Chapter 6 Comedy Elements of "The Last Night of Taipan Kim"

"The Last Night of Taiban Jin" is not a pure comedy novel, but it is the only one in the novel with real comedy color.In the three novels we have discussed, we can more or less find the level of comedy. However, the humorous language in "Forever Yin Xueyan" expresses the helplessness of human beings in the face of death; The hilarious scene of flirting with the young man in the air force shows the sadness of her losing her spirituality and making her look like a different person; in "New Year's Eve", Lai Mingsheng performed boxing while drunk, which made everyone laugh, but made the readers feel even more sad Because of his absolute isolation, no one understands.In this way, the little comedy presented in these three novels is actually a kind of disguise, a kind of cover-up, the purpose of which is to contrast and strengthen the tragedy of the stories.

Only in "The Last Night of Taipan Kim", the comedy performance is not a disguise, it is not a tool used by the author to express tragedy, but it is really used to portray the character of Taipan Jin.Only in this one, the "relaxed side" of the story is not only enough to compete with the "serious side", but even surpass it. From the "tone" of this novel, we can easily feel the author's rather relaxed mood when writing this article.This is very different from "Sui Chu"; when we read Lai Mingsheng's story, we will feel that the author's heart is very heavy.The main reason is that the protagonists of these two articles are very different: Lai Mingsheng is a tragic character who refuses to accept the reality and lives in the "past", which is very pitiful; Jin Taipan is a person who can accept the reality and take care of himself very well. Therefore, a woman who does not need pity from others at all.In other words, because Jin Dapan is different from most of the protagonists in the novel, he is not a tragic character, so the author can describe her and tell her story in a relaxed and happy style.

It is worth noting that the author's views and attitudes towards Jin Dapan's comedies are very similar to Jin Taipan's views and attitudes towards himself and life, and they can be said to coincide with each other.This is probably why the author not only uses objective narration in this novel, but also penetrates into the protagonist's consciousness again and again; that is why the author so freely enters and exits Jin Dapan's consciousness, using both objective and subjective methods, but can maintain a consistent tone. Bai Xianyong has "sympathy" for Zhu Qing, "respect" for Lai Mingsheng, and "love" for Jin Taipan.The playful and lively tone of the whole novel lets us know that the author thinks Jin Dapan is interesting, ridiculous, cute and amiable.In fact, Kim Taipan is quite possibly the most humane character in the entire series.

But she is such a vulgar, dirty-mouthed woman!This, of course, is closely related to her living environment.She has been a dancer for twenty years.I used to be in Shanghai Paramount, and now I am in Taipei Night Paris.The guests she came into contact with were not the elegant and upper-class people that Yin Xueyan came into contact with, but mostly middle-class businessmen who came to the ballroom to "spend money" with the smell of copper money.And the biggest dream of the average "good waisted lady" is to catch a golden turtle and marry a rich businessman.Jin Taipan is not like that "hungry marriage", she gave up many opportunities when she was young, but at the age of 40, she knew that she couldn't wait long, so she finally found an account and was about to marry Chen Farong, a wealthy businessman in his sixties.This novel is about Dapan Jin's last night in "Night Paris".The next day, she will transform into a "boss lady".

Since Taipan Jin is a person who has been rolling out of the money-worshiping sex scene for a long time, she is of course full of the vulgar smell of reality that belongs to this environment.First of all, the author gave her surname Jin, which has implied meanings.In fact, Bai Xianyong chose the names of the characters in the novel carefully, and often used the names to allude to them.As far as "The Last Night of the Jin Taiban" is concerned, the names of Pan Jinrong, Zhou Furui, and Chen Farong, at first glance, make people feel that they are very suitable for their identities as nouveau riche businessmen.And Jin Zhaoli's young lover, "Yue Ru", who is like her name, will always be as beautiful and bright as moonlight in Jin Taipan's memory, without any masculine smell.Having said that, let us see how "tacky" Jin Dapan is.Take a look at her attire:

