"The Monster in the Buckwheat Field" means precisely that: a strange creature lurking in the buckwheat field. But what kind of creature was it? The story doesn’t explicitly say, nor does it intend to explain. It appears out of nowhere and vanishes without a trace, creating an air of mystery and supernatural intrigue. This is the intended effect of the story.
The struggle between Old Man An from Changshan and the monster in the buckwheat field represents a military-like conflict between a human and an unknown being. Unfortunately, Old Man An becomes the loser in this battle. Why did he fail? The reason lies in the cunning of the monster, which employed what could be called “guerrilla tactics” against Old Man An.
There were four encounters between Old Man An and the monster:
- In the first, Old Man An emerged victorious, and the monster was defeated. This was because Old Man An had a weapon — a spear — for self-defense, and he discovered the monster first, launching a surprise attack, “leaping up and fiercely stabbing it.”
- In the second encounter, Old Man An managed to escape unscathed, as he once again spotted the monster first and had a way to flee.
- In the third encounter, Old Man An was prepared, protected by a group, and had bows and arrows as defensive weapons, allowing them to repel the monster.
- In the fourth encounter, however, Old Man An was likely careless. He climbed the top of the buckwheat stack alone, separated from the group, without carrying his weapon, and had no way to escape. This gave the monster an opportunity, leading to his tragic demise.
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