“Diaries of A Madman”, by Lu Xun brought about strong emotions in me as I read it. My most prominent emotions were the feelings of sadness and guilt. Sadness when I put myself in the Elder brother’s place and guilt because I have been one of those green people with fangs. Although I hate to admit such a disgraceful and embarrassing fact, it is just that.
I can only imagine how the Elder brother must have felt watching, as his younger brothers mind slowly took him into a deeper and darker place. The Elder brother becomes the head of the house and then is thought of as a cannibal by his brother, who accuses him of joining the people who want to fatten him up so that they could eat him. Later on, the madman brother begins to “realize” that his brother and mother must have eaten their younger sister at the young age of 5 as well. Maybe even he too shared in the consumption of his sister’s flesh. Having to watch as his brother’s mind deteriorates, being able to do nothing except yell at the people who watch and laugh at him or keep him inside the house, having to hear his brother accuse him of wanting to eat him, these are some of the reasons why I felt sadness while reading the madman’s diary.
Guilt I felt, as mentioned before, because I have been one of the green fanged spectators. It’s not that I laughed at them necessarily, but I have looked upon them with uncertainty and uneasiness. Although I realize that it is not in their control to be any different, I cannot help but feel a sense of fear. Fear because I don’t know how they will react to certain situations or if they will suddenly erupt in anger, as I have observed previously. However, “Diaries of A Madman” helped me to better understand why people like the man who is always in the Starbucks across the street from the VC building sits there all day talking to himself, cursing up a storm. They have their own scenarios in their minds, as many people do. Just like everyone else. It is simply that they have these conversations with their minds outloud.
It was an experience reading Lu Xun’s writing. It was frightful how hearing news of how another village killed and ate a bad man spun out of control in the mind of the younger brother. How it went from people in the village smiling at him with expressions that look like innocent smiles, but with the look of hidden agendas at the same time, to starting to believe that the whole village, including his own brother, was conspiring to have a feast with him as the main dish. Makes you realize that the mind is both a wonderful and dangerous place.
I agree with your response to this Diary completely. I had a lot of emotions go through me as I was reading it but the most prominent was scared. It was shocking to me how someone’s mind can completely take over and change something like a polite smile into something else. I agree with your statement that the mind is both a wonderful and dangerous place. These diary passages let us see deep into this mans mind to a place that we may not want to be. This is a dark and scary place. I also agree that there have been times when I have been one of these green people with fangs, but now reading this I will definitely refrain. This passage truly shows how something you do during the day may be life altering to another. It is horrible to think that this man lived in fear that every person he knew was trying to eat him. This man lived in a prison of his mind where every person and animal he can in contact with was out to hurt him. I cannot even begin to imagine.