Moreover, Kurth draws parallels between the main character in Notes and Taiwan's current situation in the world: "That Taiwan is under permanent siege, threatened by a larger mass, mainland China, is an obvious but essential metaphor in Chu's novel of gay men facing the truth about their mortality.
評論者以《荒人手記》中的情境比擬台灣目前的處境：「台灣長久受到威脅，有如愛滋病人一樣，是個小群體，同志的生命感覺像是借來的，台灣的未來也一樣充滿不確定性。」