Son of the Revolution
"Son of the Revolution"
Liang Heng and Judith Shapiro's "Son of the Revolution" is a comprehensive story of Liang Heng's life on growing up during the chaotic times of the Chinese revolution. The purpose of this novel was to depict the horrors and hardships of life during the revolution period in china during Mao Zedong's reign. In the beginning of the book, the author portrays that news and ideologies always stated that the government was working for the good of the people of the country. However, as the book unfolds the author reveals that the government is actually exploiting the people through misuse of people's trust. The book also provides insights into the Chinese life during the period of 1954-1978. This 24 year period saw major political movement and aspects of Mao Zedong's thoughts and its influence on people. The personal effects of these historical movements coincide directly with the Liang family providing stirring details through the eyes of a person that went through the actual horrific events. This essay will focus on some historical central issues of the book from the period when the first campaign against rightist occurred in 1957 to the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" in 1966. The role of family, influence of relationships in marriage and divorce, the power of Mao Thought, and the major political reforms that took place in the period depicted in the novel will be discussed.
The lack of structure in Liang Heng's family was apparent throughout the story. Political turmoil, loyalty to parties, the reforms, and escapism from political turmoil tore the family apart. During the time of the "Hundred Flowers Campaign", in 1957, Mao Zedong and his party urged intellectuals to speak out and criticize the party's drawbacks. Liang Heng's mother was one of the people involved in criticizing the party and criticized her bosses for elitism and abuse of power. Eventually, the campaign turned into an "Anti-Rightist Movement" and Heng's mother was
Liang Heng and Judith Shapiro's "Son of the Revolution" is a comprehensive story of Liang Heng's life on growing up during the chaotic times of the Chinese revolution. The purpose of this novel was to depict the horrors and hardships of life during the revolution period in china during Mao Zedong's reign. In the beginning of the book, the author portrays that news and ideologies always stated that the government was working for the good of the people of the country. However, as the book unfolds the author reveals that the government is actually exploiting the people through misuse of people's trust. The book also provides insights into the Chinese life during the period of 1954-1978. This 24 year period saw major political movement and aspects of Mao Zedong's thoughts and its influence on people. The personal effects of these historical movements coincide directly with the Liang family providing stirring details through the eyes of a person that went through the actual horrific events. This essay will focus on some historical central issues of the book from the period when the first campaign against rightist occurred in 1957 to the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" in 1966. The role of family, influence of relationships in marriage and divorce, the power of Mao Thought, and the major political reforms that took place in the period depicted in the novel will be discussed.
The lack of structure in Liang Heng's family was apparent throughout the story. Political turmoil, loyalty to parties, the reforms, and escapism from political turmoil tore the family apart. During the time of the "Hundred Flowers Campaign", in 1957, Mao Zedong and his party urged intellectuals to speak out and criticize the party's drawbacks. Liang Heng's mother was one of the people involved in criticizing the party and criticized her bosses for elitism and abuse of power. Eventually, the campaign turned into an "Anti-Rightist Movement" and Heng's mother was