Structure in Bao Ninh's Short Stories

With those lyrics carrying the "sorrow of the steppe", did Bao Ninh want to convey the intense desire for freedom of people in wartime?

Thus, the soldier character in Bao Ninh's short stories is described in the most realistic and ordinary way. He does not embellish or idealize his characters. Therefore, the soldier character in Bao Ninh's short stories easily impresses readers in a unique way. As for the female characters, Bao Ninh describes them with special favor. They are often beautiful people. Perhaps, in the face of the harshness of war, those women are like a cool breeze that soothes the pain and loss that the soldiers have experienced and are experiencing.

2.3.2. Character building through memories

Reminiscence or reminiscence is “bringing back to memory the images of what happened, the memories of the past” [17,386]. According to author Phong Tuyet in the article Maxwell Prux (1871 - 1920) and the problem of artistic time , “reminiscence is essentially finding the past that has passed, making it come alive. Finding lost time means finding the essence, finding oneself” [82,51). Professor Tran Dinh Su also believes that: “Reminiscence is returning to the past but at the same time living with the “present” of the past” [68,70). Bui Viet Thang gives a more specific concept: “Memory is the stream of reminiscence “looking for lost time” in the character’s psychology, connecting the past with the present, this “connection” is undertaken by one or two characters”. In the process of “finding lost time”, people find themselves again.

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In every person, there is a memory. That memory is the previous life that each person has lived and experienced. The changes of life can fade and erase many things, but the past is real, what remains, unchanged in each person's memory. Reviving the past is essentially finding yourself, answering the question: "In the past, what kind of person was I?".

The nature of memory is to revive things that have passed in the past. There is a kind of past that has nothing to do with the present, does not control human life in the present, people only remember it as a past memory, or just with

The purpose of stringing together events to make the story more coherent. There is also a type of past that always haunts the character in the present, as an inseparable part of present life, just a certain detail in the present suggests that it immediately brings back memories of the past. That proves that the past leaves a very strong mark on the human soul. It accompanies present life, even it controls what happens in the present. This connection explains why people live like this today? At the same time, it proves all thoughts and actions in the present. Therefore, the narrator does not stand outside but participates in that past, now remembering and recounting what he has experienced. Memories in Bao Ninh's works belong to the second type.

In fact, people who always remember the past and live with what belongs to the past are often sensitive, introverted, thoughtful and tormented people. The past for such people is often imprinted in their minds, making it impossible for them to get rid of it. The events that return most often in the character's memories are the most haunting, tormenting and most impressive memories.

Memories not only expand the space and time of the story but also play an important role in portraying the inner person of the character. It is an extremely complex and multi-dimensional inner life. Because "only when there is awareness of the inner life of the character can the character recall and the past appear" [69,71]. People who live by memories are often in conflict or cannot reconcile with their present life. Their inner person is always haunted by the past.

Most of the characters in Bao Ninh's short stories are built through the perspective of memories. The memories of the characters' past are deeply imprinted in the hearts and lives of post-war soldiers. The past is the pain of losing comrades and relatives; the past is the haunting, tormenting memories of mistakes; the past is the memories of childhood, memories of youth that leave an imprint throughout the characters' lives...

The memories of the character “I” in the short storyHanoi at Zero Hour are childhood memories: “The pedestrian is walking along the midnight watch, quietly turning away from real life, silently blending into the things of the old days” [60, 114]. Those are memories of house number four with poor children celebrating Tet together. Through the memories of the character “I”, the characters appear clearly one by one. A warm-hearted painter Nam Tin, a friend of the children, who suffered much pain and loss; a beautiful, capable, and resourceful sister Giang; a taciturn and dull Trung but living strongly and courageously; a handsome, gallant, open-minded Pet Xom... "I" remember clearly the feeling of welcoming New Year's Eve at house number four, the joy of leaving for duty, and the pain deep in my heart when I realized the silent love - the unreal first love for Ms. Giang... All have become unforgettable memories in the character's mind.

