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Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

The Corruption of Men in Power

Over the course of the story, it becomes very clear that the entire system, from the low-ranking policemen to the police chief, is against Mr. Chiu. While he is in jail, Mr. Chiu thinks that he will receive fair treatment under the law. It should be noted that this story is set after China’s Cultural Revolution ended, and since that time, all citizens have been viewed as equal before the law, or so Mr. Chiu believes. It seems to have been no trouble at all for the police chief to gather an overwhelming amount of evidence against Mr. Chiu, both in the form of witness statements and a dossier of personal information. The corruption in Muji encompasses all levels, starting with the two policemen at the bottom and proceeding all the way up the ranks to the police chief. It can be inferred that corruption is pervasive among the other members of the police force, including intermediate officers and lower-ranking administrators. Given the older policeman’s confidence in throwing the tea at Mr. Chiu, this corruption seems to have been ongoing for a considerable amount of time. Similarly, the police chief is completely unconcerned when Mr. Chiu asks if he fears being exposed as a corrupt official. The chief states that the police will be believed, while Mr. Chiu will not. None of the police officials fear that the judicial authorities will punish them for their actions. This suggests that the authorities have either not cared to take legal action against the police or are just as corrupt. 

The Fleeting Nature of Fortune

Mr. Chiu’s once happy and agreeable life is turned upside down in a matter of seconds through circumstances beyond his control. In one instant, he is a newly married professor looking forward to a return to work and the opportunity to speak to his colleagues. In the next, he is in police custody, accused of bizarre crimes he did not commit. The policemen are the ones who initiate the confrontation in the square, and it is the police chief who tells Mr. Chiu what the conditions are for his release. Everything Mr. Chiu has placed his faith and trust in, including the law, education, and the belief that policemen will act justly, has been shaken. The story's events occur over only a few days, but it is enough to change everything in his life. Additionally, the same could also be said for the people who are struck by the hepatitis outbreak. Ha Jin does not specify whether the police chief, the aides, or the policemen were among the people who became ill. But it is likely that most of those eight hundred people have never had anything to do with Mr. Chiu or his treatment by the police. Their own lives, which may or may not have been fairly happy and agreeable ones, are disrupted by the misfortune of the hepatitis outbreak, itself a result of the Mr. Chiu’s treatment at the hands of the police.

The Distrust of Intellectuals by the State

The story does not specifically state what leads the policemen to attack Mr. Chiu and his bride, whether he is targeted because he appears to be an intellectual or for some other reason. But the policemen are openly disdainful when Mr. Chiu states his status with the university in Harbin and his important work as a lecturer. The police chief dismisses Mr. Chiu’s demand that the police write a letter of apology to his university. At one point, while Mr. Chiu is kept in the cell over the weekend, he reflects on an old proverb saying that when a scholar tries to argue with soldiers, things won’t go well for the scholar. To put it another way, the sword is mightier than the pen. At the police station, education is used as a metaphor for the brutal practices that the police use against prisoners. The police chief uses words such as “lessons” and “education” when referring to Fenjin’s torture in the courtyard, thus hinting that the torture will continue unless Mr. Chiu does as he is told.

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