Read gently and grow slowly.
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Today, we bring you the novel Stoner by American writer John Williams.
It is a legendary novel that was once out of print due to poor sales, but sold 200,000 copies as soon as it was reprinted 50 years later. It tells the ordinary and unique life of an ordinary man named Stoner.
Stoner generously shows us the most hidden thoughts, the most untouchable pain, and the deepest helplessness in his heart. These stories make people unconsciously indulge in them, and can't help but rethink their own love, pride and pursuit.
The author, John Williams, dropped out of college in his early years, and later pursued a doctorate through personal efforts and became a university teacher. He wrote only 4 novels in his lifetime, and the book "Stoner" is one of them.
1
Betrayal of the mission
Stoner was an ordinary child in rural America who could not be more ordinary. His daily life was either in school or home to help his father with farm work.
It wasn't until the day he graduated from high school that his father had the longest conversation of his life. This conversation was like a railroad track breaker, taking the train of his life in a very different direction.
The father said that he and his wife were willing to overcome all odds to go to Stoner school, so that he could study agriculture at the University of Missouri in Colombia so that he could better sow his own land after graduation.
In this way, Stoner took the mission, carrying the $25 borrowed by his father, left his hometown for the first time and embarked on the road to study.
When he stepped off the train, Stoner looked around dazedly, and it took half a day to reach his cousin's house in the evening, where his mother had confessed.
From the expression of the cousin's two sons, Stoner did not read welcome. But he still followed his mother's words and obeyed the arrangements of his cousin's two sons, feeding them every day, milking cows, chopping firewood, ploughing the ground... in exchange for the right to live and eat in the upstairs storage room.
For the first semester, Stoner's life was as uneventful as water. The courses that helped him to cultivate better did not interest Stoner, but rather a class on Introduction to English Literature sparked his enthusiasm.
Stoner ignored his parents' expectations and efforts, began to take more and more literature courses, and eventually shifted his major from agronomy to literature.
Until the time he graduated from college, his love of literature was still burning. When his parents were invited to his bachelor's graduation ceremony, his inner pride was completely replaced by guilt.
When he told his parents about his desire to continue graduate school, he saw his father bow his head and silent, and he saw his mother silently crying. But in the end, his father, who was silent, raised his head to let him continue his studies, and his mother helplessly stopped crying.
The master's degree was very smooth, and he ended his master's studies at the same time as he ended his sojourn in his cousin's house. Two new points of light appeared in his life, one was to have a small rental house of his own, and the other was to become a substitute teacher at the university under the introduction of his teacher and began to study for a doctorate.
He completed the transition of his life at the cost of carrying the guilt of his parents.
2
Sudden love
Lucky Stoner had a career that was perfectly integrated with hobbies. Even more fortunately, he experienced his first thrill at a party after completing his PhD and becoming a full-time university lecturer.
Stoner held his heart and asked his friend to introduce himself to the slender, quiet girl Edith. He changed his shyness and took the initiative to talk to the girl. Soon, Stoner was attracted by her soft voice and took the initiative to fight for the opportunity to visit him again.
During that visit, they began with a casual chat. But just as Stoner was already up to leave, Edith suddenly called out to him.
Ignoring Stoner's surprise, she told Stoner about her family, childhood, education, troubles, and many other things related to her.
The chatter and hollowness of the narrative still impressed Stoner. He felt that Edith was telling him the secrets of his heart, and that he was the only one who had broken into her secret garden. This feeling of sharing secrets made Stoner feel closer to Edith. He fell in love.
Stoner began to learn more and more about Edith. He learns that Edith is a girl who grew up under the strict demands and over-protection of her parents. Her hands and feet are bound by rules, she can't do whatever she wants with a smile, and even the instinctive nature of sex and the awareness of sexual development are regarded as immoral and can only be suppressed desperately.
His parents led by example to her, courteous and cold to each other. In this way, she grew up in strange love, alone, nervous and cautious.
Stoner hears a signal from Edith's story that he is the prince who can save her.
For the next two weeks, Stoner visited Edith almost every night, and his love for Edith grew with each visit.
Finally, on a departure, Stoner couldn't help but say a romantic "I love you" to Edith. This was Stoner's first confession to anyone, and the first time Edith had accepted it.
3
Flash marriage
Although the panicked Edith told Stoner the secret of her growth, she did not dare to make decisions for her marriage. For their future, she decided to go home and ask her parents for advice.
Stoner didn't have to wait too long, and just a dozen days later he received an invitation from Edith to visit her parents.
At Edith's house, Stoner felt the kind of low pressure edith described for him. But to his surprise, Edith did not come out to greet him enthusiastically, but always stood at a distance. Many times, it can even be said that they are avoiding him. Stoner had few chances of being alone with Edith.
Despite this, the whole visit went smoothly. Edith's parents were visibly dissatisfied with Stoner's naked eye, but politely and restrainedly agreed to their marriage and expressed concern and blessing for their happiness.
Everything went smoothly beyond imagination, and he took Edith on the train back to Colombia.
Before the wedding, Stoner found a two-story vacant apartment in an old barn-like house. Now their love has a nest.
Subsequently, at Edith's insistence, the two held a simple wedding in Colombia, far from their hometown. After the wedding, there was not even time to enter the cave room, and the two hurriedly embarked on a honeymoon journey to happiness.
Stoner was satisfied.
Although the smoothness of his feelings seemed to be mixed with a subtle strangeness, the great sense of happiness still covered up the strangeness without a trace.
Stoner has completed another turning point in his life, and his life is quietly taking another turn, taking him in an unexpected direction.
Stoner is about to complete his first intimate encounter with his bride, will everything go as smoothly as he imagined? What will life be like after the two get married?
Let's look forward to reading next time.
END
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