Kong Yiji -- a Problematic \"Hero\" Kong

Kong Yiji -- a Problematic "Hero"

Kong Yiji is a problematic hero for many reasons -- but primarily because he is introduced and fleshed out as a foolish character rather than as a heroic one. He is somewhat unintelligible in his speech, is the laughing stock of the tavern, stands out in his dirty long-gown like a sore thumb among the short-gowned customers, always has new scars on his face from a recent beating for stealing, and is known by the unflattering nickname "Yiji." Kong Yiji possesses none of the inherent greatness or goodness that traditionally accompanies heroic figures; although he is sympathetic, he is more pitiful than great, and closer to the modern conception of the anti-hero than the classical hero. This paper will explain why Kong Yiji is a problematic hero by focusing on these points.

Kong Yiji is a failed scholar, a man without self-respect, who still attempts to wear a veneer of respectability (the long gown, for example -- a sign of upper class status). But even the veneer is in tatters and fools no one. Kong Yiji, rather than embodying nobility or even Ability, represents a particular social ill -- the ambition on the part of "lifelong" students to achieve materialistic success and status without ever laying the groundwork for spiritual or intellectual success. Kong Yiji is not interested in bettering himself on these latter points, but rather in being seen as a man of importance -- which he clearly is not.

As the narrator of the story observes, "Kong Yiji had studied the classics but never passed the official examinations" (Lu Xun 97). Part of the reason for his failure to advance academically can be guessed from Kong Yiji's "love of tippling" (97), which causes him to disappear from whatever employment he has received, taking all the materials his employer had provided him to do the job.

Still, Kong Yiji has his pride. He refuses to admit that he has been beaten for stealing but rather for being a scholar -- and a scholar must have books. The irony is that Kong Yiji's knowledge is archaic, founded on pride rather than relevance. When he tries to teach the narrator a lesson, he is ignored: he serves no purpose and interests no one except when as the butt of some joke.

However, Kong Yiji is surely a sympathetic character, as is illustrated in the end of the short story. His legs are broken for stealing from the wrong sort of man and he must ask for his wine from the floor of the tavern. His long gown is no longer worn: he appears as he is -- a poor, crippled beggar. Nonetheless, he refuses to admit that he is one and asserts that he broke his legs by falling. He still has his pride and his eyes beg that the matter be dropped -- if only to spare the one thing he still possesses, a sense of dignity.