Appreciation of the classic prose "My Steps and Me on the Steps" by Jia Pingwa

My steps and me on the steps

In 1971, I was a farmer, wearing a worn-out Mao suit that was longer than my knees that my father had worn, and I looked ridiculous. Because I am slow-talking, unable to speak back and forth, and have little physical strength, few villagers like to work with me. I always work in the women's den, but the women's day's work is worth eight cents, while I only get three cents. A neighbor's aunt laughed at me for being inferior to other people. I pointed to a woman riding a bicycle on the road in front of my door and asked, "This woman can ride a bicycle, can you?"

The commune is building a large reservoir. I ran away and worked for three days. I couldn't pull a car or swing a sledgehammer, so I was charged. I went again not long after, and Mao Sui recommended that he could write calligraphy and paint slogans, so it was a great success! Later, he became the chief editor, editor, reporter, engraver, mimeograph, publisher, and broadcaster of "Construction Site War Report", integrating seven positions in one.

In May 1972, by chance, I went to study at Northwest University. Walking from the ravine to Xi'an, when I saw the tall and magnificent bell tower, I almost fainted with fright. A printed quilt tied with straw rope keeps falling down. I walked along the wall, feeling excited and panicked. I went to the store. I saw sausages and didn't know what they were. I asked the waiter and was laughed out of the room. I couldn't find the restroom and was so anxious that I went to the upstairs of a unit and saw the words "men's restroom". When I entered, I saw a row of cabinet-like furnishings. I hurriedly exited; I saw someone else going in too. He came out with his trousers on, then went back in doubtfully. Fire and water were merciless, so I pulled open the door of the cabinet and discovered that there was a urinal basin inside.

The teacher asked every new student to write an essay about their reflections on entering the school. For some reason, I suddenly wanted to write a poem, but it turned out to be very long. Three days later, the first issue of the school magazine was published. It was filled with poems by teachers. As a student, it was just my poem. I still keep my head down when walking, but my lower back bones are stiff. I thought in my heart: What’s so great about Xi’an? Poetry is pretty easy to do!

In 1973, I asked for advice everywhere. As long as there is a word of guidance in literature, I will be willing to repay my kindness for the rest of my life. Once, the same classmate rode his bicycle to find a poet for guidance on poetry. While riding and discussing, the car passed through an intersection and forgot to avoid the traffic police. As a result, he and the car were detained, and he was insulted and punched twice. Either a fine of fifteen yuan or the bicycle will be confiscated. We both burst into tears. Fifteen yuan is easier said than done? The bike is borrowed again! Looking up to the sky in the snow and sighing. Helpless, I went to the store to beg for a piece of wrapping paper, bought a pencil, and bought a seven-cent knife to sharpen it. Then I lay down on the road and wrote a self-criticism, putting all the guilt hats on my head, and the one who begged for mercy the most. Languages ??are all connected. Five hours later, God was finally moved and the bike was coming back. I didn't get any guidance on my poetry, but I learned how powerful the "dictatorship of the proletariat" was. Now when I cycle on the street, as soon as I reach the intersection, I get off and push my bike away.

In 1974, just when I had no hope at all, my first real creation, a two thousand word essay, was published in "Xi'an Daily".

It was Sunday. I took a few old clothes to a small shop in the city to be mended. The price for mending was very high. The old man with the red nose made me very angry. I passed by the city post office. In front of the building, there was a small stall selling newspapers. I accidentally glanced at the newsstand. There was a line of large characters on the newspaper: "Deep Footprints". I immediately looked straight, jumped closer, and sure enough I saw my name printed in type. I screamed sharply, and everyone around me looked at me. I knew I had lost my composure, and my face burned like charcoal, so I ran away quickly. Of course, I didn’t escape very far. When everyone around me dispersed, I wanted to buy ten tickets immediately. Twenty sheets. But I touched my pocket and found only twenty cents left. I approached the newsstand again deliberately slowly and nonchalantly, and said, "Buy ten!" "Ten?" The newspaper seller only sold one, claiming not to waste the new newspaper.

In 1977, I finally graduated. According to the conditions, I should go back to the mountainous area to teach, but the comrades from the Provincial Publishing House insisted that I go. I transformed into an editor and lived in a small room of six square meters on the fifth floor.

Manuscripts were posted to all parts of the country, and rejections from all directions flooded back into Six Square Meters. I began to feel a little cold-hearted. I hated my own fate and the editor. I was worried that I would accomplish nothing in the future and wasted my youth. I often sat alone at night with a lonely lamp.

"Full Moon" won an award in Beijing. On the way to Beijing, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep or eat. Before I left, I wrote seven or eight letters in a row to my relatives and friends. I took them all with me and prepared to send them out from Beijing on the day of receiving the award. But as soon as I arrived in Beijing, the symposium was filled with old writers. They talked about their works and looked at their dignity. My arrogance suddenly disappeared. Alas, what can I be proud of? I didn’t know the size of the world beyond the mountains until I arrived in Xi’an, so I burned the seven or eight letters of success.

