A Study On The Revenge Stories Of Water Margin

According to the my collected statistics,Water Margin(from the version of Rong and Tang)totally has fifty-three revenge stories,averaging less than one in two.All these revenge stories play a very important role in the characterization of characters,plot arrangements,narrative techniques and expressions of thoughts and emotions in the works.From the original intention and purpose of revenge,the types of revenge stories in Water Margin can be divided into blood revenge,chivalous revenge and revenge for oneself,among which revenge for oneself includes revenge for the interests or grievances of gangs in addition to revenge for one’s own interests or grievances.This is related to the fact that the heroes in these works are mostly attached to a certain gang.So when the gang’s interests are damaged,the heroes rise up to take revenge for the gang.The reasons for the existence of so many revenge stories in Water Margin are complex.First of all,the generation of blood revenge stories is closely related to the concept of family consanguinity in traditional Chinese society,which means it’s an obligatory responsibility of individuals to revenge for relatives.Confucianism,which has long occupied the dominant position of social ideology,also strongly advocates revenge for blood relatives.The stories of chivalry and revenge are related to the traditional chivalry spirit.Liangshan heroes uphold the chivalry spirit,help in distress,and defend justice and revenge.Revenge for oneself is the instinct of human beings to protect their dignity,interests and life.Revenge for gangs,naturally they will be desperate to protect the interests of gangs,is mainly because the heroes attached to gangs in order to safeguard their own interests.Secondly,literature is a product of The Times,and to explore the causes of revenge stories needs to connect with the social background at that time.The political background of the novel was dark and corrupt in the late Northern Song Dynasty,and the author Shi Nai’an was in the late Yuan Dynasty,which is also full of contradictions.All these provide the breeding ground for the revenge stories of The Water Margin.Finally,the act of revenge is closely related to the law.In general,revenge would be strictly prohibited by law,but the law enforcement officials infected with Confucian thought often gave leniency to the act of revenge.Revenge stories play multiple literary roles in the Water Margin,such as intensifying conflicts,highlighting characters and promoting structure.Revenge stories contain the contest between good and evil,revealing the beauty and ugliness of human nature.In the revenge stories,the author exposed the dark injustice of the society,and the spirit of Liangshan heroes who dared to fight against the injustice gave spiritual comfort to the people at that time and the readers of later generations.However,heroes often overkill in the process of revenge,and the revenge scene is bloody and cruel,which induces few readers’ violent anger.