Author: Insight Little Fat
A life that is too greedy is often a disaster.
The small town of Villeyard, which borders France and Switzerland, is dazzling and dazzling in the sunlight.
The clear River Dub, the cool valleys and the seminary standing on the top of the hill seem to witness the historical changes in this remote French city under the political trend.
And Yu Lian, who grew up on the Du River, would not be able to hold back his vigorous ambitions whenever he looked at the beautiful mansion on the other side of the boulders.
As the son of a carpenter, he came from a humble background and was determined to embark on a journey to break through the barriers of class.
And the ever-expanding greed also made his life come to an abrupt end at the most glorious moment.
Some say that "The Red and the Black" is the most brilliant diamond engraved on the laurels of French literature.
In this novel, which is hailed as a masterpiece of French critical realism, the protagonist Yu Lian tells us with his "history of origins" of his fiasco:
A person who is too greedy and takes the principles and bottom line of being a person as a shortcut to success will only end up eating the consequences of his own.
Covet fame and lose the bottom line.
Yu Lian was born into a family of carpenters, but he grew up weak and uninterested in the timber business, and the only thing that could keep him obsessed was books.
Even sitting next to the roaring machine, he just buried his head in the book, completely forgetting the duty to take care of it.
For this reason, he was often insulted by his father, ridiculed by his brothers, and beaten up.
The rebellion of his youth aroused a pride in him vowing to get ahead, and Jullien's enterprising spirit had a greedy appearance from the beginning.
After the defeat of the French Revolution, Jullien never had a chance to win the medal of battle, let alone realize his dream of soaring.
So he decided to become a bishop in black robes, intending to gain a reputation for supremacy.
In the sawmill, Yu Lian's painstaking appearance of memorizing the Bible over and over again deeply touched the kind Father Silang.
The elderly priest decided to teach theology to this young man with "religious zeal" himself.
In order to please the old priest, Jullien used his superior Latin talent to recite the Bible and the New Testament backwards, and his fame grew with the aura of genius.
When the priest recommended him to the mayor's house to become a governess, Jullien's dream seemed to have ushered in a real dawn at this moment.
Fame became the only capital for this poor boy to counterattack.
Yulian, who cherishes fame more than anything else, loves his wings from beginning to end.
In the days of the mayor's family, he repeatedly proved with superficial humility that he had excellent knowledge and cultivation, and successfully concealed the scrutiny of the mayor's family.
Because of his elegant style and profound knowledge, he became the most sought-after celebrity in the city for a while.
Jullien knew how important fame was to a man, and even if he used lies to cover up the truth and disgust to please the aristocracy, he had to painstakingly cover up his inner thirst for desire.
Coveting fame, he hated the hypocrisy of high society while doing his best to sell his eloquence and abilities, and eventually won the admiration of the Marquis de Lamor.
The smoothness and prudence of the world allowEd Yu Lian to win the opportunity to succeed step by step. But blindly coveting fame has made him lose the bottom line of being a man.
There is a cloud in the "Cai Gen Tan": "Those who are well-known, sneak into morality, and their harm is hidden and deep." ”
Under the pretext of benevolence and morality to sell fame and reputation, although it may gain a temporary scenery, the hidden dangers behind it are inevitable.
All the gifts of fate are secretly marked with prices, and those who covet fame and fortune are doomed to be burdened by fame and fortune.
Greed for power, sacrifice for love.
The aesthetician Zhu Guangqian once commented on "The Red and the Black" in "Talking about the Beauty book", calling it a novel full of romantic overtones.
Unfortunately, no matter how gorgeous and romantic love is, once it loses its sincerity, it will no longer be beautiful.
From the first moment he met the mayor's wife, the meek and thin Jullien had a strong sense of purpose and a vanity to take revenge on the powerful.
As he walked through the garden, he would wait for an opportunity to kiss Madame de Renal's arm, and after getting madame's affection in all kinds of temptations, he would break into her bedroom late at night, weeping and weeping for the sake of holding her on his knees, and swearing to die to show his determination.
Conquered by his fiery love, Madame Renale was willingly plunged into this adventurous love, along with her sympathy and admiration for the teenager.
Compared with Madame Renal's concerns about age, Jullien was immersed in the power at his fingertips, and even rejoiced at the upcoming victory.
When the private affair was revealed and the scandal was in the dust, Jullien no longer had any nostalgia for Madame Renal, and he resolutely went to the seminary to continue his studies.
And the worthless love after the transaction made Mrs. Rainar fall into the bottomless abyss.
She embraces all her enthusiasm, loves sincerely and purely.
Unfortunately, Yu Lian, who used love as a political chip, was far from anticipating this.
Later, with the approval of the Marquis de La mole, Jullien met the Marquis's daughter Mathilde, a noble, beautiful and wayward young girl.
Faced with the carpenter's son who had climbed all the way to power, Jullien's pride that his commoner status was not commensurate with his aroused Mathilde's strong sense of curiosity and admiration.
This relationship with a huge disparity in identity was not optimistic at first.
But Jullien's temperament and eloquence, unlike those of the nobility, fascinated Mathilde, and the two eventually came together.
The count's son-in-law was bound to have the same power in the upper circles of Paris as matching his status.
Love became a stepping stone for Yu Lian to climb the power, and also allowed him to successfully join the upper class and win a place that did not belong to him.
Greed for wealth, ruined by ambition.
After winning the approval of the Marquis de La mole of Paris, Jullien naturally became his secretary, and because of his superb memory, he wrote down the entire contents of a secret meeting, which also made him favored and recognized by the circle of power.
The wealth and status that Jullien had painstakingly hoped for, because of a eavesdropping and a well-laid-out marriage, was about to become a reality.
However, after the teenager wins the ambition, it is inevitable that he will be frivolous and shallow, and the higher he stands, the more fiercely he will fall.
A whistle-blowing letter infuriated the Marquis de Lamore and made the poor boy Jullien's counterattack a failure.
It turned out that Madame Renal, in order to report Yulian to the Marquis de La mole, even at the expense of exposing her own private scandal, also made Lian's ambitions public.
Losing the last line of psychological defense, Jullien, full of anger, bought a pistol and ran straight to the church, looking for Madame Renal who was praying.
After two gunshots, Madame fell to the ground in response, and Yu Lian was arrested by the police who arrived quickly.
In prison, Jullien fell into deep introspection, and even though he later learned that Madame Renal was not dead, and That Miss Mathilde was running around to save him, Jullien was still determined to die.
After years of strategizing, he did not wait for the change of fate, but let Yu Lian become the object of ridicule of everyone, but at this time, he had long since ignored many gossip.
Perhaps, the moment he decides to raise the gun, it means that he will break with the hypocrisy and greed in his heart.
In the face of impending death, he also has the strength and courage he has never had before.
After the unrealistic dream is broken, I understand that what life is most afraid of is greed.
Yu Lian, who came from a humble background, did not choose a down-to-earth path, but constantly grabbed everything he wanted in greed.
He was willing to abandon the bottom line to chase fame, sacrifice love to compete for power, lose himself in inflated ambitions, and vow to enjoy the same wealth as the nobility.
Yu lian, whose heart was filled with greed, eventually embarked on a path of self-destruction.
There is a saying in "The Red and the Black":
"It depends on whether a person is really valuable, and in front of his desires, in front of his career, there are many obstacles, and if he is really skilled, he will overcome difficulties or bypass obstacles." 」
Life tests us not how much success we can achieve through hard work, but how much authenticity we can keep in a complex life.