Cold Night -- Modern Text (Modern Text)

Author: Ba Jin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-10-01
Features: Ba Jin can be said to be an expert in trilogies. He has written the "Love Trilogy," the "Torrent Trilogy," and the "Revolution Trilogy." The monumental work "Fire" is also known as the "War Trilogy" because it is divided into three volumes. Now, his "Restful Garden," "The Fourth Ward," and "A Winter's Night" are collectively known as the "Human Trilogy." "A Winter's Night" is the climax of the trilogy, with a length of nearly 200,000 words. In "A Winter's Night," Ba Jin masterfully portrays human nature. The female protagonist is captivated by the pursuit of her single-minded superior and abandons her jealous mother-in-law, her weak and sick husband, and her son who resembles her husband, leaving home. Her husband pleads desperately with her, but she refuses. The cold wind clears the withered leaves from the branches, and the winter snow is about to descend. However, when she accidentally encounters her husband on the street at night, completely drunk and vomiting violently, she immediately rushes forward. People avoid the foul stench, and she takes him home. She cannot resist the sorrowful eyes of her husband and returns to that dim, cramped, and impoverished home with a poor stove. Here, the freezing winter snow suddenly scatters, revealing the brilliant joy of early spring. But when the days of coughing up blood continue, her mother-in-law's cold disdain and jealousy pierce her heart, and she finally leaves that home, following her superior who is pursuing her to Lanzhou. On the day the male protagonist coughs up the last mouthful of blood and dies, the sound of victory's "extra edition" is heard in the alley. The widowed mother laughs tears streaming down her face, shouting, "Xuan, you won't die! You won't die! With victory, no one should die anymore!" How magnificent a stroke of artistry! Freeing itself from all conventions and formulas, it writes with a fresh perspective about concrete life, about the intertwining of good and evil, love and hatred, and the ebb and flow of joy and sorrow in human nature. Ba Jin demonstrates exceptional talent and a solemn artistic spirit in "A Winter's Night."