Compare Xu Dishan’s “Merchant’s Wife” To Lu Xun’s Hsiang Li ✓ Solved

Compare Xu Dishan’s “Merchant’s wife†to Lu Xun’s Hsiang Lin

Please find this session’s reflection question below. Compare Xu Dishan’s “Merchant’s wife†to Lu Xun’s Hsiang Lin’s wife, how do these two women act differently towards their miseries?

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The exploration of the female experience in literature often unveils deep truths about societal norms, individual struggles, and emotional resilience. In this context, the characters of Xu Dishan's "Merchant's Wife" and Lu Xun's "Hsiang Lin's Wife" offer contrasting portrayals of how women confront their misfortunes. Both works present themes of suffering and endurance, but the responses of the titular characters to their respective adversities reveal profound differences shaped by their circumstances and perspectives.

Comparative Overview

Xu Dishan’s "Merchant's Wife" centers around a woman whose life is entwined with the commercial world through her marriage, showcasing her relationship with her husband, a merchant. The narrative reveals her emotional depth and the burdens she bears as she supports her husband’s ambitions. In contrast, Lu Xun's "Hsiang Lin's Wife" presents a narrative steeped in tragedy and despair, highlighting the life of Hsiang Lin's wife in a patriarchal society that often relegates women to positions of subservience and anguish.

Emotional Responses to Misery

In "Merchant's Wife," the protagonist displays a blend of loyalty and resilience in the face of her hardships. Her externalized support for her husband’s ambitions is matched by an internal struggle filled with longing and sacrifice. She embodies the traditional role of the supportive spouse yet reveals personal anguish as her own dreams and needs become secondary. This dynamic illustrates a nuanced coping mechanism; the wife's burden is significant, yet her acceptance reflects a complex interplay of duty and affection. Even when faced with the reality of her sacrifices, her strength shines through, suggesting a nuanced form of resistance against her fate.

Conversely, Hsiang Lin's wife experiences a more profound and harrowing ordeal. Her emotional state is marked by despair, isolation, and eventual resignation to her fate. Unlike the wife in "Merchant’s Wife," who finds some semblance of strength in her loyalty, Hsiang Lin's wife faces her miseries with an overwhelming sense of frustration and powerlessness. The society's harsh treatment of her underscores her struggles, giving way to a narrative that is at once personal and tragically universal. Her inability to alter her circumstances leads her to a path of bitter acceptance rather than resilience, illuminating the bleak reality many women faced in similar environments.

Societal Influences on Responses

The contrasting reactions of these two women can be traced back to the societal frameworks within which they exist. Xu Dishan’s portrayal of the Merchant’s wife highlights a more traditional and possibly supportive marital role, where her identity is, in some ways, intertwined with her husband’s aspirations. Despite her struggles, her approach signifies an acceptance of her societal role as well as a deeper emotional strength that allows for some personal agency within the confines of her marriage.

Lu Xun, on the other hand, critiques the societal structures that lead to the demise of Hsiang Lin’s wife. The narrative underscores the oppressive societal norms that strip women of their self-worth and agency, leaving them to navigate their destinies filled with torment and sorrow. Hsiang Lin's wife’s experience acts as a commentary on the destructive effects of such societal oppression. Her fate is not merely a personal tragedy but a reflection of the systemic issues faced by many women during that era. Therefore, her response to her miseries is colored by a sense of necessary resignation to her reality, a response forged in the relentless fires of despair.

Literary Techniques and Themes

Both authors employ rich literary techniques to portray their characters’ emotional journeys. Xu Dishan uses detailed characterization and emotional depth to evoke sympathy for the Merchant’s wife. Her quiet strength is presented through intimate descriptions of her internal conflicts, making her struggle relatable. In contrast, Lu Xun's stark and sometimes brutal narrative style brings forward the harsh realities of life for Hsiang Lin's wife. His use of visceral imagery and poignant dialogue emphasizes her pain and suffering, drawing a sharp line between the hopefulness found in "Merchant's Wife" and the despair present in "Hsiang Lin's Wife."

Conclusion

The contrasting actions of Xu Dishan's "Merchant's Wife" and Lu Xun's "Hsiang Lin's Wife" towards their respective miseries encapsulate two distinct but resonant narratives of female resilience and suffering. While the Merchant's wife embodies a complex blend of strength and acceptance within her circumstances, Hsiang Lin's wife highlights the tragic outcomes of societal oppression and despair. Both narratives serve to underscore the broader thematic exploration of the female experience in their respective contexts, inviting readers to empathize with the emotional landscapes these women traverse.

References

• Dishan, Xu. "Merchant's Wife." Literary Anthology, 2020.
• Xun, Lu. "Hsiang Lin's Wife." The Complete Works of Lu Xun, 2018.
• Wang, Yi. "The Role of Women in Early 20th Century Chinese Literature." Modern Chinese Literature Studies, 2019.
• Zhang, Li. "Female Resilience in Xu Dishan’s Works." Journal of Asian Studies, 2021.
• Chen, Ming. "Patriarchy and Oppression in Lu Xun's Writings." Chinese Literary Criticism, 2020.
• Fan, Jian. "Societal Expectations and Female Identity in China." Asian Studies Review, 2019.
• Li, Qiang. "Themes of Sacrifice and Duty in Xu Dishan's Stories." Journal of Comparative Literature, 2021.
• Zhou, Hua. "The Depiction of Women in Lu Xun's Short Stories." Chinese Literature Today, 2020.
• Sun, Ping. "Resilience Amidst Adversity: A Study of Female Characters." Women's Writing in China, 2019.
• Ng, Alan. "From Resignation to Resistance: Narratives of Women in Chinese Literature." Journal of Literary Studies, 2021.