Linda Law

Dr. Thongthiraj
English 1B
5 October 2015
The Deliberate Dance We Do
According to Sun Tzu, a greatly revered philosopher known for his military prowess, Tzu
quietly asserts that The art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting - Sun Tzu, The Art
of War. Reading on further in the text he lists several examples and strategies in order to cope
with differing types of conflicts. However, he establishes this idea that there is no cure all
solution for every problem since they differ, and since situations differ one must modify and
adjust accordingly making the most correct response in reply to the problem. Or the stronger
alternative message that Tzu implies which is to simply observe and identify (ie. to choose) the
correct battle to fight. This idea is roughly reiterated in Ha Jins short story Saboteur in where
Jin selects the use of elemental literary techniques of: irony, character, and tone. In order to
argue that should a person engage in battle or confrontation, they must thoughtfully select not
only the battle but also the moves they make within this battle.
Through the exquisite use of irony we see Jin draw attention and imply his social
commentary on the political struggles and issues that plagued his home country that he himself
witnessed. Readers can see this as the policemen incited trouble, As they were talking, the stout
policeman at the next table stood up and threw a bowl of tea in their direction. Both Mr. Chiu's
and his bride's sandals were wet instantly (1). Some background on the story Mr. Chui is
leisurely eating and talking with his wife, keeping to their own and enjoying a small lunch in
Muji Square following their wedding. This situation is ironic, seeing as how the policemen are

supposed to be ideal models and keepers of the very law they enforce. So having the policemen
act as if they were juvenile delinquents. Deliberately harassing specifically this couple in order to
incite rage and get a rise and reaction from Mr. Chui is so very contradictory. As readers we can
tell that the action is deliberate with how Jin illustrates that the policemen in question that threw
the tea is at fault at causing a disturbance with the key phrase being stood up. This usually
connotes that youre taking aim at something or another, such as in a basketball game and one
takes aim at the basketball hoop, the person shooting more often than not is standing. When
standing it gives a person a higher center of gravity and therefore allows are better control of the
ball. In essence, the policeman took aim at the couple as he stood up which meant he was
aiming to antagonize the couple in the first place. Another instance of Jin using irony in order to
emphasize a key idea happens when the policemen forcibly drag Mr. Chui away. Causing Mr.
Chui to cry out, You can't do this to me. This is utterly unreasonable (2). Mr. Chui is hauled
away by the very police that antagonized him on the basis that hes a saboteur and is disturbing
public order. However its ironic because Mr. Chui only cried aloud after he was antagonized by
the police, therefore the reason theyre are detaining is a false statement. This use of irony Jin
utilizes here of where even though Mr. Chui isnt the guilty party and still yet taken away by the
police compares and contrasts to normal literature in where the good are the rewarded and the
bad are reprimanded. Yet in this case, the script gets flipped and instead of the wrongdoer getting
punished the victim is instead. The use of this literary technique also showcases Mr. Chuis
naivete with the key term being cant, in a fair and legal situation Mr. Chui would be correct to
assume that the police wouldnt be able to detain him over grounds such as this, but thats not
taking into the account that within Mr. Chuis timeline that even after the cultural revolution
there were still tensions there that had yet to be resolved and rectified. In essence, there would

still be malicious sentiment still towards the communist party that he is a part of, which by that
context meant Mr. Chui was targeted from the beginning. So his detainment was almost
positively assured, yet the loophole in this wouldve been that if he had been observant and
choose not react so quickly and answer to their incitement, he mightve not gotten into a
confrontation with the police. Thus, by immediately answering the policeman actions with a
verbal reply, the policemen were able to talk over him and intervene directly, conveniently
drawing witnesses to back their groundless accusation that Mr. Chui was disturbing the peace.
Yet another example of Jin utilizing irony in order to emphasize his underlying message,
wouldve been when Mr. Chiu recollects an old saying that quietly emphasizes, "When a scholar
runs into soldiers, the more he argues, the muddier his point becomes" (5). The quote, from
which Jin is not only implying this message throughout his short story, but basically declares
what the main message of the passage is about. Starts to get all too real and dramatically ironic
for Mr. Chui, as its only after Mr. Chui finds himself in jail and detained does he recall the very
quote that illustrates the very situation that he finds himself in. We also find this point
emphasized yet again when you read on where Mr. Chui after thinking about this quote that
equate soldiers to policemen in the sense they both are supposed to uphold justice and act upon
it. How he regrets reacting so quickly to the policeman's ruse, as Mr. Chui recounts that the
whole ordeal is frustrating ridiculous, is the fact that this ended with him being detained due to it
was even more laughable. Likely, Mr. Chui regrets his actions that he made that time in the
square upon reacting rather than choosing his actions of what came after. Which in term really
drives this point home that Jin is trying to convey to his readers that one must be thoughtful not
only in words in speech but also in ones actions. To plan and observe, in order to be able to
choose the reply of ones actions to a situation. Rather than to simply react in response to the

stimulus which is the situation. Only to be faced with the consequences of quick decision making
and strong emotions, such as regret, similarly to how Mr. Chui is likely feeling at this moment in
time of the story.
Jin also makes use of another elemental literary technique and that is character. One can
see this with Mr. Chui where he refutes the Chiefs allegation that he is a saboteur arguing, I
didn't do anything. Your men are the saboteurs of our social order. They threw hot tea on my feet
and my wife's feet. Logically speaking, you should criticize them, if not punish them But I am
telling the truth! (4). Only to be confronted with written accounts of witnesses that spectated the
scene after the incident became almost dramatized by the police orchestrating the whole scene,
by first causing Mr. Chui to react to their ruse and then quickly shutting him up when he
beseeched them on the reason behind their actions. Making it seem that Mr. Chui was being
rowdy and therefore was creating a public disturbance even when in truth he wasnt.

character: beliefs, perceptions, views, motivation

You'll have to pay for this! You are worse than the Japanese military police (5).

A voice started screaming in Mr. Chiu's head, Lie, lie! But he shook his head and
forced the voice away.If I sign this, will you release both my lawyer and me? ...Mr.
Chiu signed his name and put his thumbprint under his signature (9)
tone: beliefs, perceptions, views, motivation

To his right, at another table two railroad policemen were drinking tea and laughing...Now and
again they would steal a glance at Mr. Chiu's table. (1)
The air smelled of rotten melon. A few flies kept buzzing above the couple's lunch. (1)
The rice and cucumber tasted good, and Mr. Chiu was eating unhurriedly. His sallow face
showed exhaustion. (1)
He looked at his bride, who took off her wire glasses, kneading the root of her nose with her
fingertips. Beads of sweat coated her pale cheeks. (1)

 "It's illegal to do that. Aren't you afraid to appear in a newspaper? "No, we are not, not even on
TV. What else can you do? We are not afraid of any story you make up. We call it fiction. What
we do care is that you cooperate with us; that's to say, you must admit your crime." (8)
Fenjin was baffled by his teacher, who looked ferocious and muttered to himself mysteriously,
and whose jaundiced face was covered with dark puckers. For the first time Fenjin thought of
Mr. Chiu as an ugly man (10).