Ah Q Sparknotes

“The story of Ah Q” by Lu Xun is a historical fiction written during the period of the Xin Hai Revolution. Sun Zhong Shan and other knowledgeable people trying to save China from corruption. The protagonist Ah Q is a peasant who possessed the lowest social status in Qing dynasty. The low social status deprived his name despite the fact that Ah Q is a “good worker”. Ah Q wants to be one of the revolutionaries to revenge the Chao’s family who had the greatest power in Weichuang village. However, the dream did not come true, before he truly understood the meaning of being a revolutionary, he was executed as a scapegoat. Ah Q’s life reflected workers’ true lives in Qing dynasty. In the novel, the protagonist Ah Q mirrors the feudal China. Lu Xun’s
intention of writing this novel is to criticize the psychology victory with the hope to wake people up.
Ah Q is well-known for his psychological victory. Whenever he was beaten, he convinced himself that he was beaten by his son, the thought appeased him and even made him happy. With a long sigh, Ah Q forgot the sad past and look forward. Psychological victory is a way to escape from reality and avoid the real problem. By comforting to himself in this way, Ah Q undergoes a circular flow which would repeat over and over again. The novel lists an example of the steam fish. Ah Q is arrogant, he disagreed with how town people steam fish with shredded scallion because it was different from how village people cook fish. At the same time, he despised village people because they had never seen the way town people cook fish. Same situation applied to feudal China as a whole, the government did not accept new technologies from western countries, the rooted Confucianism idea taught them to learn from the past and make no improvement. Therefore, China refused any new ideas, new technologies, stepping on the same spot while other western countries rose. The Manchu government also despised the people in China, the people who they were ruling. The Manchus government laughed at Han Chinese, limited their job positions, deprived their national spirit. The Manchu had never thought to unite China as a whole other than enjoying Manchus’ superior position to gain power and control Han Chinese.
On the other hand, Ah Q is also coward. Bully the weak and fear the strong becomes Ah Q’s main characteristic. When he encountered Whisker Wang who he despised, he provoked a fight. But as the circumstance reversed, Ah Q lowered himself and beg for mercy. After being defeated in opium wars, several unfair treaties have been made which forced China to cover the entire costs of the wars for all countries involved. Lacking of a strong army and the ability to defense itself, China had to do everything it can to keep its safety from western countries. China gave up lands to other countries, paid for wars, hoping to secure its status as an exchange. China accepted the exploitation. Cowardice came into play, the empress Cixi and other Manchu government officials kept thinking everything will return to the original point, China will go back to its prosperity. The ridiculous thought pushed China even further to destruction.
With no doubts “The Story of Ah Q” reveals the reality of people’s life.
As the story continues, some Chinese traditions have come alone. Confucianism, filial piety, and women status are expressed more or less. The story is taking place in this newly republic china, when China is still struggling on the road to be republic. Lu Xun doesn’t blame foreigners but rather Chinese people, the ignorant masses, corrupt officials, the self-indulgent, and the lack of compassion at every level. China doesn’t even know it is breaking apart. In this era, people’s life was worthless. Lu Xun is one of the revolutionaries, he used writings as his armour, hoping to wake people’s consciousness. There were no human rights under the rule of Manchus. Farm laborers as Ah Q have the lowest social status. He had no land, no house, the place he lived is in a temple. Being at the bottom of the social structure, Ah Q could not write nor read. He does not even know he was assigned death penalty until on the way to the execution
ground.
Ah Q wanted to be a revolutionary not because he wants to change anything at the moment, change the country’s current situation but to revenge.
The public was used to the old society, anyone who wants to change were seemed as rebellions. According to his thought, rebellions were bad, terrible, but power was gained through this way. H wanted to revenge the Chao’s family who punished him before and all the other people who treated him badly before. The incentive was ridiculous, like a child whose toy was stolen and wants revenge the people who took it from him. After coming back from the town, Ah Q illustrated the execution of the revolutionary vividly. Lamentably, he did not know the revolutionaries were killed because they want to liberate the poor from oppression, to provide them a better environment of living. Ah Q was proud to see the execution scene. It was miserable that the revolution idea cannot be understood by common people, those who lived at the lowest make fun of the execution. At the end, Ah Q was executed as a revolutionary although he was not. Lu Xun’s intention of writing this novel is hoping to wake people up from ignorance, to let more people understand the point of revolutionary. All the hard working revolutionaries had done will loose meaning if people don’t know what it is. People don’t know they were being saved, they don’t know these actions are related to their own lives. How tragic it is.
“The story of Ah Q” reveals the reality of society in Qing dynasty
that common people don’t have any rights. Ah Q’s psychological victory underlies Qing’s corruption. It is not the root to solve problems, rather a main reason of the destruction. Seeing people don’t understand the purpose of revolution is heartbreaking, it is Lu Xun’s hope that the society will be better, common people can understand the meaning of revolution and China can be saved from the corruption.