Restarting the Time Wheel: Commentary on Bobbitt's "Forever Dick"
【Gazing into the Eye of Time】3
"The sun goes down and comes up tomorrow morning,
The flowers have faded and will still bloom next year.
That yoyo elsewhere,
That yoyo elsewhere,
Why does the little bird of my youth never come back? "
From the childish harmonies of children to the hoarse voice of singer Luo Dayou, this ballad has been sung by many people, and the lyrics also echo in people's hearts - "Why does the bird of youth never come back?" Heroes grow old and beauties grow old. , even we ordinary people who are neither heroes nor beauties also want to catch the tail of the bird of youth?
Sunrise and sunset, eternal youth is the desire and pursuit of many people from generation to generation. More than 2,000 years ago, Qin Shihuang generously sent alchemists, boys and girls out to sea, and the fleets went to the Immortal Mountains of East Ying to seek elixirs of immortality; to today's trend of professional beauty and plastic surgery, and the dazzling array of skin care products in stores, people are endlessly interested in it. Hugh devoted his money, time, and energy to the war against time, aging, and death, but he never won a long-term victory. Even though modern beauty and medicine technology is advancing with each passing day, it can only delay the signs of aging at best, but cannot stop the clock from swinging.
Since literature reflects the desires and dreams deep in the human heart, the legend of immortality is naturally indispensable. These stories are often accompanied by magical scenes of heaven and earth, and the main characters often have strong motivations to maintain their youth. However, in the 1970s, the outstanding American writer Natalie Babbitt had a unique insight and asked a unique question: What if, in the real land we live in, there is an ordinary family who inadvertently obtains The secret recipe for immortality, are they a blessing or a curse?
Babette's stories have a wide age range of readers, often blurring the distinction between children's and adults' reading. When critics questioned whether the philosophical speculation hidden in her work was too difficult for children, her response was that perhaps we have underestimated the breadth and depth of children's thinking when they actively seek the truth of life!
Since its publication in 1975, "Tuck Everlasting" has been translated into many languages and continues to sell well. In 2002, Disney assembled front-line directors and directors to remake the movie, which received rave reviews after its release. Perhaps the stereotype of fantasy literature in readers' minds is that it is full of magic and elves. However, fantasy literature encompasses various types. The scenes and characters in "The Eternal Di Family" are all realistic, which makes it closer to readers' lives and highlights the The tension of the only fantasy element "spring water" in the story!
story axis
At the end of the 19th century, Shugou Town in the United States was an ordinary and simple town. Eleven-year-old Ding Wei is the only daughter of the richest man in town. As he grew older, the strict discipline and care of his mother and grandmother suffocated Ding Wei even more than the intense summer heat.
One August morning, Ding Wei decided to defect and explore the family woods alone. In the forest, she accidentally bumps into Jesse Di, a sunny boy who claims to be 104 years old, and the four members of the Di family try their best to bury a century-old secret.
During the chaos, Ding Wei was "kindly kidnapped" by the Di family and taken to a wooden house in the mountains dozens of miles away. There, the Di family's father tried hard to make Ding Wei understand that eternal life is a pain rather than a blessing; if the secret of the spring of immortality is leaked, it will bring uncontrollable disaster to the whole world!
The mysterious man in yellow who followed and eavesdropped on everything showed up at Di's house with ill-intentioned chips in hand. In order to protect the secrets of Ding Wei and Quanshui, her mother dealt a heavy blow to the guest in yellow. After Ding Wei returned home safely, she suddenly had the dual identity of a kidnapping victim and a murder witness. Not only did she have to deal with questions from relatives and friends, but she also had to clarify an unprecedented inner struggle - should she believe the Di family's story? Should she help the Di family's mother in prison? How should she respond to Jesse's invitation to "The End of the World"?
