When the narrator arrives at his old hometown after more than twenty years, he feels deeply disappointed and depressed. The villages appear dull, lifeless, and desolate under the grey winter sky. The place does not match the beautiful memories he had preserved in his mind for many years. He realizes that both the hometown and his own perspective have changed with time. Instead of happiness and excitement, he experiences sadness, emotional distance, and a painful feeling that the warmth and beauty of his childhood home have disappeared.

There were three kinds of servants in China at that time: yearlong workers who worked for one family throughout the year, short-timers who worked daily, and busy-monthers who worked only during festivals or rent collection seasons while also farming their own land. This system shows that Chinese society was highly divided by class and economic inequality. Poor laborers depended on wealthy landowners for survival. It also reflects a feudal social structure where servants and peasants had very little freedom, security, or opportunity for social progress.

The narrator becomes nostalgic when his mother mentions Runtu, his childhood friend. Memories of their happy childhood suddenly return to his mind, especially the image of young Runtu standing in a watermelon field under the moonlight. During their childhood, Runtu shared many exciting stories about village life, hunting animals, catching birds, collecting shells, and guarding watermelon fields. The narrator listened to him with great curiosity and happiness because Runtu introduced him to a world beyond the limited environment of his wealthy family home.

Runtu explained that while guarding watermelon fields at night, he watched carefully for a zha, a wild animal that came to eat melons. Whenever he heard the sound of a melon being bitten, he quickly grabbed his pitchfork and moved toward the animal. He tried to strike it suddenly before it escaped. However, the zha was very fast and clever, often slipping quickly between his legs and escaping into the darkness. This adventurous story fascinated the narrator during his childhood.

The narrator humorously describes Mrs. Yang by comparing her appearance to a pair of compasses. Her thin lips, sharp cheekbones, hands on hips, and wide-legged posture create a funny image in the reader’s mind. He also contrasts her present appearance with her younger days when she was known as the attractive “Beancurd Beauty.” Her greedy behavior, loud speech, gossiping nature, and habit of secretly taking household items further add humor and satire to her character while also exposing human selfishness.

According to the narrator, many social and economic problems made Runtu poor throughout his life. Heavy taxes, bad harvests, poverty, war, soldiers, officials, landlords, and bandits constantly troubled him. He also had a large family to support, making survival even more difficult. Despite working hard as a farmer, he could never improve his condition because the unfair social system exploited poor people like him. These hardships slowly destroyed his cheerful personality and turned him into a tired, hopeless, and emotionally broken man.

Before leaving the old home permanently, the narrator and his mother decide to help Runtu by giving him many household items that they no longer need. Runtu takes furniture, tables, candlesticks, scales, and even ashes from the kitchen stove to use as fertilizer for his farmland. The narrator’s family allows him to choose whatever may help him survive more comfortably. Although the help is limited, it shows the narrator’s sympathy toward Runtu’s difficult condition and his desire to support his old friend.

The author differentiates between religious idols and personal hopes. Runtu believes in traditional religious idols and carries objects related to superstition and worship for protection and good fortune. The narrator initially laughs at these beliefs, considering them foolish. However, later he realizes that his own idea of “hope” is also a kind of idol because it is something imagined and desired but not yet real. The difference is that Runtu’s hopes are immediate and practical, while the narrator’s hopes concern a better future society.

The friendship between the narrator and Runtu reminds readers of Krishna and Sudama because both friendships begin with innocence, equality, and deep emotional connection during childhood. Even though the narrator belongs to a wealthier family and Runtu comes from a poor farming background, they share happiness freely without social barriers. The emotional moment when the narrator eagerly remembers Runtu after many years and feels pain seeing his friend’s suffering is similar to Krishna’s emotional connection with Sudama. However, adulthood and social differences later create distance between them, just as wealth and poverty separated Krishna and Sudama in different ways.

The story strongly supports the idea that childhood relationships are pure and free from selfishness or social discrimination. During childhood, the narrator and Runtu become close friends despite belonging to different social classes. They share stories, adventures, curiosity, and happiness naturally without caring about wealth or status. The narrator admires Runtu’s knowledge and enjoys his company sincerely. However, when they grow older, social systems, poverty, and class differences create distance between them. Runtu becomes formal and calls the narrator “Master,” showing how adulthood and society destroy the simplicity and equality that existed in childhood friendship.

The story suggests that contemporary Chinese society was deeply unequal, feudal, and economically exploitative. Wealth and social status controlled people’s relationships and opportunities. Poor farmers like Runtu suffered because of heavy taxes, bad harvests, war, officials, landlords, and social injustice. Education and economic power remained concentrated among higher classes, while peasants struggled to survive despite hard work. The story also shows the widening emotional distance between rich and poor. Through Runtu’s tragic condition, Lu Xun criticizes the social system of China and highlights how poverty and oppression destroy both human dignity and relationships.

The story indicates that the narrator’s hometown is located near the seashore in a rural coastal area of China. The village contains sandy land, watermelon fields, beaches, fishing areas, and shell-filled shores. The environment includes cold winters, open skies, rivers, and farming landscapes. Runtu talks about collecting shells, guarding melons, catching birds, and seeing jumper fish near the sea, all of which suggest a coastal geography. The natural surroundings are rich and beautiful in childhood memories, but the village later appears poor, lifeless, and economically underdeveloped when the narrator returns as an adult.

Migration has become one of the major social and economic trends in Nepal. Every year, thousands of Nepalese people leave their villages and towns to migrate either to cities within Nepal or to foreign countries in search of better education, employment, security, and opportunities. The trend of migration has increased rapidly because of poverty, unemployment, political instability, lack of industries, and poor development in rural areas.

Internal migration mainly occurs from villages to urban centers such as Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Biratnagar. People move to cities for higher education, healthcare facilities, business opportunities, and modern lifestyles. At the same time, foreign migration has become extremely common among Nepalese youth. Many people travel to Gulf countries, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Europe, and America for employment and better income.

Migration has both positive and negative impacts. Remittance sent by migrant workers contributes greatly to Nepal’s economy and improves the living standards of many families. It helps in education, healthcare, and construction of homes. However, migration also creates social problems. Villages become empty as young people leave agriculture and traditional occupations. Families remain separated for long periods, causing emotional suffering and social imbalance.

In recent years, migration for education and skilled jobs has also increased. Many students leave Nepal to study abroad because they believe foreign countries offer better educational and career opportunities.

Therefore, migration has become an important part of modern Nepalese society. Although it provides economic benefits and new opportunities, Nepal must create employment, development, and quality education within the country to reduce excessive migration in the future.

I interviewed one of my cousins who recently migrated from a village in Syangja to Kathmandu for higher education and employment opportunities. During the interview, he shared many emotional experiences about leaving his old home.

According to him, leaving the village was both exciting and painful. He felt hopeful because Kathmandu offered better educational facilities, internet access, career opportunities, and modern lifestyles. However, he also felt deeply emotional while leaving behind his family members, childhood friends, farmland, and peaceful village environment.

He explained that village life was simple and close to nature. Everyone knew each other, and social relationships were warm and supportive. In Kathmandu, life became busier, more expensive, and more competitive. At first, he felt lonely because he missed traditional festivals, family gatherings, and familiar surroundings.

He also mentioned that migration changed his personality. He became more independent, responsible, and focused on his future goals. Although he misses his old home, he believes migration helped him gain better opportunities and knowledge.

Finally, he said that no matter where people migrate, memories of childhood, home, and family always remain emotionally important. His experience clearly shows that migration brings both opportunities and emotional challenges for individuals and families.