三等奖 黄韵婷作品
Stick to ourselves in the gradually materialistic society
Charles Dickens ever wrote The Tale of Two Cities in 1859. It begins with a famous saying that it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. When I finished reading The Metamorphosis, the word came to me right away. Up to now, we have given up many laudable characters following mankind from primitive society in order to seek for more prosperous social development. Personally, the best stepping stone to realize the win-win situation between individual and society is to reflect ourselves and stick to our hearts and prevent distortion of human nature in the materialistic society which it ignores individuality.
The Metamorphosis, written by Kafka, is one of the most meaningful worldwide masterpieces. At first, Gregor Samsa is the respected eldest son in the family. His parents extolled him and his sister loved him. One morning, when he woke up, he found himself transform into a gigantic insect. Surprisingly, his first reaction is how to keep on his work for his family instead of lamenting his strange look. Meanwhile, his parents and sister were awashed with compassion and care for him initially, but soon they regarded him as a burden, leaving him alone after realizing they can't obtain benefits from him anymore, in other words, he is no longer valuable. Eventually, he expired in loneliness quietly. Ironically, after his death, the family's financial condition seemed to improve overnight. They began to plan their future life happily, and immediately forgot him. First of all, it shows the author's inner worry about being assimilated by the society. The public's single understanding of success and utilitarianism of success criteria makes the public tend to be conventional and try to avoid risks. The masses are assimilated and influenced by other people's so-called success standards, similarly the grades in the education system, so that the pure and laudable characters are gradually wiped out, and people lose themselves.
Back to our present social climate, it isn't difficult to find out a crazy tendency for success that it is high speed and has a single definition. We gradually get close to that template and neglect one's most fundamental premise of existence -- self-consciousness. From my perspective, success is a generalized concept. When we are in utter destitution, we can be contented easily provided that we spare no effort to struggle for something. It is because we stick to ourselves that we have a clear position and pursuit for ourselves. In general, the novel clearly shows the common destiny of modern person in capitalist society, that is to say, they can't get rid of the sorrow of losing themselves and the futile struggle of seeking "self".
The times are switching intensely fast, these behaviors relying on losing ourselves and abandon laudable characters to barely adjust to the society can't maintain permanent. It is not only the body that is deformed, but also a numb mind that is alienated. As Louis L'Amour ever put it,"Once you have read a book you care about, some part of it are always with you." Thus, I argue, remember to stick to ourselves whenever we live in what kind of society, is the most meaningful experience from the book.
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