In the short story, “New Year’s Sacrifice,” Lu Xun reflected upon feudal oppression on lower class women, the cruelty of landowner due to traditional ethics and rites. Supposedly, the New Year’s sacrifice is to bring good fortune and blessing to people alive, all the people in the village or family will come together and prepare for this rite, however, it becomes sarcasm as used in the title.
I found similarity between this short story and U.S slavery history, Hsiang Lin’s Wife is the slave, and her mother-in-law is the slave dealer, selling her for money and treating her as a tool. As I look deeper into the story, I understand that all people besides the narrator are the slaves of feudalistic thoughts and opinions. The murder of Hsiang Lin’s Wife is the isolation and rejection from the aunt’s family because of her misfortune experience brings the “disgrace to sacrifice” in the feudal beliefs. Being able to help during New Year’s sacrifice means the acceptance to become a part of the family, no matter in what kind of position they are, the warmth could be felt. The abandonment of the Narrator’s uncle family blows off the living hope and warmth, and the society mentally and verbally oppresses a misfortunate woman to the end of life.
“Wrapped in this medley of sound, relaxed and at ease, the doubt which had preyed on me from dawn to early night was swept clean away by the atmosphere of celebration, and I felt only that the saints of heaven and earth had accepted the sacrifice and incense and were all reeling with intoxication in the sky, preparing to give the people of Luchen boundless good fortune.”
— “New Year’s Sacrifice” by Lu Xun
In this short story, the author, Lu Xun criticizes the traditional, feudal ideas, they are like the “intoxication” reel the people and becloud the humanity in the society. The “boundless good fortune” is sarcasm, people rather believe the unreal and abstract concept than caring about a real person, they start to forget a meaningful purpose of sacrifice, “unity” of family and Luzhen, a community.