Saboteur

Malepeai 1

Magdalene Malepeai

Keith Nunokawa

Expository Writing

06 September 2011

Weekly Response #3

If you ever wanted to get revenge on people who have wronged you, then you may be able to relate to Mr. Chiu, the main character in the short story "Saboteur" by Ha Jin. Mr. Chiu's revenge is ironic as the conflicts he finds himself in throughout the story.

Mr. Chiu is eating lunch with his bride in the square near Muji Train Station. His two-week honeymoon is coming to an end. He is concerned about his acute hepatitis that he had suffered from three months earlier and is afraid of a relapse. A policeman throws tea in their direction while they eat. Their feet get wet and an altercation begins and Mr. Chiu is unjustly arrested. He asks his wife to catch their train and have someone get him if he does not return by tomorrow.

In Saboteur, the story takes place in communist China as witnessed by the concrete statue of Chairman Mao in the middle of the square. During this period, the communist leader Mao Zedong was ruling with authority and transforming the society based on a Marxist model. The author states that "the Cultural Revolution was over already and recently the party had been propagating the idea that all citizens are equal

He was arrested for sabotage but the police show some prejudices against him for being a Communist Party member. Mr. Chiu refuses to acknowledge guilt and proclaims his innocence. While in jail, he asks a guard to provide him with medical attention for fear that his hepatitis has flared up again. He warns them that they will be responsible if anything were to happen to him. The guard does not heed his warnings or his concerns. Mr. Chiu is terrified of the bugs, but is amazed to find that he doesn't miss his wife a lot. He made up his mind that when he got out he would write about his experience and expose the police force. He remained in jail throughout the weekend. Monday morning, Mr. Chiu spots Fenjin tied in the courtyard of the jail.

Mr. Chiu realizes that Fenjin was the rescuer sent by his bride and because he had called the chief a bad name was subjected to a punishment. In return for the release of Fenjin and himself, Mr. Chiu signed a statement acknowledging his "crime" and promises to never do it again. When the two men were released, Mr. Chiu and Fenjin eat at several restaurants near the jail, eating no more than two bowls at any of them. Mr. Chiu keeps wishing he could kill all of his punishers. Within a month, over 800 people contracted acute hepatitis. Six died, including two children.