During the seven days of the awards event, I didn’t say a word. I have nothing to post. When I got home, I threw the award certificate to my wife and told me: "Put it at the bottom of the box and never let anyone see it!"

Thirteen years have passed and I have climbed thirteen steps. I was very tired, so I conceived a picture: I was dragging Luqi up the steps, but I didn't dare to let go. As soon as I relaxed, Luqi rolled down. Unfortunately, my painting skills are too poor to make it. I know that the steps ahead are still very long, and each step is still very high. I was not strong enough and was out of breath. Seeing a large group of people jumping up from me, I just rubbed my legs and beat my waist. However, my eyes were looking at the steps, and I said, if I want to go to heaven and get candy, my only way out is to go up the steps, and I can only go up the steps. Kuafu died of thirst before reaching the sea. He died tragically. I may fall down halfway, but even if I fall, I will still be a ghost climbing the steps. I replaced a new frame in the house, and on it were written the words of Oka Junko, the protagonist of the Japanese TV series "Volleyball Girls":

"My goal is-the Olympic Games!"

Introduction

Searching high and low will eventually lead to a great ambition

The "steps" in the title actually refer to the author Jia Pingwa’s literary journey. It tells the author's growth experience from his first contact with literature to becoming famous and then establishing himself in the literary world. There is both the joy of success and the pain of failure, but the author always remains firm in his literary aspirations and steps up his own steps one step at a time. He clearly knew that "if I want to go to heaven and get candies, my only way out is to go up the steps, and I can only go up the steps." The "heaven" and "candy" in his heart are his literary dreams.

The author's literary journey is divided into three stages. The first stage is the first introduction to literature. In 1971, the author was nineteen years old. The thin "I" couldn't do heavy work, so he volunteered to work for "Construction Site War Report". He was editor-in-chief, editor, reporter, engraver, mimeograph, publisher, and broadcaster. "Seven jobs in one", he was highly regarded. God always favors those who are prepared. "I" was later recommended to study at Northwest University, which was an important turning point in the author's life. This not only means that the author left the countryside and came to the city for the first time, but also shows that his literary path has shifted from early self-exploration to later systematic learning. When I was studying at Northwest University, the first issue of the school magazine solicited articles from the whole school to write about the school's reflections. Among the students, only "I" was shortlisted. I immediately became a "newsmaker" in the school. As I walked on the road, "my back bones were stiff, and I thought to myself: What's so great about Xi'an? Poetry is so easy to do!" Then I started composing poetry almost every day. . Jia Pingwa himself said: "I like poetry and want to write novels with poetry. Every article has a poetic artistic conception." However, the author is not satisfied with this, but hopes to reach a higher level. So "I asked for advice everywhere, and if I got a word of advice on literature, I would be willing to repay my kindness for the rest of my life." Once, he was detained by a traffic policeman because he was discussing poetry while riding a bicycle and failed to pay attention to the intersection. This shows the author's obsession with learning.

In 1974, when the author was twenty-two years old, his first independent prose "Deep Footprints" was published in "Xi'an Daily", which ushered in his first literary career. The second stage - the initial show of strength. When he saw the five big characters "Deep Footprints" published in the newspaper, Jia Pingwa couldn't control himself with joy and "screamed sharply", which attracted everyone to watch and ran away shyly. After the people around him dispersed, he bought ten issues of the newspaper with the only money he had. That night, he wrote a letter to his father telling him the great news. The letter said: "I have begun to have footprints!" I think when Jia Pingwa wrote this sentence, the "footprints" he meant were not only It refers to the title of that work, but also refers to the fact that I finally took the first step on the road of literature and left my first footprints.

After that, the author graduated from Northwest University and was asked to work as an assistant editor by a comrade at the Provincial Publishing House, "living in a small room of six square meters." When "rejections from all directions came back," the author felt frustrated and worried that he would accomplish nothing in the future. "I often sat alone at night with a lonely lamp." Fortunately, the goddess of luck came quietly. In 1978, the author "Full Moon" won an award in Beijing. In this year, the author was twenty-six years old. On the way to Beijing, the author "was so excited that I couldn't sleep", but once I arrived in Beijing, when I saw "the symposium was full of old writers, talking about their works and looking at their dignity, my arrogance suddenly disappeared - Qi I burned the eight successful letters." At this time, Jia Pingwa clearly knew that there were many newcomers in the literary world, and his own work was only the most ordinary one among them. If he wanted to truly gain everyone's recognition, he had to work harder than others. Since then, he has moved towards his literary dream step by step with a more steady pace, firmer perseverance, and Kuafu's determination to chase each day, and finally realized his great ambition! This is the third stage of Jia Pingwa's literary journey - accumulation and development.

There is a saying in literature called "Knowing people, judging the world." I think of another saying, "Knowing people, judging people." If you want to make a fair and objective evaluation of a person, you need to get close to him and understand him. His true heart. Jia Pingwa is like this, and so are others.