Can individuals affect revolutionary in society? “Rickshaw” and “Indochine” represent two different answers to this question. Use the characters of Hsiang Tzu and Camille to discuss how and for what reasons the novel and the film have different visions of the relationship of individuals to revolution. Are these visions entirely opposed to one another, or do they have some common ground?
The influence of an individual is always predominant for the results initiating for revolutionary society. With the leadership quality and some initiations related to the social norms can well bring in the revolutionary essence through his influences. All kinds of revolutionary results are the cause of the implementation of some mismanagement in the social and political set up. These are the basic consequences that an individual considers and brings in the sources for the reformation of the same.
As we make a study of this particular context in reference to Hsiang Tzu and Camille of “Rickshaw” and “Indochine”, we will derive some distinctive features bringing in the same notion of revolution. With little bit of speculation we can well determine the perspective visions of the relationship of individuals to revolution as has been projected in both the genre. The study is in relation to the terrific initiation that brings in these two characters so close at he same time so far away from each other.
The character of Hsiang Tzu of ‘Rickshaw’, a novel by Lao She, depicts many trials and tribulations existing as circumference in his life. Hsiang Tzu is a victim of fate is struggling with life in every possible end. He is a fighter as well as the compulsion to fight has brought in the revolutionary instincts in him. As he begins his profession with the rickshaw, Hsiang Tzu gets kidnapped by soldiers. He was made their slave and his rickshaw gets snatched out. This was purely destined to him. In this plot the concentration is more on the attitude of making slaves. The background is very much related to the age when imperialism was at its peak. The whole story is a continuous struggle. It was not only something that is related to the act of surrendering to the fate but also to the social structure. The pivotal character is not a hero kind of person but a man from a lower class who needs to starve to earn. However he consequently tried to escape through the process of selling camels for the soldiers. He somehow managed to get thirty five dollars. With this much of money he had been to Jen Ho agency, from where he got rickshaws at rent to ride and to earn the living. This is a character that has been described by the author to check out all the hindrances that are consequently followed one by one.
On the other hand there is the character of Camille of ‘Indochine’. It is a 1992 French film about a young Indochinese woman, Camille. The background of this story too is about the after-effect of colonization. The plot is of the colony of French Indochina. The screenplay was by the renowned novelist Erik Orsenna. In this plot the character of Camille, is a unique representation of the Princess of Annam, the daughter of Prince Nguyen and his wife. Both these parents met a plane crash and died. Camille was adopted by Eliane. Camille inherited a vast area of 15,000 acre of Lang-Sai Rubber Plantation. As she was too small it was taken care of by Eliane. There came in lots of twists and turns in the life of Camille and all of them seem to be destined to her. As Camille grows as a maiden she gets engaged to Tanh, but as Tnh was sin Paris Cammille always had the insecurity that he will fall in love with some French women. Amidst all these the role of Jean-Baptiste too is of great importance in the plot. As the film moves we come to know all the consequences and the elements of revolutionary impacts over the imperialism.
Both these pieces of art the direct representation some of the major features related to the colonialism trend in Asia. Both share the same kinds of emotion and the way of making the fate responsible for all the mishaps. Both these characters are no doubted crafted on different grounds but what makes them unique is the fact that they are subject to the colonizing act. We find Hsiang Tzuof “Rickshaw” to be a character who suffers because he is poor and got no financial support to revive. He sees the darkest side of existing in a society under colonialism. On the contrary we have Camille of “Indochine” who is the owner of a big plantation, indeed a princess for a community. However her representation specifies how even the financially sound people were subject to the various means of exploitation under colonialism. Both the plots surrounds around the grounding of depicted the society from two different visions. The philosophical and the socio-political effects are the basics for both the stories.
Being a post –colonial depiction there is a random way of making the reader and the spectators realize how historically authentic these plots are. They are the revolutionary pieces that represent both the pivotal characters under the ill affects of the destiny. The matter of concern here is related to the sense of revolution that is well felt under a subtle cover. The visions are definitely not in opposition to each other. In their own periphery they describe and depict their own way of sufferance and the sense of insecurity. Both the characters; Hsiang Tzuof “Rickshaw” and Camille of “Indochine” bring in a sense of honest confession about the suppressed soul that suffers and blames the destiny rather than the socio-political set up. The sense of revolution is very much there and it is shown through this process of sufferance that they grow through. It will be very appropriate to say that they both of these characters are used as metaphors to explain history. The stories and experiences as has been collected from the actual social set up brings life to these main characters of the book and the film. Both the characters are making an approach from different segment but are dealing and concluding with the same perspective. They are the literary representative of the broader vision of Asian history in the revolutionary era.
Reference
Lao She’s Novel Rickshaw Analyzed, By Tom Vose. 2006. Web.