Essay Questions

Which three themes are predominant in the Red Sorghum (Novel) by Mo Yan?

The first progressive theme that manifests itself in the novel is the moral justice, which is brought about by the balance of the opposites. The moral justice theme is supported by the principled judgments rather than by a sagacity of Daoist equilibrium. The second theme is the family respect and disgrace. The speaker retells the story of how his uncle was brutally skinned to death. He is trying to come up with a way on how to explain the story of his uncle because the experience was traumatizing. Arhat arrest and torture were shameful experiences for the family. However, in the alternating stories, Arhat is viewed as a saint and martyr who sacrificed for his family thus bringing honor. The third theme is the catastrophic course of life. When the grandson visits, the grandparents pass away. He notices the red sorghum choking new flowers, which symbolizes the continuity of life. The reader understands that no matter how painful death can be, life has to continue.

Why is Uncle Arhat captured and tortured by the Japanese and how is he described in different intermittent stories?

The Japanese accuse Arhat of treason. After arresting him, they torture him and skin him alive. The story of Arhat reoccurs in different versions. At some point, he is considered a saint and a martyr. He is also portrayed as a stupid person who is disrespected. In the alternating stories, Commander Yu describes Arhat as an individual with balanced acts of evil and good.

Using two examples, demonstrate how Mo Yan uses the literary device irony.

The author uses irony to contradict the expectations of the reader, which makes his work more appealing and attractive. Mo Yan starts by using the character Commander Yu to bring out the irony of the human character. As the novel commences, the reader has the perception that any human being can be a hero. As the story progress, it becomes ironic that human beings are multifaceted. For instance, Commander Yu is viewed as both superior and malevolent an indication that purity is less significant than balance. Secondly, the author uses the unnamed speaker to fetch out the irony of the unmasked speaker. Throughout the novel, the speaker’s name has not been revealed. It is ironic for the reader to go through the entire novel without knowing the name of the speaker.