My Old Home Story by Lu Xun | Summary and Question Answer
About the author
Lu Xun (1881-1936) is a pen name of the writer born as Zhou Shuren. He was born to a family with a strong Confucian background. His grand-Father served as high official in Beijing, and his father was also a scholar.
Lu Xun has been considered China’s greatest writer in the 20th century. He was a short story writer, essayist, and translator who is commonly considered the ‘father of modern Chinese literature.’ known for satirical observations of early 20th century Chinese society, he celebrated as a Pioneer of modern vernacular Chinese literature and was one of the most important thinkers of his time.
Summary
Interpretation
The narrator returned to his old home after more than twenty years travelling more over six hundred miles. On the way, he faced extreme cold in his boat.
The narrator returned to his home during late winter. He described his feelings at the arrival of his old home. He had the feeling of being depressed as he saw the desolate and scattered villages without having any sign of life. The day became overcast that day when he arrived there.
According to the narrator, his old home was much better in the past. He didn’t have words to describe his home’s earlier beauty. He stated that his mood was changed but not his home which needed a bit of improvement. He didn’t have an illusion this time. He had come to his old home with the sole object of saying goodbye.
The narrator’s old home had already been sold to another family. He had to hand over his home before the end of the year. Before New Year’s day, he had to move his family to another place saying goodbye to his relatives. He had to move to his working place far away from his old home.
When the narrator arrived at his hometown at dawn, he noticed the withered grass on the roof. There was silence due to few people. Most of his clan had already moved from there. He found his mother at the door to welcome him. He saw his eight years nephew Hong’er who rushed out after her.
He saw his mother’s delighted face. He realized that his mother was hiding her feelings of sadness. His mother told him to sit down and rest and have some tea. Hong’er had never seen the narrator before so he kept on looking at him.
The narrator informed his mother about a rented house with few furniture items. He wanted to sell his old home’s furniture to buy more things for his rented house. His mother informed him about her almost ready luggage and even the sold-out half of immovable furniture items of the house. She informed about the difficulty in paying up to the people.
His mother asked him to rest for a day or two. She wanted to call their relatives once and then move. She informed him about a person named Runtu. She related him about the curiosity of Runtu. She has already informed Runtu about the narrator’s arrival.
Narrator's Past Memory With Runtu:
A bit later, the narrator moved into his flashback. He saw eleven years by Runtu in the seashore with a silver necklet. He had a steel pitchfork in his hand. He was thrusting at a Zha with his full might. The zha dodged his blow and escaped between his legs.
The narrator met Runtu thirty years back while Runtu was just over ten. The narrator’s father was alive then. During that time, the narrator’s family had to take charge of a big ancestral sacrifice. The round of taking charge came only once in thirty years. The sacrificial vessels were worshipped by the crowd of many worshippers. The sacrificial vessels should be guarded against thefts. At thvessels.at time, in the district, the labourers were divided into three classes: those who worked all the year for one family were called full-timers; those who were hired by the day were called dailies; and those who farmed their lands and only worked for one family at New Year, during festivals or when rents were being collected were called part-timers. That time, Runtu’s father told the narrator’s father to send his son Runtu to guard the sacrificial vessels.
When the narrator’s father permitted Runtu for guarding tasks, the narrator became overjoyed. He had heard many times about Runtu who was about his age. Runtu’s father put his name Runtu after finding a lack of earthly elements in his horoscope. Runtu was quite skilled in setting traps and catching birds.
The narrator was quite curious about New year. He got a chance to meet Runtu. One day, when he got informed by his mother about Runtu, he hurriedly moved to see Runtu. He saw Runtu standing in the kitchen. Runtu had a round and purplish face who was so high in spirits. He was so shy but he was not afraid of the narrator. He talked with him in other’s absence. Soon he became the friend of the narrator.
The next day, the narrator wanted him to catch birds. He informed about the possibility of birds catching only after heavy snowfall. He told him about the tricks of catching different kinds of birds. He invited the narrator to come to his place in summer and even related him about seashells and the way of guarding watermelons against zha, a fast and cunning creature whose feathers were so oily and slippery. He informed about the way of striking zha with a pitchfork. He also told him about two legs jumping fish of his seashore.