Ding Wei’s great questions and great leaps
Through the many difficulties faced by the young girl Ding Wei, Babette and the readers repeatedly examine the true meaning of life. While reading, we may lower our heads and trace the trajectory of the wheel of time on our personal journey, or we may look up at the flying bird of youth and see which branch it is jumping on. Between turning the pages and closing the book in deep thought, we and Ding Wei cross the high bar of thought and action:
1 The threshold is crossed. Should I run away from home?
When the story begins, Ding Wei, who was overprotected by his relatives, had spent his entire childhood within the fence of his home. She is about to reach the age of youth, like a trapped bird, stamping her feet impatiently and fluttering her wings restlessly in her home cage. She was dissatisfied with reality, uneasy about the status quo, and eager to break out; but her worries about the unfamiliar world outside and her dependence on the familiar environment held her back.
After struggling with the tension between staying and going for a long time, Ding Wei finally gave up the idea of traveling far away and decided to take a walk in the woods outside his home. Taking a walk in the woods at home may not sound like a great adventure, but for a delicate girl who has never gone out alone, taking the first step independently out of the threshold of her home is of great growth significance.
2 Thoughts leap: Should we believe the Di family?
When Ding Wei quietly slipped out of the house, crossed the path, and walked into the green forest, she had no idea what surprises were waiting ahead! Ding Wei originally had a rational and pragmatic personality. She doubted the unknowable and supernatural, and never believed in fairy tales. It is conceivable that after listening to the Di family's confusing descriptions of the fountain of immortality, she could not tell whether what they said was a crazy delusion or a true experience.
Even if she wants to believe that the four members of the Di family have indeed experienced "no aging and no change" for a hundred years, which Di family member should she agree with regarding their attitude and philosophy towards eternal life? Should she accept the Di family's father's rejection of immortality, or should she learn from the Di family's mother's identity and live her life day by day, no matter how long it lasts, whether it's a year or a million years? Perhaps she should agree with the Di family brother's courage in struggling helplessly but still waiting for an opportunity to give it a try? Or should we simply seize the endless time and enjoy ourselves with the Di family brothers?
3 Action Leap: Should we help the Di family?
Traditionally, the kidnapper is strong and active, while the kidnapped person is weak and passive. Paradoxically, Ding Wei learned about the Di family's alternative and well-intentioned motive for kidnapping her, and after participating in their disorganized but self-sufficient life, she began to actively identify with the Di family. Later, when the mysterious man in yellow invades the hut, intending to use the spring for his own benefit, the world may fall into uncontrollable chaos due to the secret leakage of spring water and the greed of the man in yellow. The mother of the Di family resolutely took extraordinary measures to silence the guest in yellow forever and put herself in jail, waiting to be hanged.
Ding Wei returns home safe and sound. She must decide whether she is willing to challenge family rules, laws, and morals no matter the cost, leave home for the second time, and help Di's mother escape from prison in order to keep the secret of the spring...
4 Life spans: Should I join the Di family?
In just a few days and nights, Ding Wei made many major leaps in thought, mentality, and behavior. But the last decision is obviously the most difficult - should she choose to become the fifth Di family member and join the ranks of immortals?
Just imagine, when you are the treasure holder and the only person sharing the treasure map, how would you view this secret? The world seems to be divided into two: on one side, the whole world is kept in the dark and has no idea of the secret way to escape from the wheel of time; on the other side, the four members of the Di family who have accidentally escaped from the track of time will never return. Not in the changes of birth, old age, illness and death... only you, standing at the intersection, can decide where to move.
Throughout his life, Ding Wei held the password to immortality. The spring is right there, under the evergreen tree. It only took a quarter of an hour to walk into the middle of the woods, and it took only a few seconds to bend down to drink water. However, not being near the spring became her lifelong swing and persistence!
We caressed the scroll and thought deeply, and couldn't help but wonder, in Ding Wei's life, how many times did she seem to hear Jesse's eager voice inviting her to explore the world together? How many times did she want to walk into the forest and kiss the coolness that would make time slide down her body forever?
When Ding Wei was eleven years old, she heard the truth about the rotation of time, the endless changes, and the succession of life and death. However, she had to go with time for several years before she could say without any regret:
My choice was right.
