The preciousness and significance of life, the story reflects that every life is rushing towards the end of death from birth. Everyone is afraid to talk about it, but they cannot avoid its arrival.
"The Cat that Lived a Million Times" was written by Yoko Hisano and translated by Tang Yaming. It was a book published by Jielie Publishing House in 2004. It mainly tells the story of a cat who never flatters people and is always lonely and proud.
Interpretation by Mr. Peng Yi, the famous children's literature writer
This is a picture book praised in Japan as "a picture book loved by adults and children that transcends generations" and "describes life. "The Cat Who Lived a Million Times" is a timeless masterpiece that you will never tire of even if you read it a million times."
Let's not talk about the content. The title alone is enough. It’s eye-catching and reminds me of Wanda Geiger’s immortal masterpiece “A Million Cats”. But "A Million Cats" tells the story of a million cats, and it only tells the story of one cat.
This is an immortal cat. If we apply the Western legend that "cats have nine lives", then it has one million lives. You look at the cover again. A tiger tabby cat with green eyes stands upright on its hind legs, looking at you fearlessly. Frankly, Yoko Sano's drawing of this cat looks a little scary.
What story does this daunting cat tell us?
A book reviewer in Japan said that this is a biography about a wild cat, but I would rather say that this is a great fable about the meaning of life. The cat's past, that is, the first half of its life, is an immortal body, dying a million times and living a million times, although life is reincarnated again and again, first as a cat of the king.
Then there was a sailor’s cat, a magician’s cat, a thief’s cat, a lonely old woman’s cat, and a little girl’s cat. However, it lived a miserable life until the end, and even it didn’t know why. Even after living, it became tired of it. It hated everyone who raised it, and was not afraid of death. Japanese picture book critic Nao Matsui said that it had become a dog that "hated everything, was indifferent to everything, and rejected everything." cat".
Until one day, it became a wild cat that belonged to no one but itself. So, in its loneliness and uneasiness, it unknowingly fell in love with a noble and beautiful cat. talking white cat. This is a feeling that it has never experienced in its long life, which gives it the experience of loving and being loved. For the first time, it knows why it lives.
When the beloved white cat dies, it would rather die, because for it, without love, what is the point of living a million times in confusion!
The next page is the most heart-wrenching page in the whole book.
The cat hugged the dead white cat and cried loudly, no, it was a scream. This wild cat, which had died a million times without crying, finally opened its big mouth and cried loudly!
It is grieving for being unable to save the life of a loved one.
Speaking of this, we have to praise Sano Yoko’s painting skills. Look at how vividly she painted the cat’s expression.
But then again, this book is the same as Shel Silverstein's classic "The Love Tree". No matter how you look at it, it is a fable for adults. It is said that in Japan, most of the people who buy this picture book are women.
But as the book review of "Weekly Asahi" said: "Speaking of it, this may be a picture book for adults. Even if it is a picture book for adults, children can also get fun from it. ? This should be the essence of picture books. And "The Cat Who Lived a Million Times" captures the essence of picture books. "
On the last page, the cat disappeared. Light landscape painting.
Although cats do not live forever, didn’t I buy the book “The Cat Who Lived a Million Times” for 1.2 million? That is to say, it has lived at least 1.2 million times.
Reference for the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia - The Cat that Lived 1 Million Times