Phuc's memories in The Weather of Memory are about his mistakes in his youth and his silent love for Quynh. Phuc, due to circumstances, chose to serve the puppet government. Phuc lived in torment and repentance both when he was in the re-education camp and when he was free. After many years of searching for Quynh, Phuc lived a meaningless life. He "didn't go anywhere, was depressed, weak, absolutely silent, absolutely did not talk, did not socialize, seemed to know no one in the world" [60,324]. He didn't even know what his existence in this world was for, had no concept of time, "his mind was sleepy, his heart was sluggish. And he was exhausted, giving up in depression" [60,328]. Only when he met Dinh again, his friend who had also questioned him, did he know that Quynh had not gone to the South as planned but stayed to wait for him until she died. It was also from here that he discovered the secret of his life: “The lines of the distant past, tonight return from the depths of oblivion. Thanks to that, even if I have to part, even if I have to lose you forever, I will still forever have you”…” [60,329]. Exploring the hidden depths of the main character’s thoughts is a new humanistic feature in Bao Ninh’s writing, expressing the writer’s multifaceted view of humanity.

Reminiscing about the past is a constant psychology in the soldier's soul: "Sometimes, I just need to close my eyes and my memories will immediately turn back to the old path, pushing the whole real world of today to the edge of the grass. So many tragic memories, so many pains that I have long told myself to try to forget, in the end, are easily awakened by seemingly out-of-the-ordinary connections that arise unpredictably from countless trivial details" [59,48].

A series of human destinies are depicted through the memories of the years in the nursing home of the character "I" in the short story " Washing My Hands and Putting Down My Sword" . They suffered from the effects of war. Through the dreams of returning soldiers, readers are constantly haunted by the devastation caused by enemy bombs and bullets. Each person has a dream - the spiritual world is full of wandering ghosts and demons: "There are strange dreams, in which I only see ghosts of the enemy. They slowly pass through the wall, quietly enter the room, hovering close to the head of my bed" [60,202]. The years of war have passed, but the souls of the dead still haunt the souls of soldiers. The world unconsciously pulls people back to the fear of war. The ghosts "mostly just gently walk by, but there are also a few lingering shadows that stop, open the curtain, and breathe cold breaths, leaning close, as if recognizing me" [60,202]. In the void, the soldiers saw their enemies return from the dead but still did not forget the old grudges.

Coming out of the war, the past still haunts and clings to the post-war soldiers. Khuong is in pain with dreams of being wounded; "I" am haunted and terrified by the fierce destruction of Agent Orange. Dreams are the deepest things that people cannot reveal, the unconscious world where life stories are still jumbled. If in the real world Quang hides his pain, in his dreams he reveals his ultimate pain. The world of dreams brings Quang back to his sadness and torment. That is when he can live true to his human nature, allowing him to recognize human nature. Bao Ninh has created a "very human" soldier, with self-respect, with hurt and the pain of betrayal that cannot be soothed.

Through the characters' memories, the writer indirectly shows the readers the true face of war. Bao Ninh shows the readers war through memories expressed in dreams. The mysterious world of humans lies deep in dreams. The war has receded into the past for more than thirty years, but its image still remains in dreams. It is the terrible destruction of enemy bombs and bullets, the wounds of the land, mountains and rivers... Even though the war has passed, its echoes still surround the soldiers in the post-war period. Returning after the war, many characters in Bao Ninh's works "had to endure one memory after another, day after day, night after night". Therefore, the war is recalled, the past is remembered in the dreams of soldiers, appearing realistic with so much loss, pain and hardship. Borrowing memories to reflect on the past is the way Bao Ninh builds the face of war in his writings with all the liveliness and authenticity.

War is recalled, characters are built through memories is a familiar artistic technique of post-war literature. By developing the theme of war in this direction, Bao Ninh has clarified the fate of soldiers in war and in everyday life. The obsession with war dominates the soul of every soldier. In their minds, war is a fulcrum for them to return to and relive a time of hardship, pain but also of heroism and glory. Searching for and recalling the past is the reaction of a sensitive, delicate, and profound soul when the times have changed. Most of the characters in Bao Ninh's works are aware that the past is far away and that past is marked by memories of a time of youth. In his writings, it seems that Bao Ninh is "trying to fill in the gaps and one-sidedness in the concept of human beings by delving into the spiritual world (...) Examining human beings in their spiritual aspect will bring new humanistic values (...) rich in philosophical meaning of life" [7].

3.1. Structure

CHAPTER 3

STRUCTURE, LANGUAGE, TOE IN BAO NINH'S SHORT STORIES

3.1.1. Structural concept

“Structure is the formation and connection of parts in the composition of a work, the organization and arrangement of elements and materials that form the content of the work on the basis of objective life and in a certain ideological direction” [21,143].

