. She just screamed at Grandpa. Grandfather also died on a thunderstorm night. "
At the end of the work, the White Pagoda collapsed on the night when the old boatman died of a thunderstorm. In winter, everyone repaired it again. However, the young man who sang under the moon and made Cui Cui's soul float gently in his sleep did not return to the cave.
The ending of the work is written in white pagoda, which shows that it has special symbolic significance. The theme of the exploration work is a key.
Symbols and images are very important in architectural art, poetry, music and painting. Jung believes that architecture is also full of symbolic significance. In addition to the actual living relationship, there is a closer emotional relationship and spiritual relationship between people and buildings. However, just like nature is always veiled, people almost ignore this relationship. Only by deciphering the meaning of "symbol" can we recognize the influence of architecture on people.
Jung said in "Memoirs": "From the beginning, I felt that the pagoda was, to some extent, a place where life was born-a womb or mother that could achieve my past, present and future. Give me a feeling that I seem to be reborn in a stone. " "Tower" symbolizes the mother's warm "uterus". There, you can stay away from the hubbub, immerse yourself in your heart, relax your vigilance and relax your nervous nerves. The gains and losses of honor and disgrace in the world are insignificant. This is the meaning of housing for human survival. It brings unprecedented peace to people's souls, as if bringing people back to their mother's "uterus", isolating and eliminating the serious interference from the outside world and all the anxiety caused by it, quietly ruminating and digesting the past life, thus brewing new feelings and emotions for the future life. It is this "tower" that really makes him feel that he has been reborn.
"The' tower' symbolizes the perfection of the spirit ('spirit and vulgarity' are originally the metaphysical poles of the West. Jung suffered setbacks in reality and the outside world, but failed in the secular world. But what he pursues is the integrity and perfection of the human spirit. So he is more inclined to be ignored by ordinary people's inner life, a spiritual life); It is made of stone, symbolizing simplicity and firmness. " (The Symbolic Significance of Li See Molay to Junggar Tower —— Also on the Relationship between Architecture and Mind)
"The White Pagoda is a symbol of the traditional values of the Miao people, such as simple customs, valuing righteousness over profit, etc. That is, Shen Congwen's' integrity, simplicity and human beauty' ". (See Xiang Gang's Dream Broken Border Town-Shen Congwen.) Why did such an important white tower collapse? Since "this tower was built for no one's benefit", why did the tea cave people repair it?
"The white pagoda in Bixi Village is related to the geomantic omen in the tea cave. The pagoda collapsed, and naturally it will not re-create new works." It can be seen that the White Pagoda is important to the tea cave. Urban management, tax bureau, people from all walks of life and Omura all donated money. In particular, a large bamboo tube with knots at both ends was put on the ferry, so that people in transition can freely put money in it. When the bamboo tube is full of cavalry, take it to the first person in the city and bring it back with another bamboo tube. When people in transition see that the old boatman is gone, they will look at Cui Cui with sympathetic eyes and take out money and stuff it into bamboo tubes. "God bless you. If you die, you will go to the Western Heaven. If you live, you will be safe forever. " Cui Cui understood the meaning of those donors, and his heart was sour, so he quickly pulled her back to pull the boat. In fact, this is the world's sympathy for Cui Cui, the cultural symbol of Miao nationality in western Hunan. At the same time, at this time, the achievements of this tower are not good for anyone. Everyone should try their best to accumulate moral benefits and everyone should have the opportunity to donate money. Let everyone feel at ease.
In fact, the White Pagoda is the "inner life" and "spiritual life" of the tea cave people, and it is their spiritual sustenance. Especially when the inherent custom has been wedged by a new variation, developed abnormally and occupied a dominant position like the "civilization" of modern cities, and people have become slaves of money, the pillar significance of the White Pagoda is particularly important. Re-donating money to repair the White Pagoda is to find spiritual comfort and regenerate the spirit.