Wu Dawang’s Competing Duties

Wu Dawang’s promises to his family, his desire for Liu Lian, and his military obligations produce a conflict that no single duty can resolve.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Family Oath

A Promise of Provision Career as responsibility Wu Dawang pledges that military achievement will give Zhao Ezi a city home, work, and a school for their son. He frames his ambition as an obligation to provide. Duty binds him The promise limits his choices well before he meets Liu Lian. The future he seeks is both personal aspiration and a debt owed to his family.

Service to the Commander

A Second Duty Political formula Wu Dawang is taught that serving the Commander and his family is service to the people. His private work is presented as a contribution to the wider revolutionary mission. A conflict concealed The slogan gives household obedience a public justification. It will later make the affair’s erotic meaning difficult to separate from the political duty imposed on him.

The Affair’s Moral Cost

Two Families at Once A divided life Wu Dawang gives himself to Liu Lian while sending money to Zhao Ezi and thinking about his son. He knows that the affair and his family obligations coexist uneasily. Self-justification The money lets him pursue the relationship with a lighter conscience, but the gesture does not repair the emotional distance from his wife. His actions complicate his claim to be acting from duty alone.

The Pregnancy Question

A Choice Proposed Direct questions Liu Lian asks whether Wu Dawang would fear a pregnancy, the Commander’s discovery, or divorce from Zhao Ezi. He answers that he would accept prison and eventually marry Liu Lian. Conditions remain He also says his wife and son must receive work, housing, and schooling. His promises reveal that he cannot imagine love without also settling the obligations that shaped his marriage.

A Choice Deferred

No Resolution at Home An emotional withdrawal Back in Wujiagou, Wu Dawang cannot resume intimacy with Zhao Ezi and continues to long for Liu Lian. His family duties do not overcome his attachment. Practical success, divided self The eventual city assignment addresses material promises, but the novel does not show him rebuilding a loving marriage. The conflict between provision and desire remains morally unresolved.

Before Wu Dawang’s wedding

At his appointment as orderly

During the affair’s second month

On the final night in the garden

After Wu Dawang leaves the division