"Skin" reading notes
Finished reading at Hangzhou Hut on August 2, 2023. The book contains 14 essays, which are roughly divided into two parts: the first half tells about the author’s Atai (grandmother’s mother), mother, and father’s philosophy of life, house, and disease The second half tells the story of Zhang Meili, two Ah Xiao, Wen Zhan and college roommate Houpu living in a small town.
The most touching story is that the author told about his father’s behavior after a stroke, which was exactly the same as my father’s experience, including the illness and emotional changes after the illness. Fortunately, I am in the new era, and my father underwent surgery. , I have recovered very well these years, and I can take care of myself, but the left side of my body is still inconvenient. Since my father experienced this serious illness, every time I go home, I can see my father getting older and getting older. He often dyes his hair to cover up his early graying Cream for hair. The author's father suffered from a stroke and left hemiplegia. He couldn't adapt to the job at the beginning. He was irritable and violent to his family. He beat his mother with a cane. He was stubborn and pretended to be strong. When the typhoon came, he had to go out for training regardless of everyone in the family. , The last few times I was dragged back by my family in embarrassment. Originally, he was full of confidence in his recovery from the disease at the beginning, and formulated a strict and detailed rehabilitation training plan, walking for no less than 8 hours a day, hoping to restore his left half of the body to normal through training. Then he turned a blind eye to all the deterioration in his life, but "this kind of sadness that has not been punctured, like a pus-filled wound, continues to accumulate and swell, and slowly, uncontrollably, the sadness will sometimes erupt." My father used to be very confident about recovering his health. He wanted to fight for the dignity of life with all his strength and was full of hope for the future. This false hope was also the driving force for his father to live. But in the end, the confident father gradually lost his battle in front of the disease. The former mighty and omnipotent father was constantly humiliated, tortured, and destroyed by the disease. Finally, his spiritual world collapsed and he left this world with hatred.
The other walks are all about the author's recounting that he and other friends have chosen different life paths, from childhood to adulthood. Most people have gone to a downturn and hopeless life in contrast to themselves. They practiced in a newspaper office steadily, and then stabilized their jobs, which is an ordinary and fulfilling fate.
"There are only two choices, either to climb up desperately, or to rot in the mud at the bottom of society. This is life."