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My Old Home by Lu Xun: Summary | Questions and Answers | Class 12 English
My Old Home by Lu Xun
Table of Contents
GLOSSARY OF THE TEXT
li (n.): traditional Chinese unit of distance measuring 1,640 feet
rationalize (v.): attempt to explain or justify with logical reasons, even if these are not appropriate
sacrificial vessels (n.): originally a cauldron for cooking and storing meat. The Shang prototype has a round bowl, set on three legs with two short handles on each side
intercalary (n): a day or month inserted in the calendar to harmonize the solar calendar like 29 February
talisman (n.): an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, which is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck
hedgehog (n.): a small nocturnal Old World mammal with a spiny coat and short legs, able to roll itself into a ball for defence
Concubine (n.): mistress; woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives
treadmill (adj.): monotonous or wearisome, giving no satisfaction
stupefied (adj.): astonished
flabbergasted (ad.): feeling or showing intense shock, surprise, or wonder
Name: Lu Xun
Birth: 25th September 1881
Nationality: Chinese
Birth Place: Zhejiang, Qin Dynasty, China
Death: 19th October 1936 (Aged 55) Shanghai, China
Profession: Writer, Essayist and Literary Critic
He is considered one of the founders of Modern Chinese Literature
Notable Works:
A Madman's Diary
Kong Yiji
The True Story of Ah Q
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SHORT STORIES IMPORTANT QUESTIONS' SOLUTION PACK
MAIN MESSAGE OF THE STORY
Present realities and social responsibilities take us away from our past and its related memories.
ABOUT STORY
My Old Home is a story of the conflict between memories and realities. This story was written by the Chinese writer Lu Xun. This story is based on the writer's memories regarding his old home and friend.
The story ‘My Old Home’ is taken from the short story collection "Hometown" that was published in 1921.
This story presents the main narrator's dual feelings before and after his arrival at his old home. He had a deep longing for his homeland while being away from his old home. But, after his arrival at his old home, his memories are forced to come to confront the realities. His prior conceptions and understandings of the world come into conflict with his reality.
MAJOR THEMES OF THE STORY
CHARACTERS IN THE STORY
He is the main narrator of the story. He had a deep longing for his homeland while being away from his old home. But, after his arrival at his old home, his memories are forced to come to confront the realities. His prior conceptions and understandings of the world come into conflict with his reality.
Xun’s Mother:
The mother of the narrator is quite simple. She lives in a remote village in China.
Mrs. Yang:
Mrs. Yang is about fifty years old. She runs the beancurd shop across the road. Lu Xun is quite surprised to see her activities.
Hong’er:
Hong'er is the nephew of the narrator. Hong'er is an eight-year-old boy who lives in the village.
Runtu:
Runtu is a childhood friend of the narrator (Xun). He is a quite poor boy who was given charge of guarding sacrificial vessels by the narrator's father. The narrator met him after many years and found him quite changed.
Shuishen:
Shuishen was Runtu's fifth son. He came to visit the narrator's house along with his father.
MORALS OF THE STORY
▪︎ Things aren't the same all the time. Everything changes with time. All must realise this fact.
▪︎ Responsibilities bring changes in behaviour.
▪︎ Childhood relationships are beyond anything.
SETTING OF THE STORY
This story presents the setting of a remote Chinese village where the narrator has grown up.
MAIN SUMMARY
NARRATOR'S ARRIVAL AT HIS OLD HOME
The narrator returned to his old home after more than twenty years of travelling more than six hundred miles. On the way, he faced extreme cold in his boat.
The narrator returned to his old home during the 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 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 had 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 a working place far away from his old home.
When the narrator arrived at his home at dawn, he noticed the withered grass on the roof. There was silence due to the few people. Most of his clan had already moved there. He found his mother at the door to welcome him. He saw his eight-year-old nephew, Hong'er, who rushed out after her.
He saw his mother's delighted face. He realised that his mother was hiding her feelings of sadness. His mother told him to sit down, rest, and have some tea. Hong'er had never seen the narrator before, so he kept looking at him.
The narrator informed his mother about a rented house along with a 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 the immovable furniture items in the house. She informed him about the difficulty in paying 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 told him about the curiosity of Runtu. She had already informed Runtu about the narrator's arrival.
