Summary: Chí Phèo

A heavily intoxicated man named Chí Phèo walks through Vu Dai village, cursing everything from the sky and the earth down to the entire village and even the unknown entity that brought him into existence. Left as an infant by a brick kiln and raised by a series of impoverished caretakers, Chí eventually became a farmhand for Ba Kiến, the powerful and feared head of the village. Following a mysterious period of imprisonment triggered by village jealousies, Chí returns years later utterly transformed. He looks terrifying, with a shaved head, heavily tattooed body, and an aggressive, menacing demeanor. He marches straight to Ba Kiến estate, drunkenly screaming abuse and demanding a reckoning from the household. When Ba Kiến son, Lý Cường, arrives and violently attacks him, Chí Phèo immediately plays the victim, rolling on the ground, wailing for help, and slashing his own face with a broken bottle to create a public spectacle. A massive crowd of curious villagers gathers to watch the chaos, but when Ba Kiến finally appears and authoritatively disperses the onlookers, the confrontation shifts dramatically. Instead of escalating the conflict or punishing him, the shrewd Ba Kiến adopts a surprisingly soft and welcoming tone. Recognizing that Chí is a desperate man with nothing to lose, the veteran landowner chooses to appease him with hospitality and smooth words rather than force. As his alcohol-induced rage begins to wear off and the crowd dissipates, Chí Phèo experiences a mix of vulnerability and inflated pride. He realizes that despite having no family, wealth, or allies, he is the only man in the village audacious enough to openly challenge the powerful ruling family and walk away invited into their home. Reflecting on past local troublemakers like Năm Thọ and Binh Chức, Ba Kiến inwardly analyzes the complex power dynamics of Vu Dai village. He understands that oppressive leaders must balance harshness with strategic yielding, knowing how to manipulate desperate, lawless outcasts rather than pushing them into fatal retaliation. The Drunken Outcast Meets Thị Nở Following his successful arrangement with Ba Kiến, Chí Phèo feels immensely triumphant and spends his newly acquired money on alcohol and medication. After a few days, his cash runs out, prompting him to bully a local wine shop owner and set fire to her awning when she hesitates to sell on credit. He then retreats to a ruined temple by the river, where he drinks his wine with green bananas and coarse salt before wandering back toward Ba Kiến estate. Feigning drunkenness, Chí demands that Ba Kiến send him back to prison because he has no home or livelihood. Amused, Ba Kiến challenges him to collect an overdue debt from Đội Tảo, a powerful local rival. Chí easily secures the money because Đội Tảo is bedridden and his wife prefers peace, earning Ba Kiến fresh admiration and a grant of five acres of riverside land. Years pass, and Chí Phèo loses track of his age, his face heavily scarred and deformed from a lifetime of violence, drunkenness, and constant self-harm through his signature public threats. Living in a perpetual haze of alcohol, he blindly executes whatever violent or destructive tasks Ba Kiến and other village factions demand of him. One moonlit night, filled with an inexplicable urge to cause trouble, he wanders out intending to wreak havoc. Instead, he encounters a local eccentric named Tự Lãng drinking outside, and the two drunken men bond warmly over shared alcohol, mocking the futility of human life and social status until Tự Lãng collapses on the ground. Feeling restless and itchy, Chí Phèo heads down to the riverbank to bathe near his garden. There, he discovers Thị Nở, a notoriously ugly, dim-witted woman with no family support, fast asleep and half-undressed in the moonlight. Overwhelmed by sudden desire and curiosity, Chí cautiously approaches her and sits by her side. Thị Nở startles awake, recognizes him, and frantically tries to push him away while threatening to call for help, completely bewildered as the notorious village terror simply laughs in response. The Ill-Fated Redirection Following a night of intimacy by the river, Chí Phèo falls violently ill from severe stomach cramps and vomiting at dawn, prompting Thị Nở to care for him and feed him a hot bowl of onion porridge. Deeply touched by this rare act of human warmth and care, Chí feels a profound awakening, yearning for an honest life and a humble family, and the two happily resolve to live together. However, after six days of bliss, Thị Nở consults her elderly aunt, who reacts with furious outrage at the shame of marrying an outcast like Chí, filling the young woman's mind with bitter prejudice and resentment. Enraged and emotionally torn, Thị Nở marches back to Chí Phèo and harshly hurls her aunt insults directly into his face, shattering his brief hope of redemption and plunging him back into despair. Driven half-mad by rejection and lingering intoxication, Chí seizes a knife and storms straight to the estate of Ba Kiến to demand a reckoning, crying out for justice and declaring his agonizing desire to become an honest man. When Ba Kiến dismisses him with mocking contempt and casual coin, a desperate Chí lunges forward and viciously slashes the landowner to death before turning the blade upon himself, leaving the village in a state of chaotic shock, hidden celebration, and dark speculation. Thị Nở suddenly visualizes an abandoned, desolate old brick kiln located far away from any houses and completely deserted by passers-by. This brief epilogue reflects the cyclical nature of destitution and tragedy, reminiscent of how Chí Phèo was first discovered abandoned as an infant. The text concludes with the date of composition, February 1941, attributed to the author Nam Cao.

