Rebecca Lewis

One Mans Journey to Find Independence Leads Him to a Life of Alienation

Individualism is the practice of independence and self-reliance. Hsiang Tzu illustrates
this concept throughout most of the book. Hsiang comes to the city of Peking when he is
eighteen years old and begins looking for a job1. Upon arrival he realizes that the easiest job he
can find that would make him the most amount of money would be to rent a rickshaw and
chauffeur people around the town2. A rickshaw was the equivalent of a modern day taxi. Hsiang
was from the country and while in the country he did farm work. This allowed him to have the
ideal physique of a rickshaw puller, strong and quick on his feet3. Hsiang wanted more than
anything to own his own rickshaw so that he would not have to pay every day to rent one4. In his
quest to gain independence from the rickshaw renters he alienated himself from the rest of the
people in the city. This lead to the eventual unraveling of his life.
At the beginning Hsiang Tzu is determined to do everything the correct and moral way.
He is determined to make his money in an honest way without stepping on anyone or getting in
the way of their financial gains. When first arriving in Peking he sets out to condition himself for
being a rickshaw boy5. Being a rickshaw boy meant that one had to have endurance and skill in
running. After practicing for a few days he set out to rent his own rickshaw6. Everything went
seemingly well the first day and he managed to improve as the days went on. He got faster and
more skilled on his feet.
1 Lao She, Rickshaw: The Novel of Lo-to Hsiang Tzu (Honolulu: University of Hawaii
Press 1979), 4.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid, 8.
5 Ibid, 5.
6 Ibid, 6.
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For the first three years all he could think about was earning enough money to buy his
own rickshaw so that he would no longer have to pay rent to the rickshaw agencies7. Fares for
the rickshaw rides were very low8. He counted on the off chances where he would get a few
cents tip9. A dollar or two was considered a very big tip at the time. He believed that if he could
save ten cents a day he would be set to buy his own rickshaw in about 1000 days considering the
cost of a relatively nice rickshaw was about a hundred dollars10. In order to save this money he
neglected both his wants and needs. He would refuse to go out to the nice tea houses with the
other rickshaw pullers because he wanted to save every penny he could in order to become
independent from the rickshaw agencies11. He would also neglect himself from things that he
needed such as medicine.12
He had two decisions to make. Did he want to own or rent a rickshaw and did he want to
work the streets or work for a family? He already knew that he wanted to own his own rickshaw
so that all the money he made every day would be a profit not a payment to the rickshaw
agency13. He also knew that if he worked for a family that he would have guaranteed work and

7 Lao She, Rickshaw: The Novel of Lo-to Hsiang Tzu (Honolulu: University of Hawaii
Press 1979), 5.
8 Ibid, 2.
9 Ibid.
10 Ibid, 8.
11 Ibid, 4.
12 Ibid, 9.
13 Ibid, 5.
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guaranteed work meant more money therefore a shorter period that he had to wait to buy his
rickshaw14.
He did eventually get hired by a family but it did not last very long15. He would do
everything correctly and still manage to get fired16. This happened quite a few times. After
getting fired he would have to work the streets and look for private jobs at the same time17. This
proved disastrous because his mind was never fully on one thing or the other18. He would be so
consumed in thought that he would not watch where he was going and he would run over pieces
of brass and blow out the tire and sometimes he would end up running into pedestrians19. He was
ruining the one that that was helping him make money but he did not care because it was not
his20. All he could think about was the day when he would own his own rickshaw.
He finally managed to save up the money after three years of hard work and
determination and quite a few instances of him neglecting his needs21. The second he gets the
money that he needs to buy the rickshaw he goes out to buy one22. Hsiang Tzu picked out a

14 Ibid, 8.
15 Ibid.
16 Ibid.
17 Lao She, Rickshaw: The Novel of Lo-to Hsiang Tzu (Honolulu: University of
Hawaii Press 1979), 8.
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid, 9.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
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beautiful rickshaw that had already had a deposit put on it but the deposit had been forfeited23.
The original price was over a hundred dollars but because a deposit had already been paid the
store owner was going to let it go for a hundred24. Hsiang was only willing to pay ninety-six
dollars and was not bending on the matter25. The store clerk finally decides to let it go and
Hsiang Tzu finally had his rickshaw that he had been wanting since he arrived in Peking26. He
was happier than ever before after buying his new rickshaw and preformed much better27.
During this time, China was occupied by foreign troops. Hsiang knows that if he traveled
outside of the city his rickshaw has a chance of being taken by these troops28. One of his fellow
rickshaw pullers convinces him to make a trip to Ching Hua29. Hsiang Tzu had heard the rumors
of the troops but the fare for a trip out to Ching Hua was two dollars and he could not pass it
up30. He decides to go with the man and they are captured soon after they leave the city gates and
their rickshaws are confiscated31. He is forced to work for the soldiers until he escapes with 3

23 Ibid.
24 Ibid.
25 Ibid.
26 Ibid.
27 Ibid, 11.
28 Ibid, 14.
29 Lao She, Rickshaw: The Novel of Lo-to Hsiang Tzu (Honolulu: University of
Hawaii Press 1979), 15.
30 Ibid.
31 Ibid.
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camels in tow32. Once far enough away from the troops he sold the camels for thirty-five
dollars33.
This was the first instance of his corruption. He had stolen the camels from the soldiers
because the soldiers had stolen his rickshaw from him34. Once he got back to the city he was
regarded as Camel Hsiang Tzu because of his actions with the camels35. He was thought of very
highly for getting away from the soldiers. He did not like all this attention on him and continued
to do what he did best, work36. Because his rickshaw was stolen he had to rent one. This angered
him. All he could think about now was saving up for a new rickshaw. Money was all he saw and
in order to get more of it he began to steal other rickshaw pullers customers37. This was the
second instance of his corruption.
He believed that his worth relied of whether or not he had his own rickshaw. He began
his journey as a rickshaw puller doing things the correct moral way but after his rickshaw was
stolen all moral thought left him38. That was his boiling point. From then all he could think of
was getting a new rickshaw and anyone who got in his way of that was collateral damage39. He
believed that after he bought a new rickshaw he would go back to doing things the moral way but

32 Ibid, 16.
33 Ibid, 28.
34 Ibid, 19.
35 Ibid, 29.
36 Ibid, 39.
37 Ibid, 40.
38 Ibid.
39 Ibid.
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that was not the case40. In the beginning he alienated people because he had one goal in mind and
relationships with people was not part of that goal. After time progressed people began alienating
him. No one would converse with him because of his actions. This book makes it clearly evident
that in order to progress in the world one needs allies and that going at life alone will get one
nowhere.

40 Lao She, Rickshaw: The Novel of Lo-to Hsiang Tzu (Honolulu: University of
Hawaii Press 1979), 41.
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