Taipan Jin wore a tight-fitting cheongsam with black gauze and gold silk, and a Daoist bun towering high above his head; earrings, necklaces, bracelets, hair pins, and resplendently hung all over his body. In these few sentences, there are three "gold" characters.We have noticed that throughout the novel, what Taipan Jin said, thought, and everyday idioms are often related to money.When Manager Tong of Night Paris complained that she was late for drinks with the dancers, she wanted to "settle the bill" with him.She said that it was her credit for people to come to Paris to "spend money", and reminded: "You only count my salary until yesterday."Sitting alone in the dressing room, she thought back to the time when Pan Jinrong, the king of cotton yarn, worked hard on her. "I am afraid that the money spent can afford a gold mountain." But she kicked him to Ren Daidai, and made fun of Ren Daidai for "catching a head The Millennium Golden Turtle".Before deciding to marry Chen Farong, Jin Taipan asked someone to inquire about his "foundation" and knew that "two slaps are nothing", but "a fortune of three or four million is still indispensable".She complained that Chen Farong was "a bit picky" and "he took money so big", "but the 500,000 yuan villa in Yangmingshan Villa, once bought, it came to Jin Zhaoli's name."In order to catch such an old man, she "spent a lot of money" in the beauty salon.She thought of Qin Xiong's (a young crew member who was in love with her) bank book, which contained only a measly 70,000 yuan deposit.When she became popular in Paramount, "I am afraid that the table money that was transferred overnight was more than that."She thought that ten years ago she "still had a lot of gold, silver and treasures". If she had met Qin Xiong, an infatuated man at that time, she might have married him. A silk and satin shop like Ren Daidai's: "Of course it's twice as big as hers... first cut the price by 80%" to show her strength.

When Taipan Jin learned that Zhu Feng, the dancer she had single-handedly selected, had slept with a Hong Kong overseas Chinese student and that the overseas Chinese student had returned to Hong Kong, her first question was: "Have you left anything?" Shake your head.Jin Daban was furious, and he was angry with Zhu Feng for "letting others eat" and destroying the "worth" that he had so hard to raise.She scolded her for "letting a big fish go" and "not even catching half of his bird feathers". Later on the dance floor, Zhou Furui, the chairman of Dahua Textile Factory, grabbed her and begged her to invite Xiao Ruyi, Xiao Hongmei, who was angry at him.Taipan Jin laughed and said, "That depends on how Chairman Zhou invites me." In this way, she easily blackmailed him for ten tables of banquets for the wedding.She half persuaded and half forced Xiao Hongmei, who was jealous and angry, and wanted to catch a wealthy son-in-law, to accompany Chairman Zhou, secretly guessing in her heart that the person surnamed Zhou "put a few hundred thousand to two hundred thousand on Xiao Hongmei." .

Even at the end, when Taipan Jin accidentally revealed her tenderness, what she said was not related to money.Facing the timid young man who came to the ballroom to "watch", Taipan Jin smiled and said: We are not allowed to watch it for nothing here, so let me post it to you later. We have seen that Jin Taipan is really a vulgar woman who values ​​money and property.But precisely because she is such a person, after she scolded Zhu Feng, she was able to take off the one and a half carat fire oil diamond ring on her finger and throw it to Zhu Feng, so that she could live with "that little evil in her stomach" A year and a half", more and more showed how rare and precious her generosity was at that time.

Speaking of which, although we already have an idea of ​​Jin Dapan, if we do not study the language and tone of this novel at the same time, we will not be able to feel what an interesting person she is, because we cannot see her. All kinds of "absolute" places.In this way, we do not capture the comic character of the novel at all. As I mentioned above, the reason why this novel may become a comedy is that Jin Taipan is not a tragic character.Moreover, the subject matter itself, such as the rich-waisted woman catching a wealthy son-in-law, also has a lot of comedy potential.However, the comic performance of this novel is mainly maintained in language and tone.

