Oscar Pistorius is a novel by British writer william somerset maugham, which was first published in 1944. There is a saying in Baidu Encyclopedia: The artistic charm of Blade lies not only in its literary value, but also in the fact that it is a novel with strong philosophical implications and a book about ultimate value.

Let's talk about it today, it can be said that it is a glimpse of the leopard.

Teacher Jiang Xue said that just reading the title of Oscar Pistorius makes people feel uneasy. Look at what the author wrote at the beginning: "razor blades are insurmountable; Therefore, the wise man said, the same is true of the way of redemption. -"Jie Tuo Upanishads", this sentence not only increased the reader's inner confusion, but also aroused the reader's desire to explore.

No one will grow up to be Ma Pingchuan, and we will all experience peaks and valleys more or less. If those peaks are insurmountable, do you choose to go on or give up another way? Let's take a look at Larry, the protagonist of Oscar Pistorius. How did he choose?

Larry Darrell, the hero of the novel, was a pilot in World War I. In an encounter, his Irish friend was shot and killed to save him. Larry is confused about life and doesn't understand why there is evil and misfortune in the world. Larry began his incredible transformation.

After the war, Larry returned to his motherland. In the eyes of outsiders, he has outstanding military achievements and a promising future, and he also has a beautiful fiancee who loves him deeply. Modest, friendly and gentle, he seems to be able to talk to everyone in Kan Kan and get along at a distance without losing politeness. But deep down, he can't give up that obsession: since there is good in the world, why do evil coexist? Therefore, he has no intention to study and work, and he is even more dismissive of the way to make money through promotion. what does he want to do?

His comrades died for him, and he was lucky enough to survive. What is the meaning of survival? I don't think he was very clear at that time, so he said he would "wander around" and he was looking for a way, a way of self-redemption. He explored in books and combed in meditation. He even hoped that he could have faith when he was born, instead of living in this disillusioned world after World War I. Finding faith requires a lot of evidence. If faith is the hometown of the soul, then for Larry at this time, his world is a bit chaotic. He fell into the plight of being homeless, and he urgently needed to find a basis for the meaning of life.

To this end, he devoted almost all his energy and enthusiasm, and even broke off his engagement with Isabel. Then he fled to France, and then he began to travel around the world. Along the way, he followed the principle that only practice can get the most primitive sense of reality. He used to be a miner, a mechanic, a farm worker, living on the street, even without food. A friend of mine said, if it is now, isn't this a typical death rhythm? In such a brand-new world after World War I, everything is full of vitality and there are so many opportunities and challenges. Is it not good to actually do one thing? You have to choose to pursue unreliable nihilism.

I asked her, remember the story of Sisyphus?

Sisyphus was the king in ancient Greek mythology. He kidnapped death, hoping that there would be no more death in the world. As a result, he angered Zeus, the god. In order to punish Sisyphus, Zeus sentenced him to work as a coolie and asked him to push a boulder from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain. But at the moment of reaching the top of the mountain, the boulder will roll back to the foot of the mountain, which will make Sisyphus's previous efforts go to waste. So Sisyphus pushed the boulder to the top of the mountain again and again. But it will never be finished. He can only do this hard and futile work forever. The gods thought it was the most severe punishment for him.

Sisyphus's fate symbolizes the dilemma of life, and everything is in vain.

But Sisyphus has a final choice. He can choose to be depressed and desperate in this process, full of resentment and sadness, and make this the most painful torture. But he can also make another choice, that is, bravely push this boulder and feel refreshed. In this way, it is no longer meaningless. Sisyphus created meaning with his own choice, and fought against nothingness with endless fighting spirit. So Camus wrote: "The struggle to reach the peak itself is enough to enrich people's hearts. It should be conceivable that Sisyphus is happy. "

In another book review, The Blade | The Secret of Happiness, I mentioned that Larry thought that "the value we cherish in the world can only exist if we are born evil" and concluded that "some things are inevitable, so all you can do is let nature take its course." What makes Larry happy and satisfied is the idea that "you can master the truth by learning knowledge". Later Indian sages saw the shortcomings of human nature. They admitted that a person could win salvation through love and labor, but they never denied that the noblest, though also the most difficult, way was knowledge, because the tool they acquired was the most precious human ability, namely rationality. All this requires active exploration and experience. Larry is the active and fearless Sisyphus, who fights against nothingness with the spirit of struggle and finally gets spiritual satisfaction.

So finally in India, Larry embarked on the road of spiritual self-improvement from the Upanishads of the East. He got rid of pessimism and gained clarity, thus achieving real peace. It's not hard to understand. In the end, he spent all his wealth to be a truck driver traveling around the world, or a sailor crossing the ocean, because that's what Larry really wants in his heart, the destination of his soul.

Let's go back to our original question: If all the peaks in your life are insurmountable, do you choose to go on or give up another way? Larry's choice speaks for itself. In Oscar Pistorius, the choice of a character is in sharp contrast with Larry. This is Sophie. Larry is strong-willed, and he embarked on a difficult and realistic road because of the sacrifice of his friends. Sophie's character is fragile, and she is on the road of self-destruction because of the death of her husband and children. In real life, there are also cases like Sophie. People understand Sophie and sympathize with Sophie. Over time, they will even laugh at and spit on Sophie like Isabel, because human beings naturally worship the strong.

Romain rolland once said: "There is only one kind of heroism in the world, and that is to love life after seeing the truth of life." I think we can all try to be brave. Since I am still alive, can I choose an interesting road to go on?