Essay Plans Flashcards
Tietou as a victim
- He loses everyone
- He suffers at the hands of the Party
- He loses his innocence
Shujuan as a victim
- She loses everyone close to her
- She can’t live the life she wants
- She struggles to raise a child and tries to keep the family together
Shaolong as a victim
- His relationship with Tietou is influenced
- He gets sent to the labour camp, betrayed by his friends and dies
Guodong as a victim
- He betrays his friend
- He undergoes psychological manipulation
- He dies from liver problems due to malnourishment
Lao Wu as a victim
- He loses the stability of his job
- He loses the safety of his home and is a direct victim of the Red Guards
Lao Wu and Tietou’s relationship
Tietou is cold with Laowu at first
Plays a practical role in Tietou’s life
Mrs Lan as a victim
- A target of the party due to social status
- Her home has been impacted
- She is forced to conform to the blue workers outfit
Shusheng as a victim
- Shusheng loses his eyesight/ health deteriorates
- Relationship with Zhuying is affected
Zhu Ying as a victim
- Zhu Ying loses her job and can’t pursue her interests
- She is sent to prison
- Relationship with Shusheng is affected
Shujuan as a victim introduction/conclusion
Throughout the film, we realise Shujuan’s strength of character as, despite losing everyone close to her, she manages to carry on and continue life as normal for example after Shaolong’s death, she goes out to shovel the coal in winter - doing the jobs that Shaolong would have done.
Shaolong as a victim introduction/conclusion
- Shaolong is Shujuan’s first husband, and Tietou’s first father figure. He is Shujuan’s only husband who she actually loves. He is a victim of the Party, as he is labelled a rightist, and is subsequently sent to do manual labour.
- Shaolong is the first main character to succumb the Party’s brutal policies, and represents the effect the hundred flowers campaign had on Chinese people.
Guodong as a victim introduction/conclusion
- He provided for the family and supported Shujuan when she was recovering from Shaolong’s death.
- His character demonstrates how the party psychologically manipulates its citizens as he blames himself for Shaolong’s death.
- His death is also indirectly caused by the Great Leap Forward and the poor living conditions that he had to endure, and this perhaps also reflects the deterioration in his mental well-being – he is transformed from a content man to someone who is extremely guild-ridden.
Lao Wu as a victim introduction/conclusion
Lao Wu’s position as an intellectual becomes increasingly threatened and he divorces Shujuan. Lao Wu’s character in the film highlights the innocent people who are killed during the cultural revolution
Lao Wu and Tietou’s relationship introduction/conclusion
Lao Wu plays a practical role in Tietou’s life. This is seen when Shujuan marries him to ensure her son has a better life. At first their relationship is rocky, but towards the end their relationship develops. However, Tietou has another father figure taken away from him yet again as Lao Wu becomes a victim
Mrs Lan as a victim introduction/conclusion
Mrs Lan is the courtyard landlade and is an example of an innocent citizen who has become a target of the Party. Despite having amicable relationships with the community, she is regarded as an intellectual and due to her high social status, the community chief tries to turn the community against her.
Shusheng introduction/conclusion
Shusheng is a member of the party. Due to his worsening eyesight he offers an interesting perspective into the workings of the CCP and helps to guide the other characters and maintain their morals.
Shuyan as a victim introduction/conclusion
Shuyan is an art student who gets sent away to forced labour camps for criticising the Party during the Hundreds Flower Campaign. Shuyan is in the film to represent one of the many innocent people penalised (tortured and even killed) for following Mao’s order to give criticism to the Party.
Shuyan as a victim
- He can’t be an artist anymore
- He’s rejected by society
- His relationship with older sister is bad
- He can’t marry his girlfriend since she doesn’t fit the ideal standards of a wife