I read the article “ Golden Bowl” (1941-1942) in Book “East and West”. It tells the story of a devout religious believer James Briony (Jim) and the people around him 。They have different personality、 thought and beliefs。How to view love in religious beliefs and hatred in war.
1）(A) James Briony was a missionary, when he was a boy of twenty four from theological seminary, he went to Japan and lived twenty years never return to his own country, American. But now the war between Japan and American was inevitable. He was being returned American. His cook and valet Ake was weeping for his leaving. Japanese are kind to him. He also deeply loves the Japanese people.
He remembered his former girlfriend Allis, who didn't want him to go to Japan and broke up with him. He hasn't been in touch with her since he came to Japan. Both of them are very stubborn. Allis , the only girl of a rich man, tall and blond, and used to her own way. In the beginning he had never wanted to love her, he had accepted Allis’s Sunday supper invitation, it was a great house, when Allis came out, he had said impetuously: “ you are lovely”, and she had demanded of him why he was a minister. And as his own amazement he found himself telling her, how he had felt God’s call upon him when he was seventeen, and how he had been step by step toward the dedication of his life as a missionary. He had felt constrained to say to Allis: this evening has been perfect. and she let him hold her pretty hand a moment. He still remembered her soft hand now.
Ake was taking something to his room, said: “ from your friends”, it was a Golden Satsuma Bowl, inside the Bowl was the letter, a poem on rice paper:
“An empty bowl, Holds what cannot be seen, By enemy, But friends perceive, The Bowl is brimming.”
He has been carefully holding this bowl in his hands on the way home。
He took the train to Yokohama first, only Ake saw him off. He had hoped Mr. Kato, his warm friend. Then left Japan by boat. He gazed at the distant Mount Fuji with countless thoughts. (P.51-P.62)
(B) Finally, he arrived in San Francisco, went through customs inspection. Then a week later, he was in a boardinghouse in Beechey, where Allis and he had once loved . He remembered Allis and their breakup.
He walked to the church, the Janitor told him: “ we haven’t a regular minister now”.
One day,he had walked to the house where he had known Allis. The gardener told him: “ Allis comes here years, she didn’t go to Europe”.
One day, he heard a voice from radio: “Japanese planes bombing Pearl Harbor”. He gazed at the golden bowl. He thought it could not be true . But it was true.
He applied for the church in Beechey and was accepted. A baby was to be christened Sunday morning in May. He would take the Golden Bowl for a christening Bowl. He said to the congregation: “ this Bowl Is a sacred Bowl, it is a Bowl from friendship, given to me by those who are now our enemies”. That night Captain Jackson went to his house, said: “ they didn’t like your baptism ’”, “I think we oughtn’t to use enemy things now when we’re at war”. He replied:“ I won’t ever use the Bowl again, I’ll keep it for myself, l wanted to share all the friendship with them”.
Monday morning, he went out for a walk, he meet Allis. She held out her hand and he grasped it. He saw she was older, though as handsome as ever. He said: “ I’m glad to see you”, and Allis said: “that’s nice of you”. Allis asked: “ you never married?”, he said: “ no”, Allis said: “nor I”.
Suddenly a flame leap high upon the horizon of the ocean. People were gathering from the village upon the beach. Three ships down. And Allis said: “ I’m going, I’ll get coffee ready and blankets” she would fed and cared the sailors.
A Japanese was waiting him in the living room, he asked: “what can I do for you”? The man pointed to the Golden Bowl, “you got that in Japan”? He said: “I lived there a long time”. The man said: “ they don’t like Japanese, my shop no more people. My wife sick.” He said: “ you may come and make a garden for me”. The man said: “ you save our lives”.The Japanese worked with Mrs.Hardman.
But Allis and some Americans didn’t like this man, they hate Japanese. (P.62-P.85).
(C) Allis gave him a letter written by Hal. Hal being in charge of propaganda at the official. She hoped Jim can help Hal. She thought Jim can speak Japanese, being wasted here, and people are beginning to say he is a pro-Japanese, it is dangerous. And this is a chance to do something wonderful for the war, can speak to millions of people- over the radio.
He promised.He went to an office in New York. Hal said: “ we will make people hate the Japs”, “you’ve lived in Japan for twenty years, you must’ve seen them at their worst, I want you to think of the worst and tell it to country”. Briony said: “ the necessary is not to hate the people of Japan, it is to be sure that we fight for is the right”.
He came back to Allis’s house. He told Allis: “How could I teach hatred against people who had been good to me for twenty years?” Allis said: “ How can men be asked to kill those whom they do not hate?”,“ you won’t do it?”. He replied: “ certainly I will not”. Allis said: “ you really haven’t come back”.
When he back went to his study，he fell into the musing thought, if he could explain people to each other ? He wrote a letter to the President in Washington, asked the President that he be allowed to speak directly to the Japanese.
The next Sunday, one woman bring into sobs in the middle of his sermon and left church, a murmur had gone over the congregation. But he still said “. under the God’s command we may hate no man”. After his sermon, in the vestry,one said to him: “ we don’t think you ought to keep that Jap in the manse”.
He thought of Allis. He took up the telephone.When they talked, suddenly Allis cry: “ there is a light flashing off and on in your attic window”. He reached the attic, no one was there. He could see nothing ,Only one of Hasu’s shoes. That night,he went up to the attic again, he saw a small door under the eaves, and he saw a large lantern. Tomorrow morning he would ask Mrs.Hardman about it.
But the next morning he received the mail, it was the answer of his letter, asking him to come to Washington. He went to Washington, White House, The man in the room said: “ a very interesting idea”,“You could go to this address in New York”.(P.85-P.104)
（D) when he was back home, Mrs.Hardman said: “Hasu is gone, police”.He drove to the police station to ask, the police man said: “ he’s locked up”.As he turned back , three policemen arrested him .and took him to the jail .He thought: this is my own country, how would he talk to Mr. Kato ? He could see the church steeple, and beside it would be the manse. Suddenly he saw a light, It shone on and off three times. Who was there in the attic? And then he heard the deep roar of an explosion out to sea. Next morning, the chief of police was irritable. Roared: “there was a ship sunk last night”.
Suddenly Allis came: “ Jim, how am I going to get you out”.
Next morning, Allis told him: “ you are free, Jim ”,“ They have got someone else”. Then he saw Mrs.Hardman, It was she, She was a German.
He and Allis were having breakfast together in Allis’s home. He would explain to Mr. Kato that America was not fighting out of hate but for people to be quiet free, even to think their dangerous thoughts. But he asked: “ why I was put in jail?”, “ you didn’t hear anything about my having dangerous thoughts? It wasn’t because of that?”, Allis said:“ Some man thought that Hasu was a spy and that you were aiding and abetting , have you a dangerous thought?”,“This dangerous thought won’t take you across an ocean from me again?” He said: “ No, I can work better here.”
He saw Hasu. Allis said: “ I went to the jail, I want him out , so you would feel at home”. He asked: “ where’s my golden Bowl?” She said: “ It’s on the mantel, I brought tha home myself”.He took down the Bowl and recited the verse that had been in the Bowl when it was given to him.
He kissed Allis.(P.104-P.116)
2）I think people should love each other, not fight each other. Christianity promotes love, and this love should be principled and distinguish between enemy and self. There should be no love for the enemies who wage war. In time of war, it is impossible to end a war with love; it can only be ended by victory in battle.
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