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The message about being eaten alive by society could mean a few things. One, it could be the fear of reprisal from those who continue to enforce tradition. Two, it could be fear of being devoured into the tradition, like traditionalism is a monster and he could fall victim to being devoured by it. Cannibalism represents the outdated and in some cases, barbaric beliefs of old tradition. Since cannibalism sees society actively harming itself, Lu Xun is likely calling out the parts of Confucianism that basically sees Chinese society harm itself and shoot itself in the foot. For example, the use of traditional medicine that did not help with a number of illnesses.

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Dramatic Irony adds to the complexity of the story, and in a sense allows the audience to have an insight, where the characters in the story don't really know.

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I think the allegorical symbolism of cannibalism is that it's supposed to represent the Chinese Confucian system. The "Madman" is fearful of being forced to conform to the system/cannibalism. I think he was also scared because he felt that he was the only one who thought the way he did which would make it easier for them to reform him to become a "cannibal" as well.

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I think the symbolism of cannibalism, and the fear that the Mad man felt about the cannibalism, relates to how this character was fearful about being outcasted or shunned by society, or more so silenced by society as a whole. This speaks a lot about conformity in the society and how people blindly follow what is the norm. -Olivia G.

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These two phrases being repeated and together draw attention to the two topics that might not initially connect in the reader's mind. When writing literature meant to reform, it needs to be intriguing and understandable for it to spread. These old societal ways have corrupted and harmed their lives, "eating" away at their stability and individuality.

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It was important he became a government official because he could possibly share his different views.  Or he has been eaten therefore views are now the same as the rest of society.

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I think the message behind being eaten alive focuses on the repression of ones voice and how society has corrupt traditions. Cannibalism is seen as a taboo, so that fact that he made society man eaters really shows the irony behind how society is seen in his eyes.

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maybe because it is a respectable title whereas he was writing about people not being respectful or kind to him.

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The dramatic irony makes the story that much deeper. It makes you look into the story more. It helps you understand the hidden meaning behind the story.

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The madman specifically points out that reading the words over and over reveal a message between the lines. "Eat People" signifies him realizing the hidden message of Confucian values - that is a hormful sense of conformity.

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Dramatic irony is used to empower the message. The story gives a rather hyperbolic take on traditionalism but such things help get the message across while eliciting strong emotions. As for the irony that happened, in the case of this story, the madman ironically returns to traditionalism and even becomes a government official. The irony serves to show how the pressures of society can make people "fall asleep" from the truth once more.

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I think it was significant that the madman became a government official because it shows him conforming to the system. The older brother even said that he was no longer mad because he's an official. It shows that one of the values of the system was to believe the same things, so once the madman gave in, society was satisfied.

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Tying into my previous question, the importance of the madman becoming a government official is the fact that it shows how people can be pressured into becoming part of the old tradition. In this case, the "madman" returns to traditionalism and now is among those who enforce it.

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It shows that it's hard, that no matter your views it is hard to resist the temptation to conform to what is considered right in society and this shows that he ended up conforming by becoming the government official

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I think it was so significant that the madman became a government official because it is a critique again about conformity and how perspectives on individuals change when they change. -Olivia G

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This shows how Lu Xun views Confucianism, in a hyperbolic manner. As he reads the book, the more flaws and negatives he sees between the lines. The old ways has damaged Chinese societies ability to progress and thus ties into how Chinese society is harming its own advancement and development.

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I think the purpose is to show how important it is for society to change. And if they don’t things will get worse

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Reflecting on this further, I think this association between Confucian Virtue and Morality and "eat people" is for dramatic effect. It's a way to convince the audience that the values they've held so long in tradition are harmful not only to themselves but to future generations. This could help readers be open to change which I believe was Lu Xun's goal regarding the May Fourth Movement.

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He became an official because he couldn’t do these things on his own. It’s hard for one person to change the minds of a whole society. He needed the young people to be on his side.

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I think the dramatic irony just makes the message even clearer. If the reader knows beforehand that Lu Xun is talking about the Confucian system on the deeper level using cannibalism as a symbol, it allows them to see from the perspective of a man who is trying to save his country not destroy it. It allows them to question whether those who want change for China are the "mad" ones or if it's the ones who insist on keeping all tradition even if it has dangerous consequences.

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Lu Xun's use of dramatic irony effectively communicates the urgency to which China needs a cultural revolution. At first we think the mad man is crazy, but then we realize he is only crazy in the context of the society he lives in. The irony of "man-eaters" being those who preserve traditional confucian values makes the issue seem like an immediate one.

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Because it was quite ironic that part of his recovery from being a so-called "mad man" was to join the very system that Lu Xun is criticizing

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The dramatic irony is that cannibalism is being seen as the norm to the village while the madman is the one being seen as the one with the problem. Kind of like how China is letting Confucianism get away with things and the village just going along with it. The madman realizes something isn't right with the system.

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Cannibalism is seen as taboo in society, and how the Confucianism system is corrupting parts of society.