The Legend of 1900

1900, an abandoned baby who was taken care by Danny Bordman, one of the crews in the ship virginia. 1900 was the year when the crew discovered the baby, thus, the boy was named 1900.

Danny loved 1900 very much, he taught him to read and write,and never let him suffer. But because there is no any documents such as birth certificate, Danny was afraid that 1900 would be hurted by others, so he told him not to leave the ship.

Danny died several years later and at that time, 1900wan entirely isolated. 1900 was a geinius and he knew how to play piano without being taught.He got his own style and won the applause from the passengers. However he wasn’t happy at all. What he was searching for was love and care. Yet he couldn’t find them.So 1900 suffered from loneliness and was afraid of changes.

The only companion of 1900 was the piano, and he got used to expressing himself via music. Yet could the piano share with him? Could the music bo the tonic for his loneliness? The poor man has no choice.He was born to be loneliness. Maybe it was his fate.

A few years later, 1900 became a pianist at Virginia band. Though he had never been off the boat, he could imagine everything in the world.

In a storm, he encountered Max who was seesick.The two men were very congenial. From the on, Max became 1900’s life confidant.

Max admired 1900’s music talent, but was also sorrry for his stubborn refuse to get onto the land. He wanted 1900 to show his talents, and be recognised by the world, gain fame and forture, live a good life. But for 1900, the world was too far away. He couldn’t understand it.

Later, people praised 1900’s music talents. The father of jazz, Jelly Roll Morton, who considered himself unsurpassable, thus to challenge with 1900. Eventually 1900 won. The game brought 1900 with reputation. A music publisher hoped his recording, and guaranteed that he would be rich and famous.

Until he met a girl, who was simple and charming.That day he wan recording, the girl came to wash her face. She dried her face with a towel, and looked at the window as a mirror. At that moment, 1900 fell in love with her, and played a sentimental beautiful song.

When the record was finished,1900 didn’t give the record to the publisher, because he didn’t let others to take his music away from him. He wanted to send it to the unknown girl, but failed. 1900 could not conceal his sorrow, he threw thw ieces in the trash.Max hide the fragments in the piano, and that was the only record of music 1900 left.

After the girl left the boat, 1900 was still playing his piano, but his heart was still missing the girl.Max persuasion and longing for love moved 1900, he finally decided to get off the ship and get onto the strange land. That day, all the crew said goodbye to him, he wore a camel’s hair coat that Max gave to him, slowly stepped oat ladder, but when he got halfway of the ladder, he looked at the large New York blankly, gazed for a moment, suddenly removed the hat and threw it out. Then 1900 tured arround and returned to the boat. He said to Max that he would never get off, since then he lost the world on the land.

Untill many year later, the World War Two ended, and long after Max left Virginia, Max got a news that the ship would be exploded. He believed that 1900 was still on the boat , but 1900 did not appear. Untill the ship was about to be blowed up. Max played the record in the boat alone, 1900 appeared in the corner, but he refused to get off. He told the reason why he failed to get out: the world was too wide, and he was afraid of strangers, the endless city streets, like the innumberable keys on the piano, made him feel fare.He would quiz the stage of life rather than face the endless life. Max couldn’t persuade him to get off, and left saldly. Finally he saw the boat and 1900 destroyed by bombs in the distance.

Though it is a tragedy, but I think 1900 is a brave hero. He is a man so brave, that he can play the imaginary piano when exploded with the ship he was born, lived and died in. Yet he is a man so scared, that he canno face the city life we are living everyday. He is a man so perceptive, taht he could use his music language to describe exactly other’secrets.

Yet he is a man so insensitive that he’d rather diappear after a gentle kiss on his beloved while she’s aspleep than unburden himself and tell her ‘I LOVE YOU’.

This man is Danny Berdman T.D. Lemon 1900 who is also known as simply "1900". A man never existed. He has never set foot on land in his entire life. No ID. No passport. No Visa. No parents. No birthday. Nothing in the world belongs to him except his music. So he played it.

For the first class guests.

For the third class members.

For the girl at the window.

For the darkness of the night.

For the heartbeat of his own.

For the sea-- his eternal home.

My life is much more colorful than 1900, but Why? Why I am so envious of 1900’s simple life? I am envious of his loneliness, his pure mind, his natural, native face.

We are all distinctive at first,but when we grow up.

We learn to think about other’s feelings,other’s attitude to us.

So we try to do something we don’t really want to do to please them.We are trying to get along with the people.We are trying to adapt ourselves to the society.Maybe sometimes the results were disappointing.We still try our best to do such things.

However,in fact,we are changed.

We are trying to be someone else.