Summary and analysis of the story “My Old Home” by Lu Xun Class 12 NEB - LearnNote

The story “My Old Home” has been written by China's greatest writer Lu Xun (1881-1936). Lu Xun is the pen name of the writer born as Zhou Shuren. In the story ‘My Old Home’, there is a narrator who is returning to his Old home after more than twenty years. He has been living almost six hundred miles away from his hometown. He is coming back to his hometown to sell his old home and to take his mother and nephew to the place where he works. As he returns to his old home, he gets excited remembering his childhood friendship with Runtu. However, his excitement didn’t last for long when his memories and realities clash.

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Main Summary of the story “My Old Home” by Lu Xun

When the story opens, we find the narrator coming to his old home in a boat. His only purpose in coming back this time was to bid his home a final farewell. The house was sold and the transaction was to be completed by the end of the year. That was the house where the members of his relatives lived for so many years.

As he reached his old home, he noticed that the house was not in a good condition. The house was almost silent because several branches of the family have left the house.

The narrator’s mother came to welcome him. Behind his mother, there was his eight years old nephew Hong’er.  Although his mother looked happy to see her son, her sadness to leave the house was visible on her face. The narrator and his mother, then, discussed moving to a new place. He informed his mother that he had already rented a place for them and even bought a few sticks of furniture. The narrator said that they needed to sell their household goods and then use the money to buy whatever else they might need.

His mother accepted what he planned. She already had their baggage pretty much gathered together and ready to go. His mother had even sold the heavy furniture that couldn’t be moved. She had not yet, however, been able to collect the money people owed her for it.

His mother suggested visiting his relatives and his childhood friend Runtu. Runtu was the narrator’s childhood from with whom the narrator had spent his happy childhood moments. Runtu was excited to meet the narrator.

As his mother reminded him of Runtu, the narrator remembered the exciting and happy days he spent with Runtu in the village as a child. He remembered various activities they (Runtu and the narrator) performed together. Runtu, a twelve-year-old boy,  was in his silver ring around his neck. Runtu was standing amid melons with a pitchfork (a farm tool with a long handle and two sharp metal prongs, used for lifting hay) in his hand. Runtu tried to hunt a Zha (an animal) but it escaped running between his legs.

It was almost thirty years ago when the narrator first met Rutu. The narrator was ten years old then. The narrator’s father was alive and his family was rich. One particular year, the narrator’s family was supposed to perform their tribe’s ritual. Many people were participating in the ritual and so the narrator’s family needed some helpers from the village. To help the narrator’s family, Runtu had come there with his father to keep an eye on the sacrificial vessels. Runtu was about the narrator’s age.

From that time on the narrator looked forward eagerly to the New Year, because he knew that when it came so would Runtu. The narrator was always eager to meet Runtu. Runtu was shy with the adults around the narrator’s house but he was open with the narrator. As they frequently met, their friendship grew deeper. They did many fun activities together which were still fresh in the narrator’s mind.

When his mother reminded the narrator about Runtu, he was as excited to meet Runtu as he was a child. His mother informed him that Runtu’s condition was not good.

In the meantime, some villagers came there to check the furniture. The narrator, then, noticed a woman of fifty or so standing before him. The woman told that she used to hold him in her arms when the narrator was just a kid. But the narrator didn’t recognize her. Later the narrator’s mother helped him to identify her. Following her, other villagers too came expecting the giveaway of the furniture.

During the next few days, clansmen and relatives who lived nearby came around to pay visits. One afternoon, Runtu came to visit the narrator. The narrator rushed over to welcome his childhood friend Runtu. However, he noticed many changes in Runtu. He looked twice as tall now. The round and ruddy face of the past had already turned pale and grey, and it was etched with deep wrinkles. The rims of his eyes were swollen and red. Runtu was wearing an old hat, and his cotton clothes were so thin that he was shivering. His hands held a paper package along with his pipe. They were not the smooth and nimble hands that the narrator remembered. Now they were rough, clumsy, and as cracked as pine bark.

As Runtu stood there his expression was a mixture of happiness and melancholy. He tried to speak but couldn’t. Finally, he greeted the narrator as ‘Master’. The narrator, then, realized how class difference spoils relations and friendships. Runtu had come with his fifth son Shuisheng. Runtu greeted the narrator’s mother too. She asked Runtu to call the narrator ‘Brother Xun’. After some time, Shuisheng and Hong’er go out together and play.

The narrator and Runtu started to chat. Runtu explained how hard his life is going through. When Runtu left, the narrator and his mother felt pity upon his plight: many children, famine, harsh taxes, soldiers, bandits, officials, and gentry folk. So, they offered Runtu to take the things of his wish from their house. He chose two long tables, a burner, some candlesticks, and a set of scales. He also asked for the ashes. He collected everything together and said he would come for it in a boat the day they moved out.

Nine days later the time of their departure finally arrived. Runtu came early in the morning. Runtu had brought along a five-year-old girl to keep an eye on the boat. They were too busy to chat with Runtu. Many people came there. In the afternoon, they boarded the boat. As they were leaving the house, Hong’er asked when they would return. Hong’er said that Shuisheng had invited him to go have fun at his place. The narrator hoped they (Hong’er and Shuisheng) would never live like his generation with everyone cut off from everyone else.

Main idea of the story “My Old Home”

Lu Xun’s “My Old Home” raises questions about memory and social hierarchy and portrays the struggles individuals face based on their social status.

