The Concept of Manhood

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3. The Concept of Manhood

Men were considered to be superior human beings. As a superior one, they dominate others by their power and dignity. Others are subordinates who must obey and appreciate them. Formerly, Chinese women learned nu shu to maintain communication in a secret way with their natal family when they had already been away from home. Then, nu shu was also a communication tool with their friends, especially laotong and sworn sisters. There was also a hidden factor that caused the women to preserve and pass on nu shu to their descendants. That hidden factor was their escape from being at home all the time. There was no permission to be outside. Chinese women were always in the inner realm. Chinese men, however, are in the outer realm since the social system allows them to work, learn, and be socialized. Unlike men who gain the knowledge from their education, women gain their knowledge by being literate in nu shu. By nu shu, they know many things that men may enjoy such as poems, stories, and songs. Therefore, nu shu is preserved to keep the women knowing a lot of things. This is illustrated by the following quotation: It can be used to write letters, songs, autobiographies, lessons on womanly issues, prayers to goddess, and, of course, popular stories. It can be written with brush and ink on a paper or on a fan; it can be embroidered onto a handkerchief or woven into cloth. It can and should be sung before an audience of other women and girls, but it can also be something that is read and treasured alone. See, p. 30 This quotation shows how nu shu reflects women’s efforts to improve their qualities. It is also a proof that they can be as educated as men and can do something else beside womanly duties. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 56 Women keep their nu shu away from the men. This attitude shows their fear and anxiety to be caught by men. It is because there is a possibility of being prohibited. They do not have any other way to be knowledgeable and keep in contact with their natal families and friends. The influence of men was very great at that time and women did not have the possibility of claiming their rights since they lived in a feudal society which obeyed Confucian ideals very well. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 57

CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS

This chapter presents conclusions, implications, and suggestions of this study. The conclusions wrap up the answer of the formulated problem. Then, the implications are presented to provide some reflection on the results of the study which may be relevant to education. Finally, the writer gives some suggestions related to the study.

A. Conclusions

Based on the analysis in Chapter IV, there are some conclusions that can be drawn. The first concerns the depiction of Chinese women’s footbinding and secret writing in the novel. The second is about how male domination relates to the practice of footbinding and women’s secret writing. The first result shows that footbinding and nu shu are clearly depicted in the novel. Footbinding is not merely performed out of a sense of obligation but also because it determines a woman’s social status. Footbinding is about the obligation as it is dealing with the state of being marriageable. Being unmarriageable for Chinese women is considered the worst thing. They embarrass themselves as well as their family. This thought is influenced by Confucian ideals since they lived in a Confucian society. Moreover, footbinding is to determine their chance of a brighter future. By having a pair of perfect feet, the main character, Lily, improved her life by marrying a scholar in a famous village, PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI