Analysis of Lu Xun’s Medicine

Analysis of Lu Xun’s Medicine
Student’s Name
University Affiliation
Course Number: Course Name
Instructor’s Name
Due Date
Analysis of Lu Xun’s Medicine
Lu Xun’s Medicine is a well-written short story that is considered a classic in Chinese literature. This masterpiece depicts a Chinese society engulfed in superstitious beliefs and illiteracy that seem to undermine the ongoing struggle for democracy and freedom. Freedom fighters are killed senselessly into martyrdom. One perplexing superstitious belief from the Chinese community at the time is that human blood can be used as medicine. Specifically, human blood from good, respectable, and honorable men is considered a 'guaranteed cure.' In the story, Old Chuan and his wife try everything they can to save their son, who was suffering from Tuberculosis. They buy folk medicine without any success. They later buy bread that had been dipped in the blood of a recently martyred freedom fighter. This was seen as the ultimate cure but still could not prevent the impending death of the sick boy. On the face of it, this story is about weird and superstitious beliefs that characterize Chinese folk medicine. However, on a much deeper level, Lu Xun's story encapsulates the Chinese struggle for democracy when a considerable segment of the demographics was illiterate, uneducated, and stuck in old traditional beliefs. Therefore, through this story, Lu Xun effectively demonstrates that the struggle for freedom, democracy, and the revolution in China was undermined by a huge segment of the population that was too illiterate to comprehend the magnitude and significance of the revolution.
The Chinese Revolution was overshadowed by a lack of support from the wider populace. Most of the people lack the courage to stand up against the government authorities. Lu Xun’s Medicine depicts the struggles of the Chinese people in their quest and agitation for democracy. The authorities at the time have put in place several measures to prevent any insurgency. However, this did not deter some brave citizens from standing up against the government to fight for the people. These brave men and women became revolutionaries and the face of the Chinese struggle. However, as portrayed in Medicine, they received little support from the rest of the populace. Instead, the masses gathered to witness the execution of revolutionaries, which o them was often like a spectacle of comedy and fun. They did not really appreciate what the deaths of the freedom fighters meant to them and their lives. Lu Xun describes one moment of execution saying, “Old Chuan looked in that direction too, but could only see people’s backs. Craning their necks as far as they would go, they looked like so many ducks, held and lifted by some invisible hand. For a moment all was still; then a sound was heard, and a stir swept through the onlookers………..Road with its faded gold inscription: “Ancient Pavilion.” In this quote, Lu Xun describes the masses witnessing the execution as ‘ducks, held and lifted by some invisible hand.’ This shows that the people were largely controlled by traditional beliefs and superstitions that made it difficult for them ...