“The Magic Sword” is a story about seduction and
temptation. Temptation in the form of a beautiful woman, who alters the moral
foundation of a good-hearted man. A man, who is in a constant inner struggle.
This is depicted in a story with a myriad of details and symbols, that gives
the story a certain sense of mystery.
“The Magic Sword” revolves around a man named
Ning Ts’ai-Ch’en, or just Ning. In the beginning of the text he is described as
follows:
“NING TS’AI-CH’EN was a Chekiang man, and a
good-natured, honourable fellow,
fond of telling people that he had only loved once.”[1]
In the quote, it becomes apparent that Ning is proud
of the fact that he has only loved once. This can be interpreted as if, he has
only loved his wife. His love of his wife also comes to show, when he
encounters a temptress in the form of the ghost of a young woman:
“He found it was the young lady he had just seen; and
detecting at once that she was going to attempt to bewitch him, sternly bade
her begone. She then produced a lump of gold which he
threw away, and told her to go after it or he would
call his friend.”[2]
By reading the quote, it comes to show that Ning
resists the temptress and her offer of gold. This clearly shows that Ning still
loves his wife and is unreceptive to temptation.
Another important element in the story is the role of
Hsiao-ch’ien and the imps. Even though, they’re described as a physical terror,
the imps in the story symbolize the inner demons that Ning is battling with. An
example of this can be seen in the following quote, where the nightly attack of
the imps is described:
“He, however, was killed that very night, and his
servant the night after; the corpses of both showing a small hole in the sole
of the foot as if bored by an awl, and from which a little blood came.”[3]
In the quote, it comes to show that the imps have
killed a young man and his servant during the night. This attack can be
interpreted as Ning’s battle with his inner demons. At this particular moment,
Ning’s inner demons are still rather powerful, which can be seen by the fact
that they’ve killed two people. Another symbol of his inner struggle is a magic
sword, that Ning is given to defend himself against the imps. This sword can be
seen as a symbol of victory over the evil spirits.
Whereas the imps of the story are mere reflexions of Ning’s mental struggle, the demon Hsiao-ch’ien has a more complex role. Hsiao-ch’ien has somewhat of a double function. She has both demonic and seductive features to her character. Her demonic features can for instance be seen in the following quote:
Whereas the imps of the story are mere reflexions of Ning’s mental struggle, the demon Hsiao-ch’ien has a more complex role. Hsiao-ch’ien has somewhat of a double function. She has both demonic and seductive features to her character. Her demonic features can for instance be seen in the following quote:
““The presence of that sword frightens me, and that is
why I could not accompany you on your way home.” Ning at once understood her,
and hung up the sword-case in another place”[4]
From the quote, one can clearly see that Hsiao-ch’ien
is filled with dread when near the magic sword. If the sword is seen as both a
weapon and a defence against the demonic side of Ning’s life, It’s apparent
that Hsiao-ch’ien is somewhat demonic since she can’t stand the sword.
Furthermore, her seductive powers also comes show in quote. An example of this
is that she manages to persuade Ning into moving his sword, his only guard
against the evil of his life thus leaving him defenceless. This also shows the
effect she has on Ning’s moral compass. At their first encounter, Ning sternly
held his ground and didn’t waver, when he bade her begone. Now, he does as she
commands, even though, it means that he’s completely unprotected.
Hsiao-ch’ien doesn’t try to seduce Ning alone. She
also tries to ingratiate herself with Ning’s mother. This attempt to ingratiate
herself ends up having a big impact on the story, which can be seen here:
“By-and-by, Ning’s wife died, and his mother secretly
wished him to espouse Hsiaoch’ien”[5]
By reading the quote, it becomes apparent, that while
Hsiaoch’ien ingratiates herself with the mother, Ning’s wife dies. The quote
clearly depicts the outcome of Hsiaoch’ien’s efforts. The mother holds her in
such high regard that Hsiaoch’ien is to marry Ning. More importantly, you can
see the demonic side of Hsiaoch’ien by the fact that Ning’s wife withers away,
while she does everything she can to appear as the ideal replacement. This
seems too convenient to be coincidental.
The story culminates in the ending, where Ning
confronts his inner demons:
“the sword-case became as big as a wardrobe, and from
it a devil protruded part of his body
and dragged the imp in. [...] In the sword-case they found only a few quarts of clear water; nothing else.”[6]
It becomes apparent in the quote that Ning defeats the
demons and gains control over his psyche. The quarts of clear of water can be
interpreted as a symbol of purity in the sense that Ning is now cleansed from
the demons who’ve haunted him. This interpretation is supported further down
the text, where we’re told that Ning completes his doctor’s degree and starts a
family. This can be seen as a sign of him reaching a more balanced, stable
state of mind.
After reading “The Magic Sword” we’re left with a
feeling of amazement. Amazement of the fact that a person can be changed to
such a degree that what he before held in the high regard now is as good, as
forgotten. Where Ning before boasted about only having loved his wife, he ends
up marrying another woman seemingly without mourning the loss of his wife -his
only love. All of this due to a single person with extraordinary powers of
persuasion. In our opinion, this adds to the mystery of the text and underlines
the demonic powers of seduction embodied by Hsiaoch’ien.
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