WHIRLPOOL by LIU HENG
SUMMARY
A man named Zhou Zhalou who comes from Fujian, CN, studies medicine in urban China. While at school, he had to dissect a woman who had donated her body to science and remarked that her essential humanity was absent in her lifeless body.
Zhalou goes on to become a Department Manager at a Scientific Institute in Beijing and regularly gives lectures around China. He has a wife, a 10-year-old son, and a daughter who is slightly older than his son. After giving a lecture, Zhalou returns to his hotel to find a note from a stranger requesting a meeting. Zhalou obliges the stranger, and arrives at the meeting place to find a beautiful woman named Hua Naiqian who works under him at the Institute. Although Naiqian is married, her husband, Lin, is impotent and she is not attracted to him. Zhalou and Naiqian kiss, but vow to keep their working relationship intact.
Naiqian is a Master's student and has just completed her final thesis. A man named Liu, who is an older peer of Zhalou's, grades Naiqian's thesis and penalizes her for incorrectly citing 2 works in her bibliography. Zhalou attends a party at Naiqian's house, after which she drunkenly tells Zhalou that she finds Lin to be weak and cowardly.
Zhalou's family has been planning a vacation and request to come with Zhalou on his next lecture trip, but he insists that his family stay at home. On this trip, Naiqian and Zhalou have sex for the first time. Angry with himself, Zhalou attributes his weakness to primitive urges.
When Zhalou returns, he beats his son for smoking cigarettes. At work, he is awarded a prize for outstanding achievements in science, a feat embroidered by his young age, and Liu congratulates him. The executives of the Institute offer Zhalou a chance to interview for the position of Vice President.
Zhalou breaks up with Naiqian, because he does not love her and is only excited by her body, but insisting that he once did love her, and that their love has faded. Naiqian is upset by the breakup, and tells Zhalou that she is divorcing her husband Lin. Unaware that Zhalou has been sleeping with Naiqian, Lin approaches Zhalou and asks him to intervene in the divorce. Lin feels that the divorce would hurt his children, and he and Zhalou both fantasize about killing Naiqian.
Zhalou wins the job of Vice President and sends word to his family, who are on vacation without him. Naiqian comes to Zhalou's apartment, begging him to have sex with her again. After Zhalou refuses, she becomes upset, and says that while she will not tell his family, she will prevent him from leaving her without consequence. Later that day, Zhalou gives his acceptance speech for the Vice President position, and although he knows Naiqian is in the crowd, he ignores her completely.
ANALYSIS
This novella is about what makes a person human. Zhalou was upset by the lifelessness of the corpse he dissected in school, indicating that he has a passion for the human spirit. The urges Zhalou felt for Naiqian were, as Zhalou describes them, primitive, and he describes the emotion he felt when beating his son similarly. Scholarly pursuits give Zhalou a sense of self-worth because they demonstrate to him that he is not an animal or a corpse. Morality also factors into his perception of humanity as he feels compelled to act out of interest for his family. Zhalou has control over himself, which he feels makes him dissimilar to animals and corpses, thus making him human. When Zhalou ignores the woman who ignited his primitive desires to focus on his scientific achievements and the moral sanctity of his family, he realizes what he feels is his full potential as a human.
Zhalou's need to prove himself as being extraordinary is complicated by the fact that he comes from rural Fujian, CN, and is seeking to prove himself to elites in urban Beijing, CN, who initially viewed him as being primitive because the elites of Beijing, CN stereotype rural areas and their inhabitants as being primitive. Additionally, Zhalou is much younger than his peers of similar stature. His youth represents a perceived inadequacy to some and he is eager to prove that what he lacks in age he makes up for in capability. By conquering temptation, he has conquered the demise that his enemies expect he will meet. Zhalou's successful cessation of his extramarital affair represents a victory for him on multiple levels.
This book was great! Without preaching or generalizing, this book takes the reader along for the journey of a young professional accomplishing their personal goal, which is what I certainly want to do in my life, making me all the happier for Zhalou.
SUMMARY
A man named Zhou Zhalou who comes from Fujian, CN, studies medicine in urban China. While at school, he had to dissect a woman who had donated her body to science and remarked that her essential humanity was absent in her lifeless body.
