Cologne drinks alone in the rivers and lakes!

Chapter 30 Book Review·Re-discussing "Meteor·Butterfly·Sword"

I remember that I talked about the book "Meteor·Butterfly·Sword" in "Little People in the Jianghu Plane". I actually forgot what I talked about at that time.

I went back and looked through it and found that the article only had 600 words. . . It's really nothing.

I happened to read "Meteor·Butterfly·Sword" again before I hurriedly opened the book, so I decided to tell it again.

When Gu Long wrote "Meteor·Butterfly·Sword", he confessed that the image of "old man" was influenced by the Godfather.

The Godfather's books and movies are said to be very famous, but I haven't read them yet. I can only talk about them from Meteor and Butterfly Sword itself.

I would like to propose a very novel angle to re-understand the love and hatred between the characters in this book.

If you can accept it, just watch it. If you can't stand it, forget it.

In this way, book reviews that you may find "baffling and incomprehensible" will appear from time to time in the form of free chapters in this book and the previous two books.

The angle looks like this:
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  The old man is a very authoritative figure, and the book almost portrays him as a great character.

He is everyone's uncle and a father.

We regard him as a "father", at least the father of this force.

[Sun Yubo is actually not tall, but everyone who sees her thinks he is the tallest person they have ever seen. 】

[He has a smile on his face, but it does not reduce his majesty. No one will be disrespectful to him. Many people respect him more than their father. 】(Chapter 2·The Battle of Heroes)
  Sun Jian, Sun Die, and Lu Xiangchuan can all be said to be his "children".

But this father has no wife. In other words, this father has no "mother" around him.

So we can see from this what a family would look like if it only had a strong and authoritative father but no mother——

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  Sun Jian, he is very interesting. As the son of an old man, he has very high martial arts skills, which is of course what he should be. But there is no "soft" part about him.

[Sun Jian's name was originally Sun Jianru, but he felt that the word "ru" was a bit feminine, so he removed the "ru" himself. 】

[He doesn’t want to have any trace of femininity in him. 】(Chapter 2·The Battle of Heroes)
  Femininity is, in a sense, the soft and delicate part of a man.

Of course it is not good if a man is too feminine, such as Xiao He, we will talk about him later; but it is also very bad if he is not feminine at all.

Sun Jian's beating of Xiao He to a disability seems to have a metaphor - the masculinity of this man has eliminated his "femininity".

Sun Jian is strong, brave, and straight-forward, so he will bring back Xiao He, whom the old man deliberately let go, and finally die in the conspiracy.

Why is he so unfeminine?
  Because he completely identified with the authoritative, reliable, respected, and even somewhat omnipotent "old man" as his father.

If a child is influenced by both his father and his mother, of course he is integrated and the yin and yang are harmonious.

This is not to say that Sun Jian does not have a mother, of course not.

But in the symbolic sense of this book, the "father" of the old man is too powerful, and Sun Jian has to identify with him, so he becomes completely masculine.

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  What will happen to those who don’t fully agree with the old man?

That is of course Ritsu Kagawa.

Lu Xiangchuan doesn't agree with the old man, he wants to rebel, he wants to kill the old man!

This is another classic "Oedipus complex" - the path of patricide.

In the Oedipal relationship, it can happen that the boy identifies with his father or rebels against his father. Sun Jian is the former, and Lu Xiangchuan is the latter.

Let us put it another way, when "Sun Jianru" completely identifies with the old man, "Sun Jianru" has been "killed".

The son failed to "kill" his father, so he was "killed" by his father.

So Sun Jianru changed his name to Sun Jian. The one who survived was Sun Jian, not the same Sun Jianru.

But Lü Xiangchuan was different.

He wanted to kill his father.

He planned a rebellion and thought of many ways just to kill the old man.

[Because he had seen that it was Ritsukagawa standing in front of his bed. 】

[It is the person he trusts most: his friend, his son. 】(Chapter 19·Between life and death)

Why did Lu Xiangchuan's son kill his old man?

There is no reason.