Chi Pheo returns to Vu Dai village after spending years in prison, transformed into a fierce and intimidating figure with a shaved head and tattooed body. He immediately begins drinking heavily and goes to the estate of Ba Kien, shouting abuse and demanding to confront the family. When Ba Kien is absent, his arrogant son Ly Cuong appears and violently clashes with Chi Pheo, who then rolls on the ground and inflicts bloody wounds on himself to stage a public nuisance and lay blame on them. A large crowd gathers to watch the spectacle, but Ba Kien soon arrives and expertly diffuses the situation. Recognizing the potential danger of a desperate man with nothing to lose, Ba Kien adopts a calm and welcoming approach, inviting Chi Pheo inside to share a drink and smoothing over the conflict. This sudden kindness disarms Chi, causing his aggressive anger to fade into a mix of confusion and self-importance as he realizes the powerful village leader has yielded to him. Reflecting on past troublemakers like Nam Tho and Binh Chuc, Ba Kien realizes the wisdom in handling ruthless and reckless individuals through manipulation rather than brute force. He understands that absolute oppression creates dangerous enemies, whereas a clever leader knows how to compromise and employ desperate men to consolidate power. By pacifying Chi Pheo, Ba Kien turns a potential threat into a useful instrument for his own dominance among the rival factions of the village. Manipulating The Rogue Ba Kien cleverly exploits Chi Pheo by turning him into a personal enforcer through flattery, gifts, and the promise of land. Rather than opposing the reckless man, Ba Kien sends him to collect a debt from a rival, which Chi Pheo accomplishes easily. This success elevates Chi Pheo's standing and deepens his reliance on alcohol and violence, completely erasing his sense of time and turning him into a feared outcast of the village. While wandering drunk through the moonlight, Chi Pheo encounters Tu Lang, the local exorcist, and the two men share a night of heavy drinking together. After leaving, Chi Pheo heads toward the riverbank to swim and cool his itching skin. There, he discovers Thi No, a notorious outcast woman, sleeping half-naked in the moonlight. Intoxicated and overwhelmed by desire, Chi Pheo approaches her and pins her down, leading to a struggle as she protests and demands that he let her go. A Taste Of Kindness Chi Pheo falls violently ill after a night of heavy drinking, vomiting intensely while Thi No gently cares for him and brings him a hot bowl of onion porridge the next morning. Deeply moved by this rare act of human warmth and care, Chi Pheo experiences a profound emotional awakening. Reflecting on his lonely, miserable existence, he yearns to abandon his life of violence and finally desires to become a respectable, honest man who can live peacefully among ordinary villagers. Encouraged by this transformation, Chi Pheo proposes that Thi No move in with him, and the two happily spend several days together as companions. However, when Thi No tells her elderly aunt about the relationship, the furious woman vehemently scolds her for planning to marry a notorious outcast and a beggar. Humiliated and provoked by her aunt's insults, Thi No turns her anger against Chi Pheo, angrily rejecting him and storming off after a bitter argument. Heartbroken and enraged by the sudden loss of his newfound happiness, Chi Pheo drinks heavily again and goes directly to Ba Kien's estate with a knife. Confronting the powerful village leader, Chi Pheo angrily demands to be made an honest man, shouting that he can no longer bear his scarred face and ruined life. When Ba Kien mocks and dismisses him, Chi Pheo furiously attacks and kills him before turning the knife on himself, ending his tragic life in a pool of blood. The Abandoned Brick Kiln Thi No returns home after the tragic events, reflecting on her brief relationship with Chi Pheo and wondering about her uncertain future. As she sits alone with her thoughts, a sudden vision of an old, abandoned brick kiln flashes through her mind, standing isolated far away from any houses or paths where people pass by. The narrative concludes with this haunting image, dated February 1941 by Nam Cao.