Chinese Literature Assignment

Submitted by: Mehak Arshad

Looking for the Self; existential traces in Soul Mountain (800-1000 words)

Set against the landscape of a rugged terrain, Soul Mountain explores an extra ordinary exoteric

journey and simultaneously mirrors an esoteric pilgrimage that runs parallel within its course.

The journey to “Lingshan” where “Buddha enlightened the Venerable Mahakasyapa”

(Xingjian 22) marks the exposition of the novel and allegorically the pursuit for self-discovery.

It is interesting to note that Lingshan is a place yet to be realized by “You”, as he

desperately searches for it on “cigarette box” (Xingjian 22) . In the similar fashion, the quest for

knowing the “Self” becomes an inexhaustible struggle as it is a “plunge into an abyss”

(Xingjian 116) -- a territory unknown. When one searches for something “not knowing what one

is looking for” it transforms into “pure agony” (Xingjian 67). The word “agony” corresponds

with Albert Camus’ stance on the absurdity of human existence.

In The Myth of Sisyphus, he argues that human beings perpetually wrestle with the

consciousness that enlightens them about the absurdity of existence. It is the dawning of

realization that leads to suffering. Likewise, in Soul Mountain “I” reflects that there is too much

“analytical thinking”, “logic” and “too many meanings!” “Life”, he philosophizes “has no logic”,

so why does one need “logic to explain what it means?” later he decides “I need to break away

from analytical thinking, this is the cause of all my anxieties” (Xingjian 67). Hence the birth of

existential angst sets off the chase for meaning and ultimately finding “self”.

It is worth noting that the text teems with motifs and symbols that signify the transitory nature of

human existence. “Buses”, “Bus stations” and the metaphor of hiking- they all signify movement.
Travelling becomes a significant theme as the characters not only move physically but also

psychologically.

Moreover, the characters in the novel are not given names just as the chapters are

reduced to sheer numbers. This can be interpreted as an existential strife to be recognized as an

individual and a constant struggle of identity.

Carl Jung endorsed this notion in his theory of Individuation. According to him, every individual

has potential “splinter-personalities”. These splits of self are evidently “components of more

comprehensive personality hidden in their unconscious psyche” (qtd in. Phenomenology of the

Self). To put it simple, he advocates the idea that individuals have “splits” within themselves and

these counter-personalities are part of a larger whole that is “Self”. Moreover, he elucidates that

a balance or “self actualization” can be achieved through the integration or reconciliation

between these splits. In Soul Mountain as well, “You” “I” “He” and “She” can be seen as

components of a larger matrix of “Self” since towards the end of the novel the only character that

remains is “I”.

Secondly, by using pronouns instead of giving names to his characters Gao Xingjian is

perhaps hinting at the fact that the concept of naming is arbitrary. The readers can relate to the

anguish of these characters. Like “You”, “I” “He” and “She” each individual struggles for

identity while constantly trying to decipher meaning in this meaningless world.

The word, ‘meaningless’ brings to surface another aspect of the existentialist and

absurdist school of thought. The only apparent truth or perhaps anchor that one finds is in the

existence of God but what if “God is in fact a frog?” (Xingjian 522) This intensifies the

existential dilemma and what Nietzsche professed that “God is dead”. With the death of God, as
Nietzsche says, human beings become devoid of a foothold and all the signified meaning that

their foothold suggests. Therefore the idea of God and God himself becomes “incomprehensible

to humans” (Xingjian 522). One is condemned to an absurd existence but then again its

“significance could lie precisely in its not having meaning” (Xingjian 522).

Lastly the visual depiction that is, the form and structure of Xingjian’s novel is also

mapped on the absurdity of existence. It begins with the quest for a “stable existence” (Xingjian

26) by discovering the “the reality of life” (Xingjian 14) and the meaning encapsulated in the

purpose of being; merely to return to the point where it all started. The narrator remarks, that

“while pretending” to “understand”, he still fails to “understand” he comprehends “nothing”

(Xingjian 523). With the image of a circumference the element of futility seeps in. It is like a

repetitive, cyclic pattern that simply perpetuates the monotony of human existence. A similar

concept is postulated by Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus. He advocates, that self remains

“indefinable” and between the “certainty” of “existence” and the solace one tries to give to

himself there lies a void that cannot be “filled”. He concludes that “forever” one remains a

“stranger” to himself (Camus 14). Thus it can be concluded that Xingjian’s Soul Mountain

pulsates with existential streaks while whirling with quest for “Self”.
 Works Cited

Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus & Othe Essays.Trans. Justin O’Brien. PDF File.

Jung, C.G. Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self. Trans. R.F.C. Hull. New York:
Bollingen Foundation Inc., 1959. Print.

Xingjian, Gao. Soul Mountain. Trans. Mabel Lee. Harper Collins Publisher.2000. PDF File.