When it comes to butterflies and dreams, we will blurt out "Zhuang Zhouxiao dreams of butterflies", and Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai who transform into butterflies appear in front of our eyes. The beautiful characters of Butterfly Dream contain images of beauty and freedom, death and rebirth, shining with the brilliance of Chinese classical culture, but its colorful wings can also be inlaid on the covers of foreign literary works.
"Butterfly Dream" by contemporary British female writer Daphne Du Maurier is known as an emotional suspense novel that "breaks the boundaries between popular novels and pure literature" and is listed among the "100 Beloved British Literary Works" list, especially after the film of the same name based on the original work won an Oscar, it made the novel even more famous and ever-lasting. Reading is a lonely and pleasant journey. Take off the waistband wrapped like a ribbon and turn it into the sail of a book boat. On this spring night, it leads us towards Manderley Manor, the stage of the butterfly dream story.
1. The story originated from the marriage trafficking using Manderley Manor as a bargaining chip
The first sentence of the work is "Last night I sleepwalked through Manderley again", and then the author spent a whole In this chapter, the real and imaginary scenes of Manderley Manor are described with rich ink and color. The plot structure of the novel is laid out around Manderley Manor.
The female lead, Rebecca, uses the upgrade and construction of Manderley Manor for the male protagonist as a bait to pursue the unrestrained and freedom of her selfish desires; while the male protagonist, Derwent, seeks to improve the reputation of the hereditary property Manderley Manor. Not to be humiliated, and at the risk of abandoning the dignity of the man and the happiness of the family, the two parties established a secret marriage contract, and worked together to play the role of a loving couple. The outside world thinks that the two are in deep love, but in fact they are fighting and killing each other.
The second female lead who took over Rebecca's place after her accidental death at sea was also blinded by these disguised appearances. She thought that her husband was still immersed in the previous marriage and could not forget the old love. She thought that the perfection and nobility of the heroine was unparalleled and felt ashamed of herself. She thought that she was not worthy of being the owner of Manderley Manor and was in panic all day long. Her marriage was in vain under Rebecca. Precarious in the shadows everywhere.
The discovery of Rebecca's body exposed the truth of the matter: Rebecca's growing indulgence in selfish desires constantly challenged the male protagonist's bottom line of tolerance. When Rebecca knew that she was terminally ill and did not have much time left, it became even more... The design provokes the male protagonist to shoot and end her life, leaving him to bear a heavy cross for the rest of his life, while she will always be the smiling winner.
The word butterfly does not appear throughout the book. But when we read the end of the novel, Manderley Manor was set on fire by Rebecca's loyal servants, and we saw that "the sky at the horizon was not dark, it was red, as if soaked by splashing blood. The ash from the fireworks followed The salty sea breeze was blowing towards us. "I vaguely saw the fluttering wings of the butterfly in the firelight. The flames roared across the sky, ringing the death knell of the destruction of Manderley Manor. The glorious kingdom created by Rebecca was reduced to ashes and ceased to exist, just like the short and gorgeous life of a butterfly ended, and the wall between Derwent and his successor wife suddenly collapsed and fell into the Butterfly Villa. On the rubble of the ruins. After experiencing the scorching flames and destruction, although the residual dream has not faded, the two of them broke out of the tomb where their souls were buried, and finally reborn from the ashes.
2. A cage that imprisons the soul
The Manderley Manor is the bright pearl passed down from generation to generation by the Derwent family, symbolizing the reputation and social status of this famous family. Instead of illuminating Derwent's path, its dazzling aura burdened him with false fame. This supreme treasure in his heart pressed the scales of Derwent's life to an extremely unbalanced level.
Manderley Manor was shaped by Rebecca into the most famous tourist attraction in the country as she wished, but it also became a prison that imprisoned Derwent's soul. Wearing a mask and living in a self-deceptive scam did not allow him to have the dignity, honor and personal feelings he expected, and he even almost lost his freedom and life.
He heartbrokenly confessed to his current wife his unbearable past, "I put the interests of Manderley Manor above all else. This kind of love for property will not produce happiness." What a heart-wrenching realization. When the two parties reached an agreement, the agreement that contained humiliation had become a sword of Damocles that hung over his head at all times. In the end, it cut into pieces the home he sacrificed his life to protect. .
I am reminded of Atticus, the lawyer in "To Kill a Mockingbird". His position in defending the innocent black young man Tom has always been rock-solid. Even if it is clear that the outcome of this struggle will inevitably fail in a racially divided black and white society, which may seriously affect his reputation and future as a lawyer; Alexandra, the eldest sister who represents the family's power, tried her best to prevent him from doing this kind of behavior that would harm the family's reputation and face. However, he stood up at the defense table in court without hesitation and made an impassioned speech for his conscience and justice. Raise the flag of defense.
The path of life always extends in the gap between reality and ideals.
If only Derwent could be as unconquered as lawyer Atticus, and not afraid of the clouds blocking his eyes at the fork in the road, and face the unrestrained Rebecca and the ridiculous exchange conditions she proposed, he would be firm and courageous. If he can expel the demons in his heart, he and his current wife will not be able to return to Manderley in their dreams, nor will they wander like duckweeds between small hotels...
3. A gorgeous masquerade
Rebecca is an intruder at Manderley Manor. There are many descriptions of heather in the book, "The heather was so bright red that I was shocked. This plant was one plant next to another, so lush that it was unbelievable. No leaves or branches could be seen, only blood everywhere." The red color is gaudy and grotesque, completely different from the heather I have seen before. "Heather represents the image of Rebecca. It follows the jungle law of the jungle, inserting its roots into the newly conquered territory like a battle flag, and letting unscrupulous flowers crowd the sky to brazenly declare its sovereignty. She completed the devastating creation of Manderley Manor, and ruthlessly destroyed the male protagonist's spiritual world.
