- 29 Mar, 2021
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- 5 Mins Read
Zuidongderen Aisan San6yi- final project (6-8 pages): a critical/creative piece (25%)
“I want neither knowledge nor fame. All I want is a ‘heart’ that can understand and comfort me, a warm and passionate heart and the sympathy that it generates and the love born of that sympathy” (Yu 49). When the protagonist in Yu Dafu’s shorty story “Sinking” laments using those words, he forces one to believe that all he wants is romantic love. However, upon more in-depth consideration of the short story, the reader understands that the protagonist is crying out to his country, begging for its love and sympathy. For as long as the narrator recalls, the protagonist has never been decisive, as observed in his jumping from one school to another (49-52). By doing so, the protagonist lacks a safety net in the social realm, forcing him to retrieve back to himself. Eventually, he develops a pathological state where the interplay of megalomania and hypochondria intensifies each day (47). Yu uses this pathological stance to explore the nationalism concept. However, although neither third-person narrative, soliloquy, symbolism, or story structure indicate whether Yu endorses or condemns national sympathy, the narrator posits that having a stand (to love one country and reject others or reject one country and accept others) is vital when creating a sense of self.
The third-person narrative helps the reader understand the protagonist’s need for national sympathy. From the very beginning, Yu makes the reader know that the story is in the third person. For instance, “lately he had been feeling pitifully lonesome. His emotional….” (44). This narrative angle gives the reader a broader and more objective perspective of the protagonist. More importantly, the narrator is present in the characters’ every event and has access to confidential knowledge, such as thoughts. This allows the reader to understand the protagonist more. For example, when the Japanese waitress from the brothel asked the protagonist where he is from, the narrator gives both a physical and emotional description. “His pallid face reddened again; he stammered and stammered… For the Japanese look down upon Chinese just as they look upon pigs and dogs. They call us shinajin, Chinamen” (65). The first statement describes the shame that washed over the protagonist because of his nationality. He stammered because he lacked the confidence to identify as Chinese. The second statement is the protagonist’s thoughts concerning how the Japanese view the Chinese. According to the protagonist, shinajin is a derogative term used to show China’s inferiority. With this, the reader understands his hate for China’s inferiority and Japan’s superiority. Although he loves his country, its inferiority shames him, thus asserting Yu’s primary point that national politics and perception are essential parts of one’s identity.
The use of soliloquy aligns the narrator’s and the protagonist’s perspective, thus helping the audience sympathize with the protagonist’s need for love and to be loved back. Throughout the short story, the protagonist is depicted as having lived a solitary life. Even his conscience mocks him “You don’t have a single sweetheart, brother, or close friend in Tokyo—so for whom are you shedding your tears?” (52) for being sentimental when leaving Tokyo for N. City. Although he did not have close connections in Tokyo, this island had been his home since he left China. Hence, it was customary for him to feel sentimental. However, his sentimental object is not Tokyo, but rather China. It was as if he understood that he will always be Chinese no matter how far he ran. Hence, he would often lament, “They must have known that I am a Chinaman … Why did I come to Japan?… Since you have come, is it a wonder that the Japanese treat you with contempt? China, O my China! Why don’t you grow rich and strong? I cannot bear your shame in silence any longer!” (48). Here, the way the protagonist blames himself for things he has no control over makes him profoundly pitiful. It also makes the reader blame China for being weak and having its citizens bear the shame. Through this perspective, Yu asserts that loving one country means accepting its shame when it is weak and glory during prosperity. This short story was written when Japan had surpassed China in economic superiority. China was once superior to Japan, but subsequent defeats, such as in the Opium Wars and the increased western imperialism. Therefore, it is no wonder the protagonist was ashamed of loving his weakened country.
The use of symbolism deepens the reader’s understanding of the protagonist’s love for his country and the desperation of not receiving national sympathy in return. The third-person narrative helps the reader understand that the protagonist is obsessed with his country’s unreciprocated love. Hence, when the protagonist perceives his surroundings and makes decisions, the reader cannot help but view these actions from a symbolic perspective. For instance, “He no longer wanted to visit his Chinese classmates simply because after each visit his heartfelt all the more empty. Before each visit he expected to win their sympathy” (47). Here, the protagonist laments about his desire for his country to love him. However, he felt like every time he tried expressing himself to his country(men), they could not understand him. For his self-reproaching behaviors, his country(men) rumored about his mental illness. From not loving him to calling him insane, the protagonist decides not to love China(ese) too. When renting his new place in the solitude plains away from the public eye, he describes himself as “quite different from the others. I won’t mind the solitude” (60). Evidently, the protagonist views himself as better than his country(men) and the Japanese. He appears to resign that if China cannot love him back, he would also not love it. By moving from the hostel into the faraway plains, the protagonist appears to cut ties and live happily in solitude and away from the shame of being a Chinaman. Without China (and its Confucianism) holding him back, he could fly and indulge in himself. He must have thought.
The story’s structure indicates that despite the isolation, the protagonist could not unlove China or his desire for national sympathy. “Sinking” has eight parts. The first six sections narrate the protagonist’s gradual separation and alienation from China. He asks himself, “Why did I come to Japan? Why did I come here to pursue my studies?… Isn’t the scenery in China as beautiful? Aren’t the girls in China just as beautiful. Then why did I