Analysis of Lu Xun’s Medicine

Analysis of Lu Xun’s Medicine
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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 to think critically and make rational choices on what was best for them and their community.
Therefore, the lack of understanding of the work of the revolutionaries significantly limited the impact of their work and their deaths became almost meaningless in terms of achieving their objective of emancipating the people. While the revolutionaries were focused on losing their blood for the salvation of the rest of the community, the people wanted to use their blood for other purposes, mainly a medicine for curing other diseases. The people did not understand that the blood was meant to cure a much bigger problem, that of poor leadership, dictatorship, and lack of individual freedoms in their community. Lu Xun describes one moment when Little Chuan was given his bread crust that had been dipped in the blood of an executed revolutionary. He writes that “Little Chuan picked up the black object and looked at it. He had the oddest feeling, as if he were holding his own life in his hands. Presently he split it carefully open. From within the charred crust a jet of white vapour escaped, then catered, leaving only two halves of a white flour steamed roll. Soon it was all eaten, the flavour completely forgotten, only the empty plate left.” With these words, Lu Xun depicts a total lack of understanding of the work of the revolutionaries among the Chinese people. When Little Chuan consumed the read crust his condition only got worse and he consequently succumbed to his condition. The blood of the revolutionaries was not sufficient in curing him and restoring his to his health. However, Little Chuan’s situation is reminiscent of the broader society since the blood of the young revolutionaries was not able to cure the social problems they were fighting for. It almost seems that the revolutionaries died in vain because their cause as not well-understood among the people they were fighting for. In the quote, Lu Xun also uses the words ‘a jet of white vapour escaped” from the crust just when Little Chua opened it. This could be an indication that the revolutionaries became "a jet of white vapour" and disappeared. Therefore, their actions and sacrifice became meaningless and worthless to the rest of the community because they could not inspire others to join them in the rebellion against the government.
The highlight of the struggle for democracy in the country was the selfless acts of the revolutionaries. Most of the revolutionaries and freedom fighters that were captured by the authorities willingly accepted their punishment even when they were sent to the gallows. They believed that through their deaths, the rest of the community would achieve the freedom they desired. As Lu Xun points out regarding one of the revolutionaries, “The rogue didn’t want to live, simply didn’t want to (35)! This demonstrates that the revolutionaries chose rebellion and death willingly. However, the revolution itself was largely undermined by the rest of the community. Most of the people at the time did not fully comprehend the magnitude of the task at hand to deliver the community from repressive leadership (Lu, 2011). For most people, the revolutionaries had chosen the path of death and personal sacrifice, and nobody was to blame for their plight. A majority of the people were unwilling to take part in the revolution. On the contrary, they waited for the revolutionaries to be executed so they could scramble for their belonging. Accordin...