[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

Ibsen's social problem drama "A Doll's House" is not long, and the plot is not won by twists and turns, but by exposing bloody real problems.The heroine Nora is a spoiled young wife living in a dream of love. Not long after she got married, in order to treat her husband's sudden illness, Nora forged her husband's signature to borrow money from his colleagues in an emergency.Years later, her husband was promoted. When others threatened the future of Nora and his wife by forging signatures, her husband turned his face on the spot, blamed Nora for everything, and insulted her with the most ugly and indecent words.After the crisis was over, Nora's husband forgot about the insults just now, and became nice and tender.

Such turmoil awakened Nora, making her realize that under the protection of her father and husband, she was not so much a wife as a doll.Her status in the family is no different from the toys in the dollhouse that girls love-she can be a beloved baby toy, she can be a "little bird" in the palm of someone's hand, but she cannot be an independent Yes, a person with a soul.

Nora woke up and decided to "learn to be a human being" and ran away angrily. The plot of "A Doll's House" came to an abrupt end.

And the Nora they met...could it be the Nora after she ran away in "A Doll's House"?

"This is not a place for chatting," said Nora, who claimed to be her family. "My residence is not far from here. Why don't you go and have a chat?"

Mary and Lydia looked at each other and readily agreed.

Nora lived in a hotel near Jindi Street. She rented a room in the attic with a low roof and a small space. There were no other facilities except a bed, a set of tables and chairs, and a wardrobe.But fortunately, the lighting in the room is good. There is a window in the center of the sloping roof, which looks bright.

"Please sit down."

The room was shabby, but Nora was not too embarrassed. She even borrowed another chair from the hotel owner for Sister Bennet, and she simply sat by the bed: "Thank you two Miss Bennet for your help. I can't think about it." Zhou, I originally thought that the laundress would also buy food and daily necessities when she was paid, so why don't I just send some food. I should pay directly, maybe it won't be so much trouble."

Mary: "Just call us Mary and Lydia, ma'am."

Lydia opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but she didn't say it.

There is a reason why commodity trading replaces bartering, and even Lydia can figure it out.So she thought for a long time, just grabbed Mary and asked her to translate: "If you don't know a reliable laundry room, we can help you ask."

After Mary translated, Nora smiled: "If I can afford the laundry, I won't entrust the laundryman in private."

Logically speaking, the hotel should provide bed linen changing and laundry services, but judging from Nora's situation, it is very likely that she gave up this service because of financial constraints.

Since it was entrusted privately, Mary felt that Nora didn't have to travel so far.

"Why don't you ask the cook at the hotel, or the purchaser," Mary suggested. "First, you know their character better, and second, who doesn't want to earn extra money? Tell them to take your clothes home." Washing is also good."

Nora was taken aback: "You're right, it's because I'm inexperienced, so I didn't think of it."

It can't be said that she is inexperienced. In fact, Mary thinks that Nora is still very smart.Unable to pay for laundry in the hotel, and unable to go to the laundry room, I simply found the laundryman in private and asked them to do private work.Without the boss taking a commission, the price is naturally much lower.But it can be seen that Nora is really struggling financially, otherwise she would not come to the door with food instead of cash.

Lydia: "Do you live alone?"

Hearing the question translated by Mary, Nora smiled wryly: "Yes. I broke off my engagement with my ex-husband not long ago."

Lydia: "Nara, are you divorced?!"

Although starting in the middle of the nineteenth century, Britain has gradually begun to relax the protection of the rights and interests of divorced women.But the relaxation of laws does not mean that public opinion can keep up.In Lydia's eyes, only women with corrupt morals and extremely bad personalities would divorce, and they did not initiate it, but were "abandoned" by their husbands.

Contacting the washerwoman who just said that Nora was a woman abandoned by her husband, Lydia's expression suddenly became complicated: Although Nora in front of her had a bad life, she still straightened her spine and spoke appropriately, and she slandered her with those washerwomen. looks completely different.

Contacting her name and experience, together with the rumors from the washerwoman, was enough for Mary to confirm that the Nora in front of her was really Nora, the heroine in "A Doll's House".

And Ibsen's social problem play aims to expose the problem. Through "A Doll's House", he proposed that women like Nora have no meaning of being human in the family structure, and proposed that Nora should "learn to be a human being". ’, but Ibsen who asked the question was under no obligation to answer it.He gave no answers on how to address the plight of women.

After Ibsen, Mr. Lu Xun raised an equally valuable issue in the face of many progressive female students who blindly shouted "independence" and "resistance": what will happen after Nora leaves.

In addition to an awakened heart, you also need to "have money" - as Mr. Lu Xun said.

Fortunately for Mary, the reality of this world is somewhat more benevolent than Mr. Lu Xun's presupposition.Nora did not go back, nor did she fall. She lived a very hard life, but she still maintained her dignity.

Facing Lydia's surprise, she still smiled: "I am living well by myself now. Of course I couldn't stay in my hometown anymore, so I came to France at the invitation of my friends. At first I took embroidery work , and then took over the job of copying. The hotel proprietress saw that I could read and read, and promised to help me ask if there was any courtesan who needed a female teacher. Fortunately, Paris is not as conservative as Norway, and there will always be a chance to survive.”

If it were Mary, who left her hometown and came to a foreign country, she would definitely have to hide the fact of her divorce in order to start her life anew.According to Nora's conditions, she is not only literate, she should also be able to play the piano and sing, and she is indeed suitable to be a governess.

But now Nora can only do embroidery and copy for others, which proves that she has not concealed her experience.

