I used to enjoy the movie “ Farewell My Concubine”, each time I enjoy it, there comes a different feel to me. I’m really touched and shocked by the performance of Leslie Cheung in the film, Then I decided to read the original that is written by Lilian Lee to known more about this era and more about human nature. The story happened in the historical backdrop of a country in upheaval. Usually, such tough time can bring us more unusual stories. First, I want to talk something about love, homosexual love and straight love. I realized that love is nothing about gender.
Lee pointed out that gender awareness is acquired, depicting men and women of the community in the gifht against hardship and despair of the situation, also pointed out that the reality of the helpless and weak men. People tend to prefer taboo love just like Dieyi loves Xiaolou, and Xiao married Juxian. Love may come easily, the company during childhood, an oath, a small action, etc, all of these can easily move a person’s heart. Dieyi and Juxian are both vulnerable people who are eager to love, while they have different character, which make them have a alike but equally tragic fate.
Secondly, I want to say something about human nature illustrated in this book. People assist each other to come across difficulties, while they also betrayed each other when it concerns about their own right for living. They suffered when they betrayed, in other words, they also betrayed themselves, and they lost their heart. Last, I want to express my respect to the Peking Opera, this book well connect the opera with the story as well as the three main roles. Dieyi died, the same way as concubine Yu.
His death is really necessary to impress the readers, while in my view, it is also a way to show his wish and his only and one love, which is also the Chinese traditional opera want to express to us. A good book can influence and make us think a lot when time passes by. The opinion that I presently have on this book is still superficial, but the greatness of a book is not its influence, what really matters is the era it illustrate and what idea it brings to us. Love, struggle, violence, is the real shape of live.