Reading "The Short-lived Dollar Bill" - Reflecting on "Humanity"

Short story collection "The short dollar bill" by author Chinh Van. Photo: DUY KHOI

22 short stories are contained in a book of just over 100 pages. The way of writing with concise words, details and condensed images is what impresses readers in this collection. These short stories have motifs and plots that are not necessarily new, because they have been exploited by many writers in many different art forms, or readers have encountered them somewhere in society. But with the perspective of a retired teacher, author Chinh Van has successfully attracted readers.

“Eating Tet with “oxygen”” is a story about a man who is not poor but likes to depend on and enjoys the “Western label” of his foreign son-in-law. “Weighing mother” is also not a new story: “Parents raise their children like vast seas/ Children raise their parents counting months and days”. Or with “A funeral without incense”, it is the heart of an old mother when she has to follow her “Overseas Vietnamese” children to the city to hold her husband’s funeral at a restaurant, without incense, only Western food and foreign music…

In the 22 pieces of the puzzle called “the state of human affairs” of this book, the story “The Ghost of Mrs. Ai’s House” that made a strong impression was the story “The Ghost of Mrs. Ai’s House”. A woman was once helped by someone else, but in the afternoon of her benefactor’s misfortune, she had to sell her house to the woman’s daughter, but she ignored it. In the end, even though her daughter bought the house for her, she did not dare to step foot in it, saying casually that “there was a ghost”. That was the “ghost” in her heart! The author painstakingly described Mrs. Ai as a schoolgirl, suffering from a serious illness and being secretly helped by that man, then Mrs. Ai’s child was born… through which the character’s personality was clearly portrayed.

Or the short story chosen as the title of the book - "The short-lived dollar bill" - is the story of a woman who left her husband and children to marry a foreigner, dreaming of changing her life, even more ironically: "Planting bamboo with roots up to the sky/ When your child passes away, so will your child". The image of a boy who was given a 100 dollar bill by a rich woman, not knowing that she was his mother and not knowing what kind of money it was, so he tore it up, was valuablely constructed by author Chinh Van, evoking many thoughts for readers.

The human condition that author Chinh Van tells in the collection of stories has moments of silence and moments of impatience. But what makes readers feel relieved is that the author does not condemn, does not "teach" life lessons, but only stops at the role of a storyteller. The silence after each page of the book is for readers to think and reflect. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Nam, Vice President of the Writers' Association of Can Tho City, said: "It is precisely that silence that makes readers' hearts ache. "The short dollar bill" is a short story worth reading, not only for entertainment, but also to slow down - a little - in today's hurried life".

DANG HUYNH

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/doc-to-dollar-doan-hau-ngam-ve-the-thai-nhan-tinh--a189802.html