“New Year’s Sacrifice” by Lu Xun, which reveals the layers of oppression and pain that define the existence of Xianglin’s Wife, powerfully depicts the terrible reality of early 20th-century Chinese society. The story begins on New Year’s Eve in Luchen, Lu Xun’s hometown, and sets the tragic scene for a story about a lady whose life has been shaped by poverty, social expectations, and personal tragedy. From her first appearance as an obedient maidservant until her final plunge into poverty, Xianglin’s Wife, the protagonist, experiences several turbulent occurrences (Marxists Internet Archive, 2006). The narrative poses important concerns regarding the people and the structures that contributed to her bodily and spiritual devastation as well as the causes of her oppression. Based on an in-depth study of the text, this analysis seeks to disentangle the complex series of events that culminate in Xianglin’s Wife’s agony and eventual death.

The narrative of Sister Xianglin takes place in the context of social conventions, financial limitations, and individual calamities that combine to mold her terrible destiny. The enemy of poverty appears to be unrelenting, looming large over the affairs of Xianglin’s Wife. Though she is assigned difficult tasks and is initially presented as a conscientious and competent maidservant, her employers view her as little more than an economic asset. Even with her commitment and diligence, she continues to experience economic exploitation daily. Throughout the story, it is mentioned that despite her hard effort and accomplishment of duties usually done by males, she only receives five hundred cash per month in pay. She is at the mercy of her employers, who profit from her labor but do not see her as a distinct individual with wants and goals, because of her economic weakness.

Xianglin’s wife’s misery is exacerbated by the stifling influence of social expectations. She was first turned down by potential employment because of the conservative views that are common in Luchen, which stigmatize her as a widow. Because Xianglin’s wife had to endure a difficult job search because of her marital status, Lu Xun gently criticizes the customary discrimination against widows. She also faces censure and exclusion from society as a result of the growing contempt from society after her second marriage. In addition to dictating Xianglin’s Wife’s job as a maidservant and criticizing her for pursuing marriage as a means of achieving personal pleasure, the novel exposes the hypocrisy inherent in societal conventions. With her kidnapping and forced second marriage, the tragic course of Xianglin’s Wife’s life takes a terrible turn. Her horrific battle against this coercion is described in detail throughout the narrative, which highlights her fortitude and defiance of social norms. She tries to back out of the planned marriage, but her agency is forcefully suppressed, exposing the harsh power dynamics at work. According to the story, her brother-in-law and the go-betweens were among the people who encouraged her to be victimized. The frantic attempt by Xianglin’s Wife to survive the forced marriage results in a serious head injury, severely undermining her autonomy.

The religious and supernatural aspects of the narrative, in addition to economic exploitation and social conventions, add to the spiritual suffering of Xianglin’s Wife. A new layer of superstitious beliefs is added to her psychological load by Liu Ma’s dire suggestion, which urges her to buy a threshold to atone for her transgressions. She is more mentally distressed because of the pressure to follow religious tenets and the worry about facing spiritual repercussions. A cycle of pain and hopelessness is imposed upon Xianglin’s Wife as her resistance and vitality are destroyed by this complex oppression, which has social, cultural, and spiritual roots. Xianglin’s Wife was not specifically killed by a single outside force or entity in the story (Lee, 2012). Rather, her downfall is the result of a combination of the harsh compulsion into an arranged marriage, as well as social and financial constraints, which finally killed her.

A deep feeling of empathy and annoyance arises when one considers Sister Xianglin’s moving trip. With its emphasis on the systemic oppression ingrained in cultural norms and economic systems, the novel speaks to the terrible reality faced by women in early 20th-century China. It is heartbreaking and irritating to see Xianglin’s Wife fight against societal prejudice, poverty, and the coercive forces that determined her fate. Her anguish is revealed to be significantly influenced by the traditional Confucian idea of virginity. She is not only rejected by employers at first but also encounters social contempt whe