Class 12 Section II English Lesson 5

Summary

Lu Xun’s “My Old Home” tells the story of one’s memories, from youth to old age, and the confrontation of the delusions created when memories challenge realities. With the protagonist, Lu Xun’s persona, being away from home for so many years, images of glamour, beauty, and respectability framed his childhood, diluting his memories. Upon arriving at his long-past home, his memories are forced to come to terms with the truth, thereby shattering his prior conceptions and understandings of the world.

“Ah! Surely this was not the old home I had remembered for the past twenty years?” the narrator declared as he stood in front of an old, broken-down home. Having been worn down by weather and inhabitants alike, the house’s old, perceived, splendor was invisible to the eye, only to be seen in that of the mind. Rationalizing the discrepancy between memory and that standing before him, he tried to convince himself that his “home had always been like this, and although it had not improved, it was not so depressing as imagined; it was only his mood that had changed, because he was coming back to the country without illusions”. Despite his rationalization, it was clear that his memories had deceived him; having transformed his past home into a grand building it had never been, only to be torn down for re-evaluation along with his other assumed childhood memories that had been built into the magnificent illusions.

After recovering from the shock of seeing his old home, he was informed that his old friend, Jun-Tu, would be returning to town to visit him. Over thirty years had passed since the narrator had last seen his friend, Jun-Tu, and at first, memories were scarce. After pausing for a moment, “a strange picture suddenly flashed into his mind”. Stories, ripe from the passing of time, filled the narrator’s mind. He was full from the fleshy details he recalled, from the glory of his friend, Jun-Tu’s sea-side childhood. Oh, how he wished he could be Jun-Tu. His stories were like candy, appealing to a child and idealized in every way, shape, and form. The narrator could no longer wait to reacquaint himself with Jun-Tu; he wanted to hear more of the sea-side glamour. Upon his long-awaited arrival, the narrator was flustered from anticipation. “Jun-Tu stood there, mixed joy and sadness showing on his face. His lips moved, but not a sound did he utter. Finally, assuming a respectful attitude, he said clearly: “Master! . . .” The narrator’s memories had deceived him once again. Had Jun-Tu not been his friend? Had they not played together and shared stories with one another? As a child, the narrator was unable to understand class differentiation. He remembered, due to his childhood naivety, that his time with Jun-Tu was that of a mutual friendship. This memory grew until it reached utopian standards. Their friendship had been perfect, he had believed.

The narrator’s childhood was shattered. His house was not as it had seemed. Jun-Tu had not even been his equal, living a glorified, sea-side life. Memories had deceived the narrator, blurring truth, ignoring class boundaries, forgetting the power money possessed. How such a divide could form between himself and Jun-Tu, memories and truth was unfathomable to the narrator. The true fickleness of one’s mind and one’s memories, of one’s past, became apparent. One cannot trust one’s recollections of the past. The mind changes the past, glorifies it, in order to glorify the individual. By seeing himself as Jun-Tu’s equal, the narrator was able to separate himself from the wrongs associated with class differences. His having to face the truth, having to face Jun-Tu, means having to face poverty within China. His memories had provided a means of protection, a way to detach himself from the inequalities Chinese society produced. Only by confronting his memories, by discovering the truth behind the memories, was he able to see the realities of China.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions

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

Ans 👉 At the arrival, the narrator perceives mixed and blended emotions. He feels pleasure and happiness. In his childhood, his hometown was lovely where the green sky lies above. But now, he saw that everything had changed. The green sky changed into a vast and greying sky: they were gloomy, deserted, devoid of any deception of life. There is no sign of development in his hometown. The condition of his home was extremely bad. His childhood deceived him here and made him nostalgic.

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

Ans 👉 There were three kinds of Chinese servants: dailies, yearlong, and busy-mothers. Day workers worked for the day or for some time only, sometimes known as short-timers. Yearlong servants worked for the same family all year or more. Busy-mothers were landowners who only worked for one family at a time, such as around New Year’s festivals, or when rent was due to pay. The servant system demonstrates the slavery system and the tendency of dividing the work. Based on their statuses, the work used to be allocated.

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

Ans 👉 With the words of his mother to meet his childhood friend Runtu, the narrator becomes nostalgic. When he was a teenager, he and Runtu used to catch birds with a trick and also kill the Zha by stabbing it. They went to collect shells—reds, blues, ghost-scarers. They also went out to look for badgers and porcupines.

d. How did Runtu hunt a Zha at a young age?

Ans 👉 Runtu hunted a Zha by attacking with a pointed knife suddenly while he was standing to watch over watermelons at a young age.

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

Ans 👉 The narrator described the image of Mrs Yang and associated her with the beancurd beauty. He narrates her narrow cheekbones and lips, her powdered face, and portrays her as the face of two compasses in a geometry box, creating a humorous picture.

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

Ans 👉 Runtu remained poor throughout his life due to different obligations and social divisions. Alongside this, he suffered from lack of opportunities, feeble economic background, and discrimination. Bad harvests, too many children, harsh taxes, famine, and gentry exploitation were other factors that caused his lifelong poverty.

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

Ans 👉 The narrator helped Runtu by offering household items. Since Runtu was financially poor, the narrator gave him two large tables, a few candles, an incense burner, and a set of scales to make his life a bit easier.

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

Ans 👉 The author distinguishes between superstitious idols and hope. People worship superstitious idols for the short term to get something immediately, while hope is long-term, enduring, and needed in most circumstances.

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?

Ans 👉 The friendship between Xun and Runtu reminds readers of Krishna and Sudama. Xun is rich and Runtu is poor, like Krishna and Sudama. Runtu cannot fulfil his family’s basic needs, similar to Sudama. When Sudama met Krishna, he felt shy and ashamed. Similarly, Runtu feels shy and ashamed to meet Xun. Both Krishna and Xun helped their friends greatly. This shows true friendship is based on good heart and respect, not wealth or status.

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

Ans 👉 The story shows the friendship between Xun and Runtu. Children are innocent and natural. They don’t know rich or poor, upper or lower class, or social boundaries. Childhood friendships are pure and disinterested. Despite Xun being rich and Runtu poor, their friendship remained strong. Xun helped Runtu in poverty, showing pure childhood friendship.

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

Ans 👉 The story shows the economic divergence in ancient Chinese society. The main occupation was agriculture, leading to low income. Social class divisions existed between rich or upper class and poor or lower class. Servants were classified as Yearlongs, short-timers, and busy-mothers. People of one class were not allowed to form relations with other classes, showing narrow-minded social boundaries.

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

Ans 👉 The narrator nostalgically describes his hometown: green grasses, vegetables, blue-black sky, birds flying around, and the seaside for collecting shells. After twenty years, everything had changed. The green sky became grey, the landscape drab and desolate, and there was no sign of progress. This shows the contrast between childhood memories and the reality of the old home.