Analysis of the Universal Relevancy of Lu Xun’s “Diary of a Madman”

Lu Xun—the pseudonym for Chinese writer Zhou Shuren—is considered one of the

leading figures of modern Chinese literature in the 20th century. Primarily a leftist writer, Lu

Xun was praised by Chairman of the Communist Party of China Mao Zedong as “commander of

China's cultural revolution” (Wagner). Eventually positioned as the head of the League of Left-

Wing Writers in Shanghai, his popular social criticisms during the early 20th century displayed

an anti-traditional rhetoric that opposed the standard Confucian principles and the system of

feudalism that China had adopted for centuries (New World Encyclopedia). In American literary

critic Fredric Jameson’s seminal essay “Third-World Literature in the Era of Multinational

Capitalism,” Jameson analyzes Lu Xun’s “Diary of a Madman” (also known as “A Madman’s

Diary) calling it “the first masterwork of China’s greatest writer” (Jameson). He goes so far as to

state that “Diary of a Madman” is actually the supreme example of the process of allegorization

that he theorized in his essay. The reason that Lu Xun’s short story was so ideal for Jameson’s

hypothesis is, presumably, the same reason that “Diary of a Madman” has stood the test of time,

despite being used to propel the Communist vision. Lu Xun’s storytelling is rhetorically

constructed in a manner that makes his writing almost transcend the genre of satirical analogies

into an almost universally applicable parable. While it is obviously grounded in the political

landscape that it was published during, the analogy is general enough that it can be applied to

almost any political movement or class struggle. It is more effective and lasting as a story of

individuality against conformity and man against society than as a criticism of Confucian

ideology and feudalism.

 “Diary of a Madman” is considered by many to be the most influential work written in

vernacular Chinese, as opposed to the standard during imperial China—Classical Chinese (which

the short story’s preface was written in). The short story was foundational to the New Culture

Movement as a criticism of the traditional Chinese culture after the failure of the Chinese

Republic. The story is told from a first person perspective and is presented as if it were a

nonfictional series of events. The narrator recounts the story of reading the titular diary obtained

from the now sane madman’s older brother, a high school friend of the narrator. Already, the

story almost acts as a parable, passed from person to person and removed from its author—the

younger brother—who titles the collection “A Madman’s Diary.” The diary consists of an

incoherent jumble of sprawled texts dated solely by the different inks of multiple pens. The

narrator, out of consideration for any reader, has abridged the text into a few, somewhat coherent

passages that relay the transformation of the madman.

The diary begins with the madman mentioning that he has just seen the moon for the first

time in thirty years. Symbolically, for the first time in decades he is enlightened. The madman is

perturbed because his neighbor’s dog had looked at him twice. Already, it is established that he is

paranoid and clearly an unreliable narrator. This paranoia increases with each person the man

encounters. Initially, he is perturbed by the dog’s owner (Mr. Zhao) eying him with a murderous

look. He subsequently hears a group of children supposedly discussing him while bearing the

same frightening look. The madman deduces that this had to have been learned from their

parents, in the same vein, that societal beliefs and traditional cultures are passed on. The madman

quickly descends further into psychosis as he begins to convince himself that his peers are

cannibals desiring to eat human flesh, especially his.

 This brings us to the only explicit ideological reference in the novel when the madman

attempts to read a history book but can only see the words “Confucian Virtue and Morality,”

which eventually reveal an underlying, hidden message: “Eat people.” It is clear from this point

onwards that the novel is critiquing the traditional Confucian values, yet it is important to note

that the madman does not recognize this fact. He simply understands that if the desire is to “eat

people” and he is a person, then he can safely conclude they want to eat him. The political

grounding revealed through using this text does date the short story, but the madman’s response

almost makes the specific political ideology mentioned seem supplemental. He is not concerned

with Confucian values, he is simply concerned with his life. This can be gathered as the heart of

Lu Xun’s rhetorical strategy. By focusing on the vivid, fully-fleshed out analogies and

hyperbolically extreme characters over the specifics and minuteness of certain ideas and politics,

Lu Xun is able to present his vision of Chinese society in a more compelling way.

