When I first read "The Ball", I thought Mr. Akutagawa was going to write a romantic encounter essay, but after reading it several times, I found that Mr. Akutagawa was "a drunkard who doesn't care about drinking." But I have to admit that some of the passages in the book are really beautiful, so much so that when I read the sentence "I was thinking about fireworks. Our life is also like fireworks." I changed my mind from "Dance" woke up from a dream.
"Under the bright gas lamp, on both sides of the wide staircase, there are three flower hedges surrounded by chrysanthemums. The chrysanthemums are as big as artificial flowers. The innermost layer is light red and the middle is dark yellow. , the front is snow-white, and the white petals are scattered like tassels. At the end of the chrysanthemum fence, in the dance hall above the steps, the cheerful orchestral sound is like an uncontrollable whisper of happiness, floating over for a moment. "The gas lamp is. Witness of Japan's Westernization, and the chrysanthemum is the national flower of Japan, but in the Luming Hall, the chrysanthemum looks like a fake flower. Excessive pursuit of Westernization will only erase the roots of one's own culture. Everything in Westernization erodes people's hearts and slows them down. Slowness eats away at the roots of Japanese culture.
? This paragraph is the first paragraph of this article. I think every good and thoughtful writer will skillfully use various images and objects to express his or her own voice implicitly. In old Japan, light red was red, which was called "red". This is different from the Chinese red in our traditional sense. In China, it was a symbol of happiness and excitement, but generally the color "red" is in traditional Japanese culture. It has a very low usage rate and symbolizes danger and tension. The innermost layer is light red, implying people's inner impetuosity, and the deepest part of everything that is over-Westernized permeates the author's concerns about the foundation of Japanese culture. Next is the deep yellow in the middle. In color science, yellow is classified as the hue of "red", and it was a low-level color in old Japan. But in this article, the symbolic meaning of yellow used by Mr. Akutagawa does not refer to the low status of the people at the dance. I think it refers more to the lack of thought. Yellow also represents immaturity, and young people are inexperienced. Most of the people attending the party were young women and young aristocratic gentlemen. Pursuing these flashy things was also a sign of immaturity. Finally, there is snow white. White is the main theme in the hearts of Japanese people. Japanese people respect white very much. "White" also symbolizes cleanliness, elegance, innocence and innocence. The author proceeds from the inside to the outside and puts white on the outermost layer. In fact, it truly represents a "mask" of the Japanese royal family and nobles at the ball. They have a prominent family background and appear to be honest and promising, but in fact they pursue Luxury, forgetting roots. "Red", "yellow" and "white", these three descriptions of flower colors appeared again when Akiko walked towards the hall with the French naval officer on her arm. I believe that if the author had not been intentional, he could have written through the clusters of flowers. Juli or even just skip it. The things he clearly points out make it really hard not to pay attention to him.
"It's not just Paris, the ball is the same everywhere." When the officer added this sentence half to himself, the dazzling beauty in Akiko's eyes disappeared in an instant. The delicate and charming woman wearing a rose-colored dress and exuding the fragrance of roses was like a princess in Watteau's painting, her beauty was so nihilistic. Akiko was looking forward to everything about the ball. The aristocratic man in a tuxedo and the famous girl dressed in the same dress as her seemed to be the symbol of her aristocratic life. Dancing in the waltz, enjoying the beauty that everyone praises in unison, meeting tall and tall military officers from a foreign country, communicating and reverie under the fireworks and night view, all satisfy the girl's fantasy of romance. But all these are flashy things in the eyes of officers. The nature of the dance is the same no matter where it is. No matter how magnificent the decoration is, it is ultimately a place where people can have short-term happiness and relaxation. But for Mingzi at that time, how could she think so much?
"I was thinking about fireworks. Our life is also like fireworks" (pyrotechnics here are also translated as fireworks), the officer looked at Akiko kindly and told her. The most common impression of fireworks is that they are short-lived and fleeting. The most beautiful and dazzling ones only last for a moment, and then they disappear in an instant. This dance is like a beautiful exploding firework in life. The officer was saddened by the brief moment of such a beautiful moment and the beautiful encounter with the beautiful girl in front of him. After the dance, everyone has to go back to their own lives. However, even if there is no spark of love, the short-lived beauty is unforgettable after all.
? Many years later, when Akiko became Mrs. H, she would also recall this incident, but when she found out that the naval officer was Lottie, she could only look surprised and pretend that she did not know the truth. Ashamed of my youthful ignorance at that time, I also didn’t want to erase from my mind the handsome gentleman who enjoyed the fireworks with me many years ago.