Modern Literature Classics: Symptomatic Analysis

Author: Lan Dizhi / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Regardless of anything else, Zijun and Juansheng had a simplistic and casual understanding of individual liberation and marital freedom. A Farewell to Love is a reflection on how to achieve individual liberation and marital freedom. The tragic love story of Zijun and Juansheng leaves a profound lesson for later generations, a lesson that does not fade away or become outdated with the passage of time. Zijun's fate remains deeply regrettable. Zijun's tragedy continues to unfold in the modern world. Although Zijun bravely broke free from her family, she lacked self-awareness and always relied on men. Her interests were mediocre, and she had no ideals. She often wandered between the of the present and the lost dreams of the past, thus constantly forcing her husband to recall scenes from their first love. Zijun sought fulfillment from this, and there was no other world for her. The lost dreams perpetually shrouded her life, and her courage was gradually eroded by the of her marital life. Any woman in her first love is inevitably pursued, but if she stops there, tragedy ensues. If we compare Zijun's tragic love story with the successful love stories of Ding Ling, Feng Yuanjun, Ling Shuhua, and others, it would undoubtedly be highly enlightening.
Juansheng's character is portrayed through the "diary." Juansheng is depicted as an unreliable, irresponsible petty intellectual. He speaks fluently of poetic and even admonitory empty phrases, and his understanding of individual liberation and marital freedom is superficial and utilitarian. Juansheng is, of course, kind, but shameless. To mitigate the intensity of his criticism, Lu Xun employed a writing strategy where Juansheng engages in self-repentance. Like his repentance, he is cowardly, and in essence, he remains a modern version of the ancient scholar's "startle and abandon" pattern. Juansheng does not pursue ideals but rather trends—he treats marital freedom as a trend, and his courtship methods are merely a copy of Western films. Trends in his life unfold one after another, only to be forgotten quickly—"within a couple of months of living together, even these fragments turned into untraceable dreams." Mr. Tang Xian once profoundly pointed out that Juansheng's "boredom" perfectly illustrates his lack of the strength to break through greater societal pressures, and instead, he blames Zijun and the family he has. I believe Juansheng's tragedy lies here: he does not understand the origin of his boredom with marital life, nor does he truly understand individual liberation or marital freedom, nor does he even know what love is.
After all, novels differ from essays. While essays also use imagery, they are fundamentally logical. Novels, however, use stories and characters to explore themes. What Happened After Nora Left is an essay, while A Farewell to Love is a novel. Although their themes are, the story and imagery in a novel often surpass the theme itself, carrying profound meanings. A Farewell to Love touches on the maturation of love. This novel has eighteen sections, and by the fifth section, Zijun and Juansheng's love has matured: "Gradually, I became aware of her body, her soul." When love matures, does it necessarily mean that the good times and experiences of love are inevitably lost? Is the true meaning behind Lu Xun's choice of the title A Farewell to Love hidden here? Can we say that what is truly sad is the joy of love that passes away with its maturation?
"Within three weeks, I seemed to understand her even more, shedding many previous notions of understanding that now appeared as barriers—what might be called true barriers." What does this sentence mean? Does it imply that the maturation of love masks the true barriers between lovers? If this is the case, then it means that along with the gradual fading of love's passion comes the growing crisis within the irreconcilable barriers, ultimately turning the lovers into. P19-20