"Saboteur" by Ha Jin contained a great deal of irony, not only on a literary level, but also on a person level for the author. In the story, the Chinese authorities hault Mr. Chiu's life for a few days by detaining him on false accusations; this is, in a sense, a reflection of how the Communist Party's suppression of intellectuals forced Jin to remain in the U.S. instead of returning to his homeland. The major truth that is conveyed through this work displays itself in society as well: when good people fail to act, corruption thrives. However, corruption does not merely thrive, it expands, often infecting the very individuals who initially disdained it the most.
A couple important questions to ask are: why do those who are oppressed often become those who oppress? And also, do revenge-seeking individuals always become irrational in their thinking and harm people other than their intended targets? Personally I am baffled by the first instance. Why people who have been treated unfairly would purposefully inflict such torture on others makes no sense whatsoever to me. I would think that those individuals would be empathetic towards similar situations and try their hardest to make sure no one else has to experience what they themselves have had to endure. The second question presents more of a problem due to variables in the situations. I think that revenge, if fostered, encompasses every aspect of an individual; it controls their mind, their emotions and drives their actions. The hatred that grows within blinds the individual to everyone and everything except the object of his/her disdain. There are not always casualties but the opportunity defintely presents itself and is, I am sure, often overlooked because of the intense need to satisfy one's thirst for revenge.
The sad fact is that good people can easily lose sight of what is pure and can become corrupt without even realizing that the awful transformation is occuring. And, just like Mr. Chiu, their attempt to take revenge on unjustice winds up hurting innocent people instead.
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