A novel begins with an author's objective narrative.The author introduces the role of Jin Zhaoli to us in a lively, lively and slightly exaggerated tone, which is quite comical.At the beginning, we heard "a burst of high-heeled shoes" on the stairs of the night Paris ballroom. It turned out that "led by Taipan Jin", a dozen or so dancers dressed in flamboyant clothes entered in a mighty manner, which made us feel that we saw a It's like a women's army.Taipan Jin was dressed up resplendently and resplendently, with an air of the world, but on the top of his head was a Daoist bun!Suddenly, from the door of the building, Manager Tong of Ye Paris "sprinted" out, "with a face scorched with anxiety", only looking ridiculous, not disgusting.Her arrogant personality and fiery temper only make people feel cute, not hateful.

What is rare is that when the author narrates stories from the perspective of Jin Dapan's consciousness, she often uses a few or two sentences, which not only show the vulgarity of her thoughts and words, but also show her arrogant character; The attitude also shows the consistent theme of the author's "comparison between the present and the past".Here are a few examples: It doesn't sound good to say it, but the toilet in Paramount is probably bigger than the dance floor in Paris Night?Tong Dehuai's face and mouth may not have his share in digging the cesspit at Paramount. Back then in Shanghai, how many basic people like Chen Farong who bowed down to her under the Jade Guanyin skirt could count on their toes? When she became popular in Paramount, she probably transferred more than that amount of table money overnight.Five years—five more years before she could be his grandma. Taipan Jin thought she was great, and looked down on those around her who hadn't seen "the days before" and "the attitude".She thinks—reasonably thinks—that the present scene in Paris Night is entirely due to "my old brand of Jade Guanyin and Jin Zhaoli".Like Lai Mingsheng, she is proud of her past, and most hopes to be respected by others.She likes to call herself the "big sister", so during the farewell meal, the dancers "respected me, and all competed to have a double cup with me", which filled her with joy.And Qin Xiong treated her "more filially than his own mother", which made her very proud.She single-handedly selected "Country Potato" Zhu Feng, and taught her "Eighteen Martial Arts in the Dance Hall" through hard work. Although it was because of anger with Manager Tong, she probably also wanted to enjoy the prestige of being an "instructor".Rubbing their hands and feet, they complained that they had been eating for such a long time, and the guests had no one to greet the dancers.Daban Jin was not in a hurry, and at first he explained with a smile: "The young ladies respect me, and they all compete to have a double cup with me. Dare I not accept their punishment?" But seeing Manager Tong complaining non-stop, she So she "put one hand on the doorpost, put her crocodile leather bag on her shoulder, glanced at Manager Tong, and spoke with a half-smile on her face"; she said "like a cannonball" He said a lot of things that he took credit for, and gave Manager Tong a big reprimand.Then, "without waiting for Manager Tong to answer, I slammed open the glass door of the ballroom, stomped on a pair of three-inch high heels, and walked in waddlingly."Manager Tong, a big man, in front of this women's army, especially in front of the powerful leader of the women's army, Jin Daban, showed such a trivial, incompetent and helpless look, which has a comic flavor of "the prosperity of yin and the decline of yang". Some small movements of the big class, such as "sneering in the nose and eyes" when talking, "looking at Manager Tong with a glance", and "stamping high heels loudly" when walking, etc., are the same as the content of her speech, showing her amazing personality. ——At least, the author——has an arrogance and an irresistible temper that amuses him. After she scolded Manager Tong, she walked into the dressing room, dropped her purse with a loud bang, sat down in front of the makeup mirror, and spat hard, "Damn Dongcai!" The wind comes out, about 2,500 words (about a quarter of the whole article), the author enters Jin Taipan’s consciousness, sees with her eyes, and talks to herself with her voice (after this, the author alternately uses objective description and Subjective consciousness, three or four rounds like this).In this way, we not only see her from the perspective of a bystander, but also see her and her situation from her own perspective. And Jin Dapan's views on himself and the world are consistent with the author's views on her, and they