The Peasant’s Changing Face in Chinese Literature Essay Example for Free

The Peasants Changing Face in Chinese Literature EssayThe bucolic has figured in modern Chinese fiction as a central character, through which point of view the policy-making and social atmosphere in China can be seen. The provincial has been utilize a vehicle to communicate the concerns of modern China the lack of fodder and supplies, the inaccessibility of education, the poverty, the uncertainty of the future. The tike in China was regarded as the means towards progression yet they were mere workers, insignificant comp argond to the grand dream. In the selection of Chinese fiction however, the skinflint figures prominently as the heart and soul of its society. Even though the crosspatch has become the subject of Chinese fiction, it is important to understand that the peasant is a general term, and it is composed of great make out of people characterized by their station in life thus, peasants all t of age(predicate) over have similar qualities they are noncivilised, p overty-stricken, and largely overworked-underpaid. Further, it is equally important to see that the peasant is non singular and all-encompassing there are different depictions of the peasant, to capture their different facets.In this melodic theme I will discuss the changes in the image of the peasant in modern Chinese fiction. In Lu Xuns My Old Home, the peasant was presented as a person who first saw the world as a human being only if like his master in Gao Xiaoshengs Li Shunda Builds a House, we see a persevering and ambitious albeit a nave peasant in Qiao Dianyuns A dumb deposit the peasants were shown as self-interested, lazy and short-sighted individuals in Mo Yans The Cure the peasants were too superstitious for their own good and in Li Ruis Electing a freebooter we saw that peasants were interdependent and passive. In this paper, I would like to show that although the peasant in modern Chinese fiction remains largely as an uneducated and subservient class, these manif est in more ways than one.In Lu Xuns My Old Home, the peasant was introduced through the eye of superior Xu loss home. The master saw the peasant, Jun Tu, from memory. They were young, and although Jun Tu was the son of their servant that automatically makes him his servant, they became friends. From the text it was clear that the young Master Xu looked up at Jun Tu because he knew how to catch birds, have seen many a(prenominal) different colored seashells, and knew so many stories outside the young masters experience. For the brief time that they were together, the boundaries of master-servant collapsed and they were simply children who knew friendship.It is through this that we see an image of the peasant as equally human as any first and foremost, before he is a servant he is an individual, he has dreams and aspirations, he was once a child. Jun Tu the child saw the world as brightly as his young master, if not more so. He had seen more of the world and loved it. However, as Master Xu realized when he saw the grown up Jun Tu, the child was no longer there. The harsh realities of life have forced the wonder out of his eyes, and in its place set eyes who have known suffering intimately.In Li Shunda Builds a House, we see a different kind of peasant Li Shunda was nave and almost childlike in his simplicity, but he is persevering and ambitious, and although he believes in being a follower, he learns to think for himself in small ways. The family willingly sacrificed to build their dream of a house, starving themselves to save money to but the materials only to be duped into contributing the fruits of their sacrifice to the commune. In this report we see a cast of peasants Li Shunda, his sister, his wife, his son.The wife showed more sense than Li Shunda, disrespect her being a beggar before, when she saved and hid a number of belongings from being donated to the commune by her husband. Even with her sensibilities, she kept silent because of the politic al atmosphere during that time which was hostile to objections, and because in Chinese culture women are submissive to their husbands.His sister Shunzen stayed with him despite wealthy suitors so she can help him pursue his cause after all, Li Shundan had taken care of her since she was small. She grew old and terminate up with an utterly destitute man, which did not bother her since she was used to tall(prenominal) work. In Li Shundas sister we see a peasant who set paying back the family more than seeking better opportunities. Clearly, this behavior is borne out of culture and lack of education in her case, she did not realize that by marrying into a wealthy family she would be in a better position to help her brother. All she knew how to do was manual labor, and that what was she was going to pay him back with.Li Shunda was a loyal follower he believed the leaders and he followed what was said flush though he did not quite understand it. He worked hard and neer lost sight of his dreams (although from the two-storey house he eventually conceded to building just a one-storey), despite having lost his money and investments one way or other through a cunning official or a failed revolution. Still, not losing faith in the power of an honest work, he kept on despite his disappointment in the leaders he loyally followed. In Li Shundan we see an image of a hard-working peasant who does not get the appropriate salary for all his work.In the end of the story he manages to build his house, but the questions begs whether it was all worth it. If