A Study On The "Runaway-return" Narrative Mode Of Tibetan Youth In Alai’s Novels

The escape and return of rural youth to the countryside has complex connotations and rich implications for life and humanity,and is an important narrative mode in literary creation.On the basis of in-depth observation and reflection on the relationship between Tibetan youth and the countryside and beyond,A Lai’s novel innovatively combines "runaway" and "returning to one’s hometown",expressing the destiny trajectory of Tibetan youth "runaway-returning".This article is based on an innovative combination of "leaving" and "returning",and shows the trajectory of the fate of Tibetan youths.This essay draws on the narrative model of youth "runaway-returning" in Alai’s novel,and compares Alai’s artistic writing on the causes of Tibetan youth running away,their transformation and the end of their return to their hometown,and the crisis of values.The young people in A Lai’s novels have left their hometowns,and their values are in crisis.The youths in A Lai’s novels are influenced by the changes of the times,and it is the impact of foreign civilisation that inspires the motivation of Tibetan youths to leave.Based on the criteria of historical period and behavioural characteristics,the young runaways in Alai’s novels can be divided into three types: young monks who are deeply influenced by religious texts;progressive youths who cannot help themselves in the pursuit of political class change in turbulent times;and young people who have lost their bottom line in the market economy in order to accumulate money.They clearly demonstrate the common cause of the Tibetan youth’s exodus,which was to seek their own opportunities for development at a time of rural transformation.In contrast to the common causes of the times,the reasons and outcomes of the youths’ return to their hometowns are distinctly Tibetan in their traditional values as well as in their individual differences.There is a self-control of ordinary life after the disappearance of religious beliefs and a reconstruction of harmonious interpersonal relationships after the deception of foreign civilization;there is a pursuit of idyllic dreams after the failure of the pursuit of progressive ideals and a redemption of traditional ecology and self-spirituality,as well as the evolution of young personalities who prophesy about the cultural fate of the Tibetan homeland.The narratives in A Lai’s novels show the value crisis faced by Tibetan youth during the period of historical transformation,from the sense of spiritual ruin that comes with a sense of home and loss,to the identity anxiety that arises from the clash of civilizations,to the inevitable failure of pursuing their dreams due to the changes of the times,reflecting the historical fate of Tibetan youth and the borderland villages in contemporary society.Alai’s writing on the fate of Tibetan youths in their ’exodus-return’ mode reflects Alai’s profound thinking on the relationship between tradition and modernity.Alai understands the closed and lagging nature of the traditional countryside,but recognises the convenience and opportunities brought by modernity,and writes about the impact of modernity on the countryside from a variety of perspectives,including revolution,technology and materialism.Alai’s epic character construction is reflected in his writing.However,A Lai’s novels are also profoundly insightful into the destruction of the natural environment and human ecology brought about by the modernization process,and deeply miss the ecological self-sufficiency and poetic richness of the traditional countryside.In this way,A Lai’s works transcend localism and ethnicity and embody an epic character that contemplates the fate of the modern transformation of human civilization.