Analysis of the story “My Old Home”

The author of this story, Lu Xun, grew up in a well-to-do Chinese family. But eventually was forced into poverty. Lu Xunlearned to speak German and Russian to better his literary career. He became a part of a circle of Chinese writers that came to be known as the New Culture Movement. Eventually, his writing became increasingly political after being convinced that a republican government could not succeed in China. Lu Xun’s work has remained popular in contemporary Chinese society.

The story "My Old Home" takes place in China, in a small village where the narrator has grown up. In the story, the narrator is going back to his old home. When he was in his old home, he has different flashbacks from when he was a young child. He looks back on a special friendship that did not last very long with his family's part-time laborer's son, Runtu.  The narrator and his mother want to sell heavy furniture from their home because they are moving to a different place. As they were leaving, the narrator’s memories were being left behind.

Theme of the story “My Old Home”

The theme of the story is about moving on and leaving the past in the past. Throughout the entire story, the narrator talks about various things that happened in the past in this home. When the narrator comes back when he is older, he finds that many things have changed and that they were not what he expected them to be. For example, the narrator has many fond memories of and with Runtu, but when he returns to the home, Runtu acts like the narrator is his master and has a higher ranking than him. At the end of the story, the narrator is on the boat leaving his home along with his nephew, Hong’er, and his mother. As he was leaving his old home, he was realizing that all of the memories and even his old home were being left behind. So, the major theme of the story"My Old Home" written by Lu Xun is that memories are not always the truth of the past. It follows a person's memories throughout their life until old age.

My Old Home Class 12 Exercise and Question Answer

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions

How does the narrator describe his feeling at the arrival of his old home?

The narrator feels sad and disappointed when he arrives at his old home. He expected it to be beautiful, but it looks drab and desolate, not like the lovely place he remembered.

 

What were the three kinds of servants in China then? What does it indicate about contemporary Chinese society?

There were three kinds of servants in China: "yearlongs," who worked the whole year for one family, "short-timers," who worked by the day, and "busy-monthers," who tilled their own land but worked for a specific family during holidays. This indicates that there were different roles for servants in Chinese society based on their work arrangements. This shows old Chinese society had complex social classes.

What makes the narrator nostalgic? What did he do with Runtu in the teenage?

The narrator becomes nostalgic when he thinks about his memories with Runtu during their teenage years.They used to talk about interesting things like hunting birds and collecting shells by the seashore, creating happy memories.

 

How did Runtu hunt a Zha in his young age?

Runtu hunted a Zha by setting a trap with a big bamboo basket. He would sprinkle some grain underneath, hide, and when the birds came, he would pull a string, trapping the Zha. The narrator humorously imagines the Zha as a quick little animal.

How does the narrator make a humorous picture of Mrs. Yang?

The narrator humorously describes Mrs. Yang as "Compasses" because of her strange posture, standing like a pair of compasses. He also makes fun of her actions, like taking his mother's gloves without asking.

 

According to the narrator, what were different factors that made Runtu a poor man throughout his life?

According to the narrator, too many kids, taxes, officials, famine, bandits made Runtu a poor man throughout his life.

How does the narrator help Runtu before leaving the old home?

The narrator helps Runtu by letting him take some furniture and other items he needs from the old home. This includes tables, an incense burner, candlesticks, and even ashes from the kitchen stove for use as fertilizer.

 

How does the author differentiate two kinds of idols?

The author talks about two kinds of idols. One kind is what Runtu believes in, like censers and candlesticks – these are physical objects. The other kind is what the narrator believes in, which is called "hope." The difference is that Runtu's beliefs are about things you can touch, while the narrator's belief is more like wishing for something in the future.

Reference to the context

While reading the friendship between the narrator and Runtu, Hindu readers remember the friendship between Krishna and Sudama. Which particular description reminds you of the mythological example?

The specific part in the story that might remind Hindu readers of Krishna and Sudama is when Runtu brings a paper package filled with dried peas that he had sunned himself. In the Hindu mythological tale of Krishna and Sudama, Sudama, a poor Brahmin, offers a humble gift of beaten rice to Lord Krishna when he visits Krishna's palace. Similarly, Runtu's gesture of bringing sunned peas reflects a similar simplicity and sincerity in their friendship, emphasizing the value of genuine and modest offerings in deep connections between friends.

 

How does the story support the proposition that the relationships of childhood are innocent, impartial and disinterested?

The story supports the proposition that the relationships of childhood are innocent, impartial, and disinterested through the genuine and carefree friendship between the narrator and Runtu during their teenage years. Their conversations about simple joys, like hunting birds and collecting shells, reflect the purity and innocence of childhood friendships.

After reading the story, what inferences can you make about contemporary Chinese economic and social system?

After reading the story, we can infer that the contemporary Chinese economic and social system faced challenges. Runtu's struggles with bad harvests, fights, demands for money, and harsh taxes suggest economic difficulties and instability in the society of that time. The story gives us a glimpse into the hardships experienced by individuals like Runtu, reflecting the complexities and hardships within the broader Chinese social and economic context.

 

What does the story indicate about the geographical features of the narrator’s hometown?

The story indicates that the geographical features of the narrator's hometown include a seaside area with sandy ground and watermelon patches. The mention of the seashore, sandy soil, and melon patches suggests that the hometown has a coastal landscape with fertile land suitable for agriculture.