Among them, the most famous is Maggie's gift. At first, the author focused on James? Dillingham? Mr and Mrs Yang's gold watch and Della's hair. He wrote: "If the Queen of Sheba (1) also lives in the apartment opposite the patio, one day Della will let her hair hang freely and expose it outside the window to dry, which will make the Queen's pearl treasures pale and powerless; If the basement is full of gold and silver, and King Solomon is the gatekeeper, whenever Jim passes by, he will definitely take out a gold watch and let King Solomon blow his beard and stare with envy. "The couple live in poverty, but they love each other. In order to give each other a Christmas present, Jim sold his watch and bought a comb, while his wife sold her hair and bought a watch chain. When I first read this passage, I was really unfair to the couple and tried my best to buy each other gifts, but it became a great irony. The rich can spend money like water, but the poor have to exchange their most precious things. However, I am relieved after reading it. The author wrote: "As we all know, Maggie is a smart person. They brought presents to Jesus who was born in a manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Because they are smart people, there is no doubt that their gifts are also smart gifts. If they meet two identical things, they may have the right to exchange. Here, I clumsily introduced to you the plain story of two silly children living in an apartment, who unwisely sacrificed the most precious thing in their family for each other. However, let's say the last word to the wise today. Of all the gift givers, those two are the cleverest. Among all the people who give and receive gifts, people like them are also the cleverest. Everywhere, they are the smartest people.
They are Maggie. "
Yes, on the surface, they unwisely sacrificed the most precious thing in their family for each other. But their love for each other is a treasure of price, and money can't buy true feelings. Christmas gift is just a symbol, but the cohesive love is indeed higher than others. They can be called Maggie-a saint who spreads love and brings the gospel to the world. They symbolize this precious quality, which, in the author's opinion, is the smartest thing in the world.
At the end of this paragraph, is it Europe? Henry rarely has a critical ending, but it is enough to see the author's praise for true love, believe that the world has true feelings and hope that the world will be better.
And in this book, my favorite is the noble liar series, Jaap? Peters and Adai, two swindlers, cheat in various strange ways in Precise Marriage, Charity Mathematics Lecture, Artistic Conscience and Teeth Out of Tiger's Mouth. Sometimes at the beginning or the end, you always think that they will do something good after cheating, such as giving Mrs. trotter 2000 yuan to get married or start a school, but in the end the money still comes to them. But in any case, I can't hate these two liars. I think the reason lies in this passage: "You go to church in your hometown and look like a proper citizen, but you come to Chicago and want to deprive others of their money. Those people made a deal with the kind of scumbag you want to be today, and only then did they create a safe and beneficial industry. You know, people who sell counterfeit money are old and young, and they have to support their families. It is precisely because you hypocrites want to get something for nothing that lottery, short mining and stock trading in this country are encouraged. Without you. They have nothing to do now. You are going to rob the man who sells counterfeit money. It may take several years to study this industry. Every time he makes a deal, this time he has to bear the risk of losing his freedom, money and even his life. If he gets the money, you can go to the police. When you get his money, he will have to pawn his club coat for food without saying a word. " This responsibility to Mr Tucker is also Japp? Peters' inner words. Human nature is good, no one is born a bad person, but it is precisely because of these hypocrites and capitalists who want to get something for nothing that the people are poor and helpless. They were forced by life and had to cheat. Most of the people they cheated took ill-gotten gains. They use their greed, vanity and laziness, and their freedom, money and even their lives as chips to make a living. What do they really hate? The dark and corrupt American society described by the author is the biggest liar and the source of evil.
There are also two articles, flashy and waiting for the bus, which set each other off. Once upon a time, the real upper-class people hid their identities, but the poor pretended to be rich, from which we can also see the social atmosphere of the United States at that time-money is the highest. This trend is still popular in many places today, which makes people sigh.
This is Europe? Henry's inner contradiction, on the one hand, he believes in and praises true love on earth, such as The Gift of Maggie, The Dedication of Love and John Bear? Tom's atavism and so on. On the other hand, he satirized the unpredictable and hypocritical side of the world, such as a furnished room for rent and two grateful gentlemen. In his works, bad guys also have a good side, and the so-called gentlemen and powerful people are the real dark forces. For example, Jimmy in "Turn over a New leaf" and the king of hardware in "Catching Your Teeth". This obviously does not conform to the logic of ordinary people. We can read it carefully and see the society, but it's true. Maybe people are surprised by Europe? Henry's writing is ingenious, but more, it is a shock to the dark side of our society that is faintly visible, but no one dares to face it directly.