Cannibalism is a main clue thourghout the story. The madman thinks everyone else is trying to eat him, every social conduct is a part of cannibalism. “The meanest looking one of all….ready to strike.” From stanza 2. People smile at each other just to be polite as we still do today; it’s a normal social protocol. But madman sees it as they’re pretending smiling at him to hide the evil plan.
“Havent seen it in over thirty years….I know now that I’ve been completely out of things for the last three decades…… I’ve got good reason for my fears.” Who did he see? What did they say? Why does he feel that way? Why is the dog mentioned? What is he scared of? We dont know and he did not mention. In the first stanza, madman’s reasoning is so disconnected and ridiculous. All I could imagine was how crazy was this man? Was he beyond cure?
In stanza three, “But scrawled this easy and that across every page were the words BENEVOLENCE, Righteousness, and MORALITY….fill with a single phrase: eat people.” Until this moment, Luxun make it clear that it is the feudal code of ethics ordered people to eat each other. Madman is going to be a victim under the feudal system.