[Lü Xiangchuan said: "I don't hate you, I just want you to die. Aren't many people who have never treated you wrong already died at your hands?"] (Chapter 19: Between Life and Death)

The old man asked Lu Xiangchuan why he wanted to kill him. Lu Xiangchuan couldn't give a reason. The only vague reason he revealed was that he could take the old man's place.

This is very interesting. I think this may be a kind of fate of "patricide", killing even if there is no reason.

If a boy cannot "kill his father once" and get rid of his father's authority, it will be difficult for him to truly grow up.

Ritsuka Chuan has not grown up, he is not a man, he is at most an irresponsible boy.

He and Sun Die had a child, but he hardly took care of his son. He was not a father, and he was not worthy of being called a man.

But please note that the "patriricide and growth" I am talking about here does not mean that you really want to kill your father.

The reason why Ritsukagawa really wants to kill is because this is a novel; in reality, the boy's growth is actually about "patriricide" on a psychological level and in a symbolic sense.

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  Sun Die.

Let me simplify this character a little bit.

What she shows in the book is beautiful and fragile, like a butterfly.

This sense of vulnerability makes it difficult for us to imagine that this is the daughter of the "old man".

But in fact, she happens to form a pair of complementary roles with her brother "Sun Jian".

A very strong brother who would rather bend than bend, and be straight forward, and a very fragile, sentimental sister who is unable to vomit her grievances.

The two images are exactly opposite.

But this can be seen as completely "complementary" personalities coming from the same family.

Because Sun Die herself has no mother to "identify" with, and there is no mature woman for her to learn from.

The environment she received was two extremely powerful men, and even the old man thought [Ritsukagawa said: "You often tell me that you can never trust women"] (Chapter 19: Between Life and Death)

So she went to fill the position of the very vulnerable, untrusted woman.

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  Okay, now that we've finished talking about fathers, it's time to talk about mothers.

Of course, the father is not the only one in this book.

So where is the mother?

I guess you can think of it - Boss Gao!

Boss Gao is that mother.

[He and Shi Qun, Xiao He and Ye Xiang. They are all children raised by Sister Gao. Ye Xiang was originally their leader. Not only was he the oldest, he was also the smartest and strongest! 】

【...】

[Her hands are soft and warm. These hands had often held his since he was six years old. She was his friend, his eldest sister, and his mother. 】(Chapter 1·Killer Action)
  So we can see from Happy Forest what it would be like if a family only had one mother who had strong insecurities and was extremely devouring——

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  This mother raised four children and trained them into four killers.

They are Ye Xiang, Meng Xinghun, Shi Qun, and Xiao He.

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  Ye Xiang and Meng Xinghun must talk together.

Because the two of them actually represented the same person, but Ye Xiang was the one who failed, and Meng Xinghun succeeded.

Their failures and successes are reflected in: Ye Xiang finally became completely decadent and became a man who relied on Boss Gao for charity. In a sense, he was finally completely "tied" to Boss Gao;
  And Meng Xinghun successfully broke away from the "shackles" of Boss Gao, got rid of this devouring mother, found his other half, married a wife and started a family.

Why do I say that Boss Gao is a "devouring" mother?
  Let’s use another word first, which can barely express this meaning, and it’s called “seductive”.

This is a "tempting" mother.

[Sister Gao said: "If you don't like them, they can't satisfy you. If a person is never satisfied, he will feel bored."]

[She puts her hands on the buttons of her coat and unbuttons them...]

[Suddenly, she was completely naked. Her waist was still thin, her breasts were still firm, her legs were still long and strong, and her skin was still as shiny as satin. 】

[She definitely doesn’t look like a woman whose youth has passed away. 】

[Standing in this dim morning light, she still looks like a goddess of spring. 】

【...】

[Meng Xinghun ran fiercely in the chilly autumn morning wind, like a wild beast that had been hit by an arrow. 】

[While he was running, tears suddenly fell from his eyes. 】

[He wants it, but he can't accept it. No one knows how much he wants it, but he can't accept it. 】

【...】

[She will always be his sister, his mother, and his friend. He cannot destroy her status in his heart. Because this position can never be replaced by anyone else. 】

(Chapter 1: Killer Action)
  This is Boss Gao's "temptation" for Meng Xinghun.