Structure is an element of artistic form, “the main task of structure is to organize the plot into parts, chapters, paragraphs, layers, and scenes in a reasonable manner; at the same time, arrange and organize details and events into organic parts of a dialectical development process, and the ultimate goal of that process is still to reveal the characteristics of the character's personality and affirm the ideological theme of the work. In addition, structure also arranges and organizes the reasonable appearance of extra-plot elements such as: the author's foreword, final words, lyrical commentary, subtitles, and landscape paintings” [21,144].

Writers often pay great attention to the beginning and the end when writing short stories. Chekhov emphasized: “In my opinion, writing short stories, the most important thing is to emphasize the beginning and the end”. Writer Do Chu once shared with readers: “As for ending a short story, it is an action that can easily cause sudden emotions. We are very happy if we feel like we have just closed something that has just formed. And we will be very sad if we suddenly realize that we are wrong. At the moment of stopping, we can know how successful what we have written has been. The pleasure of writing short stories sometimes lies right there” [72,92]. In Bao Ninh’s short stories, we are interested in the way the work begins and ends.

3.1.2. Structure in Bao Ninh's short stories

3.1.2.1. How to start

The way a literary work begins plays a very important role. It not only creates a first impression but also helps guide readers in receiving the work. Most of Bao Ninh's short stories have a structure: beginning and ending in the present, with the past in the middle. This type of going back to the past is found in many of his works. If the beginning is cut off, readers will not be able to feel the stories about the past told from the present's perspective.

In the short story "Carving a Mark on the Boat " , the story takes place twenty years after the war, but the war is told as if it were still happening. The "Seven Dwarfs" camp begins in the present: "I" - a postal worker, encountered a storm on my way to work and took shelter at Moc's house (on the trail along the West Sa Thay bank). During the time I took shelter from the rain, Moc told me about his life, about the time Moc worked as a logistics soldier at the "Seven Dwarfs" camp. The short story " Hanoi at Zero Hour " is the same. The beginning of the work is the moment when the character "I" stands in front of the old house at the sacred moment of New Year's Eve, making "I" recall the old house with many happy and sad memories of my childhood. The nameless star begins with a train passing through “the wild world of rolling hills, valleys and vast open spaces of western Quang Binh” [60,292]… The opening part of the work in Bao Ninh’s short story helps readers recognize the past stories told from the present. From the present, recalling the past, readers can easily feel that these are issues that have happened and are now being told and recalled.

The present tense plays a key role because it is the time of perception. In the present, the characters live with the past of the present. This is very important. Because the present moment at the beginning of the work helps readers realize that war and soldiers are evaluated and viewed after the war - when there is a certain "time gap".

Most of Bao Ninh's works begin in the present to recall the past, so the writer uses past time markers heavily. The writer often begins his works with past clauses: "It's been more than thirty years" ( Challenge ) [60,214]; "Thinking back, it's been nearly forty years" ( Weather of Memory ) [60,307]; "More than twenty years after the war" ( Washing Hands and Putting Down the Sword ) [60,195]; "Exactly thirty-four years of separation" ( Hanoi at Zero Hour ) [60,135]; "That year, I was 17 years old, a private, a soldier of the 5th new recruit battalion" ( Giang ) [61,55]...

Most of the characters in Bao Ninh's short stories are older people who have experienced battles, so they have a more thorough and mature view of war and human life during and after the war. Therefore, some of Bao Ninh's short stories begin with emotional thoughts and contemplations.

The mystery of the water begins with the contemplation of the character “I”: “The rivers flow like time, and like time, on the surface of the riverbanks, countless stories of life have taken place. Especially at night, on the water of my homeland, countless mysterious lights sparkle, including the mystery of my life” [60,32]. Then, the author explains the mystery and also the torment that lasts throughout his life. That is, “I” could not save my wife and child, the current child is not his. This pain is unknown to anyone and is not easy to express.

The author opened the story of Tu Lam's luck ( Ky Ngo ) who, by chance, found his lost love in the deep jungle of war thirty years ago. A love that, after all these years, he no longer truly believed he had: "This world is beautiful because it never turns out the way it should be. And this life is still the same but still worth living because besides the boring daily grind of the same old things, there are also countless abnormalities, from great luck for everyone to quiet miracles that always silently come to each person's life" [60,264].

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