Accident, Choice, and Responsibility

Repeated accidents in the household become tests of responsibility, as the characters move from fear of punishment to deliberate acts with lasting consequences.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The First Misstep

Caution and Choice A boundary crossed Wu Dawang enters Liu Lian’s bedroom despite the Commander’s warning to avoid the upstairs rooms. He can tell himself he responds to a work request, but the choice is already his. Responsibility obscured His formal role gives him a reason to be present while his desire shapes his actions. The novel repeatedly asks how much agency he recognizes in himself.

The Broken Quotation

An Accident with Consequences Glass on the floor A framed quotation falls during a hurried encounter, and Wu Dawang steps on it. The accident exposes how private conduct can damage public symbols. Blame exchanged Liu Lian threatens to report him, while Wu Dawang points to her role in summoning him. Their argument tests whether desire excuses either person’s responsibility.

The Statue’s Fall

A Worse Accident The image shatters The Mao statue falls as Wu Dawang removes his uniform. Its broken pieces make the lovers fear political punishment. Choice replaces chance Liu Lian tries to call Security; Wu Dawang stops her. From this point, their response to the accident is deliberate, making them jointly responsible for what follows.

Destruction by Consent

Deliberate Desecration A series of acts The lovers tear up books, deface images, and destroy Mao-themed objects. What began in accidental damage becomes an intentional campaign. Commitment shared They provoke each other into further acts and even compete over who is more counterrevolutionary. Their intimacy is joined to a political risk they knowingly create.

The Object Preserved

A Chosen Exception The sign spared After destroying almost every political object, Wu Dawang prevents Liu Lian from smashing the household sign. He admits that he wants to keep it. Meaning kept, damage unresolved His choice shows that the destruction was not a simple rejection of every symbol. He preserves the object most closely tied to their shared history, carrying both affection and complicity forward.

During Wu Dawang’s first bedroom visit

During the affair’s early days

On the third day of confinement

Later that same afternoon

At their final farewell