Commodity, Family and Global Modernity

Among Lu Xun’s short stories, Soap（《肥皂》） might be most disputable. In recent years scholars read it from perspectives of femininity, psychoanalysis, discourse structure, etc., and opened new dimensions for interpretations. This paper reads Soap from the angle of commodity and points out that it ironically depicts a “storm in a cup” caused by an imported soap which Siming buys for his wife. As a conservative against any social change he unconsciously brings his family into the order of world civilization. Soap signifies a shift for Lu Xun’s fiction writing from critically picturing Chinese spiritual backwardness to soberly dealing with issues of family, gender and urban life. In Lu Xun’s view Soap means his mature style in representing reality with ingenious techniques. Finally, this paper discusses the story’s significance in the historical context of power relations between China and West in terms of capital, nationalism, gender and commodity consumption.