Even Mary couldn't help admiring such courage.

"Well," said Lydia, after all, she was still willing to believe the decent ladies she saw with her own eyes, rather than the laundress's slander, "then is there anything we can do for you? Mary and I know Irene, a soprano from the Paris Opera House. , maybe she can introduce you to some jobs."

Nora shook her head and couldn't help laughing: "We just met, Lydia, are you not afraid that I may lie or pretend to deceive you? Besides, I also have a job now, and I have a family who want to see me. , to the point where I need the help of friends I met on the first day.”

With that said, Nora ended the topic, and chatted about other matters with the two Bennet girls.

It can be heard that Nora has just escaped from her husband's control. She is much older than Lydia, but there is still a sense of being a well-protected girl in her words—compared to Mary, this older The lady and Lydia have more in common.

Nora liked pretty clothes, Parisian embroidery patterns, and odds and ends of fashion for other little girls and girls.Also not long after coming to Paris, in a foreign country, in addition to fashion topics, Nora also shared with Lydia the customs and customs of various places in Paris.

It was night after chatting like this.

The two met each other so late, and when they left, Lydia promised to write to Nora and recommend her if there was a job opportunity.After the elated Lydia got into the carriage, her smile disappeared inch by inch.

Seeing that she was thinking, Mary was not in a hurry, and did not ask until she returned to Irene's apartment, "What are you thinking?"

Lydia: "If..."

Mary: "Huh?"

Lydia: "If I were married to Wickham at the time and found out afterwards that he was in debt and unemployed, I would definitely not be able to file for a divorce. If it were me, I'm afraid I would have to cry and have the cheek to go to Jane and Li Qi to help, even——what are you laughing at?"

Laughing, you have finally learned to infer other cases from one instance, and you are willing to use your little brain to think actively!

Mary that is a relief.Lydia frowned, but she felt like an old mother whose flowers finally bloomed.

Although she is still full of unrealistic thoughts, she still knows how to think about the real situation by herself.In peacetime, even if Mary throws the problem directly in front of Lydia, she has to be awkward and stiff so that she can realize the problem afterwards.But now, Mary herself didn't expect that Nora's story could have anything to do with Lydia, so she contacted her first, feeling lingering fear.

Usually she was confused, and Mary got angry when she saw her, and couldn't help arguing with her sister.But she understood the truth, and Mary couldn't help saying words of relief: "If you marry Wickham, everyone will be angry, but they won't help you. Nora herself said that she was homeless because of her father's death. But you are not. Even if you don't ask Jane and Lizzie, I will help you."

Lydia rolled her eyes greatly: "If I really marry Wickham and come back to ask for help, you must laugh at me and say that you 'said that'."

Mary smiled: "Of course."

Lydia muttered softly, "Hateful."

But the phrase hate has a kind of coquettish meaning-Lydia and Mary are coquettish, if someone told Mary this way two years ago, she would think that person has a problem with his mind.

"And," Lydia continued without waiting for Mary to speak, "if it were you, you would never ask Jane and Lizzie for help."

Mary knew she would say that.

She hooked the corners of her lips indifferently: "You're just getting into a dead end, Lydia. I won't ask them for help if I have trouble afterwards, but I will ask them for help in advance. Now I am renting the apartment on Serpentine Street in name The hostess is still true. Helping each other between sisters is not necessarily about helping each other clean up the mess. It is much easier to help with preparations than to solve problems. The same is true for you and me. You want to open a shop and help you pave the road. Ideas are better than helping you pay off your debts after you go bankrupt, isn’t it? Of course, it’s good for you to think this way. If you successfully open a women’s clothing store, you will be the boss. You have to think and make decisions for yourself. It can only be used as a reference, and you have to make the real decision.”

Lydia was ignorant, but Mary was not in a hurry. She listened and knew how to think, so she would be able to find the answer.

After a long time, Lydia broke the silence: "I still want to help Nora."

Maybe it was out of kindness, maybe she saw her shadow in Nora's experience, in short, this is probably what Mary knows, and Lydia made up her mind for the first time out of consideration for others.

She nodded: "If you want to help, you can find a way by yourself."

Lydia: "Yeah."

Her voice fell, and Catherine returned.

The fourth Bennett family went to the post office and brought back several magazines and newspapers, as well as letters from the "Seaside Magazine".When Catherine saw Mary and Lydia chatting, she immediately became unhappy: "It's too much for you two to run away and ask me to run errands!"

Lydia stood up: "I'll get it for you."

Catherine:?

Lydia, who has always been too lazy to work, offered to help, did she hear correctly?Catherine looked at Lydia inexplicably, and then at Mary.

Mary laughed out loud, "I'll share some points with you too, let's see what readers' feedback this time."

The author has something to say: I checked and found that Victorian England already had laws to protect the rights of divorced women, which was not perfect, but more importantly, the public opinion at that time must have not kept up.Ibsen is a Norwegian. I don’t know whether Norway legally divorced at that time, so let’s take it [you.

Mr. Lu Xun's "What happened after Nora left" said that Nora awakened her independent thinking and left, but she was doomed to come back or fall because she had no money. The theme of Lu Xun's speech was that men and women should have the same economic power. And this is a long struggle, even more difficult than suffrage.But this is just a fanfic. Thinking about the good, Nora in "A Doll's House" can embroider and copy for others to pay off her debts. She is capable of making money, and she just needs to leave that social environment.Even though I know it's idealistic, let's be idealistic, girls don't want to see me smashing dreams, don't they?