The Diary of a Madman, by Lu Xun, is regarded as a highly influential work in vernacular Chinese that marked the transition from classical to modern Chinese literature. The author, Lu Xun, was born into a traditional and wealthy family. By the time of his birth, however, his family’s reputation declined, and as a result, were treated with disdain by the community. He was greatly influenced by his experiences growing up under the authority of the Republic of China, resulting in several radical critiques against the conservative ideals held by Confucian beliefs, one of them being the Diary of a Madman.
The Diary of a Madman condemns the traditional Confucian culture, as Xun depicts a society full of corruption and immorality. Throughout diary entries written from the perspective of a madman, he critiques the justified, yet unethical, traditions held by society. Finally, it is through the use of symbolism that Xun draws parallels between the world he has written with the one around him, as he challenges the long-held traditions embedded in society.
First, in order to understand Xun’s use of symbolism, however, one must know the context behind the Diary of a Madman. For instance, in The Discourse in Modern China, the author Z. Xun reveals the extent in which the Chinese government sought to impose laws to gain control. For one, the establishment of the Republic of China praised self-discipline for the sake of the nation rather than the ideals of self-cultivation. Society was likewise greatly influenced by the introduction of Western science, and as a result, people with disabilities became the main study of several medical scientists and teratologic studies. Consequently, people with disabilities were depicted in scientific textbooks, further segregating and increasing the divide between those who were considered normal and abnormal. This then allowed society to distinguish people with
disabilities by simply associating them with the images depicted in the books, overall allowing one to “categorize them, recognize them, distance them, and finally, bar them from society” (Z. Xun 110). Hence, the idea that wealth and power of the nation is “based on the physical strength of its population and control of human reproduction” (Z. Xun 106) was further established. As a result, this ideology justified the marginalization of people with disabilities, as they were often used as the scapegoat when the conditions of the nation were frail. Moreover, several laws and policies of selective breeding were passed, forcing those, even with minor infirmities such as deafness and blindness, to undergo sterilization. By stating that “retardation and criminality were believed to run in families” (Z. Xun 108), Xun further addresses how the government asserted dominance through forcing unethical eugenic laws that deemed one as “unfit” to reproduce.
These very societal attributions are reflected in the work of Lu Xun’s Diary of a Madman, as his rich use of symbolism alludes to society’s unethical treatment towards people with disabilities.
For one, the madman’s identity is dependent on his disability. It is the utmost characteristic, and as a result, is the first, and at many times the only, thing people recognize. In the text, the madman is not once called by his own name, as he is only referred to as “madman” or the brother to someone sane. Thus, this criticizes society’s prejudiced perception of people with disabilities, as explained in the Discourse of Disability in Modern China.
Furthermore, Xun places the madman in a cannibalistic world. Cannibalism, in this case, can be seen as the representation of the rigid social system under the Republic of China. The eugenic laws placed by the government, for example, mirrors the social hierarchy in the diary
entries, for the rich eat the poor in this food chain, just as the laws rid the nation of the “weak” in China. Overall, Xun exposes the dehumanizing laws that although did not result in cannibalism, still made the effort of discriminating against people with disabilities, as the laws were a constant reminder of their inferiority.
Similarly, Xun criticizes societal conformity through the representation of cannibalism as well. Although eating other human beings is unethical, the world around the madman sacrifices their individuality to conform to the expectations held by society. This in particular is evident in the interaction between the madman and the young man. The madman asks him “‘But is it right?’” (Xun 27) in regard to whether it is ethical to eat another human’s flesh. The young man responds with “‘I – I don’t understand the question’” (Xun 27) and proceeds to change the subject. By solely disregarding the question, the young man likewise has fallen into conformity, conserving the unethical traditions and disregarding the lives of those negatively affected by them. Additionally, contrary to the typical depiction of disability, the madman is the one individual left with ethical ideologies, as rather than seeking a cure to his own disability, he seeks to cure others from this corruption.
Xun ends the Diary of a Madman with “Are there children who have not yet eaten human flesh? Save the children…” (Xun 31). It is at this point that the madman himself feels inclined to conform with society. He calls to help support the innocent lives of those with disabilities who are marginalized through dehumanizing laws. He depends on the new generation to reconsider the values held by society and challenges them to judge the long-held traditions that justify inequity, sans the tainted perception that deems people with disabilities as nonentities.
It is through Z. Xun’s explanation of the context and the strong ideologies held by society in the Discourse of Disability in Modern China and Lu Xun’s allegory in Diary of a Madman that the reader is able to understand how the motives of the government under the Republic of China impacted the lives of people with disabilities. Hence, it proves that one’s disability became the utmost representation of their identity, as the very attribute that makes them unique is the same that roots discrimination and stigmatization. Disability is seen as something that needs to be cured, fixed, removed, rather than something that is simply one of several characteristics of an individual. By doing so, finally, the author questions whether we, as a society, can separate the disability with the individual and simply regard them as a human being.