NARRATOR'S PAST MEMORIES WITH RUNTU
A bit later, the narrator moved into his flashback. He saw eleven-year-old Runtu on 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 ago, when Runtu was just over ten. The narrator's father was alive at the time. 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 a crowd of many worshippers. The sacrificial vessels should be guarded against theft. At that 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 to guard tasks, the narrator became overjoyed. He had heard many times about Runtu, who was about his age. Runtu's father gave him the 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 the new year. He got a chance to meet Runtu. One day, when he was 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 and was so high in spirits. He was so shy, but he was not afraid of the narrator. He talked with him in others' absences. Soon he became a friend of the narrator.
The next day, the narrator wanted him to catch birds. He informed me about the possibility of birds catching only after heavy snowfall. He told him about the tricks for catching different kinds of birds. He invited the narrator to come to his place in summer and even related to 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 me about the way to strike zha with a pitchfork. He also told him about the two-leg jumping fish on his seashore.
The narrator learned various strange 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 and a few beautiful feathers from Runtu as presents. He also sent him presents once or twice. After that meeting, they never met again.
NARRATOR'S MEETING WITH MRS. YANG
The narrator, in his reality, was quite away from his memories. The people came over to buy furniture. The narrator's nephew wanted to know about their journey on a train or boat.
Next, the narrator met a woman of about fifty with prominent cheekbones and thin lips. With her hands on her hips, not wearing a skirt but with her trousered legs apart, she stood in front of the narrator just like the compass in a box of geometrical instruments.
The narrator felt surprised to see her and her activities. She held him with her arms. After many years of silence, the narrator had forgotten her. The narrator was informed by his mother that the woman was Mrs. Yang from across the road. She had a beancurd shop.
The narrator remembered her later on. When he was a child, she used to sit in her beancurd shop across the street. Everybody used to call her beancurd beauty. She used to powder herself, and her cheekbones were not so prominent then nor were her lips so thin; moreover, she remained seated all the time so that he had never noticed this resemblance to a compass. During those days, she did very fine business. As a small kid, the narrator didn't have any impressions about her. So he forgot about her over the course of time. The narrator related that the Compass (Mrs.Yang) was extremely indignant and looked at him most contemptuously, just as one might look at a Frenchman who had never heard of Napoleon or an American who had never heard of Washington. She asked him to give her the furniture for free. She referred to her as poor, whereas the narrator referred to her as rich. The narrator denied being rich.
She stated that the more money people have, the more miserly they get, and the more miserly they are, the more money they get. She turned and moved, taking the narrator's mother's gloves.
The narrator started packing. The neighbouring relatives were there. In this way, three or four days passed.
NARRATOR'S MEETING WITH HIS CHILDHOOD FRIEND RUNTU
One day, the narrator was drinking tea during a cold afternoon. He knew about Runtu's arrival. He moved hurriedly to welcome him. He found Runtu quite changed. He was not that Runtu whom he remembered. He had grown twice his former size. His round face, once crimson, had become sallow and had acquired deep lines and wrinkles.
The narrator was delighted, but he didn't know how to express himself. He had many things to talk about. But he became speechless. Runtu also remained the same. His lips moved, but he didn't utter a word at first. Finally, with a respectable attitude, he politely said, "Master."
The narrator felt so bad to hear that word. He realised the gap between them. Runtu pulled a small boy from his back and asked him to greet the master. The small boy was the fifth son of Runtu, named Shuisheng. He was so shy and awkward.
In the meantime, the narrator's mother came. She asked the reason behind Runtu's polite manner. She asked him to call the narrator's brother, Xun. But Runtu expressed his opinions regarding his understanding of his childhood. Hong'er moved out with Shui-Sheng to play. Both the narrator and his mother spent time talking to Runtu. They got the idea about Runtu's life. As time passed, Runtu faced hard times in his life, along with many children. He had a lot of hardships in his life due to poverty. The problems of famines, taxes, soldiers, bandits, officials, and landed gentry had all squeezed him. The narrator's mother desired to offer him all the things of the old home that they were not going to take away with them. She wanted him to choose the things for himself.
Runtu picked out a number of things that afternoon: two long tables, four chairs, an incense burner and candlesticks, and one balance. He also asked for all the ashes from the stove.
That night, they talked again. The next morning, he went away with Shui-sheng.
After nine days, it was time for them to leave. Runtu came in the morning. Shuisheng did not come with him. He had just brought a little girl of five to watch the boat. The whole day, they were busy. During the evening, they left the place by boat.
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 told him about Runtu's son Shuisheng's invitation, the narrator became sad. He even realised the idols as a superstitious idol and an idol of hope. He started thinking about human life, memories, and relationships. He realised the value of social responsibilities and the blurred relationships among 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 realised 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.
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SHORT SUMMARY / MAIN POINTS / EXERCISE OF MY OLD HOME BY LU XUN
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