Room 4 -- Modern Text (Modern Text)

Author: Ba Jin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-10-01
Features: These three novels are later referred to as the "Human Trilogy" and are considered the pinnacle of Ba Jin's later works as a master of modern Chinese literature. This series can be said to represent the peak of Ba Jin's creative artistry. His writing style underwent a sudden transformation, shifting from the early passionate and lyrical tone to a more composed and profound revelation of life's realities. The artistic level of this trilogy surpasses even his famous work Family. Ba Jin is often regarded as an expert in trilogies, having written the "Love Trilogy," "Torrent Trilogy," and "Revolution Trilogy." The monumental work Fire is also known as the "War Trilogy" because it is divided into three volumes. Now, The Restless Garden, The Fourth Ward, and A Dark Night are collectively known as the "Human Trilogy."
The Fourth Ward is slightly longer than The Restless Garden, approximately fifteen thousand words, and presents a unique theme. While Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River depicts a small town, Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof portrays a lane, Ba Jin's novel focuses on a hospital during wartime. Through the diary of a patient over eighteen days, it reflects the lives of ordinary people in the rear areas during wartime. When it comes to darkness and suffering, the saying goes, "Eighteen layers of hell," but The Fourth Ward can be considered the "nineteenth layer."
Inmates must buy their own special medicine, bandages, and toilet paper. Many patients cannot afford the medicine and die in agony on their beds. Some patients cannot pay tips, and the attendants fail to clean the toilets, leaving them in agony from urination and defecation. Yet amidst this darkness and suffering, there is a glimmer of warmth and love—like fireflies in the dead of winter. Dr. Yang Muhua, with her thick hair, large eyes, and ocean-like tenderness, and the restaurant attendant Lao Xu, who cleaned the toilets for patients for free, become messengers of spring in the barren winter and angels in hell.