Liu Maotian believes that the love tragedy in Regret for the Past is rooted in Zijun's pursuit of life, while Juansheng keeps moving forward. Regret for the Past aims at discussing the eternal proposition that life must be updated, grown and created from time to time, which embodies Juan Sheng's rational thinking on the meaning of life (Life must be updated, grown and created from time to time, Journal of Lianyungang Education College, No.4, 2000). Liu Maotian's article affirms the rationality of Juansheng's "the first meaning of life is survival", but he also agrees with the male-centered discourse hegemony unconsciously reflected by Juansheng and the implied author (Mr. Lu Xun) in the article, which makes the article show a condescending attitude of men. This kind of comment has returned to the academic view before the 1980s, but it seems to lack the unique understanding of contemporary people since the new period.
Qi Jianying's thesis of Shenyang Normal University is actually a summary of different views on the theme of Regret for the Past. Her comments are beautifully written and eloquent, and some lyrical expressions can be seen from time to time in her analysis, which is the remarkable feature of her articles. She thinks "Regret for the Past" reflects the deep thinking of petty-bourgeois intellectuals on the issue of personality liberation after the climax of the May 4th Movement. Its themes are varied. First, without social liberation, freedom of marriage and personality liberation cannot exist independently; Secondly, it points out that personality liberation must be based on the whole social liberation, and criticizes the selfishness, ruthlessness and limitations of the trickling personality liberation; Thirdly, without economic status and political status, women can't have real personality independence and bright future (On the theme of mourning for the past, Journal of Liaoning Administration College, No.3, 2002).