Ha Jin, the author of Saboteur, represents the nature of state authorities in communist China after the cultural revolution. Mr. Chiu, the protagonist, was illegally arrested. He was tortured and pressurized. The story selected for the 1997 edition of the best American short stories series. The tone of the story shows inequality, cruelty, and frustration.
The story begins with atrocities done by some police personnel in a cafe. Instead of apologizing for his actions, the police unjustly arrested Mr. Chiu and pressurized him to accept the false charges. Ha Jin criticizes ideals set by the cultural revolution of communist China like equality before the law, through his description of the unjust detention of Mr. Chiu.
Police misbehaved with Mr. Chiu in custody. He and his lawyer don't treat in a decent and respected manner. The illness of Mr. Chiu and the misbehavior done by police even in illness shows the unsympathetic attitude of the authority towards its citizens. The behavior of the Police Chief shows the autocratic manner of treating a civilian.
This misbehavior provokes Mr. Chiu to choose the wrong path of taking revenge from communist domination. He intentionally decides to spread the contagious disease of hepatitis among innocent people. Mr. Chiu was a kind-hearted person. He has a decent married life in which he is happy. He was on his honeymoon when the incident took place. The episode compels him to do something disastrous because his beliefs are compromised.
The story tells about the failure of the communist state of providing equality. Egalitarianism is the basic element of communist principles. All the Citizen is equal and equal treatment will be given, but the ideals are theoretical, their practical implementation doesn't exist. The story shows how a common man is harassed in the communist state.
