In fiction, views on life are often embodied from the writer’s point of view – readers can understand the culture, traditions, and attitude of the author towards them. The literature also reveals to the audience a gender picture of the world – the statuses of men and women at a certain period of time, their behaviors, stereotypes, and potential conflicts. In classical Chinese literature, women obeyed men and depended on them financially, but a reassessment of their role began during the transition to the modern period. The increase in the number of women writers in China has occurred since the beginning of the twentieth century. Moreover, the protagonists of the stories also more often became female characters. Despite the traditions that lived for a long time, writers defended rights to equality, drawing attention to the problem in their works.
Ling Shuhua was one of the first women authors to work in a new literary direction in China. In the story The Embroidered Pillow, she reveals the life of a young girl from a wealthy family. Describing the lives of women living under patriarchal oppression, the writer made a significant contribution to strengthening the position of feminism. Missy from The Embroidered Pillow belongs to the traditional mindset girls – she is timid and obedient, humbled with her role. She fulfills her father’s instructions even when she is uncomfortable, for example, embroidering pillows in intense heat, because “He [father] said they must be delivered by noon tomorrow” (Shuhua 124). Missy makes embroidery in isolation from the outside world – she is forced to wait for marriage on her father’s orders and has no voice in this crucial choice. However, little can change after – the girls only pass into the power of another man.
Missy performs the work with twist diligence and attracts the admiration of the housemaid. However, two years later she learns, what happened to her work in which she enclosed so many efforts, preserving against possible soil and remaking to create perfect embroidery. In the house of the man to which the embroidered pillows were presented as a gift, they were disrespectfully spoiled same day – one because of vomiting, and another is thrown off on a floor. The neglect of her work strikes the girl, and to the offer to make the similar embroidery from the servant who does not guess that it is Missy’s work, “She just shook her head in reply” (Shuhua 127). Thus, at the end of the story, readers possibly watch that there is hope for her resistance as the main character changes.
A writer Ding Ling presented more independent women who reveal themselves and make their own decisions. The main character of the story, Miss Sophie’s Diary, introduced through the diary entries, is very complex, emotional, and contradictory – she is real. Being ill with severe disease, Sophie is still curious and independent, which arouses readers’ admiration. At the same time, she often shows selfishness, for example, in a relationship with her friend Wei. However, despite the fact that the girl “alone here as a prisoner in this hostel,” she does not want to play with the feelings of a friend and pushes him away (Ling 6). The writer masterfully thought the protagonist’s character, giving her both positive and negative features, conveying her complexity.
Due to the peculiarity of the post-revolutionary time in which Sophie lives, it is difficult for her to deal with all emotions and thoughts since the values instilled from childhood significantly affect the personality. Readers are experiencing with Sophie her path of psychoanalysis and rethinking world. A significant part of the story is devoted to her romantic feelings and sexuality. Such a protagonist changes readers’ view of gender roles in Chinese society, breaking existing stereotypes. Thus, through the direct transmission of female feelings and desires, the author condemned a culture in which there was no place for such women.
Thanks to her strong character, Sophie copes with emotions, but some women can surrender under the oppression of circumstances. Xin Bing has dedicated a number of short stories in which female characters are looking for themselves and trying to realize potential. The protagonist of the short story My Neighbor, despite her sharp mind and studying at an excellent school, cannot arrange life as she dreams. Since childhood, Mrs. M is fond of literature; the young lady reads complex works in foreign languages and writes her novel. As a student, she shows talent and publishes papers, but her life changes after marriage. Mrs. M, under the influence of her husband, refuses to write and even teach, although the family needs money (Yu-fling 138). As a result, she suffers, closed in the daily routine of caring for the family, which took away her dreams.
The main character of My Neighbor is an example of a wonderful woman who lacks the fortitude to defend her desires. The world around is created for men, and therefore she is subjected to it. Mrs. M feels that she let her parents that were proud of her education and skills, down (Yu-fling 138). Through this woman’s example, the writer demonstrates how women can be both unusual, talented, and fragile.
All three characters are significantly different, as well as all women around the world. Missy is a lady of old traditions that it is forced to obey her father’s will. Sophie is a strong and independent young woman that wants to understand herself, her emotions, and desires, including sexual ones. Mrs. M, in turn, is the one who cannot realize herself because of the husband’s pressure, though she has for this purpose necessary qualities. Women are not similar, but they have common circumstances – they feel lonely in society, which isolates them. Protagonists of these stories cope differently with the exclusion – Missy does not fight yet, but there is a chance of a protest, Sophie passes this test with pride, and Mrs. M does not cope and has emptiness at heart. For the last character, the centuries-old traditions face potential opportunities and new culture.
In conclusion, all analyzed stories demonstrate how women were underestimated in China – their work, talent, skill, and desires remained unaddressed because society concentrated on men. Such injustice pushed women to fight, including through the writer’s craft. Writers drew attention to the oppression of females and contributed to the fight for equality. Protagonists of the stories shared real female feelings and thoughts with the readers. Such vivid examples of injustice provoke an emotional response necessary for the struggle for equality. Moreover, they show why underestimating women and their potential can be a dangerous mistake.
Works Cited
Ling, Ding. Miss Sophie’s Diary. Translated by W. J. F. Jenner. 1928.
Shuhua, Ling “The Embroidered Pillow.”Short Stories by Ling Shu-hua. Translated by Marie Chan, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), 1975, pp. 124-127.
Yu-fling, Li. Images of Women in Chinese Literature. University of Indianapolis Press. 1994.