Hometown is based on the real life in rural Korea around 1930s. The writer once said in the article "To readers in my hometown":
In this work, the struggle of tenant farmers-farmers in Yuan De village against the vicious exploitation of landlords is the basic story outline. At the same time, I combine this peasant's struggle with the workers' movement in the silk weaving factory in the city in an attempt to embody the idea of the workers' and peasants' alliance.
Standing in the forefront of their struggle is their organizer and leader Jin Xijun. I tried to portray a new type of intellectual who was born in the countryside through the image of this hero, and also tried to describe how farmers in Yuan De Village correctly understood their situation and strength under his leadership, and how they devoted themselves to fierce struggles.
In Hometown, the author truly shows the national contradictions and class struggles in Korean society in the 1920s and 1930s through the contradictions and struggles in Yuan De Village. On the one hand, it angrily exposed the crimes of Japanese imperialism colluding with Korean feudal landlords, forcing them to carry out political persecution and economic plunder on the Korean people by evil means such as "land inspection", "rice shortage", "food supply" and "expropriation of civilian workers", and mercilessly exposed the hypocrisy and shackles of pro-Japanese landlords and their agents and second landlords An Chengxue.
On the other hand, it widely describes the great changes in the rural areas of North Korea-revolutionary ideas are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, farmers are rapidly awakening, and the alliance of workers and peasants is growing day by day, enthusiastically praising the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggle of North Korean farmers. The victory of the organized anti-rent struggle led by Jin Xijun with the support of silk weavers is an artistic reflection of the excellent situation of the continuous development of the Korean workers and peasants revolution.
The prominent hero in Hometown is Jin Xijun, a revolutionary intellectual. He is the image of a new revolutionary intellectual with advanced ideas who cares about the country and the people. After graduating from school in Tokyo, he returned to his motherland with patriotic enthusiasm. When he witnessed the plight of farmers in Yuan De village who were oppressed and exploited, he deeply felt that North Korea was far behind other countries. His blood is boiling and he is bent on "doing something" with the people in his hometown. He is determined to awaken the peasants to participate in the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggle.
When he found that the "YMCA" he came into contact with was an organization where selfish people preached national reformism, he was once disappointed, hesitant and depressed. However, he is convinced: "Light has the power to repel darkness. Although it is a star lamp, the darkness does not dare to violate it. " He resolutely broke with the YMCA and resolutely joined the peasant masses.
In order to get close to farmers, he learned from farmers all kinds of farm work, such as shoveling and transplanting seedlings, tried his best to establish farmers' night schools and agricultural bands, tried his best to unite and inspire the masses, and tried his best to improve farmers' consciousness. He is not only good at uniting young farmers, but also patiently enlightening the older generation of farmers and constantly developing and expanding the ranks of revolutionary farmers. But he is never above others, and always helps farmers solve problems modestly and cautiously, thus gaining the trust and support of farmers and establishing prestige among the masses.
He was able to seize the opportunity of struggle, courageously launch and lead farmers' struggle against rent, workers' strike struggle and donation activities, which strongly supported the struggle of farmers in Yuan De village, forced the second landlord to answer the farmers' demands and won the struggle against rent.
Jin Xijun's revolutionary experience vividly shows that the combination of revolutionary intellectuals and the struggle activities of the workers and peasants will produce invincible forces and show the vanguard role of the revolution.
Of course, this image is not perfect, for example, personal strength is described more than organizational strength; The proletarian temperament is insufficient, and the petty bourgeoisie has more feelings; The rudeness to Xue San is contradictory to some of his humble characters, and so on. These shortcomings are due to both the writer's subjective reasons and the objective reasons that can't be overcome at that time, so we can't be strict with the writer.
Landlord An is the representative of the reactionary forces in his hometown. He is a loyal lackey of Japanese imperialism and a vicious housekeeper and minion of the landlord Min Zhushu. He became a nouveau riche in the village by usury and rent collection. When he first came to Yuan De Village, he was a homeless man with nothing and no money. Because of cunning, cunning, I found a job as an employee in the county
Then, this bad guy who was reviled by everyone won the goodwill and trust of the landlord Min Zhuan and made him the agent of the landlord. He's always pressing for rent and debt, and he's doing evil and cruel things. He regarded the thief as his father and hooked up with the Japanese police. He was a national scum who was willing to be a foreign slave.
The artistic achievement of Hometown is also outstanding.
First of all, he created a typical image of a new type of intellectual-Jin Xijun, which is of pioneering significance. Jin Xijun is the continuation and development of similar revolutionary intellectuals created by writers in their early days. The writer once said: "The creative method of socialist realism gives Karp writers the glorious task of creating heroes who adapt to the new situation of sports." Hometown is the answer to this topic. "It should be said that this glorious task was first completed by Li Ji Yongsheng.
Secondly, Hometown vividly shows the folk customs of rural Korea. For example, the songs and dances of agricultural bands, the celebration of weddings and birthdays, and the depiction of other folk customs all exude a strong local flavor and show distinctive national characteristics.
Thirdly, he is good at describing and expressing the inner world of characters with scenery, expressing his feelings through scenery, and vividly showing the mental outlook and emotional activities of characters in front of readers through natural scenery. For example, in the chapter on the victory of the anti-rent struggle, the description of Dawn:
..... In the corner of the sky, the gray-black clouds have begun to disperse gradually, which seems to warn people that the light is coming ... "This kind of scenery description has profound implications and makes people clearly realize that the victory of the struggle is just around the corner.