In my opinion, Mo Yan earned the Nobel prize, and deserved it. I believe it is unfair to place the label on him that he supports the state too much, or does not criticize it enough. It is imperative to me that we consider the audience Mo Yan intended to address. If Mo Yan was writing a book for an outside audience to draw attention to the situation in China, then it would be fair to say that Mo Yan is not too critical. But Mo Yan was not specifically writing to help outsiders criticize the Chinese state. Instead, Mo Yan intended the audience of his book to be a Chinese citizen; and that puts him on the edge of a figurative knife. If he strays too far into criticism of the state, the book would never be read by his intended audience, and his purpose for writing would be folly. His book would be pulled due to strict censorship and therefore only be read by critical outsiders who expect more criticism of the state. He might even be sent to jail if too severe. Therefore, the way Mo Yan was able to walk the line off too much and too little criticism is a commendable achievement, and well deserved of recognition.