一个人的朝圣演讲

I read this book last year. It was really popular in china that time. The story of this book is quite simple. The main character Harold Fry was 60. He worked in a brewery [ˈbru:əri] for 40 years. No promotion, no friend, no enemy. He even didn’t have a farewell when he retired. He lives in the countryside of the UK with his wife. Their life is quiet, alienated ['eɪljəneɪtɪd], day in and day out. But one letter changed his life. It was from Harold’s old friend—Queenie. Queenie got cancer and she wrote a letter to say goodbye to Harold. Harold wrote back to her in just a few words. Because he didn’t know what else he can say. But on the way to the post office, he thought about his life. So he passed the post office one after another.He crossed the England from the southwest to the northeast just because one belief: queenie will live if he keeps going.

What he thought about his life? Here is a part of the book:

It occurred to him it was Maureen who spoke to David and told him their news. It was Maureen who had always written Harold’s name (‘Dad’) in the letters and cards. It was even Maureen who had found the nursing home for his father. And it begged the question that if she was, in effect, Harold, ‘then who am I?’

He strode past the post office without even stopping.

On his way, he met many kinds of people, he told his story to many people, some of them trusted him and helped them and some didn’t. There were a lot of people followed him on his journey. Harold and Maureen both thought a lot about their contradictions before. These questions they didn’t want to face before, but Harold’s journey gave them a chance to think about them.

At last, when M found H,

‘You’d think walking should be the simplest thing,’ she said. ‘Just a question of putting one foot in front of the other. But it never ceases to amaze me how difficult the things that are supposed to be instinctive really are. Eating, that’s another one. Talking too. Even loving. They can all be difficult.’

“你还以为走路是世上最简单的事情呢？”她终于开口了，“只不过是把一只脚放到另一只脚前面。但我一直很惊讶这些原本是本能的事情实际上做起来有多困难。而吃，吃也是一样的。说话也是，还有爱。这些东西都可以很难。”

Every time, when I finished a chapter, I always can found the same city name on the map at the back of the book. At that time, I felt like I traveled with H at the same time. I felt his joy, his worry, his sadness…… when H got into trouble during his journey, it seems like if I keep reading, I can help H finished this unlikely pilgrimage. That’s wonderful!

Q looked peaceful at the end. M&H understood each other at last. The ending is happy.

This story gave me courage to face the difficulty in my life.It is a simple story but with strong power.