Cost of Conformity in Chinese Literature

Paper Summary:

The Confucian society of ancient China was filled with specific norms and values. Conforming or not conforming to these specific values could cause negative or positive impacts in many individuals' lives. This paper discusses how the characters Pao-yu, Precious Virtue, Black Jade, Phoenix and Chia Lien from "Dream of the Red Chamber" by Hsueh Tsao Chin; Shen Fu and his wife Yun from "The Six Records of a Floating Life" by Shen Fu and Women Wang from "The Death of Women Wang" by Jonathan Spence do or do not conform to Confucian society and the affect that this conformity has on their lives.

From the Paper:

"Black Jade (Lin Ku-niang) another character from Dream of the Red Chamber is the woman Pao-yu is deeply in love with, like her lover she also has a rebellious nature. Black Jade is a very emotional, sensitive and dramatic girl who fails to conform to society because she was not an individual who showed filial piety, which was significant in a Confucian society. Black Jade loved Pao-yu and believed strongly that they were soul mates and destined to be married. The superiors in the Chia household especially the Matriarch, found Black Jade to have an arrogant and willful nature, they were not impressed by her unbridled behavior and found her speech to be most offending especially since it resulted as filial impiety. "

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