Meng Xinghun wanted it, but he didn't accept it.

We know the "Oedipus complex", also called the "patricide complex", and it is also more famously called the "Oedipus complex".

So part of Oedipus is "patricicide", and part of Oedipus is "marriage of mother."

Meng Xinghun likes Boss Gao, which is a kind of Oedipus.

But this Oedipus does not really want to have a relationship with the "mother". If this is the case, it would be incest.

This is what Freud discussed as "incest anxiety."

So of course Meng Xinghun would not agree.

When Meng Xinghun refused, Boss Gao felt disappointed and angry.

Because from the perspective of Boss Gao, this rejection is undoubtedly a symbol that "his son is no longer under his control".

Ye Xiang failed.

Ye Xiang refused, so he was controlled.

[Boss Gao looked at him and chuckled: "When you use your hands, are you thinking about me?"]

[Ye Xiang’s face turned red with anger. 】

【...】

[Boss Gao was still laughing, his smile became more charming, and said: "You thought I would never look for you again, so you used your hands, right?"]

[Ye Xiang barely controlled his anger and said coldly: "I knew you would come to me again."]

【...】

[She deliberately let the wind blow open her silk robe, letting him see her already familiar body. 】

[She falls down on top of him. 】

[Ye Xiang turned over and pressed her down, panting]

This may be the reason why Ye Xiang failed and Meng Xinghun succeeded.

Judging from the background of the novel, perhaps because Ye Xiang is older than Meng Xinghun and is the eldest brother among the four, Boss Gao must have found him long ago.

So Meng Xinghun escaped.

Such a "tempting mother" will actually make the "sons" very anxious and confused. They will neither be able to truly live out their lives, nor will they seem to be bound to their mother forever. Like Ye Xiang, they will eventually become an incompetent waste. . At this time, most people will say: Boss Gao saved their lives and raised them up, and they should repay their kindness, instead of seeing me blaming Boss Gao here.

Here, there is a proposition of "repaying kindness".

In fact, in the issue of mothers "devouring" their children, "repaying kindness" often exists as a classic theme. In order to repay the favor, the child devotes his life and everything to his mother, and is willing to be "controlled and manipulated" by his mother. Once the child has different ideas, the mother accuses him of "unfilial piety".

This is actually a common method for the mother to "devour" the child and make the child a part of herself, rather than making him independent.

Of course, children should repay kindness and be filial. But where is the limit of this kindness? Is it time to sacrifice oneself in return?
  Meng Xinghun was saved and raised by Boss Gao, so he had to obey Boss Gao completely in everything. He kept helping Boss Gao kill people and did things against his will. He could not refuse Boss Gao and could not have anything of his own. The other half? This is a question worth thinking about.

Internet violence is very serious now, and I don’t dare to express any views on it. Everyone has his own destiny, just let it take its course, haha!
  Going a bit further and returning to the topic of Meng Xinghun, Grandmaster Gu Long also discussed the above point in his book:
  This paragraph is very long, and this article is almost finished, so please read it slowly (Chapter 29: Frequent Murderous Intentions):

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Meng Xinghun smiled and said, "You don't seem to have changed in the past two years?"

Shi Qun said: "I haven't changed, but what about you?"

Meng Xinghun was silent for a long time, then sighed and said, "I have changed a lot."

Shi Qun said: "I heard that you have a wife?"

Meng Xinghun said: "Yes."

When he mentioned Xiaodie, he couldn't help but show tenderness and joy in his eyes, and continued: "She is a very good woman. I hope you have the opportunity to see her in the future."

Shi Qun said: "I think I should congratulate you."

Meng Xinghun smiled and said, "You should indeed be happy for me."

Shi Qun stared at him, his pupils seemed to be shrinking, and suddenly said: "But even if a person has a loving wife, he should not forget his friends."