I choose not to summon the wandering bird of youth and let it rest on my branches forever;
I choose to grow, like an ordinary tree, my roots will dig deep into the soil,
The growth rings on my trunk will increase, my branches will spread out, and my leaves will flourish;
I choose to endure the ravages of wind and rain, the cracks of thunder, the gnawing of rats and rabbits;
I choose to experience the loneliness of midwinter so that I can look forward to the sprouts sprouting in early spring.
The sun caresses the tender green texture,
Flowers in summer are like fragrant snow, sending invitations to bees and butterflies,
The fruit hangs proudly in the autumn festival;
I choose the scourge of aging because I choose growth and change;
I choose death because I choose life.
Faced with the endless flow of time and the various choices life gives us, we may not have the option of physical survival. But we still have to decide, what mentality should we use to view the young wandering bird, whether we should pursue her traces with all our strength, or should we pursue something else? May the story of Ding Wei and the Di family lead us to re-focus on the non-rotating axis in the center of the wheel of time and grasp the true eternity.
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Parent-ChildChannel
These discussion topics are designed for families with teenagers who want to learn more about parent-child reading. Readers can modify or extend it according to their own needs.
1 A touching scene in the book "The Forever Di Family" is when Jesse enthusiastically invites Ding Wei. When she turns seventeen and drinks the magical spring water, he will return to Shugou Town and take her away... If you have Similar to the opportunity, you can choose a certain point in your life and drink the spring water that can freeze time there forever. Where would you choose to stay? Why did you choose to live in "eternal ×× years"?
2 The Di family has an immortal body, but they lose the possibility of change and growth, and the possibility of establishing long-term relationships with others. Think about it, why are ordinary people so afraid of aging and death, but the Di family is eager to experience this? Is immortality a blessing or a curse?
3 From a secular perspective, the Di family committed serious crimes such as kidnapping, murder, and prison escape, and the mysterious guest in yellow was innocently killed. Why did Ding Wei, who had always followed the rules, identify with the Di family more than the guest in yellow who came to rescue her? Who is the symbol of evil in the book? What is the real motive behind the crimes committed by the Di family? Do they have no choice?
4. What are the essential similarities and differences between the immortal existence of the Di family and the eternal life that Christians hope for? Would you rather your body live forever and your soul wander, or would you rather your body perish and your soul enter a kingdom that cannot be shaken?
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[Extended reading]
1. Peter Pan: The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, by James M. Barrie, 1904. There are many Chinese and English versions.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Peter Pan flew from the mind of the author Berry to the stage of drama and literature, and also flew into the imagination of millions of readers. This little boy from a country where the sun never sets has become a household symbol of refusing to grow up. There are many interesting contrasts between Peter Pan and Jesse Dee in "The Forever Dicks".
2. The Big Baby, by Anthony Browne. New York: Knopf, 1994.
Anthony Brown, a famous contemporary British author, has become popular in the international children's book world with his magical realistic painting style and humorous and satirical information. In this book, a father who never surrenders to old age unexpectedly returns to his youth after drinking bottled water from a mysterious shop. His face remains the same, but his body becomes that of a baby. In the funny scenes of wives and children taking care of the baby's father, we laughed heartily and were reminded of the true meaning of growth, not only on a physical level, but also on a social and psychological level.
3. Tuck Everlasting, 2002. Disney Movie Version. (Chinese translation of the movie: True Love Lasts)
When a literary classic is adapted into a movie, there are bound to be trade-offs. The two media present similarities and differences, providing a lot of room for discussion and comparison between parents and children. It is recommended that you watch the movie after carefully chewing the original work, and you will gain more benefits. The DVD version of the movie comes with an interview with original author Babette, don't miss it.
Author profile
Huang Ruiyi, from Taiwan, majored in Chinese education at Ohio State University, specializing in children's literature. Now living in Los Angeles, I practice the balance between raising children and serving in the church every day. I also enjoy catching the flashes of inspiration in the flowers of words.