reached forty years old, they became strong reasons for her to keep holding her decision with an intention to be free from her duty as a wife of Mr. Wu
and to be free from her house. From the explanations above, we can see how Chinese culture forms
Madame Wu’s personality. She did not become herself the way she was. She preferred to follow and do what was demanded by the environment where she
lived. In the next section we will discuss about Priest Andre and his teaching that influence Madame Wu’s personality through the novel, which will be
described later on in the other section.
B. Priest Andre and His Teaching
In Pavilion of Women 1946 there is a Priest, named Andre. He is the one important to and influencing Madame Wu much. In the next section, we will see
how he can influence Madame Wu. Priest Andre and his teaching will be discussed further in this section. Priest Andre is both a Westerner and a Christian
living in a community of traditional Chinese with many customs and traditions. What he did represents who he was.
1. Love and Mercy
Priest Andre shared his affection and attention to many people, especially to weak and poor people, no matter what religion and who they
were. ‘”Strays,” the ragged man said. “He picked the little ones up from
outside the city wall where they are thrown. The big ones are runaway slaves. He took in anybody.”’ p. 275
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We can see Priest Andre’s kindness, he picked anyone needing help. They were neither his family nor his friends, but for his love he helped them.
He did not only pick them, but he also took care of them. He gave them enough food everyday and thought about their future.
‘”There are twenty of us,” the little thin girl said. “I am fifteen years old–at sixteen he provides for us.”
“Provides for you?” Madame Wu repeated. The old woman had come in now. “At sixteen he finds them homes
and good husbands,” she said.’ p. 277
There were so many children to be taken care, but it was not a burden for Priest Andre. Even he found them good husbands. They were all girls. At
that time women lacked equality with men, sons were wanted much more than daughters Chang, 1960: 6. Even a wife’s position in her husband’s house
would be secure when she could bear sons Ibid, 160. Priest Andre helped the unwanted ones. He is a Westerner and he did not care about the difference in
gender as happened in China. In West, female and male are equal. They can have the same right, the same right to love, to choose a husbandwife, to study,
to express their thought, and to determine the way of their life. As a priest, he also did Jesus Christ’s teaching as He said in Bible, in Mark 12: 31, to love
other people as we love ourselves. In Christianity, love is the primary law, to love God most and to love other people as we love ourselves.
Chinese people got married because they were matched. Chinese women, especially, did not have right to choose their own husbands. While
Western women even have a right to express their love to the men they love freely. Westerners at that time were considered as Christianity, and they were
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