— Anonymous
In my opinion, Lu Xun, “In the Wineshop” is indeed a great work. The author was able to convey a complex idea without the active participation of the narrator but through the use of a supporting character. “In the Wineshop”, depicts a scholar’s revisit of his hometown, only to find himself a stranger to the place. The only thing that remains familiar to him is an old wine house where he chanced upon a former colleague, Wei-fu. Despite the story being told through a first-person narrator, the majority of the plot involves Wei-fu who recounts his story to the narrator. Through Wei-fu’s perspective, we are given a glimpse into his past with the narrator. His accounts of the past involve pulling the beards off religious figures with the narrator and their declaration for a revolution. Supported by Wei-fu’s two tales, we’re able to complete the puzzle and restore the entire story. Both Wei-fu and the narrator are defectors of traditional Confucius teachings, they’ve shown defiance at an early age. As they grew, Wei-fu had given up on his dreams while the narrator continues to fulfill his. The narrator’s revisit was due to him being weary from trying to fulfill his dreams. He meets Wei-fu, a former colleague that shared the same dream, only to find him dispirited and lacking the ambition of the past. The Wei-fu that he once has known is gone and became the person that they once despised the most. Wei-fu’s change and submission to tradition did not dispirit the narrator but instead encouraged him to pursue his dreams for a revolution. Lu Xun, “In the Wineshop” is a great work because the author was able to cleverly hide a complex idea in a seamlessly flows of tales and flashbacks. “In the Wineshop” speaks of dreams versus reality and dreams if left unfulfilled.
