Villain Aggrolon

Author: Deng Yiguang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: This novella tells the story of a very turbulent era. Two young "sent-down youth" fell in love and loved each other in the harsh environment of the movement, but they couldn’t escape the web woven by the authorities. In the end, they were separated, and the two dogs by their sides also developed feelings for each other in their shared life, staging a tragic love story of unwavering loyalty. Today’s young people, who haven’t experienced that tumultuous era, find it hard to understand what happened back then, even doubting the stories people tell as if they were fairy tales. Those in middle age or older, however, have a deep, almost harrowing memory of that time. Sometimes, even they can’t figure out how they managed to survive it. The Mischievous Dog Aglorn uses extremely concise brushstrokes to replay the story that unfolded in a sent-down youth camp, like a black-and-white film, showing us how a group of intellectuals led by Deng and Guan Hong spent their days in a small mountain village in eastern Sichuan. It also shows how figures like Tan Daoliang, in power, used their authority to wield influence and commit countless evils.
"At one point, the People’s Commune’s armed minister, Tan Daoliang, would come over every night to meet Guan Hong and report on the latest developments in class struggle. During that time, most of the other sent-down youth had already returned to the city, leaving only Guan Hong alone in the camp. Guan Hong was terrified and always secured three sturdy pairs of long pants tightly with three ox snouts from the inside out, placed a knife under her pillow and in her bed, and had Yuan Qing, the daughter of the accountant, accompany her. Then, she would sit alertly five feet away from Minister Tan, stammering through her report on class struggle. Of course, the door had to be wide open—no matter how cold it was. In fact, out of the 100 or so female sent-down youth in our commune, those who remained unbothered and still bloomed like flowers were as rare as morning stars."
The book is called The Mischievous Dog Aglorn, so this dog must be a major character. Calling Aglorn "mischievous" implies he’s not a good dog. But after reading the book, you realize that besides being a bit ugly, Aglorn also inherited some wolf-like traits—brave and combative, but lacking gentleness. Yet, he was extremely loyal to his master. In the end, he didn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself to save his master, which makes him more like a loyal dog, Aglorn.
The book devotes considerable attention to describing this unattractive, ugly creature, yet it has a very kind heart. Seeing this, one can’t help but think of Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (though they shouldn’t be equated).
"The ugliness of Aglorn is truly miraculous. His appearance is almost as far from that of a domestic dog as the moon is from the earth—he has a pair of huge, dull ears that can’t stand up proudly even when he’s most excited, due to their fat and boneless structure; his eyes are black and enormous, with almost no sclera, making them seem lacking in warmth and tenderness, and even frightening to look at. What’s hard to understand is his mouth—it’s extremely short yet incredibly wide, as if the owner of this mouth is full of defiance, mocking people."
These lines barely capture the ugliness of Aglorn; there are still many awkward features about him. But even such an exceptionally ugly dog risked his life several times to save his master. His heart was filled only with the kindness of his master, even if he was misunderstood or blamed. In the end, to prevent his master from eating food poisoned with toxins, he went crazy and destroyed the entire table of wine and food, and was brutally killed by his master’s axe. Isn’t the term "mischievous dog" the author’s way of subverting the meaning?
Let’s follow the author’s emotions to experience how people, especially the youth, lived in the 1960s. Their ideals, love, and marriages