are all full of comedy.In other words, Jin Dapan is a person who accepts himself and real life with a comic attitude.Starting from this long section of subjective narration, we further see Jin Taipan's vulgarity and hear her vulgar language.However, her vulgarity is miraculous because of her unique comic outlook on life. Taiban Jin's strong and unprovoked character is not only shown in the dialogue between her and Manager Tong at the beginning of the novel, but also in her attitude towards the lilac beauty Ren Daidai.Ren Daidai married Pan Jinrong, the king of cotton yarn, who Jin Zhaoli thought was too old and had body odor and refused to have it.After coming to Taiwan, Taipan Jin met Ren Daidai one day in Taipei. Sitting in the Fuchunlou silk and satin shop opened by her husband, the scenery is beautiful, she looks like the proprietress, a small clove is so fat that the fat on both arms hangs on the counter, shaking the sandalwood fan, She said: Yuguanyin, are you, Guanyin, still pursing sentient beings in the sea of ​​suffering?What else can she say?I had no choice but to ask that naughty woman to take the advantage back. Just to "revenge" Ren Daidai made such a "cheap", Jin Taipan smiled "badly" at the makeup mirror, and suddenly understood what he wanted in his heart: She wants a silk and satin shop like Ren Daidai's, of course it will be twice as big as hers, and it will be opened directly opposite her Fuchun Tower, and the price will be cut by 80% first, so that the tongue-in-cheek woman can also try it out. I know that I, Jade Guanyin, Jin Zhaoli, was not provoked casually. Here, like other places in the whole novel, the comic language and tone, that is, Kim Taipan’s comic attitude of seeing things, make her "evilness" become like a naughty boy's "prank", without any malicious elements , only looks cute and fun. Although Taipan Jin is so "untouchable" and doesn't give anyone a word of advantage, she doesn't care about self-deprecating, and often uses self-deprecating eyes and tone to see herself, make fun of herself, and criticize herself.In this way, an excellent and vivid comedy effect is produced.In fact, her self-deprecation is included in her comic life view-it is also not acidic, which is very interesting.And this self-deprecation is an important factor in her—and the author’s—comedy tone.Examples abound, the list is inexhaustible, let's pick a few at random. Taipan Jin looked in the vanity mirror, grinned his mouth hard, and a few fish tails appeared in the corners of his eyes.she thought: Forty-year-old woman, is it up to you to reason about other people's age?For an old man in his sixties like Chen Farong, how many hands and feet did she do to him?In the past few months, I don't know how much money I spent in Yixiang Beauty Salon.Pulling the skin of the noodles, pulling the eyebrows - there is not a piece of meat left on the face that has not suffered.Every time I go out with old man Chen, it’s like wearing shackles and chains, going to the execution ground, with my stomach and waist tied, fake ass and fake breasts, and all the furniture tied up in July. Scratched twice on her little belly—the heat rash that made her belly turn into cakes, the itching was unbearable. She thought of Wu Xikui, a dancer who was as popular as she was in Shanghai, but after coming to Taiwan, she changed her appearance and became a great Buddha.So think of yourself: A lone ghost, wandering here and there in the evil sea, wasted twenty years.To her mother's sake, she doesn't have Wu Xikui's roots of wisdom.Don't even think about going to Xitian, could it be that she is going to learn from Wu Xikui and build a Buddhist hall, and it is really impossible to worship the Jade Guanyin in it?I have committed a lifetime of sins, and I have humiliated those Bodhisattva masters!She was determined, and when she stretched her legs, she went to the eighteenth floor of hell to taste the experience of going up the mountain of knives and under the pan of oil. Taipan Jin was in the ballroom, flirting perfunctorily and telling vulgar jokes with a few frivolous teenagers working in foreign agencies. Just when Xiao Cai's hands were unruly, Daban Jin suddenly jumped up, pushed him away and said with a smile: "Don't make trouble with me, your old friends are getting better, don't teach them to laugh at me as 'an old cow eats tender grass' .” She recalled that when she was pregnant for Yueru, her mother cruelly poured a medicine in the face and beat the fetus down. In her whole life, there was only one time when she really committed short-sightedness: swallowing gold, hanging herself, eating rat poison, jumping into the Suzhou Creek—what the hell, she would