Thematic Analysis: Injustice To Concubine Ma

Thematic Analysis From the vengeful spirits of concubines to tragic outcomes of acts against filial duty, stories recorded from China’s Song Dynasty reveal popularly held beliefs about the power of karmic retribution. Narratives from Hong Mai’s Record of the Listener reflect the cultural and religious landscape of Song-Dynasty China. Within this collection, “Injustice to Concubine Ma,” “Chen Shisi and His Son,” and “Lin Ji’s Hidden Merit” aid in exploring the theme of karmic retribution and its relationship to one’s moral and social duties. Analysis of these narratives raises the question: What do these stories in The Record of the Listener suggest about the beliefs of those in Song Dynasty China and the rectifying power of karmic retribution?

In the story, Chang competes with her husband’s concubine, Ma, for her husband’s favor. Out of envy, Chang murders Ma. Chang’s immoral actions, though unpunished in any governmental sense, directly lead to her demise. Firstly, her husband dies, and upon remarriage, Chang suffers a long and difficult labor. The story reveals that, “In broad daylight, Chang saw Concubine Ma holding a stick and whipping her belly” (xx). Ma’s apparition solidifies the idea that Chang’s misfortune is not merely coincidental, but rather a direct karmic punishment implemented by Ma’s deceased spirit. With ritualistic help of a Daoist monk, Chang gives birth, but the haunting continues. When the Daoist monk is called back in, he sends a Heavenly general to capture Ma’s spirit. His faith that he can capture the ghost of Ma is shortened when he hears about the source of Ma’s conviction, with Ma arguing, “I died from extreme injustice. Although the Master is respectable, what could he do to me since justice is on my side?" (xx). The Daoist then promises to chant scriptures and incantations to assist Ma’s spirit in the underworld, but Chang’s actions remain indemnified. Ma’s ghost returns to argue that Chang ultimately must pay with her own life. In an attempt to mitigate her negative karma before death, Chang sells Ma’s remaining