Zhalou goes on to become a Department Manager at a Scientific Institute in Beijing and regularly gives lectures around China. He has a wife, a 10-year-old son, and a daughter who is slightly older than his son. After giving a lecture, Zhalou returns to his hotel to find a note from a stranger requesting a meeting. Zhalou obliges the stranger, and arrives at the meeting place to find a beautiful woman named Hua Naiqian who works under him at the Institute. Although Naiqian is married, her husband, Lin, is impotent and she is not attracted to him. Zhalou and Naiqian kiss, but vow to keep their working relationship intact.
Naiqian is a Master's student and has just completed her final thesis. A man named Liu, who is an older peer of Zhalou's, grades Naiqian's thesis and penalizes her for incorrectly citing 2 works in her bibliography. Zhalou attends a party at Naiqian's house, after which she drunkenly tells Zhalou that she finds Lin to be weak and cowardly.
Zhalou's family has been planning a vacation and request to come with Zhalou on his next lecture trip, but he insists that his family stay at home. On this trip, Naiqian and Zhalou have sex for the first time. Angry with himself, Zhalou attributes his weakness to primitive urges.
When Zhalou returns, he beats his son for smoking cigarettes. At work, he is awarded a prize for outstanding achievements in science, a feat embroidered by his young age, and Liu congratulates him. The executives of the Institute offer Zhalou a chance to interview for the position of Vice President.
Zhalou breaks up with Naiqian, because he does not love her and is only excited by her body, but insisting that he once did love her, and that their love has faded. Naiqian is upset by the breakup, and tells Zhalou that she is divorcing her husband Lin. Unaware that Zhalou has been sleeping with Naiqian, Lin approaches Zhalou and asks him to intervene in the divorce. Lin feels that the divorce would hurt his children, and he and Zhalou both fantasize about killing Naiqian.
Zhalou wins the job of Vice President and sends word to his family, who are on vacation without him. Naiqian comes to Zhalou's apartment, begging him to have sex with her again. After Zhalou refuses, she becomes upset, and says that while she will not tell his family, she will prevent him from leaving her without consequence. Later that day, Zhalou gives his acceptance speech for the Vice President position, and although he knows Naiqian is in the crowd, he ignores her completely.
ANALYSIS
This novella is about what makes a person human. Zhalou was upset by the lifelessness of the corpse he dissected in school, indicating that he has a passion for the human spirit. The urges Zhalou felt for Naiqian were, as Zhalou describes them, primitive, and he describes the emotion he felt when beating his son similarly. Scholarly pursuits give Zhalou a sense of self-worth because they demonstrate to him that he is not an animal or a corpse. Morality also factors into his perception of humanity as he feels compelled to act out of interest for his family. Zhalou has control over himself, which he feels makes him dissimilar to animals and corpses, thus making him human. When Zhalou ignores the woman who ignited his primitive desires to focus on his scientific achievements and the moral sanctity of his family, he realizes what he feels is his full potential as a human.
Zhalou's need to prove himself as being extraordinary is complicated by the fact that he comes from rural Fujian, CN, and is seeking to prove himself to elites in urban Beijing, CN, who initially viewed him as being primitive because the elites of Beijing, CN stereotype rural areas and their inhabitants as being primitive. Additionally, Zhalou is much younger than his peers of similar stature. His youth represents a perceived inadequacy to some and he is eager to prove that what he lacks in age he makes up for in capability. By conquering temptation, he has conquered the demise that his enemies expect he will meet. Zhalou's successful cessation of his extramarital affair represents a victory for him on multiple levels.
This book was great! Without preaching or generalizing, this book takes the reader along for the journey of a young professional accomplishing their personal goal, which is what I certainly want to do in my life, making me all the happier for Zhalou.
- Accomplished scientist begins an affair on a lecture tour
- Scientist is offered a chance to interview for a promotion
- Scientist breaks up with the person he was dating
- Scientist achieves the promotion
SOURCE
Liu, Heng. "Whirlpool." The Obsessed. Trans. David Kwan. Beijing, China: Chinese Literature, 1991. N. pag. Print. Book about a scientist conquering temptation.
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