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This novel is filled with so much misfortune and sorrow that I couldn’t shake off the heaviness even after finishing it. The economic panic of the 1930s was truly a catastrophic disaster for farmers. Countless farmers lost the land that sustained their lives and were forced into homelessness, a journey fraught with blood, tears, and untold suffering. Three characters left a deep impression on me: Tom, Grandma, and Mom. Tom is upright, kind, and sincere. He acts on what he believes is right, even if it comes at a cost, and he never bows to evil forces. Tom is loved not only by his family but also by readers like us, though his character might seem somewhat idealized. Grandma is...

Like(0)Pollen2024-12-19High SchoolLiteratureNovelsViews(101)

This review may have a key plot reveal “Recently, I reread one of the most shocking novels of the 20th century, Lolita. In the past, I never thought Nabokov was anything special; I just felt that this old man liked to show off his skills and criticize others. But now, I truly think he is remarkable. I don’t say this to flatter a dead person, but because he was clearly a realist yet wrote an elegant romantic novel. It’s like how Haizi was a realist but wrote the best romantic poetry of the 1970s. They have no connection whatsoever, but both are people we should look up to in admiration. As for Lolita, it has been misinterpreted in many ways...

Like(0)Pollen2024-12-1620th CenturyadultRussian LiteratureViews(77)

“Fate is always more marvelous than any man-made design; we never know what it will tell us and great secrets are hidden in the well-being of God.” –Westward by Elrond There are many things that we wait until many years after they happen before we can wait for their endgame. Bilbo picked up a ring when he was 51 years old, and I was blown away by Middle-earth on the screen when I was 14. Fourteen was a providential age. At that age, Tolkien hadn’t yet turned into an old man who loved to sit in his study with a pipe in his mouth and a kindly look on his face. Still, three years earlier, he had begun to pay...

Like(0)Pollen2024-12-16AdventureEpic FantasyLiteratureYoung AdultViews(75)

Orwell’s book concludes with a pessimistic view, and I’ve never understood why most people ignore it. My view of 1984 is that it is an extremely pessimistic work, the kind of despairing pessimism like hunger, cold, or physical pain. With indifference, you think you can grit your teeth and persevere, but the result is only to repeatedly prove your weakness. Creating that pessimistic despair is not other than human nature itself – politics is an extension of human nature, and the political system is the setup of our way of life. It is the human beings for their own lives, the destiny of future generations, and the future of a handful of yellow earth or withered bones to retain the...

Like(0)Pollen2024-12-16DystopiaLiteraturePoliticsViews(77)

Holden could be annoying if he weren’t a teenager but a middle-aged man. This main character in The Catcher in the Rye can’t stand the sight of anything. He hates school, he hates his classmates, he hates his parents. He even hates people who like to say “good luck,” people who say “nice to meet you,” and people who applaud unquestioningly at piano recitals. And, of course, he hates math, physics, geography, history, and everything else except writing. Having someone who can’t even take pleasure in learning isn’t charming.         The point is that there is no “social cause” for his misery. Living in his time and country, he can neither complain about the “authoritarian society that distorts human nature”...

Like(0)Pollen2024-12-12Coming Of AgeHigh SchoolLiteratureRead For SchoolYoung AdultViews(89)