Meng Xinghun's smile had condensed, and after a long time, he slowly said: "Did you hear a lot of people talking?"

Shi Qun said: "So I want to listen to you now!"

Meng Xinghun raised his head. The sky was gloomy and the sun had not yet risen.

He looked at the gloomy sky, lost in thought for a long time, and said sadly: "You know, like you, I am not a person suitable for killing."

Shi Qun gritted his teeth and said: "No one is born to like killing."

Meng Xinghun said: "So you should understand me. I have not forgotten my friends, I just want to get away from this kind of life."

Shiqun didn't open his mouth, but the muscles on his cheeks had spasmed and contracted due to the clenching of his gums.

Meng Xinghun said: "This kind of life is really terrible. If I continue to live, I will definitely go crazy."

Shi Qun said: "Is it just like Ye Xiang?"

Meng Xinghun nodded and said sadly: "Just like Ye Xiang!"

Shi Qun said: "He should have gotten out of this life as soon as possible!"

Meng Xinghun said: "Not bad."

Shi Qun said: "But he didn't do this. Doesn't he understand? Does he like to go crazy?"

No one wants to go crazy.

Shi Qun's eyes suddenly became cold and sharp, he stared at Meng Xinghun and said: "He is not like you, just because he understands a truth that you don't understand."

Meng Xinghun asked: "What's the point?"

Shi Qun said: "He understands that a person does not live entirely for himself, and he also understands that if a person receives kindness from others, he should repay it no matter what, otherwise he is not a human being at all."

Meng Xinghun only smiled, very bitterly.

Shi Qun said: "Are you laughing? Do you think I said something wrong?"

Meng Xinghun sighed again and said, "You are not wrong, but I am not wrong either."

Shi Qun said: "Oh?"

Meng Xinghun said: "When people live in this world, sometimes it is inevitable to force themselves to do things they don't want to do, but they also have to see whether it is worth it? Is it correct?"

He knew that Shi Qun might not be able to understand the meaning of these words, because there was no such thought in Shi Qun's mind.

The education they received did not tell them what was correct and what was incorrect.

He only knows what kindness is and what hatred is, and he only knows that neither kindness nor hatred is owed.

This is the education of Mr. Gao.

Shi Qun was silent, as if he was also thinking about the meaning of these words. After a long time, he slowly said: "You have your opinion, and I also have mine. Now I just want to ask you one thing."

Meng Xinghun said: "You ask."

Shi Qun held his flute tightly, with veins bulging on the back of his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Am I still your friend?"

Meng Xinghun said: "There is only one thing in the world that will never change, and that is true friends."

Shi Qun said: "Then we are still friends?"

Meng Xinghun said: "Of course."

Shi Qun said: "Okay, you come with me."

Meng Xinghun asked: "Where to go?"

Shi Qun said: "Go and see Boss Gao. She really wants to see you now. She has always missed you."

Meng Xinghun said: "Go now?"

Shi Qun said: "Now..."

Meng Xinghun's eyes showed pain and said, "If I don't go, will you force me to go?"

Shi Qun said: "Yes, because you have no reason not to go."

Meng Xinghun said: "What if I have something very important to do now?"

Shi Qun said: "There is nothing more important than this."

Meng Xinghun said: "Boss Gao can wait, but this matter cannot wait."

Shi Qun said: "Boss Gao can't wait either."

Meng Xinghun asked: "Why?"

Shi Qun said: "She is sick, very sick."

Meng Xinghun was stunned and moved.

At this moment, he almost wanted to let go of everything and follow the group of stones.

But he still couldn't let go of the old man.

The old man had placed all his hopes on him, and he could not bear to disappoint him.

But he also couldn't bear to disappoint Boss Gao.

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Thanks to the book friends who can read such a long paragraph, I will tell you that the final ending is: Meng Xinghun went to see Boss Gao, and Boss Gao deceived Meng Xinghun and Shi Qun.

She and Lu Xiangchuan coerced Xiaodie to blackmail Meng Xinghun.

There is nothing worthy of evaluation in this ending. What is really important is Meng Xinghun's own inner activities during this process.

