The True Story of Ah Q: Analysis of Major Characters
"The True Story of Ah Q" presents a poignant exploration of social dynamics and class struggles in early 20th-century China through its major characters. Ah Q, the protagonist, is a poor, homeless man whose attempts to navigate life in the village of Wei are met with ridicule and rejection, especially following a failed romantic proposition. His resilience and tendency to find solace in his imagination highlight the complexities of his character. The narrative juxtaposes him against other figures, such as Chao T'ai-yeh, a greedy squire who exploits Ah Q, and Pai Chü-jen, a well-educated gentry man whose misplaced trust leads to significant losses. Ch'ien Shao-yeh and Chao Mao-ts'ai represent the younger generation's conflicting ideologies, as they engage in revolutionary activities while also participating in acts of theft. Wu Ma, a maidservant, embodies the societal expectations of women, facing her own turmoil in response to Ah Q’s advances. The interplay between these characters reveals the broader themes of social hierarchy, personal failure, and the impact of societal change during a tumultuous historical period. Overall, the story invites readers to reflect on the human experience amidst shifting cultural landscapes.
The True Story of Ah Q: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Lu Xun
First published: Ah Q cheng-chuan, 1921 (serial); 1923 (book; English translation, 1927)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Wei, a village in China
Plot: Satire
Time: The early 1900's
Ah Q, an impoverished, homeless man in his late twenties who loafs around the village where he lives and earns his living by working at various odd jobs. Lean and weak, he has a bald spot on his head, a physical blemish caused by scabies that often makes him the butt of jokes among the people of the village of Wei. Whenever he suffers humiliation, however, he is always able to find solace and even triumph through his imagination. He leads a relatively quiet, though obscure and insignificant, life in the countryside until one day when the entire village rejects him as a result of his proposition to a maidservant, Wu Ma. Because of this incident, people avoid him and refuse to give him any work. To continue his livelihood, he leaves for the city. After returning to the village, he is later falsely accused of robbery and eventually is executed.
Chao T'ai-yeh, an influential country squire. Somewhat educated and in middle age, he is greedy and unkind, especially in his treatment of Ah Q, whom he sometimes employs for odd jobs. When the revolution of 1911 breaks out, he safeguards the money of Pai Chü-jen, a gentleman from the city. In the end, some people break into Chao's house and steal Pai's money. Chao has to pay a small fortune to the local official to clear his name so as to avoid being accused by Pai of swindling his money.
Pai Chü-jen, a well-educated man of the gentry class living in the city. After leaving the village of Wei, Ah Q serves in his house for a short period of time. Because of his uncertainty about the revolution, Pai sends some of his property to the Chao family for safekeeping when the revolutionaries enter the city. He becomes a high official in the city shortly after the revolution. To his chagrin, his property safeguarded by the Chao family is never retrieved.
Ch'ien Shao-yeh, also known as the Imitation Foreign Devil, a son of a gentry family in the village of Wei. Because of the loss of his queue while pursuing his studies away from home, he wears a false queue after his return to the village. Different from the other villagers, he studies in Western schools, first in a neighboring city, then later in Japan. His Western education causes him to support the revolution, in the name of which he, along with Chao T'ai-yeh's son, steals an antique incense burner from a Buddhist temple. When Ah Q expresses his interest in becoming a revolutionary, Ch'ien rudely rejects him.
Chao Mao-ts'ai, the son of the country squire, Chao T'ai-yeh. He beats Ah Q and chases him away after Ah Q proposes to sleep with Wu Ma. Later in the story, he becomes a revolutionary and, along with Ch'ien Shao-yeh, steals an antique incense burner from a local Buddhist temple in the name of the revolution.
Wu Ma, also called Amah Wu in some translations, the maidservant for the Chao family. She reacts violently to Ah Q's proposition and tries to hang herself to prove her chastity as a widow. On the day of Ah Q's execution, she appears in the watching crowd.
Ti Pao, the local policeman, who takes advantage of Ah Q's misfortunes by extorting money from him.
Hsiao Niku, a nun in the local Buddhist temple. Young and docile, she is the only one whom Ah Q can insult without fear of retaliation. Ironically, after maliciously pinching her face in public, Ah Q becomes conscious of his sexual desires, which lead to his proposition to Wu Ma.
Wang Lai-hu, another impoverished, homeless man of Ah Q's class, characterized by a full beard and scabs also caused by scabies. He insults Ah Q at the beginning of the story. After Ah Q returns from the city to the village of Wei, Wang regards him with awe because of his experience of living in the city.
Pa Tsong, the commander of the local troops, who has Ah Q arrested and eventually executed as a scapegoat for the theft of Pai's property.