Research Article

The Narrative of Suffering and the Expression of Humanity in Chronicle of a Blood Merchant

Zuo LinUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Urbana*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

The paper uses the novel by Yu Hua titled Chronicle of a Blood Merchant as a research object where the presentation of suffering in the work is addressed by the narrative, and the condition of the characters in this mode of presentation. The book is based on the same plot of selling blood, slowly linking family demands and the state of life through the life of Xu Sanguan in various periods. A lot of things might not be considered too serious when considered in isolation but when they happen to be repetitive it makes it appear like the character is always distressed by such issues. Xu Sanguan rarely tries to change anything; most of the time, he just deals with the situation as it comes, and he does not have many choices. The analysis of the narrative structure, characterization, social background is the primary focus of the article, and how these factors unfold in the context of the text are discussed. In such reading it is possible to observe that despite the fact that the novel shows the lives of common people in it the relations between the characters and the reaction they have in case of pressure are also observed.

Keywords: Yu Hua; Chronicle of a Blood Merchant; Suffering; Narrative Techniques; Ordinary Life
Published: May 18, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.33538
Volume: CHR Vol.107
pp. 242-248
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