never die. Taipan Jin's verbal mantras, "Between his mother" and "My mother's winter beauty", are very comical and very funny.At the same time, it also shows the vulgarity of Jin Taipan's words.The "roughness" of her words is accompanied by the "vulgarity" of her character, which is manifested everywhere.Take the few words she scolded Zhu Feng as an example: You are generous!They made you sleepy, patted your butt and slipped away, and you didn't even grab half of his bird feathers! Since he doesn't have the cunt ability to catch men, the waistband of his trousers should be tightened. Afraid of pain?Afraid of pain, why don't you go back to your Miaoli home and become a lady?Do you want to come to this kind of place to let people hug your waist and touch your butt? Afraid of pain?You've got your share of the days selling guys on the street! Jin Dapan not only has a vulgar personality and vulgar words, but her actions are also vulgar.For example, when she teased and answered with a frivolous young man working in a foreign agency, she "sit down between Xiao Cai's thighs with one ass, and rubbed it hard twice", and then secretly stretched out her hand, "Pinch Xiao Cai's thigh fiercely, pinch it Xiao Cai screamed."For another example, when Xiao Hongmei was angry and refused to accompany Chairman Zhou, Daban Jin "squinted his eyes and looked at Xiao Hongmei, and grabbed Xiao Hongmei's tits with both hands, scaring Xiao Hongmei's dick and cat screaming like hell." Hide."Afterwards, she leaned on a pillar by the dance floor, "picking her teeth with a toothpick", while watching Xiao Hongmei approach Zhou Furui enchantingly.She privately admired Xiao Hongmei's "dark heart and savagery", and thought, "That Zhou, without saying a word, posted ten or two hundred thousand on her. I don't know if he even licked her flirtatious?" However, as I have already mentioned, under the cover of her comedic outlook on life and the influence of the author's comedic language and tone, Jin Taipan's vulgarity, which should be disgusting and unbearable, becomes amusing rather than annoying. people hate. Mr. Yan Yuanshu discussed "The Last Night of Jin Dapan" in his article "The Language of Bai Xianyong"; he thought that this novel was completely successful in the use of language.But he went on to say: The only failure of the passage is that near the end of the chapter, Jin Taipan recalls the moon-like virginity.From "she took him home that night, when she found out that he was still a virgin", until "she couldn't help crying silently again", it was not like Taipan Jin at all.Too soft, too romantic! "But that night when Yueru fell asleep, she got up, knelt by the bed, and looked at the naked man on the bed through the moon."Although this is a memory, the Jin Zhaoli back then may not be as hard and spicy as the current Jin Zhaoli; however, the act of reminiscing happens now, why is it not contaminated by "hard and spicy" at all? I am very glad that Mr. Yan mentioned this, because this is really a very deliberate question.Yes, at first glance, the language and intonation of Mr. Yan’s large section of Taipan Jin’s recollection of his first virginity seem to be very inconsistent with the full text.But as to whether this is the fault of the author, it is worth further research.In my opinion, this way of writing this paragraph, in addition to language and tone, also involves many other issues-especially the theme.In order to illustrate this point, I must first talk about the "serious side" of this novel. As I mentioned above, the light side of this novel is more important than the serious side, and the focus of my discussion in this thesis is also the comedy element of "The Last Night of Taiban Jin".But we must not ignore the serious side that does exist in this novel.This serious side presents a consistent theme and also reflects the author's own views on life. In the article "The World of Bai Xianyong's Fiction", I once mentioned that in the world, the memory of past love or "spirit" is a kind of redemption from the physical reality. When Dapan Jin was young in Shanghai, he met a A young man named Yue Ru had a short and perfect love.It is mainly the memory of this true relationship that enables her to retain a certain inner temperament in a mercenary, realistic and vulgar environment, occasionally bursting out with noble human brilliance.We noticed that Taipan Kim's two "soft hearts" on this last night all originated from the memories of this love.What happened to Zhu Feng reminded her of all the silly thoughts she had when she was pregnant for Yue Ru; so her anger turned into sympathy, and she generously took off the diamond ring and gave it to Zhu Feng.The