In "The Hunter and the Hussar", in addition to Wen Tianxiang's "Song of Righteousness", the most mentioned text is probably "The Catcher in the Rye" by American writer Jerome David Salinger. It may not be "great" compared to other texts in the novel, but it is still a work worth reading. In the process of writing the novel, I actually kept rereading "The Catcher in the Rye". It served as both inspiration and a subject for my novel to rewrite (although it didn't become an integral part of the text like Sartre's The Wall). What am I writing about? A Chinese version of "The Catcher in the Rye"? I had that thought.

Probably not a single country in the world would classify "The Catcher in the Rye" as "children's literature". It is not a narrative from a child's point of view, and the narrator's language is somewhat "inappropriate". When interpreting or researching this text, we will always emphasize its unique historical background and cultural context—the United States after World War II, and the hesitation and confusion of teenagers. At present, some domestic studies cut into the novel through the perspective of psychological trauma, and melt the grand historical and cultural background into the psychology and behavior of specific people in Salinger's writing.

Salinger's novels naturally reflect these characteristics of the times. However, after stripping away the coat of history and culture, we can still see the universality in the character of Holden, which is not limited to the country, the nation, or the era, and will be a problem that children of any nation may face. The childhood trauma and psychological problems described in the novel are of great concern in China today. In recent years, mental health problems among children and adolescents have been frequent, and the "rejuvenation" of depression and suicide is an extremely serious fact. At present, the creation of Chinese children's literature still lacks the writing of this problem, and even avoids talking about it, castrates itself, and lacks the courage and ability to face reality. Mr. Lu Xun criticized the national character and believed that Chinese like to deceive and deceive, so is it true that some of our children's literature also serves as a means and tool for deception and deception in the process of education and growth?

Although Holden, the protagonist of "The Catcher in the Rye", seems to be a "troubled teenager" and extremely rebellious, he is very simple at heart, cynical, disgusted with the hypocrisy of the adult world, and wants to become a "catcher in the Rye" to protect the children's world. Childhood trauma is an important contributor to Holden's personality. A large number of papers have unearthed the characteristics of Holden's time, but less attention has been paid to his personal experience. From the perspective of childhood trauma, the death of his younger brother Airy is the root cause of Holden's behavior. The reason why there are so many "problems" of "troubled teenagers" cannot be attributed only to the grand social environment and education system, but also the untimely death of relatives of the same age and the neglect of their parents have hit children far more than the society they have not really come into contact with. We can see that Holden's position in the family is quite marginal: the elder brother is a successful writer and film screenwriter, and the younger siblings are also quite smart and cute, but Holden seems to be a black sheep who has achieved nothing and is disobedient, and it is difficult to even pass other subjects except language. Holden still has a deep affection for his family, but the older brother is doing the job he hates the most, the younger brother is dead, the mother is wallowing in the grief of losing her young son, and the father will only "kill" him who is disobedient. The person who finally made Holden stop his desire to run away from home was his beloved little sister Phoebe. "The mark of an immature man is his willingness to die heroically for a cause, and the mark of a mature man is his willingness to live humbly for a cause." That kind of resolute rebellion does not seem to be so strong in the face of the simple love and trust of the sister, starting with the death of the younger brother and ending with the sister's following, Holden stops wandering and returns to the same place, but the childhood trauma has been healed to a certain extent, and the structure of "The Catcher in the Rye" is not so complicated.

In fact, some of the content of the novel is quite beneficial to teenagers, even if everyone has been criticized for the flying swear words in the novel (some Chinese translations omit them), but as long as readers who are familiar with Salinger will know that the novel is "non-poetry". Salinger used goddamn instead of the English "national curse" — the word that starts with F appears on the wall of his sister's school in the novel, and Holden is so angry that he erases it so that his sister doesn't see the swearing. Holden's profanity is blasphemous, "When everyone says a swear word with God, it is actually a lowly form of prayer, and the so-called blasphemy was invented by the clergy who make a fuss." Such words are missing in Chinese, and most of them translate as "fuck". By the way, there are also some expletives in "The Hunter and the Hussar". One is the need for authenticity, which is normal in the heat of sport – even the most suave athlete will inevitably use slang. If these are removed, it will make the novel untrue. Dickens's "Orphan of the Fog" was criticized by later generations because Oliver Twist's language was too "civilized". In addition, there are more or less references to Salinger, such as Huang Minxue's mantra "damn" – perhaps in China, where death is talked about so often and the blasphemy of God in a Christian context. It's a little bit of my own cleverness.

From a personal point of view, "The Catcher in the Rye" is still not suitable for promotion as "children's literature". However, it is feasible to combine childhood trauma, psychological problems, and social circumstances to create a novel suitable for contemporary teenagers, especially Chinese teenagers. It can be used as a work that cultivates empathy for readers who are not too stressed psychologically, and it can also give hope to readers whose lives are not so smooth, which is probably what I envisioned. Thus, a protagonist who also lost his brother early began the narrative in a tone similar to autobiography. Readers familiar with "The Catcher in the Rye" will probably notice at a glance that the deceased brother wrote verses on the gloves that Kopeway had in mind, and this is the plot from Salinger's novel. Of course, in the story that happened in China, the glove was written by Wen Tianxiang's "Song of Righteousness".

