Dream of the Red Chamber or The Story of the Stone by Cao Xueqin is considered the first Chinese feminist literary work. It is a classic written in the middle of the Qing Dynasty. The novel privileged the female as compared to the male characters. Cao Xueqin attaches significance to women as evidenced by the presence of multiple female characters. The novel explores the contours of a fading feudal system and the social crisis that it is has to contend with. Most of all, it is a celebration of womanhood. Cao wrote the novel to remember women who were part of his youthful life. In this paper, I seek to explore the significance of female characters in Dream of the Red Chamber. I further examine the relationship between men and women as evidenced by Jia Baoyu’s interaction with women who are part of the Jia family.
In order to understand the portrayal of women in Dream of the Red Chamber it is imperative that the historical context be cleared illustrated and defined. The novel is widely considered one of the best Chinese classics and has influenced contemporary literature and popular culture. The book was written in the 17th century by Cao Xueqin. According to Levy, of all Chinese fiction, Dream of the Red Chamber is the most “comprehensive, and not just on the level of detail” (8). The fact that the novel is considered the most comprehensive and its ability to place women at the center of society’s functional duties makes it an important literary work in the understanding of both the representation of women in traditional Chinese culture and the unique position women occupied. The novel explores on the physical and the transcendental. In the process the relationships between men and women are illuminated.
Dream of the Red Chamber depicts the falling fortunes of the Jia family. The Jia are a wealthy family but their fortune slowly changes for the worst as the men of the clan fail to maintain the dynasty. The family’s fortunes can be traced to its Manchu ancestors. Levy notes that “succeeding generations of Jia males are less successful, and the family fortunes both social and financial are definitely in decline” (8). As a family in a crisis, the Jia family makes a good case study of gender relations in traditional Chinese society.
Cao focuses on the Rong-guo wing of the Jia family where Jia Baoyu, the eldest son has to deal with complications that come with the transition into adult life. This transition happens at a time when the rest of the family has to deal with a myriad of problems that threaten both family cohesion and wealth. Cao Xueqin is able to portray the female characters in a positive light making his novel an epic work and the first piece of what can be considered Chinese feminism. Baoyu is not a typical patriarch. He rather looks up to female characters rather than male ones. He is a sentimental soul. Baoyu is not preoccupied with the material fortunes of the family. He rather wants to establish complete relationships with the women in his life especially those who are the target of his affection. Thus, he forces the author to provide the closest male version of the female gaze.
The privileging of the female oriented gaze is critical to understanding, Cao’s characterization of social relations during the Ming Dynasty. Mair in a celebration of Chinese literature argues that Cao “privileges the feminine by situating his narrative in a feminine environment of refined domesticity in such a significant way that his subtext implicitly argues for the superiority of this feminine world over that of public and social life” (215). It is in the main character of the novel that the celebration of femininity becomes apparent. He does not shy away from the feminine side of his nature. He embraces it and is envious of the female characters in the novel. The embracing of femininity is also tied to the romanticization of the author’s youth. He sees in the female characters a level of innocence and purity of thought and existence that is absent in the male dominated world. This purity is attributed to both innocence as well as the Buddhist way of thought by Zaifu (42). The notion of purity shows that Dream of the Red Chamber through the depiction of purity, taps into the Chinese cultural traditions of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. All these traditions were concerned with societal harmony, human goodness and strive for purity. The completeness of the women in Bayou’s life forces him to embrace femininity.
One of the critical aspects of Cao Xueqin’s depiction of women is the equating of women with goodness. Cao does not see female purity and goodness in a patronizing, patriarchal way but in the culmination of what humans are capable of if they embrace the feminine side of their nature. Zaifu observes that Cao Xueqin does not pretend to be a feminist. He writes from a male standpoint but with the goal of portraying women in a humanistic way.
There is an understanding in Dream of the Red Chamber that there is “richness and complexity of human nature, realizing that there are endless differences among women and that femininity can have an infinite variety of meanings” (Zaifu 45). This is important because it shows that women during the Cao’s time cannot be understand by just drawing the contrast between men and women and criticizing the social and cultural conventions of the time. Women can be celebrated without the need to bring out the constant historical struggle between men and women. The understanding that is forwarded in Dream of the red Chamber is that women and men do not occur in parallel universes. One would be forced to think that Cao Xueqin’s notion of embracing female cleanliness is patronizing. This however would be unfair to Cao who wants to place women at the center of human existence and society.
There is a certain religiosity to the depiction of women in Dream of the Red Chamber. As Zaifu notes, “convinced that females embody what is best in human society, he (Cao Xueqin) puts them in a godly position and worships them with religious feelings” (47). The religious portrayal of female characters shows the inner feminine nature of the author who aspires to be female. The author’s aspirations are evident in Jia Baoyu, the main character, who is a figure who can be viewed with religious lenses. Baoyu is a good natured being who is fond of all the people around him. Because of youth and innocence, he does not take offense at Jia Huan whose intention is to cause pain to Baoyu. His treatment of maids and all those around me is fair and considerate. He believes that suffering is should not be viewed with contempt because it cannot be separated from life. Jia Baoyu is a humble prince who puts himself at the mercy of women like Lin Daiyu, the target of his desire.
One of the striking features of female characters in Dream of the red Chamber is death of women either through suicide or natural causes. It is critical to understand why Cao Xueqin killed most of his female characters. Zaifu observes that the act of suicide that is seen in You Sanjie’s cutting of her own throat and Erjie swallowing of gold shows the female desire to remain uncontaminated with social conventions and culture (54). Women commit suicide out of love and the desire to distinguish themselves from the depraved canal of the male world. The celebration of suicide is rather disturbing for the modern reader of Cao Xueqin. The number of women that commit suicide in the novel is higher as compared to the suicide rate of men. Suicide is not just a celebration of purity and a desire to keep all women pure for the purpose of satisfying male desire. It is an attempt to show that women were more prepared to make sacrifices than men. The fall of the Jia family was a result of the men refusing to make sacrifices. Cao wants to show that the falling of dynasties was a result of men failing or not having the conviction that women had.
Unlike the women, the men in Dream of the Red Chamber lack enthusiasm. Suicide is not something to be celebrated but its depiction and meaning in the novel is different. It shows that women are more prepared to sacrifice themselves for a more perfect world than men. Man having been seduced and tainted by the material things of the world rule out suicide. Suicide in this case is symbolic, it represents purity and the desire to fight for the better rather than maintain the status quo.
In addition to the desire to sacrifice the self for the better of the world, there is a celebration of unique principles that the characters live by. Xue Baochai’s behavior and attitude is heavily influenced by her immersion into the Buddhist way of life. Zaifu notes that Xue Baochai is a virtuous being whose virtue also results in her misery and misfortune. All these good characteristics also result in her downfall.
In conclusion, Dream of the Red Chamber does not just mirror the culture and values of ancient China but also brings to the fore the centrality of woman in traditional Chinese culture. Through Jia Bayaou, one is introduced to an integral part of Chinese cultural heritage as well as unique male attitude towards women. The novel is a celebration of women.
Work Cited
Mair, Victor. The Columbia History of Chinese Literature. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2013.
Zaifu, Liu. Reflections on Dream of the Red Chamber. Amherst, NY: Cambria Press, 2008.
