The Narration of War and the Shaping of Characters in Novels: Taking Jin Yong’s The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and The Legend of the Condor Heroes as Examples

Abstract

In the Southern Song Dynasty, there was a long confrontation between the Song and the Jin. In the later period, Song and Mongolia combined to destroy Jin, and Song was also conquered by the Mongols. The two novels of Jin Yong analyzed in this paper set in the Song Dynasty as historical background. This paper uses empirical research and literary creation theory to research The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, and discusses the influence of the war background on the characters of the protagonists Guo Jing, Yang Kang and Qiao Feng, which is reflected in three aspects: identity, views of nation and war, the fate of death. The paper demonstrates that the war profoundly affected the life trajectory of the characters, and the characters could not escape the influence of war. The wars put the three characters in a dilemma of identity choice, which was the most essential dilemma that the characters faced. In the dilemma, all three characters ended their lives in a painful way.