But there is still a world of difference between Kopeway and Holden, perhaps as much as the difference between China and the United States – and we have to return to the specific era and social context. The Hunter and the Hussars is a story that takes place in China, and it needs to give the reader an extremely familiar context (and the cultural context in The Catcher in the Rye is still somewhat unfamiliar to the average Chinese reader, which is an important reason why it is not suitable as a children's book: children can't read it). Endless homework and exams, less comfortable living conditions, school sports that struggle to survive under academic pressure, parents' "investment" and great expectations for their children, the impact of the wealth gap on children and teenagers, and even Ko Peiwei's desire to stay in bed for a few minutes every morning may be the experience of children in the past and today. In this environment, it is understandable that a child with mental health problems due to childhood trauma (but not to the point where severe depression requires drug intervention) can feel, not to mention that he is introverted and weak by nature. But Kopeway didn't skip school, fight, or loaf like Holden, and he didn't think about running away from home. Most of the children in China are "regular", Ke Peiwei's family conditions are neither good nor bad, his parents are all decent and well-behaved people (engineers, teachers, doctors), his sister and younger brother are also good students with excellent character and learning, and Ke Peiwei's own grades are not bad (it can even be said that they are very good, but they are not as good as his too good friends). He is a "good boy" trained by his family and school, and he usually doesn't dare to talk to girls, for fear that everyone will be regarded as "too close to men and women" as soon as he speaks, and he also accepted his fate early to pass the high school entrance examination and college entrance examination to find a job in college, and campus football is at most just the spice of life. Not only Kopewe, but most of the children in the football team have similar beliefs, and they are a group of children who have been raised and trained in this way. However, they also have their own personalities, troubles and persistence, and they are not just examination machines, and their lively spirit has not been wiped out from beginning to end.

And Copeway's childhood trauma was not partially released in this environment, like Holden, but piled up in the depths of his heart. As a result, he did not like to communicate with others, and hid in his corner like a little hedgehog full of thorns. He didn't wander the streets like Holden, but his heart was displaced. And I gave him a heavier fate: his brother's death was indirectly related to him, and he was held to some responsibility - although I think everyone who reads the novel will think that it was not Kopeway's fault, but an accident. But Kopewe still has a hard time forgiving himself. As he himself said, playing football is definitely not about "inheriting his brother's dream". He thinks it's the most disgusting thought in the world, isn't it ridiculous that his brother died because of himself, and now he is going to inherit his dream? Do the living even possess the dreams of the dead? What's more, no one can confirm that football is my brother's dream, because my brother lost his life before his life was formed. The wound that hangs over Copeway's heart may be even greater than that of Holden, somewhat of the kind of Simone de Beauvoir's "The Blood of Others." Therefore, there is an explanation for Ke Peiwei's confusion and stagnation in life, and he is fundamentally unable to bear the responsibility behind his choices and actions. At the beginning of the second volume of the novel, Sartre's "Wall" appears as a nightmare, which directly shows that he is not only facing the dilemma of life, but has a certain existential philosophical significance.

Then, what opens Kopeve's heart is still existentialism. So in many later parts of the novel, we can see "The Outsider" or "The Myth of Sisyphus". Don Quixote's back rushing to the windmill and Wen Tianxiang's "Song of Righteousness" also point to the certainty of action. From this point of view, the novel is an introduction to the classic texts of existentialism, and it is also through this philosophical and literary power to inspire the protagonist and even the reader. Bearing one's own sins, accepting all punishments, still acting, shouldering responsibility, and believing that oneself can be a good person is part of the novel. Copeway's ability to finally face his brother's death and maintain his love of life and life has a metaphysical philosophical source of power. Of course, what cannot be ignored is the company of his partners and relatives. "Theory is gray, the tree of life is evergreen". In the novel, the relationship between the young protagonists is quite simple, understanding and helping each other, and working hard for the same goal, this kind of warmth is the confidence that Ke Peiwei can face the past. Holden turned his head back because of his sister's understanding, but if his teammates or roommates could give him a little equal affection, or sit with him like the two nuns, maybe he wouldn't have chosen to go out into the street.

It is not just metaphysical ideas that heal wounds, but more about the love of loved ones and peers – the kind of true empathy, not condescending commands. What we can see is that Kopeway is both the object of healing and the agent of healing. He is accepting everyone's love, and he is also trying to help everyone, constantly reflecting on his own behavior, and has extremely high moral requirements for himself. As a result, the relationships between the characters in the novel are multi-faceted, and the football team seems to be a utopia of interpersonal relationships, where everyone works together as a collective, while at the same time truly taking into account individual emotions and reason. As a partner, Miller can perform so well and be unwavering at the end of the novel, which is also due to the strong and deep bond between him and Ke Peiwei. Everyone is a child playing in the wheat field, and they all watch over each other, and take on the responsibility of protecting each other with their immature shoulders. And the adults behind them, those teachers and parents, they are also watchmen, and their images are very positive, providing children with love and direction for action, and some ideas about education are also shown through them. But this is perhaps the novel's shortcoming, which masks the negative problems that may exist in people who also have a great influence on children and adolescents. Imagine that if Ke Peiwei's parents were like Holden's father who would "kill" him at any time, and the teachers were unkind and even had a few perverts lurking, the contradictions in the novel would be richer and more real, but the atmosphere of warmth would fall rapidly.

So, "The Hunter and the Hussar" is somewhat idealistic after all, and it is a book for children after all—although I think older children may also want to read it. At the very least, I hope that through it, people can think about life and death, think about the meaning of their own existence, and find hope for continuing to exist. Maybe you don't have to look for any truth, it's enough to feel the simple beauty that belongs to children in the novel. "People have said many things to educate you, but the beautiful, sacred memories that have been preserved from childhood are perhaps the best ones. If a person can bring many of these memories into his life, he will be saved for the rest of his life. Even if only one good memory remains in our hearts, perhaps at some point it can be a means of salvation. The "Brothers Karamazov" quoted at the end of the novel illustrates this truth.