Camel Xiangzi
《骆驼祥子》
Camel Xiangzi，a novel by Lao She，is a masterpiece reflecting the tragic fate of the urban poor. Being a man of self-esteem and self-confidence and of tenacity and pertinacity，Camel Xiangzi，an honest and unsophisticated peasant who came from the countryside，struggled hard and alone in the pursuit for his life's goal and ideal. Compelled，however, by the morbid and villainous society，his immaculate soul was gradually contaminated and distorted. As a result，he succumbed completely to fate and fell into the abyss of corruption，thrown by the society into the rank of the lumpen-proletariats and engulfed thoroughly by the material and money-worshipping desires which prevailed in the urban life of his time. He finally became an inherent part of the hideous urban life and fell a victim to the diseased society. The tragedy of Xiangzi is both a tragedy about the fall of the strong and a tragedy about destiny and personality. The novel tells of the process of ruination in which a person，who should have otherwise survived，met his destruction，displaying the profound contemplation of the writer upon the conflict between urban civilization and human nature. With the “three rises and falls" of Xiangzi as its thread and the love imbroglio between him and Huniu as its core，the book not only exposes profoundly and extensively the dark side of the society of that time but also brings to light the inevitability of Xiangzi's tragedy and its social significance. The application of the authentic Beijing dialect is an outstanding and conspicuous characteristic of the book. With refined and processed idiomatic Beijing dialect, Lao She depicts in a picturesque and lifelike manner the natural landscape and social customs of Beijing and describes vividly and precisely the speech style and mental state of the lower class Beijing citizens. The language of the book is plain and concise，natural and lucid，fully displaying the preeminent linguistic accomplishments of the writer
老舍的长篇小说《骆驼祥子》是反映城市贫民悲剧命运的代表作。祥子是一个淳朴农民，他自尊自信，坚韧顽强，孤苦地挣扎着追求自己的生活目标与人生理想。但是在罪恶、病态的环境的逼迫下，他纯洁的灵魂逐渐被污染、扭曲，最后彻底向命运屈服，一步步走向堕落的深渊。祥子最后被社会抛人流氓无产者的行列，为物欲横流的城市彻底吞噬，成为城市丑恶风景的组成部分，做了那个病态社会的牺牲品。祥子的悲剧，是强者沉沦的悲剧，是性格和命运的悲剧。小说真切地展现了一个不该毁灭者的灭亡过程，反映了作者对城市文明与人性冲突问题的思考。小说以祥子的“三起三落”为发展线索，以他与虎妞的“爱情”纠葛为中心，既真实全面地反映了当时社会的黑暗景象，又借此自然地揭示了祥子悲剧的必然性与社会意义。鲜明突出的京味儿，是《骆驼祥子》的一大特色。作者采用经他加工提炼了的北平口语，生动鲜明地描绘了北平的自然景观和社会风情，准确传神地刻画出北平下层社会民众的言一谈心理，语言简洁朴实，自然明快，充分显示了老舍高超的语言造诣。
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