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In this short story, Lu Xun uses cannibalism as a metaphor for the oppressive feudalistic society of China at the time of the story. The story is intended to stir people to action, to make them believe that they could become "free only by the most radical and fundamental measures-every vestige of the old culture and tradition had to be pulled up from its roots and destroyed, and the thinking of the people had to be completely changed". This story becomes the driving force and the cornerstone of the successful May Fourth Movement or the New Culture Movement and other movements that work in favor of moving away from a feudalistic Confucian society towards a new culture informed by modern philosophy and science .In such narrative, as analysis shows, irony and symbolism intersect with science and history to illustrate Lu Xun's advocacy of liberty and human rights. Lu Xun pleads for two forms of human rights. The first is the general one: the right to be free, equal, well-fed and well-educated. The second is the right of the marginalized; especially women and children. Lu Xun had become a role model for revolutionaries and opened the door of new ages of China through literature. This paper has a triple goal - to show how the revolutionaries of the May Fourth era used the madman's revolt against social conventions as a model for their efforts, to apply Lu Xun's famous essay, ''Literature of a Revolutionary Period" to his writings in general and "A Madman's Diary" in particular and finally, to pinpoint Lu Xun's views on revolution, liberty and human rights.
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