Title:
"Diary of a Madman"Title:
"Diary of a Madman"Major Category: Fiction
Genre: -Short Story
Sub-genre: - Realism
Nationality: - Chinese
Time Period: - (Early) 20th Century
First and Last Read by Dr. Rearick April 2005
Rated: - A
Use: World Literature II
Location: -
Comments Study Questions Links
A Reader from Amazon.Com Writes about the pictured edition:
In this book by Lu xun, a greatest Chinese fiction writer in the history, you will see some influence from Russian literature, such as Gogol, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy, yet Lu xun manages to keep the Chinese atmosphere by the vivid descriptions on things he sees in China. "Diary of a Madman" is absolutely wonderful. Comparing it to Gogol's story of "Diary of a Madman" it is interesting how Lu xun explores the reality in such a different way from Gogol and still cuts one side of humanity open to the readers. If you like Chinese poetry, this book by Lu xun is a must.
The following study questions were found on Dr. Fidel Fajardo-Acosta's very useful website (strongly recommended)
How does the madman see other people? How does he describe them? Does he see something others can't? According to the madman, what lies behind the smiles and façades of courtesy and civilization?
What is the significance of the animal imagery in the story? What sorts of animals are alluded to? Where? Why? What animal is referred to in Section 1 of the story? In Section 3, what is the name of the village suffering from famine? What did the villagers there do? Is that somehow connected to the name of the village? Do you find animal references anywhere else in the story? Is there an increased use of animal imagery and references as the story progresses? In Section 6, an enigmatic series of phrases is suddenly inserted: "the fierceness of a lion, the timidity of a rabbit, the craftiness of a fox." What is intended by this? Does it sound like an epigram encapsulating the meaning of the whole story? What might Lu Xun be trying to express through these phrases?
Is the madman really insane? Is he perhaps saner than those around him? What is sanity? What is madness? Who decides?
Lu Xun was influenced by Darwin and Thomas H. Huxley's ideas on evolution. Are there references to such ideas in the story? Is that connected to the animal imagery? How does Lu Xun apply the notions of evolution to the understanding of the human condition? What changes does he believe human beings must undergo? Why?
What is the madman criticizing? Is this story about actual cannibalism? What does cannibalism stand for? What does it mean to "eat" another human being? Are there any instances of behavior in the story, other than actual cannibalism, which one might term as cannibalistic? Is the madman a cannibal too, perhaps without knowing it? Why does he vomit after eating a dish of fish? What do people do to each other that makes them into cannibals? Are we all cannibals in some respect?
How is this story connected to the historical situation of Lu Xun's time? What was going on in China during this time period? What sorts of social, economic, or political practices may be associated with cannibalism? In Lu Xun's eyes, how is traditional Chinese society cannibalistic? Is modern capitalism any better? What about the experience of Chinese and Russian communism? What sort of a society was Lu Xun striving to bring about? How is it possible to "save the children"?
The first entry in the diary reads, "Tonight the moon is very bright. … I begin to realize that during the past thirty-odd years I have been in the dark." What is the significance of the moon image? Does it occur elsewhere in the story? What does it suggest or stand for? What is the madman able to see under the moonlight? Does the moon have anything to do with his "madness"? What is hidden in the darkness? Why is daylight, when there is no moon, depressing to the madman?
Are there elements of or allusions to the supernatural in the story? How do the moon and the madman's perceptions of others as having "smiling green faces with protruding fangs" contribute to those effects? What is their meaning? How do they function in the story or contribute toward its purposes?
What does the madman learn by reading history books? What does he find there? How does he interpret the words "benevolence, righteousness, and morality"? What does he claim is hiding under those words? How do such references address the problems of Confucianism? Are there other situations in the story referring to Confucianism and its problems?
What does the madman think of the doctor who comes to examine him? Is it significant that he is a doctor? Can a doctor be a cannibal? How? Is it relevant that Lu Xun abandoned a career in medicine to become a writer?
In Section 9, what makes people reluctant to take "that one little step"? What is the symbolic meaning of that step? What does Lu Xun want for people to do? What prevents them from doing it? What does Elder Brother fail to do in Section 10 that upsets the madman? What is it that Elder Brother claims can't be done? How does that explain the meaning of cannibalism? What is the significance of the madman's question in Section 8, "Is this business of eating people right?"
What is the significance of the concern with the death of the madman's younger sister? Why is Elder Brother blamed for her death? Is she a symbol? What issues are addressed by it? What does it mean to suggest that she was eaten?
Is the last line, "Save the children …," an optimistic or pessimistic ending? Who will save them? From what? What does it mean to be saved from becoming a cannibal?
What is suggested when his brother says that the madman got better and went on to wait for an official appointment? Is the brother telling the truth? What may have happened to the madman? What is the difference between being eaten and getting cured of his madness? Is he "eaten" either way?