“New Year’s Sacrifice” by Lu Xun, which reveals the layers of oppression and pain that define the existence of Xianglin’s Wife, powerfully depicts the terrible reality of early 20th-century Chinese society. The story begins on New Year’s Eve in Luchen, Lu Xun’s hometown, and sets the tragic scene for a story about a lady whose life has been shaped by poverty, social expectations, and personal tragedy. From her first appearance as an obedient maidservant until her final plunge into poverty, Xianglin’s Wife, the protagonist, experiences several turbulent occurrences (Marxists Internet Archive, 2006). The narrative poses important concerns regarding the people and the structures that contributed to her bodily and spiritual devastation as well as the causes of her oppression. Based on an in-depth study of the text, this analysis seeks to disentangle the complex series of events that culminate in Xianglin’s Wife’s agony and eventual death.
The narrative of Sister Xianglin takes place in the context of social conventions, financial limitations, and individual calamities that combine to mold her terrible destiny. The enemy of poverty appears to be unrelenting, looming large over the affairs of Xianglin’s Wife. Though she is assigned difficult tasks and is initially presented as a conscientious and competent maidservant, her employers view her as little more than an economic asset. Even with her commitment and diligence, she continues to experience economic exploitation daily. Throughout the story, it is mentioned that despite her hard effort and accomplishment of duties usually done by males, she only receives five hundred cash per month in pay. She is at the mercy of her employers, who profit from her labor but do not see her as a distinct individual with wants and goals, because of her economic weakness.
Xianglin’s wife’s misery is exacerbated by the stifling influence of social expectations. She was first turned down by potential employment because of the conservative views that are common in Luchen, which stigmatize her as a widow. Because Xianglin’s wife had to endure a difficult job search because of her marital status, Lu Xun gently criticizes the customary discrimination against widows. She also faces censure and exclusion from society as a result of the growing contempt from society after her second marriage. In addition to dictating Xianglin’s Wife’s job as a maidservant and criticizing her for pursuing marriage as a means of achieving personal pleasure, the novel exposes the hypocrisy inherent in societal conventions. With her kidnapping and forced second marriage, the tragic course of Xianglin’s Wife’s life takes a terrible turn. Her horrific battle against this coercion is described in detail throughout the narrative, which highlights her fortitude and defiance of social norms. She tries to back out of the planned marriage, but her agency is forcefully suppressed, exposing the harsh power dynamics at work. According to the story, her brother-in-law and the go-betweens were among the people who encouraged her to be victimized. The frantic attempt by Xianglin’s Wife to survive the forced marriage results in a serious head injury, severely undermining her autonomy.
The religious and supernatural aspects of the narrative, in addition to economic exploitation and social conventions, add to the spiritual suffering of Xianglin’s Wife. A new layer of superstitious beliefs is added to her psychological load by Liu Ma’s dire suggestion, which urges her to buy a threshold to atone for her transgressions. She is more mentally distressed because of the pressure to follow religious tenets and the worry about facing spiritual repercussions. A cycle of pain and hopelessness is imposed upon Xianglin’s Wife as her resistance and vitality are destroyed by this complex oppression, which has social, cultural, and spiritual roots. Xianglin’s Wife was not specifically killed by a single outside force or entity in the story (Lee, 2012). Rather, her downfall is the result of a combination of the harsh compulsion into an arranged marriage, as well as social and financial constraints, which finally killed her.
A deep feeling of empathy and annoyance arises when one considers Sister Xianglin’s moving trip. With its emphasis on the systemic oppression ingrained in cultural norms and economic systems, the novel speaks to the terrible reality faced by women in early 20th-century China. It is heartbreaking and irritating to see Xianglin’s Wife fight against societal prejudice, poverty, and the coercive forces that determined her fate. Her anguish is revealed to be significantly influenced by the traditional Confucian idea of virginity. She is not only rejected by employers at first but also encounters social contempt when she remarries because of the firmly embedded standards of feminine purity and widowhood. This illustrates how cultural conventions may be oppressive, with women like Xianglin’s Wife falling prey to a strict moral code that puts society’s demands ahead of personal fulfillment.
Xianglin’s Wife’s surroundings also cause a complicated emotional reaction in others. Her employers continue to exploit her economically even though they profit from her labor and show no regard for her humanity. Her brother-in-law and the go-betweens, who helped arrange her forced marriages, are prime examples of the abuse and treachery she experiences even from her own family. The town’s collective indifference and silence in the face of her suffering are a reflection of the larger cultural apathy that permits such atrocities to continue. The religious and superstitious components, which are represented by Liu Ma’s counsel and the threshold’s purchase, provide another level of intricacy to the story. The fear-based customs enforced on Xianglin’s Wife highlight people’s need to make their way through a world that doesn’t appear to provide much justice or compassion. These elements emphasize the complexity of her pain and intensify the emotional reaction.
When one considers the experience of Xianglin’s Wife, they are forced to face not only the tragedy of a single life but also the larger societal institutions that support this kind of misery. As a result, the emotional response goes beyond simple pity for a fictional character and involves a critical analysis of the cultural and historical context of her struggles. The intricate relationship between religious convictions, cultural standards, and economic exploitation reveals a web of oppression that necessitates reflection and questions popular conceptions of gender, tradition, and power relations.
The tragic story of Xianglin’s Wife resonates with current challenges in Chinese culture and beyond because it depicts themes of economic exploitation, societal prejudices, and gender-based oppression. Economic inequality still exists in the modern world, and weaker people are frequently the targets of many types of exploitation. Xianglin’s Wife’s financial struggles are reflected in the predominance of low-wage labor, insufficient workers’ rights, and unequal prospects. Moreover, women’s experiences are still shaped by society’s expectations and norms, notwithstanding these changes (United Way NCA, 2023). Women still face obstacles in their careers, in society expectations, and in the maintenance of traditional gender roles due to gender biases, which exist in both overt and covert forms despite achievements.
The problems of Xianglin’s Wife are universally highlighted by the analogies between the dynamics presented in the novel and worldwide circumstances. Narratives of coerced marriages prejudiced societal expectations, and the acquiescence of spectators goes beyond specific historical periods or geographic locations (Wane et al., 2013). A powerful reminder of the long-lasting effects of systematic oppression on people is provided by the story. Despite the time and place constraints of Lu Xun’s story, the interaction of economic, social, and cultural forces is portrayed in Xianglin’s Wife’s trip, which invites contemplation on the ongoing struggles underprivileged people confront in the modern world.
References
Lee, H. (2012). Woman, Sacrifice, and the Limits of Sympathy. ResearchGate, 6(2), 184–197. https://doi.org/10.3868/s010-001-012-0011-1
Marxists Internet Archive. (2006). The New Year’s Sacrifice. Www.marxists.org. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lu-xun/1924/02/07.htm
United Way NCA. (2023, May 19). Gender Roles & Gender Norms: Definition & Examples. United Way NCA. https://unitedwaynca.org/blog/gender-norms/
Wane, N., Jagire, J., & Murad, Z. (2013). Ruptures: anti-colonial & anti-racist feminist theorizing. Sense.
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