Where other writers may focus on the political commentary, by making this aspect more

adscititious, Lu Xun is able to make his story more generally relevant. This is both a compliment

and a criticism. This has allowed “Diary of a Madman” to become massively influential and

widely consumed. Originally published in New Youth magazine, a New Culture Movement

publication, and later in his short story collection A Call to Arms, it is clear that Lu Xun’s work is

politically charged and potent. Its dark and disturbing story demanded people’s attention and

helped to prompt the May Fourth Movement. But, due to the Lu Xun’s rhetorical strategy, his

work is open to multiple interpretations. This was why the Communist Party was able to idealize

the themes presented in the novel and present the work as aligned with their own agenda—an act

which ultimately opposed the original message of the text. The short is just politically poignant
enough to mobilize its initial intended audience, but is general enough to have been easily

applied to alternate narratives.

Eventually, the madman comes to realize that his own older brother is also a man-eater.

He attempts to reason with his brother, pleading with him to change his nature. Furthermore, the

madman suspects that his brother had actually eaten his little sister, who he had previously

thought died from illness. He also fears that he unwittingly consumed some of her flesh on

behalf of his brother. For the purposes of presenting Lu Xun’s message, the cannibals are

supposed to be propagators of the old traditional Chinese way. These cannibals span all social

classes; the madman suspects both the tenant from Wolf Club Village and the doctor, Mr. Ho. To

take this further, the madman reveals that this heinous act “has been going on since time

immemorial.” The madman references the Duke Huan of Qi, the Chinese state ruler from 685 to

643 BCE, as having eaten the flesh of his chef Yi Ya’s boiled son. Although this observation is

revealed to be historically inaccurate by the narrator in his footnotes, this comment still ties Lu

Xun’s criticism back to the political structure of ancient China. It is interesting that Lu Xun

presents the cannibals (the antagonists) as sane and the revolutionary (the protagonist) as a

mentally deranged person, even though that is the character that most closely resembles his own

personal political alignment. This can be seen as commentary on how revolutionaries, or those

that see the underlying truth in society, are perceived by their peers. It also is a literary parallel to

the classic Greek tale of Cassandra, a woman cursed to utter true prophecies that are never to be

believed.

The ending of the story is actually presented in the opening preface, where the narrator

reveals that the madman had “recovered some time ago and has gone elsewhere to take up an
official post.” This is ironic on multiple levels. It subverts the reader’s expectations because the

final resolution of the madman is to change the world, yet it ends with him simply joining the

status quo. Secondly, the madman’s recovery towards sanity, in many ways, actually clouds his

judgement by blinding him to the issues he had become painfully aware of. This is cemented

with the line, “The sun has stopped shining, the door is never opened.” Lu Xun’s pessimistic

ending supports the rhetoric that he established well. Lu Xun is essentially stating that despite the

madman’s revelations and enlightenment, progress was not achieved nor will it ever be.

In the final passage, it dawns on the madman that he has been living in a society where

“for four thousand years human flesh has been eaten.” What aspect of Chinese politics can Lu

Xun be criticizing that has existed consistently for four thousand years in China? Honestly, none.

While Lu Xun may critique feudalism, the magistrate, and Confucian ideology, none of these

have existed in China for four thousand years. Perhaps, singling out this number is reading too

critically, but the sheer size of the time period that Lu Xun seems to be criticizing lends credence

to the idea that the message of the story is more tied to themes than any specific political

movement or date. This is summated with the ending line: “Save the children…” Certainly a

powerful sentiment, but one that is also implicitly applicable to any society in human history. To

be clear, the lack of specificity in “Diary of a Madman” does not detract from its power. In fact,

this wide net casted makes the story eternally relevant. So long as there exists constrictive

societies and conformity, Lu Xun’s tale will ring true.

 Work Cited

Jameson, Fredric. “Third-World Literature in the Era of Multinational Capitalism.” no. 15, 1986,
pp. 65–88. JSTOR, doi:10.2307/466493. Accessed 10 Oct. 2019.

New World Encyclopedia contributors. “Lu Xun.” Lu Xun - New World Encyclopedia, New
World Encyclopedia, 2 Aug. 2018, 14:54 UTC, //www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/
index.php?title=Lu_Xun&oldid=1013449.

Wagner, Marsha. “Lu Xun: China's Greatest Modern Writer: Asia for Educators: Columbia
University.” Lu Xun: China's Greatest Modern Writer | Asia for Educators | Columbia
University, 2009, afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_1900_luxun.htm.