“Kong Yiji” and Ah-Q- The Real Story A Study in...

Zhou Shuren, better known by the pen name Lu Xun is generally regarded as the father of modern Chinese literature and was thought by many to have his finger on the pulse of the nation’s conscience. His early notoriety was achieved as a result of his short works of fiction which were often satirical, sometimes humorous, and at times very gloomy (â€Å"Lu Xun†). Lu Xun was a mindful of his art and labored over his stories to eliminate unnecessary detail, yet they are filled with rich characters, interesting plot lines, vivid imagery, and strong themes. â€Å"It can be argued that in the overall output of Lu Xun’s writings his twenty-five short stories constitute a rather slim volume. But is should also be noted that, given the relatively brief†¦show more content†¦However, the similarity in the two characters does not end with their names, as Lu Xun uses similar methods of characterization to reveal the two characters to the reader. In both stories L u Xun develops the two protagonists through direct comment from the narrator, the actions and speech of the main characters, and the speech and actions of other characters in the stories. Neither of them was respected in their communities, and both characters were somewhat tragic, although they fail to garner sympathy from the reader. Kong Yiji fits in with neither the gentry nor the country peasants and was caught somewhere in the middle. Ah-Q was from the peasant class and was a common thief who was ridiculed and despised in his village. Both characters are the brunt of many jokes, but both seem to be in denial about their own status. In â€Å"Kong Yiji,† Lu Xun gives the reader plenty of comment from the narrator about Kong Yiji. Speaking of Kong Yiji he states, â€Å"At times like this, even I could join in the laughter without having the boss get after me. Besides, the boss himself would often pull Kong’s leg just to get his customers in a good mood† (Lu Xun 45). And in the end when we learn of Kong Yiji’s fate, the narrator shares with his thoughts again, â€Å"The New Year soon rolled around, but there was still no sign of Kong Yiji. I guess he really did die† (Lu Xun 48). The narrator, who was a lowly waiter, indicates that Kong Yiji was of such little