Lu Xun‘s diarist suffers from paranoia, stemming from strange looks he thinks he is getting from fellow villagers. On learning of an act of ritual cannibalism in a neighboring village, he concludes that those around him, including his own brother, are planning to make a meal of him. The story has several interpretations. The most common is that it satirizes the outdated Confucian traditions of Chinese feudal society. An opposing view is that it cautions the May Fourth period’s New Culture Movement against indiscriminately overturning (eating) all past traditions. Themes: madness, cannibalism, tradition, betrayal.
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