The Man-Hunter Tiger
from "Wu Song Fights the Tiger" in Chinese Tradition
It is a tale of the hero Wu Song and the struggle, sometimes life or death, that he has with a man-eating tiger. The tale is suppose to be a contrast of the conflict between man and nature. It can even be traced back to the middle of the 17th century, when the author became famous for the tale. The tiger is also known as the "big beast" in other variations of the story. The character Wu Song actually hunts out the tiger and in the story wants to see how strong the animal is, while the tiger is said to think about how hearty Wu Song is and how the animal will have left overs. In different versions, it becomes more comedic or more animal-like where the tiger is hunting for prey. I believe the tiger is used because there were more tigers back in that age, and tigers were seen as dangerous and would come and hunt the village's animals or prey on the young. It was a rather feared animal in that culture, and that is why I think it was chosen against all other animals. For the story of defeating the "big beast" of a tiger in a heroic battle would certainly catch on.
No comments:
Post a Comment