Summary of My Old Home by Lu Xun | Class XII English Note (Exercise)

Lesson: 5

My Old Home by Lu Xun

Lu Xun (1881-1936) was born to a family with a strong Confucian background. He is commonly known as the ‘Father of Modern Chinese Literature'. The story ‘My Old Home’ is taken from his short story collection ‘Hometown’. 'My Old Home' is a story about Xun’s memories from youth to middle age, that reveals the conflict between memories and realities. The story describes how Xun feels while being away from home for many years. When he arrives at his long-past home, his memories are forced to confront the realities. His prior ideas and understandings of the world come into conflict with his realities. Throughout the story, the narrator talks about different things that happened in the past in his old home. When the narrator comes back, he realizes that many things have changed and they are not what he expects them to be. The old house represents all of the old memories that narrator has. When he looks back on the old house, he will be reminded of the memories that stay with the house.

Themes:

Persistence of memory, friendship, family issues, social relationships, migration

Setting:

The story took place during the late 19th to early 20th century in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China.

Characters:

The narrator

The narrator’s mother

Runtu

Mrs. Yang

Hong’er

Summary

The story takes place in a small village of China where the narrator grew up. He visits back to his old home. Although his hometown is not improved, it is not so depressing. The main purpose in coming back to his old home is to bid his home an everlasting farewell, and to move his family to another place where he works. While being there, he has different flashbacks of his boyhood. He looks back on a special friendship with Runtu that did not last very long. He has wonderful memories of and with Runtu.

When the narrator first met Runtu, he was much more than ten. That year it was his family's turn to take charge of a big ancestral sacrifice. It was necessary to guard the sacrificial vessels. Runtu was told to look after the sacrificial vessels after the narrator’s father had given permission. He was overjoyed because long since he heard of Runtu and knew that he was about his own age.

The narrator happens to meet Mrs. Yang, who used to sit in the beancurd shop nearly all day long. Everybody used to call her Beancurd Beauty. Then Runtu comes to see the narrator. He has grown to twice his former size. He acts like the narrator is his master, showing a shift in their social status.

The narrator and his mother realize Runtu is struggling against poverty. After his departure, his mother says that they should offer him all the things they are not going to take away, letting him choose for himself. That afternoon he picks out two long tables, a set of chairs, an incense burner, candlesticks, and one balance. He also asks for all the ashes from the stove.

At the end of the story, the narrator along with his nephew and his mother leaves his old home. He realizes that all of the memories and even his old home are being left behind.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. How does the narrator describe his feeling at the arrival of his old home?

At the arrival of his old home, the narrator describes his feeling as depressing.

b. What were the three kinds of servants in China then? What does it indicate about contemporary Chinese society?

The three kinds of servants in China were yearlongs, short-timers, and busy-monthers. This indicates class boundaries prevalent in the contemporary Chinese society.

c. What makes the narrator nostalgic? What did he do with Runtu in the teenage?

When the narrator’s mother tells him not to forget to meet his childhood friend, Runtu, as he always asks about him and wants to see him, this makes him nostalgic. In his childhood (around age 10-12), the narrator with Runtu trapped birds using baskets, collected shells at the seashore, and guarded watermelons from zha and other wild animals.

d. How did Runtu hunt a Zha in his young age?

In his young age, Runtu hunted a Zha with his pitchfork when it bit the watermelons.

e. How does the narrator make a humorous picture of Mrs. Yang?

Mrs. Yang, who used to sit nearly all day long in the beancurd shop across the road, was called Beancurd Beauty by everyone. She used to powder her face, with her cheekbones not high and her lips not thin back then, but now she stands like a pair of compasses on bound feet, laughing with disdain, which the narrator finds humorous.

f. According to the narrator, what were different factors that made Runtu a poor man throughout his life?

According to the narrator, too many children, famine, harsh taxes, soldiers, bandits, officials, and gentry folk were the different factors that made Runtu a poor man throughout his life.

g. How does the narrator help Runtu before leaving the old home?

Before leaving the old home, the narrator helps Runtu by offering him all the things they were not going to take away, letting him choose for himself. He picks out two long tables, a set of chairs, an incense burner, candlesticks, and one balance. He also asks for all the ashes from the stove.

h. How does the author differentiate two kinds of idols?

Runtu worships idols and cannot put them out of his mind, while the narrator calls hope an idol he has created himself. The difference is that what Runtu desires is close at hand, while what the narrator desires is far off in the murky distance.

Reference to the context

a. While reading the friendship between the narrator and Runtu, Hindu readers remember the friendship between Krishna and Sudama. Which particular description reminds you of the mythological example?

The narrator belonged to the upper- class family while Runtu grew up in the poor family. However, they were childhood friends. The narrator did several things with Runtu in his childhood. After twenty years, he met Runtu. The incidence reminds us of the mythological friendship between Krishna and Sudama. The narrator and his mother realize that Runtun is struggling against poverty. After his departure, his mother says that they should offer him all the things they are not going to take away, letting him choose for himself.

b. How does the story support the proposition that the relationships of childhood are innocent, impartial and disinterested?

The relationship of childhood was innocent, impartial and disinterested. The narrator was grown up in the rich family while Runutu was their labourer’s son. The friendship existed between them was lively, positive and brother-like. They caught birds, collected shells at the seashore and picked watermelons. Their friendship didn’t recognize any class barriers or differences.

As time passed and people changed, Jun Tu became much more mature. He experienced a rough life due to heavy taxes, social responsibilities, famines, bandits, officials and landed gentry. These factors have influenced Jun Tu’s attitude towards the narrator. Runtu did not act like a friend towards the narrator, but rather an inferior acquaintance since he ranked higher than him in society.

c. After reading the story, what inferences can you make about contemporary Chinese economic and social system?

The Chinese society had a division of labourers. They were full-timers, dailies, and part-timers. Runtu’s father worked for the narrator’s family. People were living very hard life. All the family members worked but they hadn’t enough to eat. There was no security. All sorts of people wanted money, but there was no fixed rule. The harvests were bad. When things were grown, and when they were taken to sell farmers always had to pay several taxes and lost money. If they didn't try to sell the things, they might go bad. People were the victims of famines, taxes, soldiers, bandits, officials and landed gentry. The narrator having to face the truth, having to face Runtu, means having to face poverty within China. Only by confronting his memories, by discovering the truth behind the memories, he was able to see the realities of China.

d. What does the story indicate about the geographical features of the narrator’s hometown?

The story is about a city-dweller intellectual coming back to his homeland. As he drew near his former home, all he could see was a few desolate villages, void of any sign of life. His purpose of coming back to his old home is to bid his home an everlasting farewell, and to move his family to another place where he worked.

The desolate village indicates the sparse habitation in rural China, and the issue of migration. The people from rural China seemed to have migrated to the city. Bad harvest, heavy taxes, famines, bandits, officials, landed gentry, etc. forced the people to leave their home town for the better opportunities.