he was in a different place and time, if he knew what the ideology of socialism and communism meant, if he understood what was happening in his country at that time, maybe he could have built his house sooner, all the sacrifices and failures he had to endure were unnecessary. Perhaps what separates Li Shundan from the other peasants in the collection is that he has a dream he was willing to give up anything just to reac h it. In this story, the image of the peasant is one who never gives up irrespective of the hardships he has to endure.On the other hand, in Qiao Dianyuns A Wordless Monument, we saw the events unfold through the eyes and voice of a peasant. The peasants lived blissfully in their village going about their and followed what was handed down to them even if they did not understand what it was about. They worked to locomote and feed themselves, and although they have an idea of what will be a more efficient system for them, they did not do it because their old ways are working just fine for them. In this attitude we the peasant as having no ambition or desire towards progress they are content and comfortable with their lives.They dislike hard work they knew that no matter how hard they worked the fruits of their labor will not be for them anyway, so they find excuses not to toil. Also, they dislike those who do not conform, who they do not understand. As a peasant village generally u nsatisfied with their lives and yet unwilling to work hard because it caters them no incentives, they are naturally miserable.They passed their days not thinking and analyzing their actions, not knowing why they do the things they do. To vent out their misery they picked on the things they do not understand, like the monument which they turned into a bridge, and later on picked on the old school master Xu Shuge. They were particularly angered with Xu Shuge who will not bend according to their ways, who will not walk on the bridge, who will not even speak despite torture.They cannot understand why Xu Shuge chooses to suffer when he can easily opt out and join their protests. It reflects their behavior they dislike suffering. They want money and better lives without working hard for it. They get easily covetous of somebody elses good fortune, and gossips and fights ensue. In a nutshell, the peasants were depicted as self-interested, lazy individuals who cannot comprehend the value of working together as a multitude to build their community, and they have no desire to learn for them, what they need is food and money, not education or learning about the past or future.Mo Yan depicted a more sympathetic peasant in his The Cure. Although it is tempting to credit the peasants overly superstitious nature as rooted also in the lack of education, it could be that the violent and vicious atmosphere at that time has forced people to search for and turn to anything that could offer them hope. In this story, we see a peasant and his son driven by desperation and out of love for the grandmother to take out the perkiness vesica of his masters.He reasoned that the master is not bound to live because of the gunshots, but nevertheless he asks for forgiveness even before he takes out the gall bladder, sending his master to his already certain death. The feudal system of servants and masters, and of children and parents have trapped the peasant to do what is only available f or him to perform his duties, if not as a servant then at least as a son, no matter how absurd these are, since no other alternative is possible. The fallacy of credulity then becomes the only way for the peasants, the only truth they can grasp.Lastly, in Li Ruis Electing a Thief, we are faced with a dependent and passive image of the peasant. First, we saw the peasant as getting even with the team leader by electing him as the most possible thief, and it seemed like a victory for them to finally take over their lives and their production of grain. And yet, when the team leader resigns in disgust, the peasants find themselves lost and unable to lead themselves.The peasant have been used to being subservient that they cannot imagine being responsible for themselves even if being a peasant meant hard work and measly pay, it is better than being care-laden with responsibility such as securing grain. After all, they have grown accustomed and comfortable with that kind of feudal system , that they can no longer imagine how they could survive outside of it. We see here that even though the peasants were given the opportunity to be free, they would probably seek the old limitations that hindered their growth and industry because they have been dexterous to look down at themselves as incapable of handling such a huge task of leadership, and they see themselves as workers of the community not as producers or providers for themselves.From the selections, we have gleaned that although the recurring problem of the peasants stem from their lack of education and their subservient mentality, there are varying depictions of the peasants life. Also, we saw how the peasant tries to cope with the challenges of his time. The image of the peasant might be the poverty-stricken and desperate peasant, but let us remember that the peasant wears different faces, has different images. That for all(prenominal) lazy peasant who disliked work there is also the peasant who persevered and gained the respect of men despite his simple-mindedness, that the peasant was once a child and own the world, and that there is always the peasant who was handed freedom and refused to drink from it.