In the dimly lit room, the dancing lights reflect a young and beautiful face.
The warm orange flame made the man hiding behind the screen see clearly this melancholy and quiet girl.
The fire in the fireplace was in full swing, and it did not warm the girl's heart, because she was about to face the first helpless and painful choice in her life- to give birth to a child for Charles, an aristocratic gentleman she never knew, to pay off her father's debts.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > three nights of joy and seven years of hard thinking</h1>
Royle and "customer" Charles only had three nights:
On the first night, the traditional conservative concept made both of them a little uncomfortable, and Royle did not even take off his corset, and left silently after finishing it.
The next night, the actions of the two gradually let go, and Royle shed inexplicable tears, which were the heartbeat of desire and the door of the heart after the door of the heart was opened.
On the last night, the two men let go completely and reached true harmony between spirit and flesh, and emotions and desires were like waves of water, surging endlessly.
Three nights later, Royle leaves by boat and Charles sends off, with mixed feelings of ambiguity and pain in both eyes.
In the following months, there were special people to take care of the pregnant Royle's living life, and after giving birth, the daughter was immediately taken away, and the frail Royle did not even have time to look at the child.
The woman who delivered the baby said, "It's all over." ”
The completion of the transaction was announced, and the two never had anything to do with each other.
For the next seven years, Royle did not stop thinking and searching for her daughter for a moment, she kept a diary, inquired about news, and finally came to a manor to apply for a tutor.
The young lady's name was Louisa, and she had a bad temper, and three teachers had been forced away, and When Royle saw her for the first time, she was scolded roughly: "Get out of the way, ma'am." ”
The man of the manor returned, and it was the nobleman of seven years ago, Charles, who, at the moment he saw Royle, had a great shock in his eyes, and the two of them did not say anything, and seemed to understand everything.
In order not to disgrace his comatose wife in public opinion, the man begged Royle: "If you still have the slightest pity for my mutilated wife, please keep this secret." ”
In the days that followed, Charles, tormented by ethical dogma, had been trying to fire Royle and never looked directly at her, but from the erratic look in his eyes, it could be seen that the man had actually been suppressing his feelings for her.
After weeks of getting to know and interacting, Charles's American friend, the rich John, confessed to Royle that he wanted to bring her back to the United States, but Royle politely refused.
Later, Charles's American friend is about to leave the manor, and before getting into the car, he tells the male protagonist, Royle, that he has rejected him, and it is obvious that she already has someone in her heart, but she does not know which fool it is.
During this time, Charles and Royle have been trying to suppress their emotions and desires, and the education and public opinion they have received for many years have not allowed them to do things that are unethical.
As the days passed, her daughter Louisa was no longer resistant to studying, and her grades had improved significantly.
In the evening, they sat in front of the fire and began to communicate, and Royle said that her mother died when she was very young, and Louisa replied that she did not have a mother, because her father's wife was not her biological mother, and she did not know who her biological mother was.
Late at night, when his daughter went to sleep, Charles came to the fire and had a conversation with Royle, the shaking fire and the dimly lit room, just as he had seen seven years earlier.
Time seemed to stand still, and the surroundings were so quiet that only the sounds of each other's breathing and heartbeat could be heard.
Both of them were trying to suppress their desires and feelings, and finally, looking at the face that was close at hand, thinking about it day and night, the two people slowly approached, and this time, they completely broke through the taboos of secular ethics.
Royle, who had tasted the forbidden fruit, felt happier than ever, and she shouted and swirled excitedly in the snow.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > that every woman's life should not be defined</h1>
In the performance of his duties as a governess, There are two touching details:
The first is when Louisa, unwilling to learn, yells at Royle as a servant in front of her father, and Royle is furious and throws paint on Louisa's face, and then she also splashes herself with paint.
She hated this indisputable daughter, hated the hatred of iron and steel, and she took her daughter to the table and began to educate her, which was also what she wanted to say most:
"I'm not a servant, I just lost my freedom, and you'll be like me when you grow up, because you're a woman too."
If you get married, anything you will have will be your husband's; if you don't get married, all your property and rights will close its doors to you...
But there is one thing they can't control, and that's your thoughts, so I teach you to read, teach you to learn, and I want you to have your own life! ”
In another place, Royle holds a picture with eyes for Louisa to read, and Louisa says, "Eye. ）”
Royle corrected, "No, SEE. ）”
She hopes that her daughter will understand that the meaning of human existence is not in the integrity of the body, nor in how much material wealth there is, but in the use of the senses to feel things and think about the whole world.
Soon, the old owner of the manor, Charles's father, returned. After the welcome ball, the experienced old host saw at a glance that Royle and his son had an unusual relationship.
The next day, he called Royle alone to the study and asked her with a serious look if she was seducing her son.
Royle was extremely nervous, and could only pretend to be calm on the surface, who knows, the old master not only did not blame her, but also seemed very relieved and happy.
After so many years, his son finally got true love and happiness. He sent their most sincere wishes to the two.
As a result, the two people were together more and more times, and after the end of the matter, the two did not want to be separated, and often slept together until dawn.
Once, her daughter, who got up in the middle of the night, inadvertently glimpsed this secret, and looking at the two people snuggled up in each other's arms and sleeping sweetly, Louisa's heart was greatly shocked.
On the one hand, she has been dependent on herself since she was a child and has loved her father incomparably, and on the other hand, she is a teacher and friend who has fully trusted herself for the first time since she was born, and she cannot accept the fact that the two people she loves now secretly get together.
