New Woman Analysis

Individualism as the Downfall of Revolution Revolution, by definition, is the creation of massive, world-altering change. It embodies the crumbling of old morals, traditions, habits, technology, and hierarchies. In the era of the May Fourth Movement in China, this was no less the case; revolutionaries sought an enormous paradigm shift, especially in terms of China’s culture and values. This is expressed clearly in the literature and film of the era, through creators such as Lu Xun and Cai Chusheng. However, the works of these authors reflect a troubling theme of the crusade against tradition, wherein the revolutionary protagonists meet with sparse sympathy and even less success. The failure of revolutionaries in the works of Lu Xun and Cai Chusheng exposes the conflict between the individualist nature of the May Fourth …show more content…
A Madman’s Diary leaves the audience with the knowledge that the madman has rejoined the ‘cannibals’ and pretends to be none the wiser, because he could not convince anyone, even his brother, to abandon the barbaric tradition. In New Woman, Wei Ming commits suicide, and her legacy is both literally and metaphorically stamped on by the uncaring masses; Tzu-chun leaves Chuan-sheng and later dies, and Chuan-sheng is reabsorbed into the apathetic majority as a consequence of his apathy toward Tzu-chun. Rarely do the protagonists accomplish anything positive, and when this does occur, it is generally temporary, later reversed or negated by other events, such as Wei Ming’s novel being overshadowed by her suicide. The truth in Lu Xun’s short stories as well as New Woman is that taken individually, the revolution cannot make great progress, and in some ways is held back by occurring in