"People are not born bad, they all become bad. The same goes for dogs. "When I was young, I didn't understand anything and was willing to believe in the goodness of human nature; later, after suffering losses, I found that reality was so cruel, and it was always easy to raise a strong guard against people; and later, after being helped by strangers many times, I finally felt that there were always more good people than bad people, but I had just happened to be touched.
I think that life probably has to go through these three stages in order to see the essence of human beings transparently, so as not to erase the goodwill released by most people to the world because of a certain part of people.
Therefore, when I saw and in "Shirley the GreyHound", the hunter Andre said these words to the boy Sebastian, my heart was as grateful as Sebastian, because this affirmation from others was powerful enough to soothe the hurt we had suffered, and it made us more willing to believe that there is truth, goodness and beauty in this world.
Shirley the Greyhound is a novel by the renowned French director, writer and explorer Nicholas Bergeron. Vannier's work, probably because of its multiple identities, the overall content of the novel has a touching tension, the text description is super picture-like, and many details and scenes have been difficult to forget.
Of course, if you had watched the movie of the same name before reading It, I think you would have felt better how well this original novel was written.
The novel focuses on a remote town in the Alps during World War II, on the border between France and Spain. Here, the sky is as blue as a wash, the mountains are winding and steep, the earth is covered with snow, and the atmosphere of peace and tranquility is everywhere. However, under such a calm cover, the danger is actually creeping in the shadows.
Animals, like people, are not born fierce
The boy Sebastian lost his parents at an early age, followed his unrelated grandfather Caesar, and although he was young, he was full of heart, and with no friends, his heart was actually very lonely.
However, because he had been hunting in the mountains with his grandfather for many years, Sebastian was familiar with everything in the mountains, and later grew up a little before being allowed by his grandfather Caesar to wander alone in the mountains. And it was because of this that a good foundation was laid for the boy to later meet Shirley, the greyhound who was regarded as his friend.
The greyhound Shirley is a large white female dog, originally a shepherd dog responsible for guarding the sheep, who expected to run to the mountains because of the cruel abuse of the shepherds, becoming a "beast" in people's mouths, suspected of being the murderer of his three sheep by Grandpa Caesar, always on the lookout for human shotguns.
When the boy meets the greyhound, he becomes his friend and he becomes its salvation. They trust each other, rely on each other, protect each other, and even in the face of danger, they have the courage to move forward because of love.
2. In the face of resistance, I am never alone
As we all know, the impact of war is enormous, ranging from displacement to separation. In a small town, whether it is the residents of their encroached homes or the soldiers who are forced to fight a war, they have their own helplessness.
Grandpa Caesar made a living by shepherding sheep and was also a good hunter, but he never hunted ewes that also fed lambs. Usually, Sebastian needs to take care of the adopted boy, but because of his old age and infirmity, he is already quite powerless.
Guillaume, a doctor in the town, usually treats people's diseases and wants to save people's hearts. He silently took on a job that did not belong to him, secretly helping people who wanted to flee to cross the snowy mountains and go to a more peaceful country.
The beautiful Angelina is a lively and lovely girl who was also raised by her grandfather Caesar. She should have been enjoying the banquet and love at an age when she was in the midst of war, and finally chose to embark on a more difficult path.
Lieutenant Pete. Braunet is young and promising, but trapped in a place that does not belong to his own country, exhausted and playing a role that annoys and frightens everyone, and seems to never be able to lay down his arms. Even in the face of the beloved girl, he did not reveal his heart in front of everyone.
Finally, one day, they reached a consensus and made their own efforts for those they loved deeply, and for those who may not have intersected. Those actions, even if they are small, are still powerful, can save lives, and can also warm people's hearts.
3. One light and one dark, is a fairy tale, but also a novel
On the surface, "Shirley the GreyHound" is a moving fairy tale that tells the warm time when the boy Sebastian and the Greyhound Shirley met and accompanied, which fits the beautiful theme of friendly coexistence between humans and animals.
However, through such a story, a dark line is told under the author's foreshadowing, and many characters in the book appear one by one, and their actions also make their respective images full and vivid.
The more we face the chaotic world, the more we can see the brilliance of human nature. Sometimes, the choices made in life in difficult situations are the most authentic self, and such people can often be awe-inspiring. "Shirley the Greyhound" is such a fascinating novel.
Perhaps, in life, we have all encountered misfortunes from reality, but remember: "This time, you are not alone!"