——Grandmaster Gu Long must have given answers to some questions!
  What's interesting is that Ye Xiang, Meng Xinghun, and Lu Xiangchuan all revolve around the woman Sun Xiaodie.

What is the different charm of Sun Xiaodie?

What I think is that there is something very special about this extremely weak woman——

——That is, when a man is next to a very weak woman, he will become more like a man.

And this is exactly what the three men desperately need.

I think this is the reason why three people are competing for Xiaodie's symbolic level.

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  Oh, I’ve written so much without realizing it. Well, I don’t want to write about Xiao He and Shi Qun alone anymore.

With this idea in mind, it is actually not complicated to analyze these two people.

Finally, I want to talk about what I think is the most exciting part.

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  The most exciting part in the book is the scene where Meng Xinghun, as "Xiaodie's husband", goes to reconcile with the old man.

Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention why the old man drove Xiaodie away.

Xiaodie was raped by Lu Xiangchuan, who threatened her that if she dared to tell, he would reveal all the old man's secrets to his enemies.

So Xiaodie finally endured being kicked out of the house by her old man without saying anything.

Why is the old man so confused about this matter?

And this was the most uncontrollable time for the old man. He was even angrier than when Lu Xiangchuan betrayed him.

[Meng Xinghun said: "I am willing to be her husband."]

[The old man suddenly grabbed him and said sternly: "Then I want you to die for her!"]

[Meng Xinghun said: "I can't die, because I want to live for her, and I want her to live for me. If you kill me, you will definitely regret it!"]

[The old man stared into his eyes, with veins popping out on his forehead due to anger, and said: "Regret? I never regret killing someone!"]

[Meng Xinghun’s eyes are sincere and fearless, perhaps because of his sincerity, he is fearless: “You no longer have a son, she is your only flesh and blood.”]

【...】

[The old man lowered his head, with a look of pain in his eyes, and murmured: "I only hate her, why have I never told who the child is?"] (Chapter 16: The gloom is pressing)

The old man's anger at this time was very similar to that of Boss Gao.

Xiaodie didn't want to name that person. The old man thought that he finally failed with his daughter and lost control of her.

This is also what he cannot bear.

——He never really understands a woman, or even his own daughter. This is also a foreshadowing that he will be deceived by "Fengfeng" later.

But then, the reconciliation between the old man and Meng Xinghun was remarkable (Chapter 16: The gloom is pressing):
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  A warm smile appeared in the old man's eyes and he said, "Where are you going to take her?"

Meng Xinghun pondered, but before he could speak, the old man said again: "I hope you take her as far away as possible, as far as possible, because..."

His face suddenly became very serious again, and he continued: "The situation here has become increasingly dangerous, and I don't want you to be involved in it."

Meng Xinghun looked at the old man, the wrinkles on his face and the worried look in his eyes, and suddenly felt an indescribable feeling in his heart!
  He was an old man after all, and lonelier than he had imagined. Meng Xinghun suddenly had a strange feeling for this old man. There seemed to be a strange connection between them, making them suddenly care about each other.

Because he is already his daughter’s husband.

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  The great thing about this place is that Meng Xinghun finally found a "symbolic level" father, gained recognition, and had a "home" of his own.

At this time, whether in terms of gang relations or psychological symbolism, Meng Xinghun truly distanced himself from Boss Gao, became independent from Happy Forest, and got rid of devouring and temptation;
  The old man finally let go of his "father's" authority and reconciled with this "Oedipus" competition.

Lu Xiangchuan failed in "killing his father", and Ye Xiang also failed in "marrying his mother".

Only Meng Xinghun succeeded.

I think what this story wants to tell us is:

In addition to "father killing" and "mother marriage", "sincere fearlessness" and "firm refusal" are the real martial arts to break the Oedipus complex!
  Wow, I’m done writing, I’m so tired, that’s it.

(All formatting quoted from the original text in this article are from the "Reader" version. Since the formatting of "Meteor Butterfly Sword" may be different in each version, it is hereby noted.)
  (End of this chapter)