The distraught daughter walked alone on the ice of the small lake outside the house, and one fell into the cold and bone-chilling water of the lake without noticing. Royle heard the sound, did not have time to think too much, and hurriedly dived to save it, only to retrieve one of his daughter's lives.
Looking at her daughter lying unconscious on the bed, Royle had mixed feelings and secretly swore in her heart that she would never leave her daughter again.
The good times are short-lived, the manor has suddenly changed, Charles's family is bankrupt, the great manor will be sold, and the family's shelter will be taken away by the bank.
All this meant that Charles's wife, the current titular mistress of the estate, would die quickly without careful care.
Knowing all this, the wife's sister Connie did not seem to be a little sad, while leisurely eating breakfast, while shaking her head and calculating that her sister was dead, then the person who would take over this position was none other than herself.
In front of the cold night window, Charles sat at the head of his wife's bed, caressing her cheek affectionately, but his wife, who had been in a vegetative state for more than a decade, did not react at all.
The husband's heart is in a fierce struggle, and in the end, in the face of secular ethics and morality, reason and emotion have the upper hand.
He went to the fire, extinguished all the fires, and then opened the window, and the biting cold wind came in an instant, and he went to his wife's bed again, and only the last step was left, just take the quilt from her, and everything would be done.
But the action was much more difficult than imagined, with Charles in tears as he did it, and his wife just lying in silence, as if a sculpture had no response.
Having done all this, a sad Charles knelt by his wife's bedside and began to pray to God that she would die.
The next day, the doctor announced his wife's death and explained that it was indeed cold on a winter night, and such things happened from time to time.
The sister who heard the news came to Charles at the first time and confessed, but was refused.
Charles's heart was filled with Royle, and this time, he was finally able to justifiably be with Royle.
At this time, Louisa, who was cured, also found her diary in Royle's bedroom, which recorded Royle's thoughts about her lover and daughter, as well as the long letters that Royle wrote to herself year after year.
It turns out that she has always been loved, and her mother has never abandoned herself, and Louisa, who learns of her death, runs to Sophie and asks Royle why she didn't want her at that time.
The mother and daughter met frankly for the first time, and the grievances and resentment that had been suppressed in their hearts for many years poured out:
"Why don't you want me?"
"I didn't, I... Sold you. ”
"How much did it sell?"
"£500."
"Is that a lot?"
"It's a lot of money."
The daughter gradually walked toward her mother, the corners of her mouth raised, and her eyes shining:
"I'm glad it was a lot of money."
The mother and daughter embraced each other and wept, and in this way, in the snow, the people left the manor in a carriage to find a new life.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > game of ethics and lust, behind which is a reflection on human nature</h1>
Modern medical ethics have tacitly accepted that family members can decide the life and death of long-term coma and irreversible vegetative people; for terminally ill patients who are unconscious and unable to decide whether to give up treatment, it is still up to the family.
However, "killing a killer" against a loved one, even if it is in line with the law, is contrary to human morality. Since ancient times, both chinese and foreign, this is a question that philosophers and ethicists have argued about for thousands of years and cannot answer.
There are two traditions in Western culture: Dionysus and Sun:
Dionysus, the god of dionysus, represents sensuality, extreme personal pleasure and faithful adherence to the animality of man;
Apollo, the god of the sun, symbolized light and reason, used reason to restrain selfish desires, and used to suppress the nature of human beings and animals to promote the so-called "human nature", or the lofty "divinity".
The film Heartfire, starring the goddess Sophie Marceau, has been critically acclaimed since its release, and it tells a moving story about victorian women's rebellious spirit and self-conscious awakening.
The heroine, Royal, breaks through the long-bound asceticism and breaks the shackles of women's pure rules and precepts.
Not only in the West, but also in China since ancient times, there has been a "fantasy" definition of women - perfect appearance, pure conduct, as "angels in the house", they are deprived of their freedom, can not show their faces outside, can not have their own circles and lives, but to dedicate all their youth to their husbands and offspring.
It's especially important that a truly good woman shouldn't be associated with "sex".
The desire and pursuit of love and affection can only be accused by society as a sign of debauchery and lowliness.
The beauty of Heartfire is that Royle didn't stop looking after completing the contract and handing over the child to Charlie. And, every year, write greeting cards for your children.
Royle, who had a free-thinking and independent personality and the courage to pursue his own happy life, was widely loved among men: when Royle became Louisa's governess, Charlie's friend John—a new farmer with a lot of money, a rising upstart of that big era—confessed to her, but she refused, for her children and her love.
In his conversation with Charles, John also explained why he loved Royle:
"She [Royle] is proud, never discouraged, and very cute, and I'm proud to marry her."
Compared with the literary tradition's preference for "long-term love", the story of "Heart Fire" is undoubtedly bold and taboo, and the beginning of the two is not a "Platonic" spiritual love, but after having skin kisses, there is a mutual attraction of the soul, and finally reach the harmonious realm of spiritual and flesh fusion.
What Royle did broke through the "asceticism" that had bound people since the Middle Ages, and highly praised human nature, which was more profound than simply praising love.
After all, in real life, love without sex is unrealistic and contrary to human nature.
The pursuit of happiness, do not be ashamed to face their own desires, people are first animal nature, and then human nature, emotional burst and rational control, the lack of one, can not achieve a wonderful balance.
END.
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