The narrator learnt various things from Runtu. After the New Year, Runtu had to go home. The narrator cried a lot in his kitchen. He stayed there in the kitchen being sad. He refused to come out of the kitchen. Later, his father carried him out. He got a packet of shells, few beautiful feathers from Runtu in presents. He also sent him presents once or twice. After that meeting, they never met again.
NARRATOR’S MEETING WITH MRS YANG:
The narrator met Mrs. Yang at her home. He addressed her as a compass of a geometry box. She was about fifty years old with thin cheekbones and lips. He was surprised to see her. She held the narrator with her arms.
Later, his mom informed him about Mrs. Yang, a bean curd shop lady from across the road. The narrator remembered her later on. In his childhood, she used to sit in her bean curd shop powdering herself and was quite famous by her name “A Beancurd Beauty”.
She used to do fine business at that time. The narrator was quite small then so that he couldn’t have got much impressions of her. Mrs. Yang requested the narrator to let her furniture items of the home for free. She referred to the narrator as a rich man. But the narrator denied being rich. When the narrator revealed his intention of selling furniture items, she threw lots of words to the narrator regarding miserliness.
NARRATOR’S MEETING WITH RUNTU AFTER MANY YEARS:
After many years, the narrator face was wrinkled. He found him quite different. His face was wrinkled. He came along with his fifth son Shuisheng. The narrator felt bad to hear the word ‘Master’ from his mouth. The narrator mother asked him to call the narrator ‘Brother Xun’ but he added about his past mistake and childhood understandings.
When all of them talked, the narrator and his mother learnt about various hardships of Runtu’s life along with many children. His poverty led him to this stage. The problems of famines, taxes, soldiers, bandits, officials and landed gentry, all had squeezed him. Both the narrator and his mother decided to help Runtu.
They asked Runtu to take the items of his need from the house. Runtu chose two long tables, four chairs, an incense burner and candlesticks and one balance. He also asked for all the ashes from the stove.
NARRATOR'S DEPARTURE AND REALIZATION:
The narrator and his mother became nostalgic. His mother related the acts of her relatives to the narrator. When the narrator's nephew talked about Runtu's son Shuisheng's invitation, the narrator became sad. He even realized the idols as a superstitious idol and the idol of hope. He started thinking about human life, memories and relationships. He realized the value of social responsibilities and blur relationships of humans. He expected his nephew and Runtu's son to have a fine relationship.
At the end of the story, the narrator is on the boat leaving his home along with his nephew, Hong'er and his mother. As he was leaving, he realized that all of the memories and even his old home were left behind. He moved ahead towards his destination leaving his past in his memories.
Understanding the text
How does the narrator describe his feeling at the arrival of his old home?
Ans- The narrator of the story has both sad and happy feeling at his arrival of his old home. It has been more than 20 years and he is returning to his old home more 6oo miles away. He feels happy and nostalgic to see his home but at the same time he becomes sad because he is to leave it forever and there is no evidence of progress for the last 20 years.
What were the three kinds of servants in China then? What does it indicate about contemporary Chinese society?
Ans- According to the story, there were three kinds of servants in China at that time. They were daily servants who could be hired for day-today work. The seasonal servants could be hired seasonally as they were busy-monthers. And the servants who worked for a year long or more, they were yearlong servants. The division of the servants indicates that there was a slavery system and a trend of dividing the work on the basis of their levels.
What makes the narrator nostalgic? What did he do with Runtu in the teenage?
Ans- The narrator is more nostalgic when his mother tells him about his childhood friend Runtu with whom the narrator had spent years playing in the sandy fields, and doing various activities together. The name of Runtu causes him to flow the emotions and he suddenly becomes. nostalgic.
How did Runtu hunt a Zha in his young age?
Ans- Zha was a cunning creature with slippery covering which used to destroy watermelons. It was Runtu’s duty to protect watermelons from it. He used to attack the Zha with his pitchfork using his all strength.
How does the narrator make a humorous picture of Mrs. Yang?
