Comprehensive Study Guide for 13 Happiness Street by Bei Dao

The Chairperson at the Neighborhood Committee and Red Medical Station

• Excerpt: "Someone alive and kicking? That’s none of our business." ($p.\,2$, column $1$; context on $p.\,1$, col. $1$).

• Irony Explained: The Neighborhood Committee, meant to help the community, ignores the living, only caring when there’s a crisis.

The Foreman of the Local Housing Authority

• Excerpt: Commenting on the absence of windows in new houses: "They’ll all be on the roof. Ideal in case of war, keeps out robbers, protects you against both wind and cold; it’s got lots of advantages." ($p.\,2$ columns $1-2$).

• Irony Explained: The Foreman claims that having windows only on the roof is beneficial, but it actually turns homes into prisons instead of creating a comfortable living environment.

Director Liu and the Five-Match Test

• Excerpt: After asking Fang Cheng to form a square with $5$ matches: "This is typical of ideological criminals, they always try to find a way to use the extra match… The important thing…"

• Irony Explained: Liu sees creativity as a crime, thinking he’s trapping a criminal, though he’s just punishing thoughtfulness.

The Boiler Stoker

• Excerpt: When asked who the fire is for: "How should I know? They pay me, I do the work." ($p.\,4$, col. $2$).

• Irony Explained: The stoker creates heat for others but feels disconnected from the purpose of his work, acting only as a cog in the machine.

Elements of Absurdist Literature in Bei Dao’s Work

The Presence of Social Crisis

• Absurdist literature often reveals a society under stress. In "13 Happiness Street," fear and secrecy dominate, creating a sense of paranoia.

The Confused or Uncertain Protagonist

• Fang Cheng represents the confused seeker of meaning in a nonsensical world, often baffled by authority and surroundings.

Exposure of Hypocrisy

• Hypocrisy shows the gap between what officials claim and reality. While purporting to care for people, they do the opposite.

Robotic or Disconnected Actions

• Characters act like robots, following scripts without understanding. The Boiler Stoker and bureaucrats function mindlessly within the system.

Hard-to-Believe Coincidences

• Coincidences in the story challenge logic, leaving Fang Cheng trapped in absurd bureaucratic encounters.

The Nature of the Ending

• The ending maintains the status quo, with the protagonist remaining trapped in a system that offers no resolution or clarity, emphasizing his powerlessness.