Red Sorghum and Yellow River

I just finished Red Sorghum and I all I can say is I feel like I was impalled by a bayonet myself.  There was so much bloodshed (I bet that is what it was like during the Japanese War) that in many instances I had a hard time reading it.  However, quite a few things caught my attention in the book.  There is a scene in which Commander Yu is speaking to Five Troubles, a member of the Iron Society, about which the Nationalists and the Communists.  Both men believe that neither political group is a good one.  In fact, Five Troubles wants to reinstate an emperor because he believed that China continually flourished under one.  As a writer from the Fifth Generation, I believe Mo Yan is speaking after the Cultural Revolution.  Considering the nationalist party was not successful in their attempts at controlling China and had to flee to Taiwan, and the immense failure of the Communist party during the Cultural Revolution, the author is showing that many people did not care about either party.  The War over Japan was a uniting factor for many people, and Mao used it in his “Talks at Yan’an” as a uniting factor that artists should represent when making their art.  

Another interesting scene is at the very end, when the Communist Party is in control, I believe at some point during The Great Leap Foward, and one of the War veterans survived being bayoneted 18 times, but dies of hunger because he was not allowed to receive any more rations of grain.   

Yellow River appears to be more blatant in its attempt in showing the goodness of the communist party, especially for women.  The daughter wants to escape her marriage by joining the army.  She believes that she will be of especially good help because she can sing and therefore, motivate the army in continuing their tasks. 

I am glad that I have a few ideas to run with for paper number 1 though!