Ans- Mrs. Yang was a woman from the village. She was thin and lanky. With her narrow cheekbones and thin lips, she could be seen as her face stood above a pair of compasses in a geometry box. Her description is amusing that creates a humorous image of her. She was called as ‘Beancurd Beauty’. She used to put powder on her face to look beauty but in fact she was thin and bony.
According to the narrator, what were different factors that made Runtu a poor man throughout his life?
Ans- The childhood friend of the narrator Runtu lived a very poor and a miserable lifef. There were various factors like social divisions, obligations, discrimination in the society, social class, lack of opportunities, poor economic background etc.
How does the narrator help Runtu before leaving the old home?
Ans- Before leaving the old home, the narrator decided to provide some household materials to him because Runtu was financially poor. The narrator gave him some furniture like tables, some candlesticks, an incense burner, a set of scales.
How does the author differentiate two kinds of idols?
Ans- The author differentiates two kinds of idols through his realization. The two kinds of idols are superstitious idol and idol of hope. The superstitious idols are worshipped for a short time to get something immediately but ‘hope’ is a long term desire which people need in most situations.
Reference to the context
While reading the friendship between the narrator and Runtu, Hindu readers remember the friendship between Krishna and Sudama. Which particular description reminds you of the mythological example?
Ans- While reading the friendship between the narrator and Runtu, Hindu readers remember the friendship between Krishna and Sudama. Lord krishna was rich and Sudama was poor. Both Lord krishna and Sudama were the most intimate friends. Poor Sudama came to visit his friend Krishna at Dwaraka. Lord Krishna was so happy to see his friend at his doorstep. Lord Krishna welcomed Sudama with great respect and helped Sudama in many ways. Similarly, the story reminds us of the friendship like that of Krishna and Sudama. The narrator of the story is rich but his childhood friend Suntu is very poor and destitute. When the narrator returns his old home after 20 years, he becomes so happy to meet with Suntu. The narrator provides his friend Suntu with many household materials, two tables, some candlesticks, an incense burner and a set of scales.
b. How does the story support the proposition that the relationships of childhood are innocent, impartial and disinterested?
Ans- The story ‘My Old Home’ is about the author’s deep respect and recalling of his childhood memories. It supports that the relationships of childhood are innocent, impartial and disinterested (unbiased). The narrator is rich master who has been living away home for more than twenty years. When he returns to his old home in the countryside, he feels nostalgia. The friendship with Runtu floods his emotions. Between Runtu and him, there was a true, innocent, and impartial friendship. In the story we find their friendship beyond various barriers. The narrator belonged to a rich family while Runtu belonged to the poor. Despite their class difference, they played and shared their ideas being free from biasness and without having feelings of rich and poor, master and servant. Their friendship was so sacred that there was no any feeling of class difference. They enjoyed each moment of the past innocently. The story presents various examples of their true, innocent, impartial and disinterested friendship. The narrator openly helped his friend Runtu and Runtu also shared his service to the narrator. They enjoyed their childhood without any biasness, prejudice and selfishness.
c. After reading the story, what inferences can you make about contemporary Chinese economic and social system?
Ans- After reading the story ‘My Old Home’ we can make various inferences (interpretations) about the contemporary Chinese economic and social system. The narrator represents the high and rich class and Runtu represents the poor and low class. At that time, China had a feudal system, due to which slavery system was in practice. The government employees and the feudalists were rich who always used to exploit and oppress the poor. The poor servants who faced hardships in their lives due to poor economic status were bound to work for the rich people for living. The servants were categorized as yearlongs, busy-monthers and short-timers. They were completely dependent on the rich. The gap between the rich and the poor was a vast. The poor were exploited by various factors like high taxes, soldiers, bandits, government officials, starvation, and social discrimination. If fact, the economic and social systems of contemporary society was not favourable to the working class people.
d. What does the story indicate about the geographical features of the narrator’s hometown?
Ans- The geographical area of the narrator’s hometown is attractive. It is beside the sea. When the narrator is heading towards is village, the sky seems to be clouded with cold wind whistling into his boat. He could see the town and villages under a vast and graying sky. The place wasn’t totally a countryside but it was desolate and lonely. No progress had been seen for the last twenty years. The area where the narrator had been raised had a stretch of sandy ground planted with emerald green watermelons.
The End
