Author’s Commentary:
The snake is but a lowly, foolish creature, yet it still harbors feelings of attachment and loyalty to those it has known. It even heeds advice quickly when given. What I find truly strange is that some people, who outwardly appear respectable, harbor malicious intent toward friends they’ve been close to for a decade or benefactors who have supported their families for generations. These people readily betray and harm others. Moreover, there are those who respond to well-meaning, albeit harsh, advice with anger, treating the advisor as an enemy. Truly, such behavior is worse than that of snakes!
Comments:
This is a story about the friendship between humans and snakes, as well as between the snakes themselves. The narrative is divided into two smaller sub-stories. The first sub-story portrays Er Qing’s gratitude toward the snake tamer’s kindness. To help the tamer continue his livelihood of “snake performances,” Er Qing introduces another snake, Xiao Qing, allowing the tamer to perform across the land and earn considerable profits. The second sub-story focuses on the friendship between Er Qing and Xiao Qing. Once they outgrow their role in the snake tamer’s performances, the tamer releases them into the mountains. The snakes accept the tamer’s advice to refrain from disturbing travelers, ensuring they do no harm. The author’s concluding remarks, “The snake is but a foolish creature, yet it harbors deep loyalty and affection for old acquaintances and heeds advice with remarkable readiness”, summarize the essence of the story.
In “The Snake Tamer,” the snakes are clearly anthropomorphized, imbued with human characteristics and symbolic meanings. Pu Songling, the author, was a deeply emotional individual who cherished friendship and was steadfast in his loyalty to friends. He had many close companions in his lifetime, such as Li Ximei and Zhang Duqing, but he also experienced heartbreak. Some childhood or long-time friends, when met with Pu Songling’s candid and principled advice (described as “offering bitter medicine”), grew resentful and even treated him as an enemy. This emotional pain influenced Pu Songling’s writing of this tale, as is evident in his commentary in the “Author’s Commentary” section.
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