Mo Yan mentioned his experience of going to school "naked" when he was a child, saying that when he was in the second grade of primary school, the whole class was "bare-footed monkeys", which made the female teacher on the first day of class cry and run to complain.
This has raised questions about Mo Yan's honesty, and some people have even examined photos of him when he was 7 years old, believing that his account does not match the facts. So, is what Mo Yan said true? It is necessary to distinguish several levels to explore.
From the perspective of emotional expression, Mo Yan's purpose in describing the hardships of childhood life may be to show his tenacity to overcome difficulties and pay tribute to the fighting spirit of people in that era, rather than simply describing facts.
From the perspective of literary rhetoric, exaggeration and metaphor can be allowed by art to a certain extent.
From the perspective of writers' literacy, writers should follow the interests of the people and avoid misleading the public's perception of history.
Specific to Mo Yan's remarks, first of all, we must make it clear that in the 50s and 70s of the last century, there was indeed a general state of poverty and backwardness in Chinese mainland. Judging from the social background and environment at that time, Mo Yan's scenes are not entirely unfounded. But the specific age and details he provided seem to be somewhat exaggerated.
This may be due to a strong emotional reminiscence of the era, or it may be accompanied by a certain element of literary exaggeration. Therefore, we need to discern whether it is an emotional expression or a fiction that affects the judgment of historical facts.
Regarding Mo Yan's works, we should pay more attention to his unique language style and insight into human nature, rather than just staying at the authenticity of certain details. The value of literature is to enlighten life and the heart, not simply to record history. We need to look at the mixture of fiction and reality in the writer's work with dialectical thinking.
Writers should take the interests of the people as the starting point and assume the social responsibility of guiding correct values. The creation of works may be fictional, but they should not distort historical facts and affect the public's understanding of major historical events. Writers should pay attention to the impact of words and deeds on society, and avoid bias due to personal emotions or the pursuit of expression.
Judging a writer should not be based on a single statement. We should look at the overall value of a writer's work and the social responsibility of a writer as a public figure.
Writers must have the courage to explore the true nature of life like Mo Yan, and be able to maintain rational judgment, in order to create masterpieces that lead the times. Let us look at literary creation with a positive and rational attitude, and appreciate the rich ideological connotations in the works of writers.