Women's faces carry the shape of fate
“My mother was a skinny, weak female worker but had great inner strength. Until now, I still cannot explain why she could have such determination, courage and give me so much strength” - author Nguyen Phuong Thuy talks about her mother with all respect and pride.
Her mother - a skinny and small female worker - was a great source of motivation for her to pick up a pen and write. It was also her mother who gave her the strength to participate in the literary writing contest about workers and trade unions organized by Lao Dong Newspaper and hosted by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.
Author Nguyen Phuong Thuy (pen name Vien Nguyet Ai) moved and made a special impression on the reporter. The author has been severely disabled for 26 years and is currently a member of the Phu Tho Province Literature and Arts Association.
She submitted two works to the contest, “Selling Faces in the Earth” and “This Thread Weaves Morning Light”, of which “Selling Faces in the Earth” won the Encouragement Prize in the short story category in the literary writing contest about workers and unions.
Since the age of 12, Nguyen Phuong Thuy has been seriously ill, bedridden, unable to continue going to school. In our conversation, the author of “Selling Faces in the Ground” added that her father had died of cancer. With extraordinary determination, her mother overcame everything to become her daughter’s motivation to live.
“When I was very young, I saw my mother working 3 shifts, and even overtime, busy with housework and factory work every day. Her hands and feet almost never had a chance to rest. When I got sick, my mother worked even harder. She had to stick to her job to ensure income, and did all kinds of work. Her hard work was the biggest motivation for me to come to the contest, so that I could write about my mother, about female workers like my mother,” said author Nguyen Phuong Thuy.
The literary writing contest about workers and trade unions has gathered writers who have experienced life in such a way. They may have been born into a working-class family, they may have been workers themselves working in factories, plants, at construction sites, on the streets...
That could be Ha - the female sanitation worker in the short story "Ha's Road". Ha works from late afternoon to midnight. Ha loves the roads. Ha loves cleaning and beautifying life in her own way. Above all, Ha loves the fate of people living in poor alleys.
That could be Nhien - the female character of "Electricity Cashier". The cashier job in the electricity industry is greatly affected by the rapid change in digital transformation, applying technology to replace humans. Before the technology transformation, people who did the seemingly simple job of "collecting electricity bills" like Nhien suffered a lot of bitterness that no one understood.
That could be Ms. Tam who endured so much pain and misfortune, being abandoned by her family and lover when she contracted leprosy in "The Sound of the Bamboo Broom".
That could be Hue - a girl who suffered a wandering fate and had to leave her homeland to work in Russia as a worker in an illegal garment factory without a license to operate. Witnessing the bitter fate of people working abroad, Hue suddenly realized what the ultimate value of life is, and decided to put everything aside and return home.
The value and beauty of women
The female workers in the works participating in the literary writing contest about workers and trade unions often have to face a life of deprivation and poverty, they fight against injustice, they struggle with hardships and suffering, but in the end, each of these characters is tempered to become strong. After all, they still maintain their kindness and humanity, nurturing love and kindness within themselves.
They are like lotus flowers spreading their fragrance amidst a life full of challenges.
They are like the characters Kim, Tham, and Hoai in "Kim Chi Va Hoa" - women in a garment factory who are always strong, courageous, hard-working, and tirelessly fighting for justice and happiness.
They believe in happiness, fight for happiness and eventually they will get happiness.
