Analysis Of A Modern China Family English Literature Essay

Analysis Of A Modern China Family English Literature Essay Pa Chin’s Family is a historical, semi-autobiographical narrative of the hardships endured by the members of an aristocratic family during the massive transformation in Chinese social and political order that took place during the early 20th century. The central conflict that is embodied in the novel is the inability of the individuals portrayed in the narrative to move past the often oppressive traditional social constructs that prevent them from moving forward in light of the new revolutionary paradigm that was sweeping the country. Three brothers, Chueh-hui, Chueh-min and Chueh-hsin, are the central figures in this narrative, and the struggle to balance the responsibilities imposed upon them by the traditional order and their desire for radical change defines the essential subject matter of the novel. These conflicting desires tear them apart and force them to either adapt or be left in the past. The work embodies the voice of a nation that was steeped in contradiction, an d demonstrates throughout its passages strong underlying themes of societal disillusionment and unrest. By offering a unique insight into the most personal aspects of life during this tumultuous period of Chinese history, Family offers the historian a critical perspective on the psychological underpinnings of a society undergoing fundamental changes in structure. The increasingly pronounced dichotomy between old and new is critical to the understanding of the narrative in this story. This is represented at numerous avenues, but is revealed most blatantly in a sequence where Chueh-hui’s ponders upon his grandfather’s sleeping body and through careful analysis comes to the realization that the old man ultimately represents â€Å"not his grandfather, but an entire generation† and that he himself was similarly the representative of his own generation. Reflecting further upon this observation leads him to the conclusion that â€Å"they could never see eye-to-eyeâ₠¬ . (Chin 64). This conclusion is important, and foreshadows the inability of China to reconcile the two radically divergent world-views; there would be an ultimate clash between traditionalism and socialist progressivism that tears apart not only the country, but all the bonds that are held within. This antagonism between the old and the new similarly crosses historical lines, with historical texts demonstrating a fundamental disconnect between the traditional constructs that served as the guidance of China’s actions on the world stage for generations and a powerful need for reform that threatened to sweep away these traditional systems. In Madame Sun Yat-Sen’s public address concerning the political left, she opens with the following: â€Å"if China is to survive as an independent country in the modern struggle of nations, her semi- feudal conditions of life must be fundamentally changed and a modern state created to replace the medieval system which has existed fo r more than a thousand years. This task needs to be done by the method of revolution† (Cheng & Lestz 267). Statements such as these reflect a growing animosity towards traditional social constructs, in this instance painting them as â€Å"medieval†. This attitude is indicative of an unwillingness to compromise with the past in order to move forward – it must be burned away to make room for the new.