Nikolaeva, L. V., Averkina, S. N. FUNCTIONING OF SYMBOLIC IMAGES IN MO YAN’S NOVEL FROG. Proceedings of Petrozavodsk State University. 2026;48(5):106–112. DOI: 10.15393/uchz.art.2026.1341


Literature of the peoples of the world

FUNCTIONING OF SYMBOLIC IMAGES IN MO YAN’S NOVEL FROG

Nikolaeva
L. V. 		Nizhny Novgorod Theater School named after E. A. Evstigneev
Averkina
S. N. 		Moscow Pedagogical State University
Keywords:
Mo Yan
novel Frog
symbolic image
mythological potential
polysemy
humanism		 Summary: The article examines the artistic functions of the main symbolic images in Mo Yan’s novel Wā (㴉) – a frog, a child, and a doll. In depicting reality, the author resorts to the mythological potential of Chinese culture, cre- ating a convex and polysemantic portrait of the reality during the one-child policy period. It is proved that the image of a frog, most closely associated with the fate of the main character, a midwife Wan Xin (Auntie, or Gugu), becomes ambivalent in the novel: it symbolizes fertility, the cyclicity of nature, spiritual transformation, and at the same time violence, infertility, and death. Particular attention is paid to Gugu’s nephew, an aspiring writer Ke Dou, who tells about the life of Wan Xin and people of his native village in lengthy letters to his Japanese friend. In the novel, Ke Dou, nicknamed Tadpole (Tadun) in childhood, personifies a new generation that grew up after a period of cruel social exper- iments. The author associates hopes for a more humane future with him. The article highlights that the idea of spiritual transformation and redemption is also realized by the author through the image of a clay doll, traditionally associated in Chinese folklore with Chang’e, the goddess of the Moon, who breathed life into clay figurines. At the end of the novel, Gugu, tormented by pangs of conscience, also tries to atone for her guilt by painting the molded toys for children. This symbol is most vividly revealed in the finale of the novel, which is structured as a play dedicated to the fate of Wan Xin. It is concluded that the unique composition of the novel, which combines the epistolary and dramatic genres, helps Mo Yan to emphasize the complexity of his narrative strategy. By creating a multi-layered and polysemantic story about the fate of his generation, he analyzes the mechanisms of cultural memory formation. An analysis of symbols in the novel shows that mythologically charged images become the most important tools for artistic expression of the philosophical problems of modern Chinese literature.


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