Luo’s ethical experience of growth in Mo Yan’s pow!

Abstract

In his article “Luo’s Ethical Experience of Growth in Mo Yan’s Pow!” Zhenzhao Nie examines the protagonist’s experience of self-discovery in the process of natural to ethical choice. Nie’s analysis of the novel rests on the theoretical framework “ethical literary criticism” he developed. In the novel Luo’s life is narrated in retrospect when he is attempting to become the disciple of a monk and although Luo does not find what he is searching for in religion, he arrives at a new stage in his life which is based on ethical principles. The young Luo is unable to make ethical choices as his decisions stem from his “animal factor.” His craving of meat is a metaphor of the novel for materialism. Towards the end of the narrative, Luo’s attempts at firing mortar shells are a symbolic gesture of breaking away from the past and of beginning a new life.