"What's that?"
"Like a kind of military school."
"You're going to be wearing a fancy uniform, and beyond that, you'll have a great future in the military. "
Thank you, but no. I've never seen the sea unless it's the navy."
Antoine was as youthful as all rebellious children.
I try to reflect on myself and the mischief around me, and realize that everyone has an ocean they have never seen before.
There may be people who will walk on land all their lives, drown in the sea, and others will be able to navigate it with ease.
The movie "Four Hundred Strikes" is also known as "Hu Zuo Wei Wei".
The French say that it takes four hundred blows for a child to grow up.
It can also be said that a child has to go through a lot of mischief before he can grow up.
One comes from reality, the other comes from youthful poetry.
Antoine isn't the withdrawn protagonist of another coming-of-age movie, but there are still plenty of distractions.
The school is not liked by the teachers, and maybe the old teachers haven't liked any students either.
It is always easy to be punished at home, and it is necessary to face the mother's shouting for no reason, and face the battlefield-style life.
He is not alone in school life. There are other students in a similar situation.
Even to bully others, or to be bullied by others. Fortunately, there are still caring friends.
Nor did he live in a home without warmth at all. Finally a relaxing and happy family time.
McEwan said the existence of the problem is like a geographic attribute. A mountain, a cape. No name, no escape.
Then Antoine tried to play truant, tried to wander the streets, and was suspended and sent to a juvenile detention center. Then run away, then to the sea.
What happens after that, we don't know. But in the process of running, there is freedom, and at the end of the journey, confusion is not absent.
I don't think the world lacks love, but it lacks the right expression of love. It's like Antoine's mother thought the juvenile dept could give Antoine a room facing the sea.
I also don't think the world has a single correct one. There are various versions of youth stories. Whether or not to go to the beach, we always have different options.
In "Summer Suspender Skirt", Sebastian put on his suspender skirt by the sea.
In "The Genius Ripley", Tom is murdered again and again by impulse and desire at sea.
Then go to the sea. There are always opportunities at the seaside.
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