European literature is not lacking in "growth novels."
Ever since Goethe's Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, writers have been accustomed to depicting the conventional growth process from adolescence to youth and then to adulthood.
Their themes usually portray the confusion of youth, the impulsiveness of love, the compromises of growing up, and so on.
Benjamin Button, however, is strikingly different.
He flows upstream against the river of time; while others grow older, he grows younger.
The former is an inevitable experience for everyone, but the latter is a completely fresh experience – even the dullest reader would perceive the predicament this "reverse-growing" infant would face.
Because the social systems and ethical orders of the entire world are designed for "forward-growing" children and are not prepared to welcome him.
Schooling, employment, retirement, marriage...
Benjamin Button is destined to be in a state of "unacceptance" for most stages of his life.
Moreover, no matter with whom he interacts, he will find it difficult to maintain long-term peer companionship – just as his mind and another's truly align, his appearance or intellect will quickly "diverge."
This destines him to "lose" more easily than anyone else.
Tragedy, it seems, is the destined main theme of his life.
Sensitive French people quickly empathized with this peculiar child, especially after Lionel published his refuting article; sympathy for Benjamin Button quickly became the mainstream sentiment among readers.
"Hey, how long do you think Benjamin can live? He was born looking eighty, 'ten years old' he looks seventy, 'twenty years old' he looks sixty? So when he's 'eighty years old', won't he... become a baby?"
"My God, that question is a headache! Think about it, he lives younger and younger! Yet he experiences more and more! By the time he looks like a young man, his mind will carry decades of vicissitudes! What must that feel like?"
...
Such discussions filled taverns and cafes; everyone talked about Benjamin Button, not only concerned about his fate but also seeing something of themselves in him.
Especially the narrative of two revolutions ninety years apart deeply touched Parisians who had experienced immense institutional changes.
Disabled veterans saw Benjamin Button as themselves – losing their healthy bodies in war, and at an advanced age, having to learn how to walk, use cutlery, or go to the toilet again...
Factory workers also saw Benjamin Button as themselves – entering a spinning mill at thirteen, by twenty their backs were hunched like a sixty-year-old's, their beards white but no pension saved, still dragging their emaciated bodies to the docks to carry sacks.
For them, "reverse growth" meant their bodies aged first, yet life forced them back to the starting point of child labor – re-learning the lowest menial tasks, re-accepting the lowest wages.
The middle class, small business owners, the wealthy, the aristocracy... everyone seemed to find a bit of their own resonance in Benjamin Button.
This peculiar setting of "reverse growth" compelled readers to think, imagine, and connect, ultimately seeing themselves reflected in Benjamin Button.
Even Mrs. Rothschild, a top Parisian socialite, was deeply moved.
In her mansion in Saint-Germain, Viscountess de Noailles gently pressed a handkerchief to the corner of her eye:
"Oh, poor Benjamin Button is destined to lose everything, isn't he?
By the time he finally looks like a young man, his mind will have endured many changes, and those he loves and who understand him will either grow old or leave, just like Delphine...
This is simply fate's cruelest joke!"
Other noblewomen nodded in agreement, discussing the various "losses" Benjamin would face in the future and his tragic destiny, eagerly showering him with their cheapened sympathy from over-indulgence.
After they quieted down, Mrs. Rothschild primly spoke:
"This is the tragedy of our society – we only define people, demand things from people, accept or reject people based on their appearance.
We expect 'old men' to be stable and wise, 'youth' to be vibrant and impulsive, 'children' to be lively and innocent. Who truly listens, truly sees the vibrant soul within each person's shell?"
Her words stirred ripples in the hearts of the noblewomen, who all gazed at their young, wealthy, noble, and charming friend.
Duchess de Polignac, slightly older than her, asked with a mix of confusion and envy:
"Eléonore, why are you always so wise and insightful lately?"
Mrs. Rothschild's self-effacement was full of hidden pride:
"Perhaps it's because I've read it a few more times... This Lionel, he truly is a remarkable young man!"
Duchess de Polignac's eyes lit up:
"You think so too? Oh, have you read his 'To the Freak' from 'A Freak'?
That line, 'A freak is merely a line of poetry written incorrectly by fate...'
Heavens, my heart simply melted when I read it..."
Although they were praising Lionel, Mrs. Rothschild felt herself melting too.
The noblewomen's interest had clearly shifted to this young man, and they began discussing various anecdotes and rumors surrounding him, their laughter incessant.
Mrs. Rothschild, however, did not participate, merely stirring her Ceylon black tea with a silver spoon, smiling as she watched them.
And the impact Lionel brought to readers was far from over.
The next two installments of Le Petit Parisien also presented Benjamin Button's "emotional arc" to readers – he finally met Delphine.
Only at this time, he was still elderly, while Delphine was a lively ten-year-old girl.
[...She took the precious rye candy, didn't eat it immediately, but carefully broke it in half and handed it back to Benjamin:
"Let's eat it together! You... what's your name?"
"Ben... Benjamin."
He uttered the name with difficulty.
"Benjamin?"
Delphine tilted her head, observing him,
"You look... like Uncle Jean's older brother! But..."
She suddenly leaned closer, her large amber eyes fluttering as if she had discovered a treasure:
"Your eyes... like a newborn kitten's! Wet and sparkling!"
She reached out, her fingertips cautiously tentative, gently touching the cluster of soft, light brown, new hair on Benjamin's temple,
"This part... is also soft, like a lamb!"
Benjamin froze.
After years of being misunderstood and discriminated against, for the first time, someone had penetrated his aged, frightening exterior and touched the soul and vitality struggling to return to youth.
He looked at the pure curiosity devoid of impurities in Delphine's eyes, feeling the barely perceptible yet scalding warmth transmitted by her fingertips, a warmth he had never experienced before, which broke down the dam of loneliness he had built in his heart.
"Del...phine."
He struggled to remember the warm name, and the corners of his mouth slowly, awkwardly, twitched upwards, finally forming a clumsy but incredibly real arc.
"Friend?"
Delphine nodded vigorously, like a cheerful little bird, popping half the candy into her mouth, and replied indistinctly but very loudly:
"Mm! Friend!"]
If there was anything more capable of stirring French hearts than the peculiar setting of "reverse growth," it was undoubtedly love.
Readers had guessed countless times when Benjamin and Delphine would meet, but never imagined it would be in each other's "childhoods."
At the same time, they realized that such an early meeting meant the subsequent journey would inevitably be rough and unpredictable – thinking of this, people's hearts shattered!
The sales of Le Petit Parisien also continuously surged to peaks with each installment, though the data curve fluctuated wildly, showing a significant "M"-shaped trend:
Issues featuring the Curious Case of Benjamin Button serialization sold over 600,000 copies; those without it usually sold only 300,000 copies.
This also made Paul Pigott eagerly persuade Lionel to make the serialization a daily occurrence.
(End of Chapter)
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