second "soft heart" is the last scene of the novel: a shy young man sitting on the sidelines in the ballroom reminds her of Yueru who gave her his virginity many years ago.Then a tenderness welled up in her, and the vulgarity of everyday life suddenly vanished, and she began tenderly to teach him the steps. If we study this book as a whole, we will find that all the characters that the author sympathizes with, whether it is a tragic character who refuses to accept reality, or a non-tragic character like Jin Daban who can accept reality, are all cherished in their hearts. With a memory of the "past".The nature of the content of this memory varies greatly from person to person, some are related to the history of the country, and some only involve personal affairs.However, there is one thing in common: that is, this memory is solid, complete, and will not be diluted by time.When the ruthless years gradually corroded their bodies, they firmly guarded the integrity of this memory and refused to let it be stained by time.Many characters in the movie embrace the "past" every day like this, ignoring reality and refusing to accept reality.Jin Dapan is different, she doesn't look back often, she spends most of the time in reality, and she compromises well with reality.However, when she happened to look back, the memory was still intact, uncorrupted by time. Some of the characters in the book have cherished memories that may last for many years.But Jin Dapan treasured the deepest memory in his heart, but it was just one night - the night when she got the moon like a virgin.Of course, she and Yueru did not separate after a night of lingering; before Yueru was kidnapped from "their small nest in Xujiahui" by a few guards sent by his "big official Laozi", they might have already Live together for weeks or months.However, the eternal memory fixed in the bottom of Jin Zhaoli's heart is only Yueru that night, and her own touch and gratitude at that time.That's why when Taipan Jin thinks of other times, Yueru will soften her heart, but her whole ideology and tone of voice remain unchanged; If you are a bitch, you will never die").But at the end of the chapter where Uncle Yan Yuan thought it was a "failure", because the memory that was brought back was Yueru that night, her "hard and spicy" completely disappeared.Her vulgarity also disappeared.Her comedic outlook on life is also gone.Her ability to laugh at herself is also gone.The twenty years that separated her from this memory also disappeared.Taipan Jin, who was left on the dance floor dancing with a strange young man, suddenly became a woman whose youth had passed away and whose body had been eroded by time, but whose soul had returned to the sensitivity and fragility of twenty years ago. Therefore, the seemingly dissonant tone of this ending becomes very appropriate and appropriate when we consider the author's purpose for this novel—and the whole.If it weren't for this way of writing, Taipan Jin would not be the Taipan Jin that the author wants to represent.The author obviously thinks that for a person like Jin Dapan who rolled out of the mud of reality, it is impossible for female ankle to keep her share of life unless she is "redeemed" by this perfect memory that will not be diluted by time. Humanity, and the dignity of being human. (This "salvation" theme, we can even get vague hints from the highly comic plot passages in the novel. The author borrows Jin Dapan's point of view to describe the "big Buddha woman" Wu Xikui, the tone and content are very witty and interesting, but the topic is also It touches on the serious issue of crime and punishment. As for Jin Dapan, "going down to the sea" as a dancer in the early years is like "going down" to the "sea" of suffering in life; leaving the Fengyuechang today is like leaving the sea of ​​evil and gaining relief. These can be explained as the author A little allusion to the "redemption" theme.) However, the ending of this novel also contains a pathetic irony.Because, Jin Taipan's feeling at this moment is just an illusion after all, and it will disappear in a moment.The shy and delicate young man in front of me is nothing more than Yueru's phantom; and twenty years have passed, she has passed away and is gradually aging, is she really a young woman with a sensitive heart? Of course, after this moment passes, Jin Zhaoli will continue to live in reality.Live with your head held high.For all kinds of unsatisfactory things in life, she will still spit and scold "Damn Dongcai", then accept it, get used to it, and enjoy it in reverse.The next day, of course, she would continue to make fun of herself and others, and happily be the "wife of the boss".