She is still the king who rules the world. When she was alive, she used her extraordinary and extraordinary appearance, talents, wisdom and skills to make almost all her subjects fall at her feet with sincerity. After her death, every corner of the manor, every heather and every exquisite sculpture was filled with the presence of her voice and appearance. She even manipulated the future before her death, almost imprisoning her nominal husband, and making her successor depressed all day long. Her shadow is like a sharp sword inserted between the two of them. As the cover line of "Butterfly Dream" says, "She has never appeared between us, but she is everywhere."
She is even more so. The fickle pretender. This fatal identity made all the light on her body fall like stars. From the moment she stepped into Manderley Manor, she directed an unparalleled and gorgeous masquerade. After the mask of elegance, kindness, and nobility is taken off, a face of filth, hypocrisy, and cruelty emerges. Rebecca reminds me of Xuesui in "White Night Walk". They are both like a poppy flower, with a beautiful and innocent appearance wrapped in a bewitching juice. Rebecca's long-sleeved dance skills made her makeup performance always impeccable, and the few insiders kept it secret. Even the tramp named Ben only avoided her murder by pretending to be crazy and crazy. The cabin on the beach is the real stage to expose her bohemian true nature.
Rebecca is like the narcissus boy in ancient Greek mythology, who looks at herself near the water and is extremely narcissistic. She will never show her sincerity to anyone, not even the devoted housekeeper who thinks she is intimate with her, but she only loves herself. She has a pair of hands that can change everything. The people she flirted with, including her childhood sweetheart cousin, were all passers-by that she turned around and trampled and despised with laughter. Her original face was to be a conqueror who despised everything and was self-centered.
Rebecca is a character with mixed reputations. There are many people like her in real life. If there are people with Rebecca's qualities around us, how should we find a balance between each other?
4. A road leading to transformation
The identity of the narrator "I" in "Butterfly Dream" is the current mistress of Manderley Manor, but the author did not give her a name . Because at first she "had no self", she was weakly attached to the big tree behind her like a flower in the sky. During the battle with the fate of the disaster star, she went through the fire, and finally "found herself" and completed the journey of breaking out of a cocoon and becoming a butterfly. Metamorphosis.
When she met Derwent, she was a young and inexperienced girl whose parents had died. She made a living by being a maid and secretary for a noble lady. If Derwent hadn't proposed to her, , to take her back to Manderley Manor, she followed her employer step by step like a shadow every day, never thinking of finding another way out.
When she followed Derwent into Manderley Hill full of longing, she would not have expected that this was not the legendary Garden of Eden, but that she was rushing to the battlefield to fight against fate.
This fruit of marriage was not as sweet as she imagined. The low self-esteem and embarrassment of being unable to integrate into the upper class society when she first arrived. The people around her, especially the sinister housekeeper, felt contempt and hatred towards her. Rebecca's lingering ghost hit her humble, cowardly and lack of self-confidence like a sharp arrow. She was swept into the whirlpool like a shivering autumn leaf. Especially after Derwent came back, he devoted his energy to the affairs of the manor. He did not confess to her the secrets buried deep in his heart, and even ignored the ups and downs in the young newlywed wife's heart. This made her convinced that Derwent did not really love her. What he can't forget is his ex-wife Rebecca. There were many obstacles between the two of them, oppressing her so much that she was almost suffocated. She even imagined a free bird spreading its arms and bending down to the earth, ending the life tightly entangled by the nightmare.
It is disaster that changes things for the better. Rebecca's body is exposed and Derwent will face jail time. On the eve of the storm, Derwent reveals his trust and dependence on his wife, pouring out all his truths and emotions to her. The barrier that stood between the two was removed, and the sun shone into her soul. She stood up bravely and fearlessly like a seagull, fighting against the storm with her lover.
She is no longer the climbing flower in the sky, just like Shu Ting's famous song "To the Oak", "I must be a kapok near you, standing with you as the image of a tree. . The roots are clenched in the ground; the leaves are touching in the clouds.
... We share the cold wave, wind and thunder, and thunder; we enjoy the mist, the mist, and the hauni. It seems like they are separated forever, but they are still dependent on each other for life. "The ordeal accelerated her growth, enabled her to find her own place, and also created their love and future together through thick and thin. Even though Manderley Manor was destroyed, they have already walked out of the road of transformation, and their My heart is no longer flustered, and I am happy with the ordinary and peaceful life in front of me.
5. Conclusion
After reading a book, I can't help but feel the desire to express myself, flowing from the tip of my pen. This is the most ideal posture for reading. In fact, "Butterfly Dream" contains many gems worthy of our appreciation. For example, the character creation of Rebecca is the most praised, and the author's artistic creativity is unique. , superb and wonderful, she never appears directly, but she is the unshakable first protagonist. Every word in the book is imprinted by her; for example, although "Butterfly Dream" is a suspense novel, its language is extremely beautiful and poetic, The characters are all three-dimensional and distinct, far from being comparable to those mediocre novels of the same kind, which are mostly good at plot and cannot supplement our thoughts like fast food. "Butterfly Dream" can influence the trend of emotional novels of an era. , not surprising.
Shangguan Wenlu said that reading is the moment when we are closest to beauty. In the season when the fragrance of flowers is overflowing, let us come together to chew the beautiful flowers and leave the lingering fragrance between our lips and teeth!
Night of April 30, 2020